The August heat was oppressive. Too warm to bother knocking, Mary pushed the door open and went inside.
Ryan looked up and saw her drenched in sweat. His heart clenched instantly. Regret flooded him.
He shouldn't have asked her to deliver food in this weather. How could he have forgotten it was the hottest time of the year?
He stood up quickly and took the bag from her hands. "What did you cook? Didn't I tell you to make less? Why is it so heavy?"
Mary sat down on the chair and waved it off lightly. "Just some dumplings. I wanted to cook something else, but Kristen came into the kitchen, so dumplings were the fastest. But I used different meat today."
Ryan opened the lunchbox and leaned in to smell it. "Minced lamb filling?" His eyes lit up. "Did you eat lunch? No, sit here. Let's eat together."
Mary wiped the sweat from her face and shook her head. "You eat first. It's too hot. I'll eat later."
