Free Scaredy Cat by Robin Alexander Page B

railing, and that might keep the birds away,” she said as she held it out to Blake.
    Blake took it and held it reverently. “What a thoughtful gift. I can’t express how much I appreciate this.”
    Quinn was pleased to be the cause of Blake’s beaming smile. “I figured it was the least I could do since you cooked dinner.”
    “It’s ready.” Blake set the owl on the table by the door. “I realized earlier that I left the rest of my sandwich in your truck yesterday,” she said as she hurried into the kitchen.
    Quinn followed. “I ate it for dinner last night. I hope you’ll forgive me.”
    “Of course, I’m glad it didn’t go to waste.” Blake spooned some rice onto a plate, then added a couple of boneless pork chops that had been cooked in some sort of sauce with bell pepper and onion. She added a spoon of green beans and topped it off with a roll. “This is yours,” she said as she picked up another plate and only added a dash of each item to it.
    “That’s your plate?” Quinn asked with a brow raised.
    “I nibble, remember? What can I get you to drink?”
    “Water, I didn’t drink enough today.” Quinn took Blake’s plate along with hers to the table. “Did you write any when you woke up?”
    “Yes, I got to about thirty thousand words on the story that you read a bit of, then deleted it.”
    Quinn stared at Blake’s back as she put ice into their glasses. “Why did you do that?”
    “I wasn’t feeling it, and if I don’t feel it, it’ll suck.”
    “Were any of the characters talking to you?”
    Blake shook her head as she filled the glasses with water.
    “If you hadn’t killed me, I would’ve talked to you.” Quinn took a seat and waited for Blake to join her.
    “What would you say?” Blake asked with a half smile as she set the waters down and took a seat.
    “I’d say don’t send my ass under that house, I’m gonna die. You’ll laugh when I tell you what happened to me today. Jacob and I had to fix a leak beneath a house just like you described. He freaked when I told him I just wanted to break the bricks out of the wall. I did not want to have to go through a trap, but I did after I scared away the old lady who owned the house. That’s where I was when you called.”
    Blake shuddered. “I couldn’t do that. If I could get past the fear of spiders and snakes, my mind would conjure up all sorts of frightening scenarios.”
    “Yeah, you had me worrying about dead bodies.” Quinn took a bite of the rice and pork chop. “This is outstanding.”
    “Thank you. My mom used to make it for us. It’s nice to have someone to eat with.”
    “You should come with me to my brother’s for dinner sometime. His wife, Tonya, is an excellent cook.” Quinn watched Blake closely to gauge her reaction to the suggestion.
    “After I feel more settled in, I may take you up on that offer,” she said with a shrug. Blake smiled and met Quinn’s gaze. “Will that be another lesson? Do they have a big dog or a bird? Do you for that matter?”
    “Not at my house. I do share my dad’s dog with Jacob, but he has custody of Jack. He’s a chocolate Lab, very sweet. Jacob swears a part of our dad’s soul is in that dog. He makes me stare into Jack’s eyes every time I go over there.”
    Blake took a sip of her water before asking, “And what do you see?”
    “I don’t see anything, only dog eyes, but I hear a gruff voice in my head saying, ‘Give me your hamburger.’” Quinn grinned when Blake laughed. “Do you believe in the stuff you write? Like ghosts and stuff?”
    “I tell myself I don’t, that it’s all a fairy tale. Writing it takes the scariness out of it for me because I have the control. I’m making it frightening, and oddly, it doesn’t creep me out. When I write about my nightmares, seeing it on the computer screen takes the fear out. Sometimes, I wonder why people find the horror in it at all.” Blake shook her head. “I guess they don’t know what’s going to