“What the actual fuck?” I said as he sat the plate in front of me.

“I know,” he said, a sly smile on his lips. “You’d never suspect, would you?”

“No, I would not,” I said.

And when I bit into the fluffy concoction, I looked at him again, shocked. “Did aliens invade while I was sleeping?”

“Not that I heard, but if you’re looking for an explanation, when I was a kid we had a French nanny. One of my father’s concubines, no doubt, but she loved crepes and taught me how to make them.”

“I guess it’s true that people contain multitudes,” I said.

I finished my breakfast, the moment feeling oddly domestic but also calm.

But there was an undercurrent, one that I didn’t want to address but also didn’t want to put off.

“Spit it out. I don’t want my delicious crepes to go to waste, and it looks like whatever you’re thinking about is turning your stomach. So it’s best you get it off your chest,” he said.

“Stop doing that,” I said. “And also…”

I took another bite, then pushed the plate away and looked up at him.

“I’m sorry about yesterday,” I said.

“What about yesterday?”

“The deal. I ruined it. But I can make it up to you.”

“Don’t worry about it. I told you don’t have to do that,” he said.

“Look, Elias, I know you’re trying to be nice, which is weird, but I need to hold up my end of the bargain.”

“So, can I tell you the truth?” he asked.

I looked at him, skeptical and concerned.

“I…guess.”

“There was no deal,” he said.

“What?”

“I was going to get one of the guys to meet you, do a little pretend deal to make you feel better,” he said.

“You were going to do a fake arms deal to make me feel better?”

“You were being stubborn, and I knew you wouldn’t listen to reason. So I figured I’d set something up and make you happy.”

“That’s shady as hell, Elias,” I said.

“Well, I tried to explain to you that in your position, such a thing would be completely unacceptable. You chose not to listen, and there’s a saying about happy wife, happy life, so I was trying to put that in practice. You never would’ve known, so no big deal,” he said.

“You know what, I can’t even be mad at you. But, going forward, you can’t do that, because I do need to get that debt paid,” I said.

“Fuck the debt, Kayla,” he said.

“Seriously, what is wrong with you?” I asked.

“The debt is over. As a matter of fact…” he said.

“Do I want to hear this?” I asked.