Page 17 of Love From the Ashes

“You are such a mean person,” Adam snapped, giving Della the evil eye. He turned his back on her and looked at me. “Since Della’s taste buds are confused and she isn’t sure whether she wants to spit my chicken out or enjoy it, tell me what you think.”

“Your chicken is fabulous. Your date will love it, I promise.”

“Thank you. That’s all I needed to hear.” Adam tossed a shoulder at Della and reached for the bottle of saké. “Oops, we’ve polished this one off; bottle number two is coming up.” Adam jumped up from the table, returning with another bottle. “This saké is sweet, so it’s more of an after-dinner drink. Although it’s so versatile, it’ll go with anything.” Adam poured some into my cup. “Tell me what it smells like to you.”

“Okay,” I said warily. I put the cup to my nose and smelled it. “I get a whiff of marshmallows and crème. Am I right, or imagining that smell?”

“You got it right. You have a good nose. Now taste it. You should be able to pick out the flavors of melon and vanilla ice cream.”

“Oh, shit. That is good. It’s light and sweet.”

“I thought you’d like it. It’s one of my favorites.”

Adam filled our cups with the beverage and explained to me how a guy he was dating a few years ago had turned him on to saké. From there, our dinner conversation turned to Adam’s cooking and then Della’s art classes, which I didn’t know she was taking. Adam teased us with several more trivia tidbits, and we talked about work. I asked far more questions than I answered, wanting to learn more about Della and Adam and preferring to keep the conversation away from my personal life. Overall, the evening was going smoothly and much better than I had envisioned.

We finished dinner, and Adam cleared our plates and returned to the table with another bottle of saké. “Here’s bottle number three. This one is sweeter than the last. It has an aroma of ripe banana, vanilla, melon, strawberry, and creamy rice custard.” He filled our cups and set the bottle on the table.

I gulped my drink. “Mmm, tasty.” I grabbed the bottle and refilled my glass, downing that one too. I looked cross-eyed at Adam, suddenly feeling flushed and lightheaded. “The number…three. We’re the saké. Wait…I mean…our name. We can…we can be…the Saké Trio,” I said, my tongue sticking to the roof of my mouth.

“Ooh, Sofie is tipsy,” Della said, laughing.

“I’m not…drunk.” I picked up my cup and took a sip, finding it empty. I held it out toward Adam.

“Nah, I don’t think so. You are a little drunk. I’m going to have to limit you to water or coffee.”

“I’m not. Wait…I hate…drunks. They’re…so…disgusting. They say mean things…make you feel…rotten…really rotten. Then…then they say sorry. They do it again…say it again. They lie…steal. Pigs…they’re pigs. Hehe…the Three Little Pigs. And they put their hands…both hands…all over you. Tell you to…to…do things. Bad. They make you…feel bad…really bad…if you say no.”

“Um, Sofie. How about if I take you to the couch to lie down?” Adam pushed his chair back to get up.

“I’m okay. I’m fun…having fun. My husband…he…he…wasn’t fun. He was…a drunk.”

“You were married?” Della said with a small gasp.

“Yep. Dean died. He burned…in a fire…house fire. My dad…he…he didn’t burn. He died in a car…on the freeway. Mean. He was…a…a…mean drunk. Asshole too. That’s okay. Mom…my mom. She was…a…druggie.”

Adam grabbed hold of my arm and pulled me up from my chair. “Let’s go to the couch. You can lie down, and Della and I will sit with you to finish our conversation.”

“Okay.” I sat where Adam placed me, lying down when he put a pillow on the couch’s arm for me. “Della can talk. I’m done.” I rolled onto my side and closed my eyes, my senses dull and my mind fading.

CHAPTER 7

The Hangover

Irolled ontomy side, my eyes still closed.Oh God, my head hurts. I don’t want to get up.Just a bit more sleep, and then I’ll get up.

“Good morning, Miss Saké Sunshine.” The melodic voice seemed to drift above me.

Adam?My eyes flew open, and I gasped.

Adam was standing next to the couch, grinning down at me. “Good morning. You look the worse for wear. How about some breakfast? Della’s making banana pancakes.”

I shot into a sitting position, my eyes darting around the room. I was still at Adam’s, and it was daylight outside.

“You don’t drink, do you?”

“No.” I shook my head, wincing at the pain.

“If I had known, I would have warned you. Saké is stronger than both beer and wine. The bottles we polished off last night had an alcohol content of fifteen percent.”

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