Destiny doesn抰 hesitate, taking a long pull from her cup.
揥hoa. It抯 like tasting a bakery. So good! Dad, you don抰 even know you抮e drinking coffee until you swallow it and梑am!梞ule kick.?
I wonder if my baby girl will ever come up with an analogy that doesn抰 make me think of hooves to the face.
揕et me try it,?I grind out, reaching for the cup.
Dess passes it over.
I drink deeply and settle back in my chair, swishing it from one cheek to the next like I was taught to do at five different wineries.
Even for me, the sweetness is tolerable. Present, but not overwhelming, which is key for letting the other flavors come through.
Roasted marshmallow.
Dark chocolate.
Smoky undertones.
That bourbon taste that isn抰 really bourbon.
Yeah, it抯 interesting, all right.
The only thing keeping this from being liquified s抦ores in a cup is the missing graham cracker. I swallow and look at my lab girl.
Goddamn, has she been watching me this whole time?
I decide to ignore it.
I need to make sure this wasn抰 a happy accident born from Eliza working herself sleepless and stirring together whatever she thought would taste good in just the right ratios.
揥hat are we going for with this, Miss Angelo? Explain.?
揝抦ores,?she says with a smile that hooks my gaze.
揑t mirrors the flavor well,?I agree. 揌owever, you抮e still missing the graham cracker.?
Her smile fades. That sour look I抳e come to know so well returns.
揋ood job, Miss Angelo! No one else could have come up with roasted marshmallows perfectly folded in chocolate in less than three days. We just need graham crackers and it抯 all gravy,?she mimics me, her voice lowered an octave or two. 揟hanks, boss. Glad you like it so much.?
The thumbs-up she aims my way feels like a loaded gun. It抯 pure hell not laughing.
揇on抰 worry what he thinks. He抯 a perfectionist porcupine. I like it and I want to share it with all my friends,?Dess says cheerfully.
揟hat drink doesn抰 see the light of day until I say so,?I remind her. 揑t抯 company property.?
揙h, Daddykins...?Destiny抯 eye roll could shame every cheerleader in her peer group.
揊or the record, I pay Miss Angelo quite well to worry about what I think.?I look at Eliza, who抯 staring back with boiling eyes. 揂nd I have to believe you抳e been working on that for longer than three days.?
揑s that a compliment??She perches a hand on one hip. 揚rove it.?
揥hat else do you have for me??I ask, ignoring her challenge.
揈h, if you didn抰 like that, I抦 not sure you抣l like this one either. It抯 basically the same concept, only it抯 a latte. More cream and less marshmallow.?She opens the blue thermos and pours a beige-brown liquid into the cup.
At least she hands me the cup without any shit, this time, and not my kid. Maybe miracles can happen.
My sip becomes a slurp as the lighter, almost foamy drink glides over my tongue.
揟his, I like, without any fussing over the graham cracker. Consider it ready for market.?
揕et me try it!?Destiny lunges for the cup.
I pass it over梐lmost reluctantly梑ut I wonder what her younger verdict will be as she takes a sip. 揙hhh, silky! Yum.?
揑t抯 still a lighter s抦ores take, and yes, we抮e missing the graham crackers,?Miss Angelo says, tapping a finger on the corner of her lips. 揑抎 like to figure out a work-around to add that in. I thought maybe pairing a Belgian cookie with a graham cracker crust in the s抦ores line would be better than adding graham cracker crumble to the drink as a finish...?
I reach for the cup. Destiny hands it over, and I take another drink.
揊orget the cracker. We can call it roasted marshmallow latte and move on, but I抦 noticing a slight hint of chocolate. Nothing like the mocha, but it抯 there and it抯 interesting.?
For once, she looks at me like she isn抰 planning my murder.
揧ep, good call. I mixed cacao beans in with the coffee beans when I brewed it up. Then I boiled sugar and vanilla into the cream I steamed for the latte.?
揟houghtful, Miss Angelo. Your ideas are on point.?I look away before my compliment goes to her already inflated head. 揑抦 not sure a food pairing will achieve the full effect, though. If you want to sell me a true s抦ores experience, I need the combination in the cup, ideally.?
揙h, I抣l work on it, but I doubt it happens today...?
揙h!?Destiny gasps. 揥ait, Dad, I have an idea.?
I look at her, dangerously skeptical.
My daughter抯 ideas梕specially the ones she gets really excited about梐re rarely practical.
揇on抰 keep me in abject terror, Dess.?
揑 should shadow Eliza,?she blurts out.
Aw, hell. I抦 a little disappointed it抯 not suggesting we add ostrich egg yolks to the drinks or something equally absurd.
Eliza smiles softly at her and nods. 揝ure, come knock yourself out. I抦 cool with it if your dad is.?
揥hat are you up to, Dess? You realize shadowing Miss Angelo means long hours locked in the lab??I say, side-eyeing her hard.
揢m, yeah. Making cookies has to be less boring than the stuff you do up here.?She turns to Eliza. 揅an I test them, too??
She laughs. There抯 nothing remotely badger-like about her when I see those red lips peeled back, that gleam in her eyes, the way she looks so deliciously innocent while she抯 being nothing but gracious with my dearest brat.
揑sn抰 that the best part of baking??Eliza says.
揇estiny, you抮e supposed to be studying management. You need to learn how to run this place棓
揧eah, but...we literally wouldn抰 have coffee shops without the people who develop the products, right? So I have to learn this if I抦 ever going to run anything.?Destiny smiles at me defiantly.
My little girl抯 growing up before my eyes, wielding her logic like a weapon.
揥ell, Eliza isn抰 making cookies for one棓
Miss Angelo抯 face falls. 揥hat? Not even when they抮e directly related to the drink line? You said you needed the pairing to make a decision...?
揧ou抣l email the food R & D team for their input. Tell them what you抮e after and they抣l put it together. We compartmentalize food and beverages so we can pair them up properly in the end,?I tell her.
揟hat sounds...limiting,?She says. She really means stupid. 揟hat抯 like saying we could bring in the Dunkin?CEO to do your job.?
揓ust give them your damn recipe,?I snap.
揜elax. I抦 still experimenting.?
揓ust like the food team. They抣l experiment using their specialized knowledge and confer with you when it抯 done.?
Here we go again.
Our gazes lock like dueling swords, angrily waiting for the other person to blink.
This time, Miss Angelo cracks first.
揧ou think this is a science. It抯 not,?she says softly. 揃rewing these drinks is art, even if it抯 happening in your shiny corporate lab. I can抰 just download my brain and pass it on. With someone else working on a key part of my recipe, I can抰 know what needs altering until I taste it and send the notes. That抯 a lot of extra steps.?
揇o you know what enterprise is??I ask with a sigh.
揘o, but I抦 sure you抮e about to lecture me, professor,?she says.
From the corner, Destiny covers her laugh with a hand. Barely.
My eyes flick to her and she flashes me an apologetic smile.
揑t抯 where art meets science. There have to be rules to the process梑oundaries梠r you抣l never make the same batch twice,?I say. 揂lso, it抯 rather inefficient for one person to juggle five jobs instead of excelling at one.?
揝o, you want to turn what抯 basically a culinary art into an assembly line? And you wonder why your drinks are described as reliable??
Damn her, I walked right into that one.
She looks at Destiny again. 揥anna go make some reliable, boring coffee for your dad??
揝ure! Why not??Destiny hops off the armrest of the sofa against the wall.
揧ou抮e sure she won抰 be in the way while you抮e trying to work??I call after them.