140

She snapped to reality, blew her nose, and took two backward steps. "Sorry, Jude, I didn't expect you to stop suddenly."

Carefully turning to face her again, Jude remarked, "It doesn't matter, as long as it does not hurt."

Naturally, it didn't hurt. Once they took a seat, Jude placed a large order for her favorite dishes.

She sighed in appreciation of the man's consideration and care, but she also started to feel bad. She consistently believed that she shouldn't eat supper with him. Upon further reflection, though, she realized that they were merely eating and that she had no reason to feel bad about it.

When the hot fish was presented, these thoughts vanished. She was a big fan of spicy seafood, but she never ate with anyone. She had not eaten it for years, but when she smelled it, it was familiar, even though she couldn't finish it herself.

"I haven't had this in a long time, but are you able to handle spicy food?" she asked, grinning as she placed a piece of fish in the d