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"Don’t be" She gave her a wistful sain I didn’t understand what had happened until Annette and I began to eavesdrop on your sleep Rowan, can you … do that … for everyone?"
"No Only for rimaced "I mean, only for someone who’s been in love with a woman I can only be a woman"
Deborah held out her hand "Then would you do an old lady one last favor?"
Rowan slowly gripped her hand and closed her eyes She had never used her ability in front of another person who knew about it; not even when she had been screamed at, threatened, and then beaten She held her breath as she felt the skin on her face stretch and shift as the shape of it gradually changed Her short, dark hair becaer curls, and when she opened her eyes and looked at Deborah, she did so through the grass green eyes of Mary Margaret O’Brien--just as she had for a moment when she’d first met Deborah at the shelter
"Just as I remember her," the old lady said, and lifted Rowan’s hand to press a gentle kiss on the back "Thank you, my dear"
Deborah contracted pneumonia that winter, and never really recovered A few months later she died as her sister had: peacefully, in her sleep When Rowan cas, she found an envelope tucked away in her bureau, and in it a note froh cash to pay the rent on a small apartment for a year
The church didn’t need our old jewelry, Deborah had written Thank you for being so good to us, and remember us in your prayers We love you, Rowan
At least soht as she went to the fridge and surveyed the contents At least she’d had that much
Queenie’s dossier didn’t specify her eating habits, but since Roent along with Matthias’s vegetarian diet, they didn’t keep any meat on hand Italian would just have to do, she decided as she took out a basket of plum tomatoes and a couple of sweet yellow onions Her hands flew as she took out her frustrations on the ingredients; tenon the stove and went to work on hand-o to all this trouble--she’d personally seen to it that the pantry was stocked with enough non-perishable supplies to see theoodMaybe if she reminded Matthias more often that she could do a lot more than si how iure out why she’d followed hiroupie ever since she’d first laid eyes on him
Yeah, and if he ever does, he’ll just pat me on the head and tell row out of it someday Then I will take a pool cue to the blind son of a bitch’s thick skull
"Rowan"
She whirled, her dough knife in her hand "What? Fuck" She drove the tip of the knife into her cutting board and kept her back toward Matthias until she could compose herself "Sorry You scared me" She looked around hi the co her access to our hardware?" She leaned back against the counter "Want ht help speed things up"
"Jessa must knohat Genaro has done to her The co" He went over to the stove and lifted the cover on the sauce pot "This sood"
"It needs fifteen more minutes" She took the cover from hihness be dining in?"
"We will eat here, as always" He frowned "Why are you angry with rab a couple of hot prospects, bring theive thes considerably" His blank expression made her hands curl into fists "You left her alone, on a co wrong with that?"
"Jessa adjusts quickly She will accept us as her friends"
"In case you forgot, we don’t know Jessa Jesus Christ, Matt" She threw out her ar on inside her head right now She could totally freak out, wreck the equip for help--"
"I believe she is checking the balance in her bank accounts through the encrypted server," he said mildly "After that she plans to review the infor to her friends"
"Sure Okay Terrific" She went over to the counter, kicked up the linguine she’d hand-rolled and cut, and threw it into the boiling water "Dinner will ready in thirty minutes" She stiffened as his hand rested on her shoulder "Don’t"