'No, ma'am, we haven't, ' Cole answered.
'We aren't hungry, ' Daniel said at the same time.
'Yes, we are, ' Cole argued.
Grace went to the counter and returned with a plate of leftover ham.
She placed it on the table next to a basket of freshly baked bread and
a crock of butter. A minute later she'd added plates and utensils.
Cole helped himself. Daniel didn't touch the food. He kept his
attention focused on Grace, who was nervously brushing her hands down
her apron. She wouldn't, or couldn't, look him in the eyes. The
teacups rattled in the saucers as she placed them on the table. She
poured a thick, black liquid into each cup that looked more like shoe
polish than tea.
'Would you like sugar and cream? ' she asked.
Cole was looking suspiciously at his cup, but Daniel was still looking
at Grace.
'Is this tea? ' Cole asked.
'Yes, ' she rushed out. 'Is something wrong with it? ' 'No, no, I'm
sure it's fine.' He took a drink and couldn't hide his reaction. It
tasted like bitter hair tonic.
'It just needs a little sugar, ' he lied.
'I boiled it too long, didn't I? ' she asked. 'That's what I did. I
should have timed it. I'll make another pot right away.'
'I'd rather have water, ' Cole said.
Daniel was trying not to smile. He didn't want to embarrass her any
more than she already was, for she had seen the grimace Cole made when
he tasted her tea, and if Daniel laughed, her discomfort would only
intensify.
'I don't think you're supposed to boil the tea leaves, ' he told her.
With a gesture he found utterly feminine, she brushed her dark curls
back over her shoulder. 'Cooking is far more difficult than one would
ever imagine, ' she remarked.
'Who did all the cooking in your home? ' Cole asked.
She seemed surprised by the question. 'The cook did the cooking, ' she
