Bad Habits: A Dark Anthology - Yolanda Olson Page 0,37

After a brief phone call, I went back into the dining hall and went to wait by the exit door. The nuns were just now starting to bustle in, and Sister Abigail stood at the ready behind the buffet-style setup with not a dish of food in sight.

“Well? Is it ready yet?” she asked.

I folded my hands and stood patiently. “On its way.” Ignoring her soon-to-be tantrum, I watched the rest of the room. Each Sister was silent as the grave, and it was getting to the point where I’d had it with their walking-dead attitude. Maybe it was a good thing I was assigned dinner tonight. I had a feeling things were about to get interesting for the Sisters of Trevorstone Parish.

With that thought in mind, I murmured that I’d be back in a moment, leaving Beady-eyes trailing me with a death glare, and ran to the storage area in the back of the kitchen. I grabbed four containers of boxed-wine—the Church was never without alcohol—and a punch bowl with a ladle attached. Then I set myself up at the counter and made a pretty decent punch. I even found a jar of maraschino cherries, much to my delight. I remembered having them once at a carnival we sponsored for charity a few years ago. Such yummy circles of goodness. I popped a few in my mouth, grabbed the now-filled punch bowl, and headed carefully to the dining hall.

The exit door opened as soon as I entered, and the by the time I sat down the punch in front of a gaping Sister Beady-eyes, the smell of pizza greeted my nose.

I paid the delivery guy with a check I’d taken from Sister Hazel’s check book I’d found in her office earlier, just as Sister Diane squeezed in past him and the door. I grabbed her arm, keeping her at my side.

“Sister, just in time,” I told her, then handed her five pizza boxes, while I took the rest to the buffet table.

After delegating tasks to the nuns for napkins and plastic cups, I welcomed the homeless from outside with a wave of my hand out the door. They came in quietly. I didn’t see any sign of the three men I’d met earlier, but I really didn’t care one way or another.

“Pizza! Sister Constance,” Sister Hazel cried, striding over to me. “We do not eat… outside food. We prepare our own healthy food, food that we—”

I tried not to roll my eyes. It was difficult, but I did it. “Yes, yes. I know. But I was running out of time. Pizza will do just as well in our bellies.” I grabbed a paper plate for myself and waited in line behind the men, ignoring the Sisters. Their disapproval was audible, but it was done, and they’d get over it.

By the time we’d fed the men and had seated ourselves at the table, the punch—which I instructed was only for us—was pretty much gone. If the Sisters noticed anything sinful about it, they didn’t mention it. In fact, for the first time since I’d been here, the conversation was actually worth taking note of. Sure, it wasn’t stimulating conversation, but it was speech, at least. Unlike the sedate, drawn-out dinners we’ve been having.

Just then, I felt a tickle between my shoulder blades. Solomon.

Sister Diane caught my eye across the table. I nodded.

She stood and walked toward his chair as he sat down. “Father, would you care for some punch? And Sister Constance was kind enough to order us pizza! What kind would you like?”

He looked to me then, eyebrow raised, then back to her, grinning. “Thank you, Sister. I’ll have whatever.”

She bowed her head and smiled, walking off to get his food and drink.

I was pleased. Such a nice change in her now that the bitchy side had been fucked out of her.

“Sister Constance, that was very nice of you.” Solomon opened his napkin and folded it across his lap. “You look well. Feeling better today?” Amber eyes met mine, and I could’ve sworn he winked at me.

Evil man.

I wanted to jump him. Right here on the table. And he knew it, too.

I felt his foot nudge mine, and I nudged back.

When his punch and plate arrived, he took a sip of his cup, then chuckled. “Yes. Very well, I see.”

“Father?” asked Sister Hazel, puzzled.

He waved her off. “So tell me how the prep for tomorrow goes?”

We chatted with him for awhile before I stood and offered to help clean