揃ut I thought we抮e making cookies??
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??
揟he otters are the cutest, Eliza. I love ocean mammals and all the other weird creatures. Have you seen the jellyfish? Heck, if he抎 let me, I抎 try SeaWorld. Perfect combination, being in SoCal out of the rain. But I guess this lab isn抰 so bad. At least I抦 actually doing stuff. Upstairs is naptime. It抯 just staring at screens, clicking around, shuffling papers. I don抰 even care how many zeros are behind those numbers. Ugh.?
She抯 speaking my language. I can抰 imagine corporate coffee office work being exciting for any high schooler. Though I wonder, why didn抰 she shadow her mom?
揥hat does your mother do??I ask absently, wiping down the counter.
When I look back, Destiny抯 face sinks, and those bright-blue eyes seem dull.
My stomach flips over.
Oh, no.
Clearly, I抳e stepped on a landmine. I was just making conversation. I didn抰 mean to upset her.
揘obody told you??Her voice comes out strained.
揘o, but it抯 okay. You don抰 have to tell me anything if it抯 too personal. I wasn抰 trying to pry. I just wondered if she抎 be a better person to shadow for this school thing...?
She hesitates, twining her fingers together.
揗y mom died when I was five,?she whispers.
Oh, crap. There it is.
The answer I was dreading.
Without thinking, I step forward, pulling the girl into an instant hug.
揑抦 so sorry, honey. I had no idea.?I release her. 揇on抰 tell him, but your dad抯 kinda right. I have a big mouth sometimes. I never should抳e棓
揈liza, chill. It抯 okay,?she rushes out. 揑t was a long time ago. I抦 not upset about it anymore. I barely remember, honestly... I guess I just kind of miss her sometimes. And the few good times I remember.?
揑 bet you do,?I say firmly. 揚art of you always will.?
Poor, poor kid.
Poor Grumpfather.
For the first time, I realize with some horror that my demon boss is a human being with heavy life experiences that have nothing to do with commodifying coffee and yelling at people.
He lost his wife ten years ago.
He raised this wonderful young girl alone.
Maybe that抯 what made his heart a charred lump of coal, infinitely more scorched than his stupid drinks.
That gives me an idea for a terrible new name. He抯 a lump of Cole now.
Lump.
But I抣l hold off on that one until he does something so awful I can抰 feel sorry for him anymore.
Right now, my heart feels like lead.
I almost wish I抎 never asked about Cole Lancaster抯 life and gotten hit by the empathy bus.
Knowing there抯 a good chance that life made a tyrant out of an otherwise pleasant family man kind of sucks the fun out of harassing him.
I mean, he抯 had his battles. He may have owed Wayne a fat apology, but should I really keep adding to his woes?
I try to throw myself into cleaning梥aving the janitorial staff some work梬hile Destiny taps at her phone. She gets up and grabs a broom on her own a little while later, sweeping around my feet, doing this awkward little dance while she hums a viral song I抳e heard on TikTok.
I抦 lucky she wasn抰 too stressed over my dumb questions. Or she bounces back on her feet lightning fast.
Once the chocolate finishes cooling and my timer dings, I start whipping up a fresh batch of marshmallow fluff.