Cedar Woman (53 page)

“
Her
e
,”
s
h
e sa
i
d
, “
t
ry it and s
e
e!”

T
h
e
resta
u
rate
u
r
in
Vic
k
i
n
o
ted
t
h
at
t
h
e
serving
was
v
ery
attracti
v
e. So
m
e
t
h
i
ng or
a
ng
e
…

“
W
h
a
t
’s t
h
i
s
?
”
Vic
k
i as
k
e
d
.

“
Squa
s
h,”
L
e
na
replied.
Vicki
look
e
d
clo
s
er
at
the
steaming
bowl. The v
i
v
i
d
o
ra
n
ge
o
f
th
e
s
q
ua
s
h
, g
lo
w
in
g wh
i
t
e
of po
t
a
t
oes, ve
r
d
a
n
t
g
reen of
str
i
ng
bea
n
s and
bri
g
ht
y
ell
o
w
o
f
wh
ole
ke
r
n
el
c
o
rn
p
r
esented
to
t
h
e eyes
a
vibrant,
enticing dish.
The
ar
o
m
a
of t
h
e
h
o
m
e
m
ade
t
u
r
k
ey
b
r
o
t
h, co
u
p
l
ed
w
i
t
h
t
h
e
sq
uash
a
n
d veget
a
b
l
es,
w
a
s
un
b
el
i
evable.
V
ic
k
i p
i
ck
e
d up a
sp
o
o
n
an
d tasted
t
h
e
s
ou
p
.

There
w
a
s
no
g
o
i
n
g
back.

A rap
i
d k
n
o
ck
,
a
n
d
t
h
e
o
p
e
n
in
g of
t
h
e
d
o
o
r,
i
n
t
e
r
r
u
p
te
d V
i
ck
i
’s
m
u
s
i
ngs. Lena
enter
e
d,
ca
r
r
yi
n
g a
fr
a
gr
a
n
t
m
u
g
o
f he
r
b
al
te
a.

“
Here
yo
u
g
o
o
h
,
Great
O
n
e
!”
s
h
e
i
n
t
o
ned
la
u
gh
i
ngl
y
,
s
e
tting
t
h
e
m
ug on a
c
o
as
t
er at
the
corner
of the
de
s
k
.

S
m
ili
ng
,
V
ic
k
i
re
t
r
ie
v
e
d t
h
e
m
ug
,
an
d
b
l
ow
i
n
g
g
e
n
tly
u
po
n t
he

surface
of the
a
ro
m
atic
liquid,
took a ti
m
id sip. It
was
just right.

“
T
h
i
s
i
s
g
o
o
d
,
”
s
h
e
t
h
a
n
ked
.
Le
n
a
s
m
i
le
d
,
an
d
p
lop
p
e
d
i
n
t
o a leather side
ch
air bes
i
de the
desk.

“
I
wa
n
t
to
g
o
ov
e
r
to
d
ay’s
me
n
u
with
yo
u
.
I
kn
o
w
it
will
b
e
fi
n
e, but
y
o
u know that I like to doubl
e
-che
c
k.”

Vic
k
i
s
m
i
led
h
er
a
g
ree
m
e
n
t,
a
n
d
settled
back
in
h
e
r
co
m
f
o
rta
b
le

chair,
the
warm
m
ug cupped
within
h
e
r
h
a
nds.

“
Oka
y
,
T
h
ree
S
i
s
t
ers
So
u
p
,
o
f
c
o
u
rse,”
Lena
b
e
ga
n
. “Can’t
op
e
n
w
i
thout
that,”
V
i
cki
affir
m
ed.

“
Ri
gh
t,” Le
n
a
smile
d
.
“C
h
ili, f
o
r
t
h
e
m
eat eaters.” Vicki
nodded
a
g
ree
m
ent.

“
N
o
w,
m
a
i
n
co
u
rses:
ha
m
bu
r
ge
r
s, of
cou
rse.
G
o
tt
a
h
a
ve
th
ose. Fre
n
ch
fries….liste
n
,
t
h
is
time
let’s
try
the
sweet
pota
t
o
fries,
oka
y
?
”

Le
n
a
e
n
t
rea
ted.

Vic
k
i tho
u
g
h
t
f
o
r a
m
o
m
e
n
t a
n
d no
dd
e
d
.