How to Outswim a Shark Without a Snorkel by Jess Keating

Author:Jess Keating
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc
Published: 2014-10-22T17:48:19+00:00

Chapter 12

Penguins don’t have teeth, but they do have fleshy spines that face backward in their mouths that guide fish down their throats.

—Animal Wisdom

Well, that’s a lovely image to consider right before I eat anything ever again.

“These cookies taste like cardboard,” Bella announced. Her short hair was flecked with bits of flour, and there was a smear of molasses on her cheek. Ever since we’d been recruited as her “official kitchen helpers” for her upcoming bake sale at the old-age home, Kevin, Daz, and I had seen a whole new side of Bella.

And it was pretty funny.

Even though she took baking crazy seriously.

Daz leaped to his feet. “No, they don’t!” He grabbed one from the huge pile on the counter and shoved the whole thing in his mouth. “They’re thuper tasthy,” he mumbled, spraying crumbs. “Mmm, stho good!” His eyes widened, and he nodded eagerly. I didn’t miss the look of regret in his eyes as he tried to swallow.

I’d tried one of the cookies.

I’d also spat it out into a napkin when Bella wasn’t looking.

Bella sighed. “They are not! They taste like sawdust and cardboard had a baby and covered it with seeds!” She threw a wadded-up paper towel into the garbage. “How am I going to feed a bunch of senior citizens these?! They’ll break their dentures!” She wheeled around, staring at Kevin.

“Hey, they’re not that bad. They’re not quite as good as the no-bake ones, though,” he admitted. “But they really do taste okay.” He tried to nonchalantly lean away from the pile of warm cookies that Daz was offering him.

Bella pouted. It made her elfish features stand out even more. “Do you think I should add more sugar?” she asked desperately. She stirred the bowl of porridgelike goo in her hands. The mass was beginning to stick to the spoon, making it noticeably hard for her to mix. Beads of sweat were popping up over her eyebrows.

I cleared my throat. “Maybe it’s best we try another recipe entirely,” I said. I gently took the bowl from her and set it on the table. I didn’t know much about baking, but I was pretty sure I could recognize “edible cement” when I saw it.

Picking up the medieval cookbook, I flipped to the table of contents. “There must be something here that’s super quick. Here, how about this?” I held up the picture. “What about fruit kebabs in honey? That sounds good.”

“That will spoil, I think,” Bella said dully.

I kept flipping, while Kevin leaned over my shoulder to read. A buzz of heat ran through my face. Did he know how close he was? I mean, I could just turn my head and…

“Hey,” he said. He pointed to the page, brushing his hand against mine.

Stay cool.

“How about this?” he asked. “Candied sweet potatoes.” He looked up to Bella for her opinion.

She chewed on her lip. “Do you think that would be good? Sounds kind of…” she trailed off.

“Like candied potatoes,” Daz offered, his nose crinkling. “No thanks.” The two of them giggled, sharing a glance.

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