“I will,” he said. “Later. For now, I’d like to talk.”

Antonia picked up a fork and cut into the eggs, the runny yolk a deep orange that looked more appealing than the anemic eggs back home. “You seem to do a lot of that,” she said.

“That’s what my mother told me just yesterday,” he said, leaning back in his chair. “I don’t believe I talk any more than she does.”

Antonia let the rich creaminess settle on her tongue a moment before she took a bite of toast. An involuntary moan escaped her throat as she closed her eyes. “Why are the eggs better here?” Using the toast to sop up egg, she quickly devoured her meal. When she looked up, she found Aiden sitting forward in his chair, staring at her. Antonia blushed. “Sorry.”

“Don’t apologize,” he said, his eyes wandering over her. “You were hungrier than you thought.”

Her eyes returned to her nearly empty plate. “I guess so.”

“And are you always this stubborn?”

Antonia scrunched her nose as she dragged her fork across the plate, scooping up the remainder of her egg. “I’m not stubborn,” she said, giving her fork an undignified lick.

“Let me make you some more,” he offered, taking her plate.

“Oh, I couldn’t,” she said, shaking her head.

“That’s what women have to say,” he said, heading off into the kitchen. She heard the pop of the stove as he switched on a burner. A skillet was set back on the gas and two more eggs were cracked. “You lot act as if having a second helping is unseemly.”

Antonia wiped her mouth on the napkin he gave her. “It’s not unseemly,” she called out. “It’s just not...cute.”

He gave a hearty laugh over the pop and crackle of the eggs. “One man’s unseemly is another man’s cute.” His voice dipped into a mocking English accent.

“You don’t get it,” she said, remembering how she’d hid the fact that she was always hungry around Derek. She’d barely eaten in front of him when they went out to restaurants. He always ordered fancy dishes that required tweezers to assemble. When she returned home from their nights out, she’d usually tore into a bag of chips she hid away in a cupboard. She frowned at the memory of hiding her junk food when he came around to her place. “It’s different for us.”

“Perhaps,” he said. “But I find it unusual when someone doesn’t enjoy the most basic things in life. Humans deserve to enjoy food and drink.”

“I guess.”

“It’s one of the few things that separate us from beasts.”

She smiled at his refreshing honesty. She didn’t get to listen to many people speak plainly at her job. Aside from Eddie, everyone constantly looked over their shoulders for the stealthy knife in the back. Derek’s work colleagues had been even worse. All pleasant smiles to your face, but vicious barbs in your absence.

When he returned with her plate, he brought another fork with him. “What are your plans for today?”