Resent, Reject, Regret by Aqua Summers

Deirdre tossed an implicative glance outside the kitchen. "Believe me, I've seen the worst, and now nobody else's skill could ever faze me again.

Seriously, try to surprise me."

"Heh." Declan excitedly washed his hands and grabbed a spare knife. He made a few nicks and began to unpeel it. "How’s this?"

Deirdre's poor sight would not be able to help her tell, but she also thought this was the best opportunity to get Glenna and Declan talking again. "What do you think, Glenna?"

Quietly exasperated, Glenna turned in the direction of Declan's hand and noticed how beautiful his fingers really were. It was as if a man with good genes simply could not have anything remotely out of place in any part of their physical appearance. Glenna never fancied herself as someone who gave a dime about hands, and yet even her heart throbbed.

When she finally broke out of her trance, she realized she had been silent too long.

Declan tried to dispel the awkwardness in the air with a chuckle. "I must have done a really crappy job if my panelist can't review my handiwork."

another nick.

well. Excuse me," Glenna suddenly declared. She set her knife and potato down

remark to himself, "Okay. I'll take that as

happened? What was it that made Glenna hold that big of a grudge? She obviously had a

you had made up, Mr.

remembered how Glenna had burst into tears at that time despite himself and asked, "Say, what sort of thing would

"What sort of question is that? Did ... Did you

replied, forcing himself out of his memories before finding an excuse. "I just thought she looked like the tough type who would never shed a tear over

work as she exhaled a breath. "Glenna's a tough cookie. I've never seen or heard her cry before, which means... if she did cry, then it must have been

returned after the potato slices were almost done. She explained that she was having a stomachache. Not willing to expose her, Deirdre played along. "Had something shady

other day. D*mnit, I should have known!" she replied as

oil into a frying pan and let

was ready. Deirdre moved on to their other dishes-including Glenna's

was uncharacteristically