the kettle on and start lunch and you can sit by the oven and warm up. I donât know what that boy was thinking, taking you topside so close to the Secondary. You could have been blown right off the deck! Honestly, I wonder where his brain is sometimes,â she huffed, shaking her head to herself as she led Cat through to the kitchen.
âBut it was so pretty, Alice, the storms were incredible! Iâve never seen a storm that close up before,â Cat replied, a dreamy smile lighting her face. Alice took a long look at her as she filled the kettle, then laughed.
âThatâs another one hooked,â she remarked. âYouâll never stay on land for longer than a week from now on. Thatâs what my Harry is like â the longest he stayed in one place was when he was courting me, and even then he whisked me away after three and a half weeks.â
âSounds awfully romantic,â said Cat.
Alice grinned at her, a reminiscent look in her eyes.
âIt was. Especially considering he hardly has a romantic bone in his body. Thatâs something you should remember, poppet, for when youâre older. The best way to a womanâs heart is romance, plain and simple.â
Cat ducked her head to hide a grin.
âWhat are you making?â she asked as Alice began to pull supplies from cupboards.
âBeef and tomato sandwiches.â
âSounds brilliant! I love tomatoes.â Catâs words earned her an odd look.
âYouâve had them before?â
Cat was perplexed by the question, then remembered that most common people would never have had tomatoes. Even her father had only ever got them off the black market.
âUh, just once,â she said hastily. Sheâd have to be more careful. âFriend of mine was in the black market. Is there anything I can do to help?â she queried, hoping to move on swiftly.
âYou can slice the bread for me, if you like. I must say, Iâm not used to boys knowing their way around the kitchen. Iâve tried to teach the others, but theyâre so hopeless itâs best they stay well away.â Alice slid the loaf of bread over to Cat.
Just as she was getting started, the kettle began to whistle, and Alice turned to make three mugs of tea. She set two of them on a tray.
âThere you are, dear, take that up to Harry and Ben in the control room. Be careful on the ladder,â she added with a pointed look.
Cat nodded, and taking the small tray she hurried from the kitchen.
It took longer than she would have liked to figure out how to climb the ladder without spilling the drinks, but she managed it, eventually.
âTea,â she announced, drawing the attention of both men.
âFantastic. Thanks, lad. Any idea when lunch will be ready?â Harry asked, downing half his cup in one go.
âAlice was just putting sandwiches together when I left. How far are we from Siberene now?â she queried.
âAbout sixty miles,â Ben answered. âSo we should be there in an hour or two. Tell Alice Iâll pass on lunch today, will you? I canât leave the wheel. Weâre only a little way into the Secondary.â
They left the pilot to his work and as Harry shut the door behind him, he chuckled.
âI bet two coppers that Matt takes his lunch up as soon as he hears Benâs not coming down.â
âEven I know thatâs a foolâs bet,â Cat retorted, earning a hearty laugh and a clap on the shoulder.
âYou learn fast, lad. Then again, a blind man could see those two are joined at the hip,â Harry conceded, hoisting himself down the ladder after Cat. âActually, I wanted to talk to you. How do you feel about pickpockets?â
Cat stared at him, confused by the random question.
âTheyâre not the worst people in the world,â she answered slowly, remembering how sheâd let that boy steal her fatherâs watch. âWhy?â
âItâs
Legs McNeil, Jennifer Osborne, Peter Pavia