Wednesday's Words: Cocoa, an excerpt from Small Town Secrets

  Welcome to Wednesdays where I share an excerpt from one of my books using the previous day's word from the New York Times' game. WORDLE. Yesterday's WORDLE was COCOA. This was an easy one for me because not only do I love cocoa, Coco is also my dog's name. 

Coco's the one with the fur.

You can read the first three chapters of Small Town Secrets for free on the Kindle Vella platform. This is an excerpt from Episode 5. 

I sat at the table nursing a mug of hot cocoa, watching Mom roll out sugar cookies. I felt like a kid again. “Are you sure you don’t mind my bunking out here?”

“Of course not, sweetie. It’s nice to have you home.” Mom flashed me a quick smile. She had a smear of flour across her forehead and her hair tied up in a red and white bandana. She was beautiful.

Phebe padded into the room, pulled a bowl from the cupboard and a box of Captain Crunch from the pantry. “So, are you going to tell us about the hottie you were shacked up with?”

The twitch in Mom’s lips told me she already knew about Sadie.

“Do you want to talk about your ill-fated love affair with the captain?” I sipped my cocoa.

Phebe set down her cereal to stare at me. “What are you talking about?”

I nodded at the captain leering at her. “It’s not going to end well. Eventually, you’ll realize he’s destroying your teeth and sending your blood sugar soaring.”

Phebe snorted and went to get a gallon of milk from the fridge. “You’re a weirdo.”

“A weirdo who can hear your conversations through the wall.”

“Mom!” Phebe dropped her spoon and it rattled on the counter top.

“He’s not interested in your conversations,” Mom said without looking up.

Phebe gave me the stink eye before pouring a heap of cereal into her bowl.

“Who is he, anyway?” I asked.

“None of your beeswax.”

“Humph,” I said.

“What?” Phebe glared at me.

I wrapped my hands around the mug and felt the cocoa’s warmth spread through me. “I’m wondering why it’s okay for you to ask me about Sadie and it’s not okay for me to ask you about…what’s his name?”

Phebe didn’t answer but ate her cereal as loudly as a rock crusher.

READ THE FIRST THREE EPISODES FOR FREE