Page 40 of Moonlit Harbor Nights

“Oh my, that smells heavenly,” she breathed as she stepped out of the kitchen.

To her surprise, Terrence had lined up several mugs of coffee on the pub’s counter.

“Are we expecting a party?” she asked with a laugh.

He shook his head, looking pleased with himself. “No, I thought I would brew a little of each kind of coffee I brought. Those are the four bags of coffee, and those four mugs are for you.”

“I get to sample all of them at once, huh? Which one is which?”

He shook his head. “I’m not telling you that. You have to guess, based on what you can taste. You can read the descriptions of the coffees on the bags and try to figure out what kind each one is.”

She felt delighted. Not only was she about to get some much-needed caffeine, but she got to play a little game as well. “This is just like a cupping experience.”

He grinned at her. “Yes, it is. You were able to identify characteristics of the coffee I gave you before so easily. I wanted to see if you can guess which blend is which.”

“Ha! I’m up for the challenge, I think.” She picked up the nearest mug of coffee and took a careful sip. A smooth, lightly nutty flavor splashed across her tongue. “Mm, that’s wonderful. I wonder what flavor it is.”

“Here are your options.” He gestured at the bags dramatically, an act so unexpectedly playful that she burst out laughing. “Should I read you the descriptions of each roast?”

“Yes please.” She let out another laugh as she took a sip of the next mug of coffee.

Terrence read aloud the descriptions of the coffees, and she listened intently. Her adrenaline was twirling around inside her, the way it did whenever she played a game she particularly enjoyed. She sipped the rest of the coffee types as she listened, and by the time Terrence was done reading, she felt she was ready to make her guesses.

“This is the Ethiopian coffee,” she guessed, tapping the first mug. “This one is the morning blend. This one is the Maple Leaf brand, and this one is the Sunny Side Up brand.”

She turned to Terrence triumphantly, sure she was right, but he was shaking his head.

“I can’t believe it,” she said, incredulous. She took another sip of the Maple Leaf brand, because it was her favorite and she wanted more coffee. “I was sure I was right.”

“I can’t believe it either,” he said, still shaking his head. “You are right. You got every one of them right.”

She burst out laughing and jogged around for a few seconds in a victory dance. The corners of Terrence’s mustache curved up in amusement as he watched her.

“Did you cheat?” he asked her. “Were you peeking through the doorway? Or are you just a mind reader?”

“Nope.” She bowed. She hadn’t felt that giddy in years—seldom since she was a teenager. “I’m just that good.”

They both started laughing again.

“But which is your favorite?” Terrence asked.

“The Maple Leaf brand,” she said, holding up the mug she was still sipping from. “It’s the best combination of flavorful and ‘polite,’ as you put it.”

“The Maple Leaf brand, really?” He shook his head. “I think that’s the least flavorful out of all of them.” He picked up one of the mugs he’d set out for himself and took a sip. “I mean, it’s good, but a little on the bland side.”

“You must have gotten your own mugs mixed up,” she teased. “Here. Try mine.” She handed him her mug and he obeyed with a chuckle.

“Yup, still bland,” he said after he’d tasted it.

“Don’t ever pretend to be a coffee connoisseur ever again,” she told him. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

They continued to talk and laugh and argue good-naturedly over the coffees for a while. Vivian found all of the different roasts pleasant, but she stuck by her opinion that the Maple Leaf brand was the closest to what she was looking for.

Finally, Vivian glanced at her watch and uttered an exclamation of surprise. “My goodness, I had no idea it was this late. I’m usually in bed with a cup of tea and a book by this time. This is just like the time the vents acted up. Do you remember that? At Christmastime?”

“I do.” His eyes took on a faraway look. “I had some snowballs with me and we ate them together.”

“They were delicious,” she said, remembering the evening fondly. “But that night we really did need to be here—or at least, I did—but right now we’re only acting like we need to be here. There aren’t any kind of problems we need to watch over right now, but we seem to be finding reasons to stay up late, just like we did at Christmas.”

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