Chapter 146: Fourth Ones a Charm

THE EGG in the center of my pan begins to sizzle more than it probably should, and I reach across the stove to decrease the heat. Of the three eggs I've cooked this morning, all three have broken yolks, but I'm hopeful this next one will make it. Ryland likes his whites cooked and his middles runny. It's an impossible combination to finagle when you possess no real cooking skills.

It's been almost thirty minutes and he still isn't back like promised, but I refuse to freak out and walk over to his place to figure out why not. At least not until I cook one decent egg.

Toast pops up from the toaster and I reach to a top cupboard to grab plates. The main door opens behind me and I turn almost dropping the short stack of china.

"What the hell, Ryland?"