Survivor Read Free Page A

look so nice.”
    He shrugged and waved away my concerns.  If it makes
you smile like that, then we are eating outside.”
    After that, I couldn’t do anything but smile.
 It turned out Peter worked at a small law firm just down the street from the
Library.  He had to be back to the office by one o’clock, so we grabbed a
couple of hot dogs from a vendor and sat in the park watching the pigeons.  He
snagged a spot on a bench, in the shade of a big oak tree, and the sun cast
dappled shadows on him as we chatted.  I put myself directly in the sun,
angling my chair so I could see Peter but still feel the warm rays on my face.
    “Are you a lawyer then,” I asked curiously.
    He shook his head and tossed a piece of his hotdog
bun to one of the braver squirrels that had inched close to us.  “I’m a
paralegal, actually,” he said dismissively.
    I frowned at him.  “How is that different?”
    He considered for a moment.  “I help the lawyers
prepare their cases, and I help with… investigation, fact-finding, that sort of
thing.”
    I smiled.  “Sounds cool,” I said enviously, “kind of
like a private eye or something.”
    He snorted.  “It can be rather exciting at times,
but usually it’s just a lot of boring paperwork.”
    I stuffed the last bite of hotdog in my mouth,
noticing that Peter had barely touched his.  He was probably used to eating
something a bit classier than street vendor hotdogs, and I suddenly felt
embarrassed and awkward.  Seeing my gaze on him, he smiled and took a big
bite.  I knew it was for show, but I appreciated the gesture.  He looked so
funny- in his nice suit, with his slicked back hair and expensive sunglasses,
holding a paper wrapped hotdog- that I couldn’t help but laugh.
    When it was time for Peter to get back to work, we
made our way back toward the library.  I was sad to think that this was
probably the last time I would see him.  He was one of those rare people who make
you feel like you’ve been friends for years.  I was surprised when he hesitated
on the threshold.  He was still wearing those ridiculously dark glasses, and I
couldn’t read much from his expression.
    “Do you work tomorrow?”  He asked hesitantly.
    I nodded.  “Sure, I work every weekday.”
    “Would you eat lunch with me again?”
    Really, you cannot imagine how much that floored me.
 He wanted to see me again.
    I looked up at him, puzzled.  “Why?”  I asked
frankly.
    He didn’t pretend not to understand the million
questions behind that one word.  He squatted down to put us at eye level.  It
was nice.  He was quite tall, and he loomed over me when he was standing.  “Because
I find you interesting.”
    Fed up with not being able to read his expressions,
I reached over and lifted up his sunglasses.  He didn’t look startled at my
invading his personal space.  He was pretty interesting himself. 
He gazed at me seriously, his strange emerald eyes sharp.  “May I spend my
lunch breaks with you?”
    I nodded agreement and he broke into that dazzling
smile again.  I couldn’t look away from those eyes.  “Then I’ll see you tomorrow,”
he said, standing in a smooth motion.  I waved and went back inside, completely
flustered.

Chapter 2
    I unlocked the door and flipped on the light,
gesturing for Peter to come in.  My apartment wasn’t very large, but thanks to
the open floor plan, it didn’t feel as cramped as it could have.  The front
door opened into the kitchen and dining area.  That opened into a living room,
with my bedroom and bathroom down a wide hall at the other end of the apartment.
 Taz met us in a wiggling flurry of happiness.  He accepted Peter’s attentions
without a qualm, and I smiled happily.  I never had people over to my house,
especially men, but Peter and I had been eating lunch together for a couple weeks
now, and I felt comfortable with him.  Animals are generally great at judging
character.  If Taz was okay with it, then so was