Page 9 of Bound By Honey

She smiled and sighed in relief. "It's better than the street. Truly, I'm most grateful."

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“What have you done to my kitchen?”

At the sound of Piper’s voice, Sage spun around, knocking her steamed milk from the wooden counter onto the floor. “Whoops.” She giggled.

“Sage,” Piper scowled, “why are you trying to make coffee in my kitchen? You’re a terrible cook, and I would rather you not burn down the coffee shop.”

“Oh, I’m not that bad.”

Piper’s raised brow said she thought otherwise. “This coming from the girl who can’t cook scrambled eggs. You literally just stir it until it isn’t a liquid anymore. The last thing we need is one of your accidents and this whole place to burn down.”

Sage mocked a gasp., “Not my books! You play dirty. It’s not my fault the eggs always taste like dragon breath.”

Grabbing a towel, Piper tossed it at her friend. “Technically, it is. You get distracted, and overcooked eggs taste like sulfur. Clean up your mess, and I can make you a drink. What are you doing here so early anyway?”

The towel slipped from Sage’s fingers, and she dropped to her knees to catch it. She began wiping up the mess while avoiding her friend’s eyes. She was never very good at lying.

“I wanted to get a head start on the new book shipment. Get them on the shelves as fast as possible.” An idea struck her. “Would you be willing to teach me how to make coffee? It wouldn’t have to be anything fancy, but something simple to make when I’m here early. My new place doesn’t have anywhere I can make it myself.”

“Oh,” Piper squatted and touched Sage’s hand. “I forgot your parents left. Of course. How are you holding up?”

Sage rose and placed the towel on the counter. “I’m alright. It’s about time I was on my own anyway. Now, where do we start?”

Piper placed a metal and wood object on the counter. A small metal dome with a tiny door sat above a wooden box. Wheels and bars connected and turned to meet a wheel with a small handle on the side.

The smell of coffee hit Sage’s nose as Piper lifted the lid on a white glass jar.

As Piper handed Sage a small scoop, she pointed from the jar to the contraption sitting on the counter.

“Open the little door on the coffee grinder and put three scoops of these coffee beans into it. Only use this jar, though. The others are different types of coffee beans for drinks other than what I am teaching you.”

Sage placed the coffee in the coffee grinder and closed the small door.

“Now turn the handle until you feel the resistance ease up.”

Crunching sounds came from the machine as Sage slowly turned the handle. She flinched and eyed her friend, looking for reassurance that she wasn’t just breaking this machine. After a few moments, she could feel the change and the sound began to ease up.

“Well done. As much as I know you love your lattes, you cannot be trusted with our espresso machine. Your magic is too low to control the stones that power it, and the last thing we need is for you to blow up the library.”

“Again, you and your threatening of my beloved books.”

The two laughed.

“Now, open the stove door and turn the knob to high. It can also be run using the stones, but the stove has a regulator, so even you shouldn’t be able to mess it up,” Piper said with a wink.

Piper filled a small kettle with water and placed it on the burner. She then turned on another burner and put a small pan with milk in it.

Soon the kettle whistled, and Piper pulled it off. She handed Sage a thermometer. “Watch for when the temperature drops to two hundred while I get the press.”

Piper added the freshly ground coffee and hot water to a clear glass press and left it to sit for several minutes. Sage observed her friend expertly move from one task to another, adding ingredients or adjusting heat levels with ease. Her own hands shook with excitement at being able to learn such an intricate process.

Soon, the familiar scent of coffee filled the air, along with the sweet aroma of vanilla, lavender, and frothy milk. Sage breathed deeply, savoring every moment of this newfound skill she had learned from her best friend.

Together, the two sat at one of the library's tables, sipping their delicious coffee and chatting happily.

“Well, what do you think?” Piper asked, smiling. “It’s perfect. Thank you.”

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