"It's fine! It's okay!" Oh, no, don't look like that, Jeremy, now she feels guilty. " - it's kind of a strange thing, I know."

She smiles sheepishly, eagerly seizing on this hopefully distracting topic. "Yeah...it's a bit, uh, piquant, I know. But I've lived in Steel City for gosh, about six years now. Can't wash that off."