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“This is a special coffee bean that I’ve been experimenting with for my personal use. It’s a medium roast and freshly brewed. I want you to do a taste test. Like you said, you know a good cup of coffee when you taste one.”
“Alright, try me.” She met my challenge with a fierce glint in her eyes.
“I want you to slurp the coffee and make sure it passes over every part of your tongue and gets to the back of your throat. Sort of like this.”
I made a loud slurping sound, and I could hear the liquid gurgle and bubble as it entered my mouth. Then, I pushed the mug towards her.
“Now, you try.”
She did as instructed, an amused look on her face. I watched her keenly.
“Now, close your eyes and tell me what you taste.”
She closed her eyes, silent at first but then, suddenly, her eyes burst open.
“Oh! That’s different!”
“What do you taste?”
“I can’t quite put my finger on it. But there is a hint of something sweet like cherries mixed with something tart like raspberries. But it’s not unpleasant. Why isn’t it bitter, though?”
“Because it’s not that store-bought shit or the over-priced city crap. Now, do this.”
I used my forefinger to push my top lip up and rubbed the tip of my tongue across my teeth. She did the same thing and fell back onto her stool a bit. Her eyes opened wide as she looked down into the coffee mug. Wordlessly, she took a few more sips while I watched with a broad grin. We said nothing until her mug was empty.
“What kind of sorcery is this? I can’t lie: that was the most perfect cup of coffee I’ve ever had in my life. I feel like going home and tossing out all those bitter brands from the store,” she exclaimed.
“Mission accomplished.” I grinned, satisfied again by the reaction I was able to elicit from her.
Maybe I hadn’t lost the ground I gained last evening. Something felt oddly comfortable between us this morning. Comfortable enough that I felt like I could bring the purchase of the house back up.
“Have you considered the offer I made last evening?”
Helen’s face fell for a moment, but she quickly recovered. “That’s what last night was about, then? Cozy up to me so I’ll sell the house to you?” Her eyebrows rose.
“Of course not. Last night, well maybe we got a bit carried away, but there were no ill intentions whatsoever. I really enjoyed it.”
“Carried away?”
“You know what I mean. We were drunk. That doesn’t change how much fun it was, though.”
“Fun,” she chuckled and looked at her feet. “Yeah, I suppose it was fun.”
I wasn’t sure what else to say, but I immediately regretted bringing up the house so soon. I hadn’t meant to make her uncomfortable. My intentions at the beginning of dinner last evening were certainly guided solely by my desire to acquire Dudley’s property, but that had changed through the conversations and intimacies we had shared. Of course I still wanted the property, but I wanted Helen’s respect as well, and most of all: her trust.
“I’m going to change quickly. I have some work to do today,” Helen said as she rushed back up to the bedroom. I gave her a few moments before following. I also had some work to get done in the fields today and needed to get ready as well.
I found Helen back in her sundress sitting on my bed, which she must have made while I was brewing coffee. She was typing a message on her phone as I walked by and I stopped at the glimpse of a familiar photo on her screen.
“Is that my pool?” I asked and Helen looked up.
“Yes. I’m sending my best friend Lisa a few photos of the area. She’s the one who insisted I come here. I was about ready to call the whole thing off, but she convinced me,” Helen said as she continued to type out the text.
I got closer and noticed that it was more than just a photo of my pool that she was sending.
“Hold on one second! You can’t send those.”
Helen looked up at me, her brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”
