Page 75 of Perfection

“Compared to what?” He caught her movement from the corner of his eye. A shrug, he thought.

“I don’t know. GEI men, I guess. I haven’t been around many men like you.”

“Coders, you mean.”

“I suppose. I’d never given it much thought.”

He clamped his mouth shut, not saying more. Nor saying what he really thought about GEI-Coder relationships. It wasn’t relevant anyway. When this case was over, she’d go her way and he’d go his. Life would go back to normal.

“Back to bed. You need your rest,” he said again.

With a huff of irritation, she rose and left him alone.

Just the way he liked it.

By morning, he’d finished the project. He stood and stretched, but the thought of Kindra remained, along with her bothersome effect on him. It appeared he would require a long cold shower simply to be able to leave his room.

After he dressed, he went downstairs to the silent kitchen. He felt like making an old-fashioned breakfast, like the kind his grandmother used to make. With a strong cup of coffee to fortify him, he set to work. He didn’t know if Kindra and Brianna preferred eggs scrambled or poached or over easy, so he made a few of each, along with bacon and sausage.

“You cook?” Kindra asked from the doorway.

He turned to face her, hands on hips. “Yes. The house is equipped with top-notch computer communication equipment. That’s about it. And a basic InstaCafé.”

“Hmm. No extra’s like robotics?”

Brianna skipped past her mother. “May I look around at all your magnificent things, Mr. York?”

“Brianna, that’s rude,” Kindra scolded.

He gave her a look that said it was all right. “Yes, sweetie, go right ahead.”

She dashed from the room, and Kindra raised an eyebrow at him. “Don’t allow her to impose on you. She has to learn control.”

He smiled. “She’s sweet.”

Kindra walked farther into the kitchen. “This is so different from what I have at my place, where everything is hidden and automatic.”

“At my home, I cook or I eat out at someplace where other people cook. No machines. But here, they at least have an InstaCafé.” He shrugged. “The other detectives like all the modern conveniences, even if I don’t.”

“Sorry about the pancakes the other day, then.”

“I survived,” he said with a laugh. “I’m not a purist. But it’s pretty much how I choose to live.”

“I can respect that. Many times people live the way they were raised. My father likes all the conveniences science has to offer. My mother spends most of her time off-planet in a space community. So I enjoyed every kind of technology. Otherwise, I didn’t eat.” She gave an uneasy laugh.

“Just like our genes, our childhoods and pasts were different.”

And incompatible,the voice in his head added.

Brianna came dancing back into the room. “Do you have any games?”

“I do. I’ll show you after you eat,” York said.

The child wrinkled her nose. “I’m not hungry.”

Kindra pulled out a chair at the table. “Well, try to eat a little something. You will have all day for games.”

Her daughter reluctantly slipped onto the seat. “Just a few bites.”