“I didn't sneak. Kings never sneak.” He scowled. “I want to see more.”
“That's all there is. We can go in the backyard if you want.”
“No. I mean, of your world. Show me your world, Demetrius.”
Chapter Six
“Show me your world, Demetrius.”It echoed in my head. The tone too dramatic. Too excited. What were we—in Dune? God, I didn't want to disappoint him. The poor sod should have gone to Europe. Instead, his first look at Earth would be an average American town.
I contemplated driving up to Portland. But then I remembered Kaspian's interest in the shops of downtown Salem, and I thought maybe it was a good idea to introduce him to a little city before we headed to a big one. The carousel utterly fascinated him when we drove by. I had to explain that it was for children, and that seemed to satisfy him. But the interest he showed in the carved animals encouraged me. It also amazed me, since the carousel was a good hundred feet from the road and inside a building. That was some incredible eyesight. Yet more proof of his claims? I thought so.
I turned down a side street and parked. Instead of taking Kaspian to a restaurant, I decided on a bakery.Thebakery. Mana. It was my favorite bakery in Salem. Maybe even in all of Oregon. And they were still open—bless their buttery baking hearts. I led Kaspian up to the glass door, windows to either side of us with bright yellow writing on them.
As soon as we entered, Kas breathed in deeply and started to smile. “I want whatever that is.”
I laughed. “Thatis a lot of things. Don't worry. I got you.” I went up to the counter. “It's his first time so we're gonna do a big box.”
“You got it.” The lady behind the glass display winked at me and grabbed a box. “And we just brought some cookies out of the oven. Sesame Miso.”
“Hell, yes! Two of those. And one of each of your sticky buns. And a slice of the strawberry cake.” I paused to let her catch up.
Kaspian pointed at a flaky pastry covered in pistachio cream. “I want that one.”
“One of the pistachios,” I told the woman. “And the prosciutto cheese. And a morning bun with earl gray cream. You got that?”
“Yup. Anything else?”
“That one.” Kaspian pointed at a cinnamon roll.
“Good choice.” The woman added it to our box.
“Throw whatever savory pastries you got in there too. And that mango bar, please. Oh, and two mocha lattes.” I glanced at Kas and added, “Decaf.”
“You got it. I'll meet you at the register.”
I pulled out my wallet and then my credit card. Kas stared at it.
“It's like a promise to pay,” I whispered. “This card has a tiny piece of . . . nope, you won't understand.”
“Stop saying things like that to me.” He crossed his arms. “The power of my mind is superior to yours.”
I snorted.
“Whoa, buddy, take it easy.” A guy walking by patted Kaspian's arm. “You're in Mana. Life doesn't get better than this. Hey, Sylvie, better hand him one of those cookies. Stat!”
I pressed my lips together as Kaspian scowled at the man. And then the woman took a cookie out of our box and handed it to Kaspian. His expression altered immediately, his arms uncrossing so he could take the dessert from her.
“Thank you very much.” He inclined his head at her.
“You're welcome, honey. That'll put a smile on your face. I guarantee it.” She took our box to the register and rang me up.
As I paid, I watched Kas out of the corner of my eye. He took a bite of the cookie, groaned, then took another. I expected him to gobble it up, but he didn't. He savored it, taking tiny bites while closing his eyes to enjoy them.
“This flavor is so unusual,” Kaspian said.
“That's our miso sesame cookie,” the woman said. “It's got nuttiness from the sesame and the saltiness of the miso. Isn't it wonderful?”
“It is. May I have another?”
