Page 51 of Abdominal Snowman

“And this will be too. I just saw a stand for it…” Sage turned in a circle as she looked for the sign she’d seen just moments ago. “There! Stay right here.”

Sage ran off before he could argue, and she made her way through the crowd with many thank-yous and pardon-mes, her destination scenting the air with sweet chocolate. They’d already been at the market for what seemed like forever, and she wanted a pick-me-up. And if she got to tease Soren along the way, why not?

The elderly woman behind the stand smiled at her, and a carbon copy of the woman popped up from behind the counter, but twenty years younger. “Hi! Here for some hot chocolate?”

“Two, please.”

The younger of the two nodded, accepted her payment, and got to pouring and topping and mixing and doing whatever magic to make the scent of chocolate thicker on the cool air. Sage smiled politely at the older woman after she accidentally made eye contact for the second time.

A voice scratchy with age startled her. “Is this your first time at the market?”

Sage nodded. “This one, yes. I’ve been to a few in my hometown.”

“And where’s a pretty young lady like you from?” she asked, leaning against the counter. Her smile made Sage feel like she was sharing in the hot gossip of the month.

“I’m from Florida, exotic, I know,” she teased.

“About as exotic as Berrysburg, I’m guessing?” The woman seemed to get younger the longer they talked, more life coming into her eyes as they chatted.

Sage glanced behind her to make sure she wasn’t holding up the line, but her gaze got stuck on the handsome dark-haired figure across the way. “I’m actually really enjoying my time here, as unexpected as it was.”

She faced the old woman again, and she grinned.

“There’s just something magical about Berrysburg, isn’t there?”

Sage’s mind flew to her beastly crush, and the woman’s gaze gleamed like she knew a secret.

“Here you go!” The young woman reappeared, halfway startling Sage.

“Thank you so much,” Sage said as she took the cups from the woman. “Uhm, it was nice chatting,” she said to the lady. She tipped the cups in appreciation. “Have a nice day.”

“You too, sweetie,” the old woman called after her.

Sage was so excited to introduce Soren to hot chocolate. She didn’t understand how a grown man of such an age could have gone his entire life without trying it.

A smile curled Soren’s lips, making his laugh lines stand out when he saw her coming, and she felt her breath go weak. How could a man be so handsome?

“Here,” she said smoothly, holding out the cup.

It was warming her hands through the glove, and Soren’s lips curled down in distaste as he took it from her.

“It’s hot,” he muttered.

She chuckled. “Yeah, it’s hot chocolate. Try it.”

He lifted the cup, lips pursed in suspicion, when a thought occurred to her.

“Wait!” she said and grabbed the cup from him. Her shout drew the attention of a few bystanders, and she pulled Soren off to the side, away from the crowd. They ended up behind a snowman decoration in the corner.

“What’s the matter?” he asked.

“I just realized… Can you even have chocolate?” she asked, concern bright in her mind.

Confusion colored his expression and she sighed, leaning over to him and whispering, “You know… abominables. What if chocolate is bad for you? Like dogs!”

What if he thought she was trying to poison him?

Soren growled softly, and she pulled back in surprise. “I am not a dog. I’ll prove it.”