Coffee Scoop by Kathleen Y'Barbo Read Free Book Online Page A

order, however, the nina remained in Mama’s care.
    He held the infant close. She smelled like soap and sweet milk, a combination that set him longing for a houseful just like her. The thought jarred him into picking up the lost thread of conversation.
    “Alvaro speaks too much,” Ryan said. “You should find him a wife to keep him busy.”  
    “Alvaro speaks his mind, this is true.” Mama brushed a strand of dark hair off her face. “He also worries about his friend. I understand there was some measure of trouble with a certain person in Atlanta. A benefactor whose temper at being kept waiting almost cost the donation, perhaps?”
    Ryan cringed. “I almost blew it,” he said. “I admit I should have come to the phone sooner. I was wrong.”
    Mama waved away the statement with a lift of her hand. “Wrong, perhaps. But those are the things that happen to a man when his is courting.”
    “Courting?” The little girl in his arms opened her eyes and frowned. “Nobody’s courting here,” he said softly. “Carrie and I just happened to be in the middle of an important conversation about a story she’s doing on the company. And she’s a friend, nothing more.”
    Smiling her knowing smile, Mama remained silent. She knew better, he supposed, but the truth was he didn’t have any idea whether he was courting or not.
    “How’s the leg, Mama?” he said as the baby’s eyes closed once more.
    “Fit and fine,” she said. “I don’t know why Alvaro won’t just take this awful cast off for me. Surely he has something in that tool shed of his that will do the trick. Can you believe he’s instructed the employees not to touch it either?”
    “I can,” Ryan said. “He loves you, Mama, and taking off that cast before it is time will not be a good thing. Be patient.”
    “Patient? Bah!” She touched the cradle and set it into motion again. “Patience is wasted on the old. I am in a hurry – for walking again, for chasing my babies. This thing, it keeps me sitting when I want to run.”
    Across the lawn one of the workers called the children in for afternoon lessons. Ryan watched Mama while Mama watched the children. When the last one had filed inside, her attention returned to the situation at hand.
    “So when will I meet this friend of yours?”
    Ryan stared down into the baby girl’s sleeping face and smiled. “Soon, I hope.”
    “Oh dear,” Mama said. “I hope so as well.”
    He lifted his gaze to meet Mama’s. “Why?”
    “I fear if this Carrie does not come to Costa Rica soon, you will be bringing Costa Rica to her.”  

    * * *

    “Come on aboard,” Mr. Renfro shouted over the whine of the engine and the whirring of the chopper blades.  
    “Are you serious?” Carrie leaned against the wall and tried not to think about how high up she was. As far as she could see the Austin skyline beckoned with not so much as a guardrail to keep someone – or something – from falling between the buildings. The assistant who led her this far seemed nonplussed, but then she had known what to expect.
    The Camex executive beckoned her with a wave of his hand. When she refused to move away from the door, he said something to the man sitting next to him then removed his headset and jumped out.  
    George Renfro was taller than she expected, and lean without appearing thin. Striding toward her, the wind teased the coattails of his dark suit and lifted the end of his burgundy tie. His sparse gray hair, however, stayed in place.
    He wore a look of concern as he approached. “I guess I should have mentioned we weren’t meeting in my office.”  
    Carrie looked past him to the helicopter and the uniformed man at the controls. Although he sat in the shadowy interior of the chopper, she could have sworn she saw him chuckling. No doubt at her expense.
    Clutching her notepad and pen, she searched her mind for a reason to reschedule. Surely there was a standard response for being excused from helicopter rides.