Jillian Chantal

This week, the authors of Tuesday Tales are writing to the word prompt, cream. I fudged a little and used creamy. I thought about having her wear a cream-colored shirt, or adding whipped cream but nah, I am going to be a rebel this week before Christmas. 🙂

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She turned to face him where he stood in the doorway leading to the kitchen. “I thought you left. You disappeared when I came in the house.”

“I was here. In case you needed me in your sadness over the detective. I was merely doing as you people in your time say.”

“And what is it we say?”

He held his hands up to each side and lifted his shoulders in a shrug. “I believe it is called ‘giving you your space’.”

She had to laugh. He really was something. Picking up jargon over the years and learning how to use it. “I appreciate that but I don’t want to wallow in sadness. I think I’ll have some hot cocoa and then put all those layers back on and head to Ever’man’s and get something to cook for my Christmas Day meal. Now that I won’t be going to Malcolm’s and it’s pretty much too late to travel to my sister’s place, I’ll need to cook for myself.”

“That is a shame, Lula Mae. It is with great sorrow that I cannot ask you to the Hermitage to share a meal with Rachel and me.”

“I appreciate the invitation anyway.” She waved her hand to the side. “I hate to ask you to move, but I need access to the kitchen for the cocoa.”

He stepped aside with a flourish. “After you, madam.”

Aneto followed her. She wasn’t sure if he was coming along to help comfort her in her agitated state or if he thought he might get a treat. Doesn’t matter. Both work.

Before she started the pot of milk, she reached into the treat jar and gave Aneto a bacon-flavored snack.

Jackson indicated the pot on the stove with a tilt of his head. “Making it over the fire is the proper way. I have actually seen some put it in that box everyone seems to have on their counters and pouring water in a mix of some sort. Water.” He shuddered. “I cannot even imagine now that might taste.”

“Trust me. It’s not good. If you’re going to have hot chocolate, you need it to be creamy and thick.”

“Agreed. Ladies in my day loved their chocolate pots in the morning before rising. My Rachel was positively adamant she got hers each day.”

Lu didn’t want to think about how Rachel may have been about her chocolate served in bed. She had no idea how the woman might have treated her slaves, but she didn’t want to dwell on what ‘positively adamant’ might mean if she didn’t have it served properly. The only way she could keep her friendship with Jackson was not to dwell on the history of his era but to focus on how he behaved now. To her.