Ethan Gray reached out and accepted the small pile of peanuts from Blanche’s grimy but steady hand. "You’ve been waiting out here for me?"
Blanche nodded vigorously. Pop! Her small mouth was never still for long. She bit down on a peanut shell, the sound echoing in the quiet hallway. With a deft flick of her tongue and a quick suck of her breath, the kernel vanished into her mouth. She tossed the empty, mangled shell onto the floor with the nonchalance of a seasoned gambler.
"Waiting for a reason, or just enjoying the architecture?" Ethan asked. He set his heavy shopping bags down on the floor, the sound of glass jars clinking against each other, and fished his keys from his pocket to unlock the door.
Blanche stood up, smoothing out her rumpled shirt and patting the peanut dust off her
