Page 26 of Downpour

The grass was soft under my flip-flops as I strode across the yard to meet him. “Hey, you!”

Ray didn’t look up from the knots he was tying. They were different today. He wasn’t just keeping his hands busy with a mindless task; he was creating a pattern. His left hand looked a little stronger as he looped and tugged the smooth rope.

“How’s your day?” I asked as I got closer. “Need anything from the house before I settle into leaving you alone?”

“Nah,” he grunted.

“How’d you get your wheelchair down the grass?” I asked, setting the coffees on the ground and rummaging around in my bag.

He let out a weighted breath. “Pretty much the only workout I get.”

“Is that why you don’t use a power chair?”

“Yeah,” he muttered.

“Someone’s chatty today,” I noted. “I like it.”

He rolled his eyes as he went to work untying all the knots.

“I like the pond,” I said, pulling the cup holder out and attaching it to the arm of his wheelchair. “Is it natural or did you have it put in?”

He eyed me warily. “Natural. What are you doing?”

I dropped the extra coffee into the cup holder. “I found this cup holder for suitcases and figured it might work for you. Now you can have coffee with me and not have to hold it. There’s nothing worse than lukewarm iced coffee. It’s worse than room-temperature hot coffee. It’s like drinking a dry heave.”

He arched an eyebrow. “What is it?”

“Iced latte with caramel. They gave it to me for free.”

Ray took a sip, then grimaced.

“Not a fan?”

“Nope.”

I switched our cups. “Try mine.”

He glared at me.

“What? Do you think I’m trying to poison you or something? I’m trying to read your coffee aura.”

A caustic laugh slipped. “My what?”

“Your coffee aura. You know, it’s like your star sign, but way more important. The kind of coffee someone likes says a lot about them as a person.”

Ray stared at my blended whipped cream concoction topped with chocolate drizzle, then at me, then back at the coffee.

“Please?” I begged. “Do it for your friendly neighborhood Sagittarius.”

Ray took a sip. His face was completely void of any kind of reaction. “Try again.”

“Okay, but are we getting warmer? Colder? Tell me where we’re at. I need to know if I’m getting close.”

Ray went back to tying knots. “Like drinking a dry heave.”

I laughed as I wiggled my flip flops off and stretched out in the grass. “I think I’m getting close. You just don’t want to admit it. Give me another week and I’ll have you figured out.”

“Awfully bold of you to assume I won’t fire you before then.”

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