Page 48 of Divine

“Taste the drink and stop whining,” she said, placing a mason jar half filled with a purple concoction in front of me.

“What’s in it?” I asked her.

“If I tell you, then I’ll have to kill you.”

“I have allergies. I need to know what I’m consuming.”

“Yeah right. How long have I known you? Why is this the first I’m hearing of these allergies?”

“I hope you have an EpiPen,” I teased as I lifted the glass to my lips and took a sip.

I allowed the sweet concoction to coat my tongue before drinking more. I could taste hints of berries and a little kick of something spicy. From the shots that Divine made sure to give me every day, I knew that it had ginger in it.

“So?” she asked, wearing a hopeful smile.

She had to know that as long as she looked at me that way, I would say whatever she wanted me to say. Since her business depended on it, when she asked me to sample or taste things for her, I wanted to be objective. Thankfully, the juice was pretty good.

“I like the taste. Also, the color is nice, and the texture is smooth for a natural juice,” I said, nodding in approval.

“Thanks.” Her smile grew as she turned back to the stove.

“I would order it.”

“I’ve been tweaking it to add to the summer menu. It’s a simple juice I made with blueberries, green apples, and ginger. I added a splash of apple juice and spring water to thin it. I’m working on the strawberry cheesecake smoothie you mentioned too. The blueberry muffin was a hit.”

“It’s a keeper.”

“Ready for your pineapple and ginger shot?” she quizzed.

“Ready or not, I’m sure you’re going to give it to me.”

She giggled, finding that funny. I hated the sting of ginger but had done enough research to know the benefits outweighed the off-putting taste.

“I love how you just listen to me.”

“Whatever, woman. Run the shot.”

A devilish grin curved her lips as she placed the small shot glass in front of me. Before I could talk myself out of it, I took the drink to the head, wincing as it burned my throat.

“See? You’re just a big baby.”

“It’s a natural response. I can’t help that I don’t like drinking fire.”

“A big baby,” she repeated, turning back to the stove.

As she built our sandwiches, my phone vibrated against my thigh. I pushed back from the counter to remove it from my pocket and see who was calling at eight in the morning. SeeingMomon my phone screen gave me indigestion. It could have been the ginger, but for the sake of the situation, I would say the cause of my sudden heartburn was about half and half.

My mom never called, so I knew that her early morning summoning was important. Not thatIwould care, but I was sure her reason for calling was important to her. She and my dad could save whatever it was that they had cooked up. I was done with being their weapon of choice a long time ago.

“Somebody must really be trying to get in touch with you calling over and over like that,” Divine noted.

I scoffed. Was she jealous or just nosy? It was hard to tell with Divine. I knew for a fact that she was nosy as hell, so I went with the latter.

“It’s my mom.” A third call made my shoulders drop.

“Your mom?” she mumbled as if my answer was absurd.

“Yeah.” I shrugged, standing from my seat on the stool.

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