Page 32 of How Sweet It Is

She tries to apply a little butter onto a piece, but it crumbles into a mess. “Let’s forget the butter.” She picks up one of the pieces and pops it into her mouth.

She makes a face, and I can tell it isn’t good. “Mmm,” she says politely.

I reach over and grab some crumbles and put them into my mouth. The taste is gritty, and it’s like eating biscuit-flavored sawdust. I force myself to swallow it. “Never mind. Don’t eat this.”

I grab the plate and rush into my kitchen, where I toss the mess into the garbage. “This is trash.”

Amelia comes in after me. “It’s not your fault. It’s the flour you used. Let me see the package.”

I grab it off the shelf and hand it to her. She examines the ingredients then opens the bag to look inside. “Yep. It’s rice flour and not ground up enough. That’s where the grittiness comes from. The higher-quality rice flours are ground into a soft powder.”

I let out a sigh. “I’m sorry. I thought I was going to surprise you with something delicious.”

“It’s okay. It’s really hard to make good gluten-free things.”

I wait until Amelia goes back inside the office before I toss the sack of cheap flour into the garbage. I glance at the clock. It’s too late for me to run grab more gluten-free ingredients. I have to stock my display cases.

Frustrated, I vow to do more research next time. I have no idea why I didn’t do more of it before attempting to make something gluten-free. That’s on me. Next time, it will be better. And I’ll be sure to taste test it before giving it to Amelia. I learned my lesson there.

Saturday,September 5

The week flies by, and I don’t have a chance to try another gluten-free creation until Saturday. But I did my research and found out that a lot of people make their own blend of different types of gluten-free flour, using some things I wouldn’t have expected like xanthan gum and pectin. By Saturday afternoon, I’m prepared, and I’ve mixed my own blend of ingredients to create a much better gluten-free biscuit muffin.

As I’m getting them out of the oven, Kiera comes in from the storefront. She leans against the counter. “Micah’s here. I thought you might want to know.”

“Be right there.” I pop out one of the biscuits and butter it. It doesn’t crumble this time, and I tentatively take a bite. Delicious. I quickly butter another biscuit and put it on a plate. I deliver it to Amelia before heading out to the storefront. I wanted to watch her eat it, but Micah’s more important. I know he wouldn’t be here without a reason.

I find Micah sitting at a table. He’s ordered an Italian soda, and I silently thank Kiera for sharing that idea. We’ve sold a lot of them the past two days, since we added them to the menu. I pull out a chair and sit down. “Hey, man. You here for the weekend?”

Micah nods then sets his soda on the table. “Yeah.”

“How is school going?”

Micah stares at the floor. “Fine.”

I know my brother, and I know when he’s not saying what he’s thinking. I kick his foot under the table. “Come on. You can tell me how it’s really going. Are the classes hard? Do you hate your dorm?”

He rakes his hand through his long hair, but that only pushes it out of his face for a second before it falls back. “It’s just different than here.”

I can tell there’s something he wants to say, so I wait. When he doesn’t elaborate, I say, “And?”

He lifts his gaze to mine. “Something happened the other day, and it kind of freaked me out.”

Micah doesn’t get freaked out about anything. He’s the most laid-back kid I know. A customer comes in and starts chatting with Kiera. I lean closer to Micah so I can hear his low voice. “What happened?”

Micah picks up his soda and plays with the straw. “I was in the cafeteria, and people were talking to me, and all of a sudden, all the people and noise got to me. I couldn’t breathe in there.I felt like the walls were closing in on me, and everyone was staring at me. I had to leave.”

“What did you do?”

He takes a sip of his drink. “I went to my dorm room and ate granola for lunch, even though it was stale. I felt so stupid.”

“You’re not stupid. You’re going through a huge change in your life. College is a big deal, and you’re from a very small town. There’s no way it’s not going to affect you at all. Give it some time.”

Micah exhales. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Take it slow. If eating in the cafeteria is too overwhelming, get your food and go eat it somewhere else. You don’t have to adjust all at once. If it feels like too much, there’s no shame in taking a break.”

Micah’s gaze snaps to mine. “Really?”

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