Frankincense & Lavender

Cedric reached into his back pocket and handed Sandy the leash.

“I reckon it would’ve made a lil bit mo sense if you put Minnie’s name and phone number on her collar and not her leash since it was the leash part that broke.” He said almost apologetically.

Sandy ,with her demeanor cooling somewhat, took the leash from Cedric and thanked him, “My apologies for snappin on ya, I just have this thing about being surprised. Can’t handle it, never could.”

Sandy shrugged and began inspecting the repaired leash and noticed she couldn’t even find the spot where it snapped. Then she realized she didn’t see the monogrammed plate with Minnie’s name on it either. She raised her eyebrow at Cedric and asked,

“Is this a new leash? You didn’t have to do that.”

“I know. But how else was I supposed to get a pretty, single woman to meet me in the woods first thing in the morning?” He said with all of the sweetness that the answer implied.

This caused Sandy to blush, and she hated that feeling. She also felt uncomfortable standing in the middle of the unfamiliar woods with a complete stranger; in her head this was the plot to a really bad horror movie. Especially if Minnie started growling.

As if they were sharing the same thought, both Cedric and Sandy looked down at little Minnie who was sniffing away at the ground. She wasn’t as upset nor as uncomfortable as her owner seemed to be.

“Well, Cedric, I mean C, you didn’t have to do that. How much was it so I can pay you back ?” Sandy asked nervously but with gratitude and complete sincerity.

Cedric smiled and shook his head, “My Mama would smack me from mawnin til sundown if I took money from a woman in distress. But if ya really wanna pay me back, save my number on the phone in yo pocket, and you and Minnie walk up the path wit me a bit to my patio. I put on a pot of coffee before I left. Should be done brewin by nah.”

Sandy was flattered inwardly but she couldn’t help but kid Cedric as she followed him on the path.

“Oh, and you just knew, I drank coffee and you just were just overly confident that I’d say yes and follow a complete stranger into his house?”

Cedric chuckled and looked over at Sandy who had a twisted little smirk on her face.

“Ain’t chu a lil presumptuous somebody, who said I was fittin to let chu in my house?”

The pathway cleared a little bit, and to the left Sandy noticed the tiny stone walkway leading to a beautifully built patio enclosure. It looked like a quaint outdoor living room complete with a minibar which was converted into coffee cafe of sorts. She could smell the brew from the pathway. Cedric held open the door for Sandy as she stepped inside and took a gander at the coziness of the space.

“Oh, how cool is this?” She said with what could only be described as peaceful amazement as she caressed one of the outdoor loveseats with her hand.

“Go head and fix yo self a cup and sit down for a minute. I drink a dark roast in the mawnin to get goin, hope that’s not too strong for ya nah.” Cedric pointed to the coffee bar with his head, “I ain’t know how you take it but if you need mo sugar or somethin, I can go into the kitchen in the house and get chu some.”

Sandy walked over to the coffee bar and politely replied, “I’m sure whatever is out here is just fine.”

She unhooked Minnie’s leash and as if she had lived there all her life, the lil dog jumped up on a comfy chair in the corner, got herself in a ball, and laid down.

“Minnie seems to think so,” Cedric smiled approvingly.

*** pineapple 🍍 express 🌱💨 and ice water