Page 84 of A Rose of Steel
“I’ll have a cup of coffee, if it won’t be too much trouble,” I said, sitting where she’d directed.
“No trouble at all,” she said, smiling. “I’ll just be a minute.” She scooted off to the kitchen.
I stood up, peeked into the kitchen at her. She had busied herself making me feel welcomed. I walked around her small living room, it was cozy and filled with charms. Then I spotted a mum. “You going to Homecoming?” I asked.
“I’m going to the one at Angel’s Grace. Riding over with some family to see other family.” She laughed. “We’re going to leave early, make a few stops on the way. A little day trip for us. A couple were complaining about leaving so early for an event that doesn’t start until six p.m.”
“I was afraid I might be visiting too early,” I called after her. “I wasn’t sure if you were an early riser.”
“Oh my. Not me. It’s ten o’clock,” she said from the kitchen. “Only way I’d still be sleep would be if I were dead.”
I laughed. I walked over to the kitchen doorway and poked my head in. “I’m glad I found you up and healthy.”
“Me, too,” she said and smiled. She was putting coffee into an automatic maker.
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked.
“Oh no,” she said. “I’ve got this down to a science. I serve up coffee all day long.”
“All day?”
“Yes. I teach classes here at the house.”
“Oh, really?” I said. “What is it that you teach?”
“What else, dear? Herbology.”
“Of course,” I said.
“I’m not saying anything bad about your profession, mind you, but knowing natural remedies is very important,” she said.
“I agree with that,” I said. “Do you get many students?”
“Steady flow,” she said. She sat a cup and saucer on the table. “Come, sit down.” I sat. “I teach everyone. Not so many young people that come, you know they’re not having so many aches and pains quite yet.”
I chuckled. “They don’t worry about getting sick.”
“But what they don’t understand is that prevention is worth a pound of cure. Some of my herbs will prevent them from having health problems later on.”
“That’s true,” I said.
“Is that what you tell your patients?”
“It wouldn’t help my patients,” I said.
“Well, why not?”
“I’m a medical examiner.”
“Oh, like Doc Westin.” She nodded. “I think I did hear about you taking his place.”
“You probably heard that from my auntie.” I shook my head. “I’m not taking his place.”
“You’re not?”
“No. But that is kind of what I came to ask you about,” I said.
“Do you want cream and sugar?” she asked as she poured coffee into my cup.
