揃elgian cookies,?I correct her with a smile. 揔ey difference.?
揃elgian cookies have crust??
I pick up the mini bar baking pan. 揟hese do.?I spoon a lump of my buttery cracker mix into a slot. 揝ee, now I抦 going to press this down so it抯 even, and that抯 it. Get up and grab a spoon so you can help. There抯 another pan on the other side of the counter.?
揙kay!?She slides down and fetches the spoon and pan like the good helper she is. I抦 not sure why Lancaster was even worried. 揢m, aren抰 you afraid Dad might find out? He抯 a massive hardass when it comes to rules. He could yell at you.?
揈h, he抣l do that anyway, sooner or later. We might as well get these cookies right and cut out the middleman,?I say.
Destiny giggles, grabbing another baking pan and spoon while she sets to work.
I focus on pressing my cracker mix into the last slot and tamp it down.
揟here. We抳e already preheated the oven. Once you抮e done with that tray, we抣l put them both in and set a timer for ten minutes. Use the big rubber mitts桰 won抰 risk you getting burned.?
揋otcha!?
After I抦 sure she抯 not heading for the oven yet, I run to my desk, grab the reusable shopping bag I brought with me this morning, and head back to the lab. I抦 lost for a second as I scan our surroundings.
揥hat are you looking for??Destiny drops a spoonful of graham cracker into her pan.
揑 just realized…we have an oven but no cooktop.?
揟he cooktops are in the food lab, I think.?
I blink at her. 揧ou抮e sure? I thought you always stayed upstairs??
She laughs. 揥hen I was little, Dad and Kate would bring me down here all the time. The food lab was always my favorite because they gave me treats.?
Such a cute kid.
If I met her anywhere else, I抎 never know she抯 a billionaire抯 daughter.
揥hy do we have an oven??I wonder out loud.
揑t抯 just a roasting accessory, I抦 pretty sure. Do you want me to go to the food lab and ask if we can use a cooktop??
Frowning, I consider it for a few seconds and shake my head.
揘o. We don抰 totally need it right now. I want to pair a cookie with that mocha so Commander Coffee thinks it抯 good to go, but I also don抰 want him to know I抦 working on it until I have the right cookie.?
She smiles. 揧ou抮e sneaky, Honey Badger. I like it.?
I make an exaggerated clawing motion that pulls a laugh out of her. I抦 not even sure if it抯 what badgers do, but since when do honey badgers care?
揂ctually, I used a grill yesterday to brew the coffee. Maybe I抣l fire that up and give it a shot.?
I pull out the grill, set it up, place a fresh bowl in a saucepan on top and throw a lump of Kerry Gold from the keto coffee line into the pan, followed by cocoa and milk powder.
Destiny pops the mini bar pans into the oven and comes to watch me. 揥hat are you doing??
揗aking chocolate. Grab two more mini bar pans, please.?
She nods and disappears like the race is on to do this in record time.
I can抰 help but smile at the girl抯 energy.
By the time I have a silky smooth milk chocolate, she抯 back with my pans. I pick up a spatula and carefully pour melted chocolate into each slot.
揥e抣l have to refrigerate this first,?I say.
揝o cool. I抳e only seen someone make chocolate from scratch once, this nanny we had years ago…？
My ears twitch.
Nanny, huh? What kind of father is Cole Lancaster?
It seems like she抯 turned out decent enough, but was that all him or did he have a lot of help? And where抯 her mother?
揥ell, it抯 super simple. You just stir it over heat and let it cool to harden. But you have to be patient.?I put the chocolate in the fridge for cold drinks, fighting the urge to ask nosy questions. 揝o, I don抰 mean to pry, but are you in summer school??
揘o, not much. It抯 just an easy work experience thing for an extra college credit over the summer, plus a math class I wanted to knock out. We抮e doing our job shadowing assignments and turning in a paper at the end.?
揂nd you wanted to shadow your dad??I flash her a pained grin. 揃rave girl. I think I would抳e picked one of the other five thousand companies around SeaTac.?
揌e pretty much insisted,?she says with a sigh. 揟hat抯 Dad, though. Always obsessed with the family business and legacy and blah, blah, blah. Deep down, he really wants me to take over this place just like he did…？
揥hat do you want to do, Dess??
揌mm, good question.?A light dreamy smile lights up her face. 揑抳e thought about throwing in an application at the Seattle Aquarium for a volunteer position, but Dad would flip his shit.?She clams up. 揢h, sorry.?
I can抰 help but smile. 揥hy there??