Keep Me Afloat by Jennifer Gold

Author:Jennifer Gold [Gold, Jennifer]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781542015813
Published: 2020-03-02T16:00:00+00:00

2018

The morning is clear and chilly, and this time, I’m early enough to get coffee before heading down to the Glacial Wind. It’s my first official day, and I’m bundled up in boots, jeans, two long-sleeved shirts, and my warmest jacket. Having tossed and turned with nightmares about Jackie burning down the grocery store and Eli causing earthquakes, I rose early and had a chance to braid my hair into pigtails and shove them under a beanie. I spent the rest of the morning petting Taffy—who was beginning to split her time between my house and Gwen’s—before I dared to drive the Avalon down to the marina.

It’s eight o’clock when I step into the toasty coffee shop; I have an hour before I need to meet Robin for work. An older couple is ahead of me, chitchatting with the shop owner, Zack. I’m glad to see him—just the thought of a new coffee concoction makes my lips tingle—and he smiles at me before working the espresso machine for the folks in front. I wait patiently, admiring his finesse: a toss of a bottle, a spin of a pitcher, whistling all the while.

Given the chill outside, I know my cheeks are as bright as strawberries in the heat of the shop. The place is filled with early risers, most of them bundled similarly to me. Boat people, I’m sure. I remove my jacket and fold it over my crossed arms.

“See something you like?” Zack asks, wiping his hands on a rag.

Having come in a few times now, I’ve decided that his mystery drinks are better than anything I would ever normally order. “I’ll take another recommendation.”

“Brave woman.” He grins, big and mischievous, then bends below the counter to grab ingredients. “How’ve you been?”

“Fine.”

“Convincing,” he says.

“Couldn’t sleep last night.”

“Oh?” He drizzles clear syrup into the bottom of a cup, raising the bottle two feet above the rim, then flips the bottle and places it back on the shelf below.

Like a therapist, he has an unassuming demeanor that makes me want to be honest. “I saw a friend turned enemy yesterday.”

“An enemy?”

“I don’t know what else to call her.”

“It’s a powerful word, that’s all.”

I fiddle with my key ring, rubbing one between my fingers. “Yeah, well, it was a powerful falling-out. How are you?”

He shrugs, pouring some milk into a metal pitcher. “Same old. I had a late night too. A buddy was visiting and bought me one too many beers.”

“So you’re dragging a little too.”

Speaking louder over the hiss of steaming milk, he says, “Yeah, but I have a remedy.”

“And what’s that?”

After the frothing dissipates, he taps the pitcher on the countertop. “Lemon juice and cayenne.”

The very thought makes me shiver. I make a face, cheeks scrunched in disgust. “Yuck.”

“Does the trick, though,” Zack says. “You get used to it. Like jumping into the ocean.”

“In this weather?”

“Indeed,” he says. “Sour, spice, and a cool dip. Good as new.”

“Wait, you swam out there this morning?” My skin tightens. A few minutes in Pacific Northwest winter water can cause hypothermia.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.