13
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* * * *
PENNY WAVED AT NICK from a booth in the far corner of the restaurant when he walked through the door. There was a basket on the table and she was through half a beer already.
“Sorry, I couldn’t wait, I was starving. Fries?”
“Sure,” he said, sitting down across from her. He was amazed at how different she looked. She wasn’t wearing much makeup, but what she did apply managed to make her eyes jump and her lips full. Nick noticed that she was this little ball of energy, almost like she was having trouble sitting still, a quality she didn’t exude when huddled in the police station bawling.
“Hope you haven’t been waiting long.”
“No, I got here early. I’d always rather be somewhere twenty minutes early than five minutes late.”
He managed to get the attention of a wait
