"I struggled to let go of my electronics the first few nights, but eventually, I buckled down and put them away. It took time for me to fall asleep, but I was able to sleep through the night. I didn't like the eye exercises, by the way. Maybe that's why they didn't work."
"They're not for everyone," she admitted.
"I remember you said that. Anyway, after talking to my doctor, I started on magnesium glycinate."
"And...?" she prodded.
"All I can say is, damn, magnesium, where have you been all my life?"
She laughed, which prompted a smile from me. It felt really good to make her laugh. Why did it feel so good?
"Now I fall asleep fast, sleep through the night, and wake up rested. I haven't had a headache in over a week. So, Ms. Washington, I canceled the appointment with the specialist my doctor referred me to. Unless something changes, I don't need to see him. Thank you."
"You're welcome," she said softly.
Tension drained from my body. Our polite, friendly exchange was a turning point. Our initial meeting had been adversarial, but clearly, we could be cordial.
"We only have an hour, so do you want to get started?" Tallulah asked.
"Sure. Which one?"
"How about this?" She pointed to the cake labeledclassic vanilla bean.
Much more relaxed than when I had arrived, I picked up a fork. "Let's do this."
I put a morsel in my mouth and chewed. Tasted good but simple, was moist, and sweet without being sugary. I made an involuntary, appreciative sound.
A faint smile touched Tallulah's lips. What color was on her mouth? It was deeper than red and emphasized the plump lusciousness of her lips.
"I agree. Solid choice, in my opinion."
"Not bad at all." I graded the cake and wrote additional feedback in the notes section of the scorecard.
"Do you want to pick the next one?" she asked.
I eyed the options. "How about the lemon with raspberry filling?"
"Never a bad choice."
We tried the sample. I wrinkled my nose.
"You don't like it?" Tallulah asked.
"It's not terrible. A little tart for my taste."
"Interesting. To me, the flavors are perfectly blended."
We graded the cake and wrote our notes. Next was an almond cake with Biscoff buttercream.
We tried the sample.
"Damn," we both said at the same time.
Then we burst into laughter.
"Imagine that, the two of us agreeing on something," I said.
"We didn't have a choice. This is unbelievably good. Moist, great flavor, not too sweet."
