He turns and smiles at her.
“How d’ye take it?”
“Um. Milk. Two sugars.”
He makes her coffee, brings it to her where she has not moved from the doorway, hands it to her, and goes back to the stove.
Jasmine takes one sip, and I watch her eyes widen.
“Mom…”
“Drink your coffee, baby.”
“Ma, this is… the best coffee ever!”
“I know, baby.”
“It’s better than mine, and I work at a coffee place.”
Adam chuckles at the stove without turning around. “Had fresh beans sent over this mornin’.”
Jasmine looks at me with eyes the size of saucers, silently mouthing, ‘He had beans sent over.’
I mouth back, ‘I know.’
She mouths, ‘MAMA.’
I shake my head at her, holding back my giggles. She sits across from me, tucking her feet up under herself on the chair, grinning.
I love seeing my child like this.
Adam plates two eggs and a buttered toast and brings them across to me, sets them down, and lightly runs his knucklesacross the back of my neck on his way. Jasmine sees it and bites her lip on a smile. Then he goes back to the stove and brings a plate for Jasmine.
“Eat.” He smiles at her again. “You have class today, lass?”
She finishes her bite before answering with a grin, “Yes.”
“What time?”
“Nine. Just one this morning, then I work the lunch shift.”
“When’re ye done?”
“Five.”
He pulls his phone out.
“Roman.” A beat follows. “Aye. Jasmine is leaving in…how long?”
She blinks up at him. “Uh… twenty minutes.”
“Twenty. Drive her to campus, then work.” He hangs up and pockets his phone.
Jasmine asks, uncertain, “…Roman?”
“One of my guys. He’s at the gate. He’ll drive ye wherever you need.”
“I have a car.”
