Page 19 of Violent Little Thing

Interlude — Dinner Date

ADONIS

Me: Come to dinner, Ms. Rose

Delilah: Who is this?

Knowing I programmed my contact info into her phone and she’s currently staring at it, I close my eyes, counting to five.

Me: Adonis

Delilah: How did you get this number?

Me: I know everything about you

Delilah: Way to ruin a joke by being a creep

Me: I don’t do jokes

Delilah: Surely, you can eat a meal without me

Me: Can. Don’t want to.

Delilah: You miss me? Is that why you’re being so needy?

Me: I just told you I don’t do jokes, Ms. Rose.

Me: And there’s nothing needy about telling you dinner is ready

Delilah: I prefer Delilah

Me: Then come to dinner, Ms. Delilah. Agnes made you steak and fries.

Me: I’m going to feed it to Titus if you don’t come down here in two minutes

Delilah: Using your dog to threaten me is low. And here I was thinking you were a better man than that

Me: No one has ever mistaken me for a better man, Delilah

Delilah: Why is there a rack of bathing suits in my room?

Me: So you have something to wear the next time you go swimming

I expect her to follow that crumb, but she hops to the next topic without following up.

Delilah: What did you do while I was at the doctors? Did you go to work or is it a secret?

Me: I’ll tell you when I see you downstairs

Delilah: Will you, really? Or are you just lying to get your way?

Me: It’s down to one minute now

Delilah: Say please

Me: Come downstairs or I’ll bring you down here myself

Delilah: Fine. I’m coming.