“Hi, I’m Susan.” A tall woman with a plume of hair that fell to her waist and eyes that said yes please, held her hand out in front of Zeke. “You’re new.”
“We’re eating, Susan,” Cadence said, though their plates were just about licked clean.
“I’m being friendly. You know friendly. Oh, wait, you don’t. You could introduce us,” Susan said.
“This is Zack and Rosie Woods,” Cadence said with vinegar in her voice. “Rosie is my roommate.”
“Same last name,” Susan said, frowning.
“Same family,” Rory said, unhelpfully. Deliberately.
Zeke bumped his knee into hers under the table. “Rosie is my sister.”
Susan’s face lit up like an airport runway in a blizzard. Come to Momma. “That’s wonderful. Welcome to Abundance. I’ve seen you around, Rosie. But where have you been hiding, Zack?”
“He doesn’t want you hitting on him,” Cadence said, before Zeke could get a word out.
“I’m not.”
“You were.”
“Excuse us,” Susan said with a forced smile before she zeroed in on Cadence. “Are you speaking for him then? Is he your bond choice?”
Commence violent headshakes from Cadence. “No. I—”
“Well then.” Susan smoothed already glossy auburn hair back. “Let’s start again. Hi Rosie, Zack. I’m Susan and I’m glad to meet you. And to be clear, I am looking for a bond so if you happened to be interested in me, you let me know. I’m fertile if you’re wondering. I’ll get out of your way now so you can stare at your empty plates in shocked silence.” She gestured towards the nursery, and right before stalking off said, “I’m a pre-school teacher. Look me up sometime.”
She was right about the stunned silence. Zeke broke it by saying, “Wow, that was,” he hesitated over a description and then said, “refreshing,” as he knocked his knee on hers again.
“Did she say look me up or hook me up?” Rory said, knocking him back.
“Might as well be hook me up,” Cadence said. “People are upfront about who they want to sleep with. Susan is one of Orrin’s favorites. Already has three kids, one is his. You could do worse, I guess.”
Orrin has favorites. Zeke would’ve picked up on that. The band who were called Continuous Chords had shifted into Springsteen. A woman beckoned to Cadence and she excused herself, but before Rory could take advantage of being alone with Zeke she felt a hand on her shoulder.
“How are you settling in, Rosie?”
That deep, indolent voice. Orrin. She turned to face him, to stand and dislodge his hand. “It’s very different to home.” She could hardly pretend to be meek with him after the scene she’d caused.
“There was a mix up,” said Zeke, standing too. “It made things difficult.” He wasn’t playing it submissive either.
“I understand,” Orrin said. “I’ve had words about you being separated when we promised that wouldn’t happen. But you know, maybe it’s for the best. You’ll settle in, make new friends quicker.”
“I’ve already made a friend in Cadence, but I can’t be of use in a kitchen. I need a new job.”
“You will settle, Rosie. It will feel like home soon.”
Which wasn’t an answer. “Not if I can’t be useful.”
Orrin’s expression changed. It wasn’t that he showed anger, but he had a look about him that said he liked to start fires and watch them burn. He’d had that look about him when he watched her from the HQ top floor balcony as she’d shouted at him. It made Rory feel like kindling.
“Zack is useful but all I do is stay out of people’s way.”
Orrin laughed. “And you think that might not be useful?”
She knew it was designed to break her spirit. “How is that contributing to Abundance?”
“Are you unhappy, Rosie? If you’re unhappy you don’t need to stay. Are you also unhappy, Zack?”