Page 91 of Revenge Puck

I scoff but can hardly disagree.

“Go,” she tells me again. “And this time? If you want to stay, you stay.”

SIXTEEN

AARON

Why won’t my sauce thicken?

Fuck.

I’ve tried everything: adding tomato paste, not stirring it too often, letting it simmer.

I grab the wooden spoon again and taste it for the fourth time, licking the end of it as I adjust the heat of the burner. My kitchen is quiet except for the flame beneath my pan and the hum of the city thirty floors below, light struggling to stream in as the sun disappears behind the skyscrapers.

Floor-to-ceiling windows. Clean lines. Everything in its place.

Except me.

My phone buzzes against the marble island.

Sutton.

Of course it’s Sutton.

I swipe to answer. “What?”

She doesn’t even greet me. “You are trending.”

I close my eyes. “For what?”

“For being America’s gentle giant, apparently.”

I brace my forearms on the counter. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

I hear my sister grinning through the phone. “There’s a video of you reading to those kids at the library this afternoon. It’s everywhere. TikTok. Instagram. Someone put soft piano music under it.” She laughs. “Aaron, you weresmiling.”

“I was not smiling,” I grumble. “That must have been constipation. And for the record, that was for community relations.”

Sutton cackles. “How did that work out for you?”

I find myself smiling, despite myself. “So great. Zero kids were interested in the story, they were far too busy interrogating me about my ears, nose, and why I don’t have a wife.”

“They did not!” She’s laughing so hard I can hear her trying to breathe. “They’re six.”

“Would I lie to you?” I stir my sauce, adding another dash of salt.

My sister considers this. “Probably not.”

Damn right I wouldn’t lie.

She hums. “Well, it was a fun picture to see. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you like that.”

“Like what?”

“You know, smiling. Happy.”

“I’m always happy.”