“Slow-cooked chili for dinner.”
“Oo, my favorite!” Sam said.
“I’ll just have some toast. You look busy enough.”
“Don’t worry about it. I love cooking.”
“Toast is still just fine.”
Mido fired up the griddle, then buttered up two pieces of multigrain bread and added two round slices of Canadian bacon from the fridge. He shuffled to an overhead cupboard and set four tin mugs on the counter, near the coffee maker.
Cancer’s heavy footsteps returned to the galley, an amber bottle in hand. He tipped one pill into the plastic cap and held it out for her to take. Jessie hesitated, then forced herself to push through her fear and take the pill. On top of her usual fears, she worried he might be trying to drug her but, with two witnesses, there couldn’t be a chance of that.
“Bite it in half,” Cancer said. “I want to give you a few days before I let you have a whole pill.”
Jessie carefully bit down and handed half the pill back. Cancer tucked it inside a tissue baggie and capped the bottle. Mido turned on the faucet. Jessie went over and washed down the bitter-tasting powder with a lot of water, then Cancer returned to his paperwork as Mido set some cream and nutmeg next to the awaiting mugs.
“Now for the second half of the lesson.” Mido set a metal spatula on the edge of the griddle. “Pour cream in two of the mugs. Sam likes his black. Pour just a little more than enough to cover the bottom of the cup.” He shook the carton, then showed her with one.
Jessie took the carton, then carefully poured cream in two more cups.
Mido stowed the cream back in the fridge before returning to his vegetables. “Now sit tight until the coffee’s ready.”
She leaned against the counter and watched Mido chop up a pile of zucchini, squash, peppers, carrots, celery, tomatoes, and onion. He got all the way through his first four vegetables by the time the coffee pot gurgled and shut itself off with a click. Mido rinsed and dried his hands, flipped, the toast and bacon, then poured coffee into the tin he’d poured cream in. He added a pinch of nutmeg and stirred the contents with a teaspoon.
“Pour the coffee and add a pinch of nutmeg to everyone’s mugs.”
“Nutmeg?” Sam said.
“You’ll like it. Adds a little extra flavor.”
Jessie filled up the remaining mugs and added a pinch just like Mido had. She stirred Sam’s black coffee first, then the other two. She brought Sam’s and Cancer’s coffee over as instructed. They thanked her as she set them down, and when she returned to the counter, Mido handed her the mug she’d made. She took a sip. “It’s good, but not as good as yours.”
Sam took a noisy sip. “Tastes great to me. I like the spice.” He took a second sip, then went back to work.
Mido traded mugs with her.
Jessie sipped the coffee Mido had prepared and enjoyed its spicy smoothness all the way down. “Yours is better and you did the exact same thing I did. I don’t get it.”
Mido took a sip from his own mug and licked his lips. “The secret is to put how much you care about the people you’re feeding into everything you make. Still, I think you did a good job. And as a reward for your efforts…” He took one of Jessie’s hands. She retracted her hand and shied away, but then forced herself to retake her ground, tentatively holding out her hand for him to take. He hesitated, then wrapped her hand in a feather touch and kissed her knuckles.
Jessie couldn’t help but smile. Her heart rate slowed back down and she felt calmer. “Are you sure you’re not using magic or something?”
Mido smiled back as gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. “Wish I was.” Cancer cleared his throat and Sam chuckled. Mido lost his smile and turned around as he let go. He ran a hand through his hair. “Almost forgot I was cooking.” He flipped the toast and bacon. “Take a seat, Jessie. Food’s almost ready.”
Mug in hand, Jessie forced herself to walk to the table. Sam scooted a little farther over. Jessie struggled with slowing her breathing. She was starting to hyperventilate just at the thought of sitting across from Cancer. Standing near him was one thing. Sitting was another. It would take that much more effort to start running if she needed to.
Cancer said, “Jessie, tell yourself to calm down.”
“I’m trying.” She set her mug down and stood before Dyne’s customary spot at the table. She kept telling herself over and over in her head to calm down, that this wasn’t how she wanted to react, that this was a horrible feeling she needed to stop making herself experience. Still no calmer, she slowly turned and sat down, and her eyes stung with tears.
“Breathe, Jessie,” Sam urged.
She took a gulp of air, then began panting. After a few seconds, she took a deep breath and wiped her tears. She put the edge of the table in a death grip and tried to slow her breathing. This reaction was not fun at all. The sooner she could train herself to stop this, the better. She’d never given being surrounded by men a second thought before Tethys. In fact, she used to relish their attention. Now it was hell.
Okay, must stop thinking about Tethys’s boat. It’s not helping.
She heard a man say something, and then another spoke. She ignored them both. Suddenly, the smell of coffee and nutmeg filled her nose. She breathed in the lovely scent. A man’s voice spoke again. She wasn’t sure what he was saying but his tone was soothing and unthreatening. And the coffee smelled wonderful.
“Jessie, come back to us.”
“You’re okay, Jessie. Just keep breathing.”
She blinked and the world around her came back into focus. Her tin of coffee was right under her nose. She relaxed her death grip and took the cup with shaking hands. Right from Mido’s hand. Her fingers brushed his.
“There you go, Jessie,” he said, beaming.
“Why’d you hold my coffee right under my nose?”
“I told him to,” Cancer said. “It was the only thing I could think of to snap you out of it. A positive smell linked to a positive experience. I’m not much of a psychologist but I do know our sense of smell is our strongest link to memories.”
“So give her a positive smell to interrupt a bad memory?” Mido ventured.
“That was the idea. And it seems to have worked. Her pupils aren’t dilated anymore.”
“Is it safe to feed her?”
“Certainly.”
“I’m not hungry anymore.” She set her coffee on the table, but held onto it for comfort.
Mido put his fists on his hips, showcasing how big his arms were. “Are we going to have this discussion again?”
Jessie hunched her shoulders. “No.”
“Good.” He went to the griddle, then returned with a plate of Canadian bacon and golden brown toast.
The food looked and smelled great, but she felt as interested in eating it as much as she wanted to eat her plate. However, yesterday had already proved Mido wasn’t going to let her walk away unfed. She snatched a piece of toast and bit off a corner. Like everything else he’d fed her so far, this simple piece of toast tasted great. She took a bigger bite.
“And your reward for listening to me,” Mido said softly. He ran a gentle hand through her hair, petting her like a loved sibling, then backed up.
Once again, his touch got a smile out of her and helped her feel calmer. “You really are magic.”
“And you’re a beauty who’s a pleasure to serve,” he said with a bow.
“Does this mean I get breakfast in bed?” she teased.
“Once we get to shore, sure!” He returned to his pile of vegetables.
Jessie couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. If it was a joke, it was no big deal. She hadn’t been serious herself. But now that he’d said that, it sounded really nice. “Sounds great. I’m holding you to it.” She popped a smile, then went back to her breakfast. The knife slipped out of Mido’s hand as he looked at her like he was the one trying to figure out if she was serious or not. He chased his knife to the floor, then rinsed it off under the faucet and went back to work. Jessie wasn’t sure herself. At least she had a week to figure it out.