Behind me, one of the marketing interns snickers. He shuts up the second my gaze lands on him before I shift it to my daughter.
揅onsequence, Dess. Pick one.?
For a second, she looks startled before she glares at me. 揕ighten up. It抯 just a joke. I抦 fifteen.?
揥hat抯 your consequence, Dess? Should I decide??I say gently, approaching her.
She looks at the phone she抯 holding and back at me with a heavy sigh. 揋uess I抣l be staying home tonight and reading…？
揋ood call, baby girl.?
Honestly, it抯 not much punishment. The girl lives, eats, and breathes books, but a night in will keep her out of any other trouble.
She scowls at me and returns to her seat.
Giving my tie a quick pull, I turn back to face the barista梂ayne, I think. 揧our friend had a point, even if she delivered her feedback with the grace of a wolverine.?
揌oney badger,?Destiny coughs from the corner.
I ignore her.
揑t抯 my fault, Mr. Lancaster. I抣l be sure to lock up next time before any confidential business梐ssuming you don抰 fire me today,?he adds nervously.
I hold in a laugh.
揜elax. I抦 not firing anyone. It抯 no one抯 fault but hers that she抯 a walking hand grenade. More importantly, like I said, she had a point.?
揝he did??He blinks at me.
I nod. 揙ur brand is reliable, unfussy fuel for every professional on the go. It抯 been like that for four generations of Lancasters, even as the brand name changed. But with the way the market keeps evolving, that won抰 cut it in another ten years. We need something fresh and exciting. And before anyone suggests it, no, we抮e not branching into sugar-lick fruit drinks and tea lattes like half a dozen other major chains that will remain nameless.?
揌ey, is this the Badger Lady抯 brew??Destiny calls from behind me. When I glance at her, she抯 holding up a mason jar of dark mystery liquid.
The barista nods.
I double-check his name tag. Wayne it is.
My eyes fall on Dess as she pulls the lid off the glass jar and sniffs.
揥hat are you doing??I call.
Only, by the time I get the words out, she抯 lifting it and pressing it to her lips.
Shit. Surely she抯 not going to?
The way her mouth opens tells me she is.
揇estiny, don抰 you棓
Too late.
She抯 damn near chugging the stuff before I can say another word.
She rocks back on her heels, coughing and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand.
My heart leaps up my throat.
Shit, shit.
She looks like she抯 about to fall over. Every parent抯 nightmare involving their kid and strange substances whips through my head.
Fuck.
What if it was motor oil?
Some sort of aged cognac?
A tobacco spit jar?
Why in God抯 name does my daughter have to sample a strange jar left behind by a caustic stranger who gnawed my ear off? Who does that?
Apparently, the kind of kid I raise.
揂re you okay??I move to Destiny in several huge strides. 揇ess??
I already have my hand on my phone, ready to dial 9-1-1.
When she looks up, she抯 grinning. 揇ad, this is crazy. Taste it. It抯 like a mule kick to the mouth.?
Is that supposed to be inviting?
I frown.
揑 mean, a cup of this stuff would probably keep me up the entire week of finals.?She cocks her head. 揑 wonder if she has more… I want it.?
My eyes narrow. She sounds like a junkie looking for her next fix of梬hat the hell was in that jar? Liquid cocaine?
揇estiny Lancaster. Didn抰 we watch Snow White enough times when you were little for you to know not to eat or drink anything left behind by strange people? For all you know, she could抳e been a witch.?Psycho chick certainly had the witchy temperament.
Her drink is pungent, though. I can smell it from here.
Destiny swirls the liquid like she抯 hypnotized.
揌ow do you feel? Should I take you to urgent care??I ask.
揘o, no. I抦 fine, Dad. Really.?
揋ive me your phone,?I say, already reaching out.
揥hat? Why? That抯 not fair!?Her voice becomes shrill and whiny on the last word.
Someone has to put the fear of God into her梠r at least a few hours without texting and Snapchat梑ut first I pick up the unholy grail and take a swig.
My employees stare at me like I抳e just flipped my lid.
Hell, maybe I have.
It抯 stronger than a triple ristretto shot and nearly causes a coughing fit. I choke it down, slowly realizing it抯 some sort of hell-coffee.
Dammit, that抯 intense. And I spent five years of my life on the black sludge the US Navy calls coffee.
Once my tongue recovers from the initial shock, I抦 plunged into this unexpected universe of flavors.
It抯 smoky. Powerful. Toasted. Nutty.