Page 33 of Cider
“Ah, Cider. Yes! Welcome! I hope you’ve come with good news.” He clapped his hands together, rubbing them.
“Actually---”
He cut me off.
“Wait. wait! Before you give me your answer. Come with me!” He snapped his fingers, as if he were telling me to heel. I pressed my lips together to resist saying what I so wanted to. “I have something exciting to show you.”
He walked into the kitchen, leaving me little choice but to follow him. He went over to one of the shiny new stoves. On it was a pot that was simmering with the ingredients next to it.
My little store had one stove in the back that I used to make everything and it was more than enough. This place had six. Talk about over kill.
Samuel stopped in front of the pot. He picked up the wooden spoon next to it and gave it a stir. The familiar scent had me stopping midstep. That scent. It was my secret hot cider!
I knew he’d somehow figured out the secret ingredient, but it had very specific instructions to actually make it. The ingredients had to be put in very specifically at different temperatures or it didn’t come out just right.
That’s why I hadn’t had a total break down when I’d found that he’d somehow figured out the secret. I had memorized it a long time ago.
“How?” My mouth had gone dry.
Samuel glanced at me out of the corner of his eye, his smug look making anger bubble up within me.
“I can’t divulge my secrets, of course. But, I thought it would be a good idea to show this to you when you came to visit so that you could rethink your decision. Wouldn’t it be a shame if you turned down our generous offer only to discover that your secret recipe really isn’t all that secret?” He took a sip of the cider from the spoon. “Mmm. That is just delectable. I can see why it’s so popular. The dash of chile really does just give it that kick, doesn’t it?”
The floor fell away and I felt like I had fallen into a pit. How? How had he figured it out? I didn’t even tell Billy about how to make it.
“How dare you?” My fist clenched. I was ready to give this guy the beating of a lifetime.
“I don’t know what you mean.” Samuel faced me. “But, I do hope this gives you more of a push to accept the offer. If you don’t, we will go ahead with our new cider come opening day and you’ll get nothing.” He placed his hands in his pockets and rocked on his heels. “I’ll give you the weekend to decide.”
He ushered me out the kitchen, through the store, and out the door before I could think of what to say. I was standing in the middle of the path with people walking around me as I tried to figure out what had just happened.
My fox had started pacing. She was furious. I was furious. Yet, I’d just let him push me out without saying anything. I’d just turned to march back in there, consequences be damned, when Lys appeared in front of me.
“Hey, Cider.” Her hands went to my shoulders. “What’s wrong? You look like you’re in shock.”
I shook my head. “He knows my hot cider recipe. He knows how to make it. He doesn’t just have the ingredients, he knows how to make it! I don’t have that written anywhere and I’ve never told anyone how to!” Okay, there was the hysteria, I wondered when it would show up.
Lys face pinched. “There’s got to be an explanation. Okay. Come on. Come to Triple E. I’ll make you a cup of tea and we’ll figure this out.” She threaded her arm through mine and basically led me to her store on the other side of the rink.
Her shop was larger than mine. The decor was simple. Black and white. Her counter was on the side of the store. Her chairs were red leather.
She sat me at the counter and started moving around behind it.
“Is my brother happy?” I blurted out the question without thinking about it.
She froze in the middle of pouring the hot water from the kettle into one of her signature mugs.
“I like to think so. We’re still learning about each other.” She turned to me and handed me the cup with an herbal tea. It smelled divine. “The guys are all wonderful. We’re even thinking about going on a trip together.”
I sipped the tea. The tension lessened as I relaxed.
“This is good.” Running my index finger around the edge. “You’ve been good for Quinten. We fight a lot but I love my brother. I just want him to be happy.”
“He makes me happy. He’s kind and funny.” She got a starry eyed look.
Faking a gag, I rolled my eyes. “My brother is a lot of things, but funny is not one of them.”
“He’d surprise you.” She grabbed another cup. “So, I think it’s safe to say that we need to get serious about this guy. Have you talked to Titus?”
