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A very illegal computer system. My old Spark outfit with a big hole in the armpit. A safe full of gold and money.“That’s one of those things I can’t tell you. For your own good.”

Sadie stared at the keypad on the handle. “I respect that. You need to keep things safe.”

“I need to keepyousafe. You shouldn’t know about this stuff.”

She rubbed Joan’s back. “Well then, make me dinner.”

They went to the kitchen. Sadie sat on one of the cushioned barstools. Joan grabbed two wineglasses from a glass-front cabinet. Now she was hornyandslightly annoyed. She shouldn’t be leading Sadie on, but Sadie had gone all in on assuming Joan was Catch. And assuming a lot of things about Catch. If she knew the real Darlene, she’d be singing a whole different tune.

Ugh. This had to get released before it built up. Joan set the glasses in front of Sadie, then slid the wine bottle over. “Can you open this while I wash my hands?”

“Sure.”

After giving her a corkscrew, Joan turned on the faucet. She quickly formed a small fireball between her hands. As soon as it flickered and rotated, she shoved it under the running water. It fizzled out in a whisper of smoke. She checked over her shoulder to make sure Sadie was preoccupied with the wine.

Much better.Joan released a cleansing breath. She could’ve cooked the entire dinner in her bare hands with all that simmering heat.

As she rubbed the seasoned strip steak with olive oil, Joan asked, “So what’s your story, Sadie Eagan? What was it like growing up in West Vector?”

“Like the most average childhood ever. A very ordinary house in a very ordinary suburb. It wasn’t bad or anything. Just…”

“…ordinary,” Joan finished.

Sadie popped the cork out of the wine bottle. “I was always a little too funky for West Vector. I came to the city for college and never looked back.”

“Which school?”

“The City School of Design. I wanted to go into fashion, and then textiles, and furniture design for a hot second.”

Joan nodded. She could see Sadie being into all of that.

“I worked part-time at a café for living expenses and stuff. By the time I graduated, I realized the thing I enjoyed doing the most had nothing to do with what I’d studied in school. So I kept working at the café.” Sadie rolled her eyes. “Much to my parents’ extreme disappointment.”

“They spent all that money on your education, and then…”

“And then I kept working the same job.” She poured wine into one of the glasses. “Well, I did end up getting promoted to assistant manager, but I didn’t like it. Too much paperwork and not enough making drinks and interacting with customers. That’s my favorite thing to do.”

“Did you quit?”

Nodding, Sadie said, “Eventually. As if my parents weren’t disappointed enough, then I worked for a few years at one of those cabanas along the riverfront. The ones that sell margaritas and fish and chips.”

“A change of scenery?” Joan guessed.

“Yeah.” Sadie slid the second full wineglass toward Joan. “I was going through some stuff. An annoying breakup where I had to move out unexpectedly.”

“Sorry to hear that.”

“It’s okay. I got really good tips at that job, so I don’t regret it at all.”

Sadie took a sip of her wine. She’d alluded to past partners taking advantage of her. Since Joan was trying not to be an asshole despite the obvious lying and all, she asked, “How come you had to move out? Why wasn’t it the other way around?”

After a bigger gulp of wine, Sadie said, “It was her place. I had moved in. Rather impulsively after a week.”

An uncontrollable chuckle rumbled in Joan’s throat.

“I know, I know. Classic queer woman move.”

“At least it wasn’t after the first date.”