Chapter 22
I stood over the floor mixer, watching the batter thicken and turn smooth. I stopped the machine and dipped my finger into the creamy vanilla batter, tasting it, though I knew it would taste exactly like the other thousand batches I’d tasted before. Looking around the kitchen, that weariness came over me again. What was wrong with me? Ever since Donnie’s and Liliana’s visit two days ago, I hadn’t been able to shake this dark mood. I’d returned to work yesterday, finding the café in good shape—no vandalism—and had gone right back to my daily routine, but something felt different. The soothing scents of sugar and fresh coffee had lost their effect on me. I was tense, having trouble keeping up with the customers’ small talk and orders, and though everyone seemed to want to get ove
