LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter Forty-Four
My coffee was the perfect temperature, nice and warm while not scalding my mouth. The vanilla flavor made me smile as I stirred the oatmeal on the stove. The instructions were simple. Add salt and water, oatmeal, then mix as it comes to a boil. After that, you can add all the toppings you wanted. I was interested in adding maple syrup, and some brown sugar. It sounded amazing; now, I just needed the oatmeal to finish cooking.
A flash of purple in the corner of my eye had me giggling. Indigo was dancing to the soft music I had on. Something classical to fit the mood I was in. The little dragon looked like she was slow dancing to the music. Her eyes were closed, and now and then she flared her wings. Her purple scales sparkled in the kitchen light. Way too adorable.
This was the first time I’d had music on like this, and Indigo was a fan. I put a note on my mental list to play more music. At first she’d been curious, then she’d gone directly to dancing on the island. Indigo swirled around as the song ended, fading into silence.
“Bravo!” I clapped my hands, but then warmth washed over me and I turned back to the stove. Smoke rose from the pot and I yanked the pot off the warm burner. “Shit, shit, shit!”
I used my wooden spoon to stir the sticky mess, but the oats had scorched on the bottom of the pan. “Well, that sucks.”
Chirps from the island had me nodding, since they sounded like concern. “It’s okay, I’ll figure something else out. Maybe some muffins or something… Just let’s not tell the cat about this.” I put the pot with the burned oatmeal into the sink and took another sip of my coffee. Already, the smell of the burnt oatmeal was fading. By the time I turned back to Indigo, she was chirping next to a plate of muffins on the counter.
“What the…?” I stepped forward, noticing the cranberries in them, along with the sugar crumble on top. These were one of my favorite muffins, treats that my mom would make. There was no way the cat could know that. I blinked a few times as Indigo kept looking back and forth from me to the food.
She chirped once, like she was asking a question.
“Yes, we’ll eat them.” I grabbed one, along with a paper towel, and set it in front of her after taking the paper wrapper off the outside of the muffin. She dove in head first, taking a nibble out of it.
I broke mine in half and took a bite.
Indigo copied me by sitting on her rear and using one of her front claws to pull off a chunk and then eating it. I had to remind myself to not giggle, and that she was learning. Kids did that. They mimicked their parents.
The cat jumped onto the counter, surprising me. His head tilted at the muffins. “Oh, muffins, they look good.” He eyed Indigo and her neat eating. I set a muffin out in front of him with a paper towel as well. He just dove in, in that weird way he had with food vanishing when he took a bite.
I shook my head and glanced back at the sink. The pot with the burnt oatmeal was gone, along with the wooden spoon and the toppings I had set out on the counter. I swallowed, but didn’t say anything.
“The muffins are tasty,” said the cat.
I turned back to where he was sitting, and his food was gone. “Thanks,” I mumbled. “Do you want some coffee?” He nodded, and I glanced once more around the kitchen. Everything had been cleaned up from the oatmeal, and any crumbs on the counter from the cat or Indigo were gone. All that was left was three muffins on a plate in the center.
Indigo leaped off the island and glided toward the hallway. The cat paused on the edge of the counter. He hesitated. “Are you okay?”
I quickly nodded. “Yep, doing good. Let’s get you some caffeine.” I headed to the front of the shop, taking a quick glance around the store. The layout was the boring earth layout. Bookshelves along the back, and the kids’ section with the beanbag and toys in the corner. “Are we on earth today?”
The cat leaped up on the counter, though Indigo had beaten him there. “We are. Indigo will need to hide.”
Concern flashed through me, and I frowned.
“We have some deliveries, but I will stay at the register,” said the cat quickly.
I nodded and pulled out his teacup. “Okay, sounds like an easy day.” I tried to think if anything I’d ordered would show up today. It was hard to guess, since time moved strangely in the shop. I had several online orders outstanding, but it all depended on how much time had passed on earth. “I might have a few things arriving.”
The cat nodded. “Yes, you and I both have things showing up.”
I quickly got started on a latte for the cat. My cup only had a few last sips, and I needed a refill as well. It didn’t take long for me to set the teacup in front of the cat, then refill my mug. Indigo chirped, asking for her own morning drink. I snagged a teacup out and filled it with some steamed milk and vanilla for her.
Indigo immediately stuck her head in it, getting foam all over her snout.
I couldn’t help it as I giggled. “It’s tasty, isn’t it?”
She chirped once.
“I’m glad you like it.” I waited until both the cat and Indigo were done with their coffees and then pulled the teacups into the wash bin. “Alright, I think I’m ready,” I said to the cat. “Indigo, be a champ and make sure you stay out of sight.”
Indigo nodded her head and launched herself into the air, then climbed up one of the bookshelves. She was pretty good at not being seen if she didn’t want to be.
The door unlocked, and I took a deep breath. It didn’t take long for the door to open and a small figure of a girl darted inside. “I get a book today!” I chuckled at Molly’s singsong voice. I recognized her from the prior times she had come into the shop. The kid loved books. Seconds later, Molly’s father entered as well. Molly had dashed right to the kids’ section with a big smile on her face. She had on a knitted hat that looked like a dinosaur. Molly plopped to the ground and pulled a few different dinosaur books off the shelves. She caught me looking and smiled at me. “It’s my birthday, and I get a book today!”
“Happy birthday, Molly,” I called across the store.
Molly’s father had a smile on as he headed to the kids’ section, talking to Molly about what book she wanted. I grabbed a small cup and started making a hot chocolate for Molly. Snatches of their conversation kept reaching me, and Molly was going back and forth between two different books on dinosaurs. I grabbed the whipped cream as they headed in my direction.
“Big plans today?” I asked.
Molly’s father nodded. “Yes, we’re headed to an event.” He winked at me, then noticed the hot chocolate.
“It’s on the house, for her birthday,” I said.
“Hey, Molly…” he said.
That was when I noticed Molly held a kids’ book in her hands, but she was staring wide eyed and open-mouthed at the bookshelf by the back wall. I was sure she’d seen Indigo, yet she didn’t say anything.
“Molly, it's time to pay for your book, and look!” he said. Molly’s head jerked toward me and I winked. She nodded frantically at the hot chocolate. Molly’s father took the book from her hands so I could ring it up. He paid with his credit card, and he put the book in a backpack I hadn’t noticed he was carrying.
“Dad, I saw a dragon!” the girl said.