Page 62 of Kiss Me Forever

"Black is fine."

She handed Alex his coffee. He took a sip and then walked over to the sink and spit it out.

She stared at him in astonishment. "Is it that bad?"

"Did you try it?"

"No, but it smells right."

He handed her the cup. Go ahead, take a sip."

After seeing Alex's display, she allowed only a small portion into her mouth, immediately gagging at the thick, chunky quality of the liquid. He was right. It was ghastly. She followed his lead and spit it out into the sink, then turned on the faucet and dumped out the rest of the cup. "Sorry. These million-dollar gadgets are a little beyond my experience."

"Andrea, the eggs..." Tyler's voice sent her attention to the stove cut where her scrambled eggs were now burning.

She quickly moved the pan and turned off the flame, but it was too late. "Sorry, I'm a lousy cook," she said with a sigh.

"Well, I'm not," Alex replied. "I'm pretty good. Let me show you."

"You're going to cook for me with one hand in a cast?" she asked doubtfully.

"Why don't we do it together?" he suggested.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

Making breakfast with Alex was more fun than she'd expected. She did most of the work while he gave instructions, but in the end they had beautiful golden pancakes, freshly squeezed orange juice and delicious chunks of cut-up fruit. The conversation over breakfast was light and easy, all of them choosing to stay away from uncomfortable topics.

"There are more pancakes in the oven," Alex reminded her, as she finished her last bite.

"Are you telling me that as a warning not to try to get anything off your plate?" she teased.

"Just pointing out that we have more food," he said evenly.

"Alex hates to share," Tyler interjected. "He won't even give me any of his popcorn when we go to the movies. He always makes me get my own."

"So you get enough," Alex replied, his lips turning down into a frown. "I don't think my eating habits need to be discussed."

Andrea rested her elbows on the table. "What's the big deal about guarding your food, Alex? Is that some primitive territorial urge? Or does it date back to your past, when maybe you didn't have enough to eat?"

"There was a time when I didn't know where my next meal was coming from," he admitted.

"And that feeling has never gone away?"

"I haven't really thought about it." Alex turned to Tyler. "I told the Monroes I'd take you to school. Do you need to stop by your house first to get anything?"

Tyler shook his head. "I have what I need."

"Then we should leave soon. Why don't you run a comb through your hair, maybe brush your teeth."

Tyler groaned but got up from the table, put his cereal bowl in the sink and then headed upstairs.

"You'd make a good parent, Alex," she commented.

"It's not hard to parent for a few minutes a day. But I'm not Tyler's father, just his friend."

"You're more than his friend. He adores you. He looks up to you, and he wants to be just like you."

"I hope I provide a good example."

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