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“Nah,” Corey spoke up from beside him. “The acidity of the ketchup balances the sweetness perfectly.”
I nodded uncertainly, wondering when they’d both turned into such food experts.
“Eat up, kiddo,” said Brian, fixing his gaze on me. “You’ve got a busy day ahead and from what Noah’s told me, you have a habit of skipping meals. A good breakfast will keep you going until evening.”
I threw a glare at Noah but he remained absolutely unaffected, chewing his pancakes without showing any emotion.
“It’s all good,” I said, looking back at Brian. “Work’s been progressing at an amazing rate. We’ve deployed all our forces into working day and night to make up for the delay we’ve had over the past months.”
Brian beamed.
The news of my deal with Civella seemed to have taken a weight off his shoulders. He looked healthier and smiled more these days. Irene’s presence further helped him relax.
“Can you believe it’s just been a week?” Corey asked, looking all around the table. “The tenants and residents left their properties overnight. It’s like they’d all been waiting to move out.”
“Theydidwant to move out,” said Noah. “Those houses and buildings were ancient. It was turning into a health hazard for the residents. Given the chance, they’d rather move into new housing. It was Civella’s threats that kept them caged there.”
Brian let out a long breath. “I’m glad you helped the kid without knowing who she was,” he said in a low voice. “Count it as a gift for your good karma.”
I caressed Irene’s head with a gentle hand and gave her a hug.
She smiled and held up her half-eaten toast that was topped up with jelly and egg.
I took a tentative bite from it, doing my best not to cringe at the weird taste.
“You like?” she asked.
“Sure, honey. Anything you give me is extra sweet.”
Looking pleased with herself, she went back to finishing her meal.
“We’ll be at the site until noon,” said Caleb. “Want to join us?”
“I can’t,” I said, feeling a sliver of disappointment. “There’s tons of paperwork to do and I need to finalize the names of the managers who applied to take over Azalea Tech.”
Corey, Caleb and Noah looked at each other.
“So, you’re not going back?” Corey asked. “Like, ever?”
The hopeful look in his eyes sent warmth shooting through me.
“I’ll have to make short trips from time to time but that would be it,” I said. “My time and attention are needed here, after all.”
“That’s right,” said Noah, fixing his cool gaze on me. “You’re needed here more than ever. Irene’s here. Dad’s here.Weare here.”
Warmth flooded my cheeks. “Will you have time to visit the site with me this afternoon?” I asked him before he could make me blush like an idiot in front of Brian.
“Yeah. And I’m driving you to work too. So, hurry up.”
Smiling, I drained the last bit of my coffee.
Getting to my feet, I hugged Irene and let her kiss my cheek.
“When will you come home today?” she asked.
“I’m not sure, honey,” I said, fussing with the feathery hairband on her head a little, making sure it was perched just right. “Site work is continuing through the night, so who knows how long I might spend there.”
“Oh.” A disappointed look came over her.
