Page 14 of Safety Net (Mendell Hawks #3)

“There’s a handful of teas to help with anxiety.

Peppermint, chamomile, and lavender are the most popular,” Henrik began.

He placed his hand on each tin as he explained.

“I’ve personally found lavender to be most successful for me.

But I do remember when Celeste was over one night, Naomi got her to try my peppermint tea, and she seemed to enjoy it. ”

“Show me how to make both?” I asked.

“Of course.” Henrik nodded and picked up a metal orb that swung from a chain. “This is an infuser.”

Then he picked up something with a handle that looked like the orb cut in half. “And this is a strainer.”

“You’re starting the lesson already?” Finn came into the kitchen with his keys and a bag from a hardware supply store in hand. “I thought you were going to wait for me.”

“I was going to do part two,” Henrik promised. “I knew you were busy today and had to pick up Naomi tonight.”

“I have a small window now.” Finn set his things down and took the spot on the other side of Henrik.

“You’re learning, too?” I asked.

Finn nodded. “Naomi really loves it when Hen makes a cup. I want to figure out how to do it right.”

“Alright, so, heads up, Naomi likes her tea extremely sweet,” Henrik said. “But Celeste seemed to appreciate less sugar.”

I wrote that down in my notes app. Finn set up his camera and pressed the record button.

“Oh, shit, smart.” I pointed to the phone. “Send that to me later?”

Finn nodded, and Henrik laughed. For the first time in forever, I’m not in on the joke.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing, nothing,” Henrik said. “I just really appreciate the effort you two are putting in.”

I grunted and gestured for him to continue. “Come on, small window, remember? We need to stay on track for Finn.”

Henrik went into detail about loose leaf tea, the proper way to let it steep, and how to serve it.

“And if you want to get real fancy.” Henrik went to our cabinets and got out a glass teapot. “You can serve with this. But never put it on the stove or in the microwave.”

“Okay, so, how are we supposed to warm up the water?” I asked, poking the teapot because it seemed sturdy enough.

“You heat the water in the kettle like I showed you,” Henrik said. “And pour it in here.”

“Is this just for aesthetic purposes?” I asked.

“This one? Maybe. But there are plenty that include strainers or keep the tea warm—that reminds me, you could knit a cozy for this, Finn,” Henrik said. “It’ll keep the tea warm for a bit longer.”

“Noted,” Finn said.

“So, what are we thinking? Ready to give it a try?” Henrik asked us.

I rubbed my hands together, enthusiastic to finally be in the hands-on portion of this lesson. Finn seemed a bit nervous, but willing nonetheless.

While I buzzed through making my cup, Finn was meticulous, starting over twice when he wasn’t sure he got the right portion of leaves into the strainer.

When I placed my finished cup in front of Henrik, he scrutinized it with a single brow raised.

“Had a little problem with straining, but otherwise, it was a breeze,” I said and gestured for him to taste.

“Little?” Henrik murmured.

“Did you strain at all?” Finn asked.

“I did,” I promised. “Don’t be so dramatic, there are only a few leaves.”

“Did you give it a taste?” Henrik asked.

“Nope, that’s all you.” I smiled and nodded for him to sip.

I didn’t like tea, no matter how many times Henrik gave me a different cup to try.

For most of the first year, he’d practiced his skills on me, bringing me different variations of what I could have sworn were the same, lightly flavored water.

It wasn’t until he started giving the cups to others I realized he was actually good at it.

Henrik took a tentative sip, remained quiet for a second to feel it out, and then took another.

“Yeah, as expected.” Henrik nodded.

I raised my hands in celebration.

“Horrible,” he finished.

Finn tried to hide his chuckle, and I stopped in mid-celebration.

“Oh, fuck. Seriously?” My shoulders sagged, heart dropping along with them. “It’s not even a little good. Like an after kick that shows promise?”

I'd actually tried to slow down. Do everything right. This was something simple I could do to support Celeste. I needed to get it right.

“The aftertaste is the worst part,” Henrik said point-blank.

Finn picked up the cup and took a sip. The wrinkle of his nose and immediate cough and curse were as expressive as I've seen him in almost a year.

“I think I poisoned him,” I murmured in horror as Finn went to the sink to drink from the tap.

“I’m fine,” he said after a while. “Just have a sensitive gag reflex.”

“So, I’m at risk of making her lose her lunch now? Great.”

Henrik laughed and gave my shoulder an encouraging squeeze. “You have a lot to learn. Can’t rush it. But you’re on the right track. I promise, I’ll have you making Celeste the perfect cup in no time. Now, let’s try it again. This time…a little less leaves, yeah?”

I nodded and shook out my shoulders, committing to the lesson. “A little less leaves. "