pour and the familiarity of his movements that he probably made it the same way for everyone.
“Oh, it will help. Especially this cup—Morna found the creamer. Usually, I just use the plain white stuff, but this one is supposed to taste like hazelnuts, I think. Hope that’s okay.”
“I’m sure it will be perfect.”
He extended the cup in my direction and spoke once again as I took hold of it.
“Oh, I forgot. I’m Cooper.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Cooper. This is really so thoughtful. Thank you.”
I lifted the drink to my lips, and I could see by the nervous jitter of his feet that he was waiting to see what I thought. I expected it to be sweet with as much sugar and creamer as he placed in it, but instead a taste so bitter hit my tongue that I had to swallow hard to keep from spewing it all over him. Twice in one day I’d been assaulted by really terrible food and beverage. No wonder they were so desperate for a chef.
Doing my best to mask my disgust, I tried to smile, but my lips trembled a little as I opened them. I couldn’t believe the words that came out of my mouth.
“That is the worst coffee I’ve ever had.”
What was the matter with me? I knew better than to hurt a little boy’s feelings that way. They hadn’t at all been the words I meant to say.
I braced myself to comfort what I expected to be a crying child. Instead, the boy pulled his brows together and crossed his arms inquisitively.
“Terrible? That’s not possible, ma’am. I make really good coffee. Everybody says so. Unless…” he paused and pointed at the tray. “It wasn’t my coffee but the creamer. I’ll find out for you. Don’t drink another sip.”
There wasn’t any chance of me taking another sip. While I didn’t really want him to have to taste the atrocity of his concoction, I could see I wouldn’t be able to stop him.
He started by pouring just a little bit of straight coffee into a separate cup, taking a quick swig and swishing it around in his mouth. His face gave nothing away.
“Nope. Not my coffee.”
He then reached for a cube of sugar, swiftly popping it in his mouth. He smiled while it dissolved.
“Definitely not the sugar. Only one thing left.”
I grimaced as he brought the basin of creamer to his lips and threw back a swallow big enough to kill a horse. He gagged and fell back onto his bottom as he spit and made a horrible face in between disgusted groans.
“Oh my gosh. Do you think it’s spoiled?”
Remembering an unopened bottle of water in my bag, I ran over to grab it for him, tossing it in his direction before I answered him.
“It doesn’t taste spoiled. It just tastes awful. You should probably tell your friend not to give her stuff to anyone else. Are you all right?”
Cooper stood, shook himself off, and gulped the bottle of water.
“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m gonna have to let Morna have it though. She had to have known that didn’t taste good. I’m so sorry. How about some coffee with just plain sugar?”
I couldn’t possibly stomach another sip of coffee, but the woman’s name that the boy mentioned rang a bell it hadn’t before.
“Oh, no thank you. I’m fine. I think that sip woke me right up. Did you say Morna helped you with this? Callum warned me about her, I think. She’s kind of crazy, right?”
The boy snickered and walked over to sit in the chair opposite me.
“Ha. She wouldn’t like it if she knew Callum said that. She’s a little different, but it’s not because she’s crazy. It’s because she’s a witch.”
“A witch?” I crossed my arms and leaned back in my chair curiously. I knew children often made up stories, but he didn’t seem the type. He said it so nonchalantly that I didn’t have the slightest idea how to respond to him.
“Yeah, she’s a real good one, too. My stepdad got sliced right down the middle with a sword and so my step-uncle and my step-aunt sent him forward in time
Elizabeth Berg
Jane Haddam
Void
Dakota Cassidy
Charlotte Williams
Maggie Carpenter
Dahlia Rose
Ted Krever
Erin M. Leaf
Beverley Hollowed