“Uh, what did you use to wash it? Seriously, can you stop bringing all sorts of weird sh*t from your place to our house? My grandfather’s health is at stake here! Even a single germ on that thing you called a bag might hurt him, and you bet your *as you’re not gonna be able to foot his hospital bill!”

Helplessly, Deirdre took the food out of the bag while Julia—not so much holding it but pinching it between her fingers—dropped the bag into the garbage bin.

“What’s that supposed to be?” she asked, her eyes set on Deirdre’s hands.

“My dinner,” she answered.

Julia snorted. “Well, guess I can’t fault you for thinking ahead. Your food isn’t included in our agreement,” she remarked. “You can put your food inside our fridge and then microwave it in the evening. Go.”

“But my food’s still steaming. It’s not good to store it in the fridge when it’s still hot.” Deirdre hesitated for a moment and pulled the lid open. “I should cool it first.”

It should take the food only half an hour to co