Friday, June 7, 2019

Chocolate Ice Cream or Donuts? ~ Jean C. Gordon


According to the unusual holidays calendar I have, today is both National Chocolate Ice Cream Day and National Donut Day. And in case either comes up in conversation, I have origination facts for you on each.
 

Ice Cream Did You Know

The origin of ice-cream. An ice-cream-like food was first eaten in China in 618-97AD. King Tang of Shang, had 94 ice men who helped to make a dish of buffalo milk, flour and camphor.

Donuts Did You Know

Donuts in some form or other have been around so long that archaeologists keep turning up fossilized bits of what look like donuts in the middens of prehistoric Native American settlements. But the dounut proper (if that's the right word) supposedly came to Manhattan (then still New Amsterdam) under the unappetizing Dutch name of olykoeks--"oily cakes.

I'm a chocolate ice cream girl myself.

Excerpt

I also have an excerpt from my  new release, Sweet Horizons, Book 3 in the Indigo Second Chance Romances. (The series can be read in any order). To my best recallection, no chocolate ice cream or donuts were eaten in the story, only cinnamon buns.


"A mechanic? Seriously, Sonja?"

Jeff Brewster stopped, drinks in hand, several feet away from Sonja Cooper and the man who was questioning her. Sonja’s ex-husband, he assumed. Although they hadn’t been formally introduced, the impeccably dressed man was around the right age and had been seated in the bride’s family pew at the wedding with Sonja, little Shelley, and Sonja’s cousin.

“I thought the whole purpose behind your ridiculous move to Indigo Bay was to be independent and better your situation.

The man’s voice should have been dimmed by the hum of voices filling the ballroom of the soon-to-be open Morrison Mansion B&B, owned by Sonja and Jeff’s son Jesse. But it came through to Jeff loud and clear.

The guy continued, “I take time out of my work schedule to fly down here … and this is what I find. You should have remembered that the national sales conference is always around this time and how much work that means for me. I get here and find out she doesn’t want me to give her away or even participate in the ceremony.”

As uncomfortable as he felt eavesdropping, Jeff stayed rooted to the spot where he’d stopped. Sonja might need him
 “Can you blame her after the way you left us with no financial support to go start a new family?” Sonja said

“And your solution to your and Lauren’s financial needs was to spend what money you did have to move nearly 900 miles away from everyone you knew and hook up with a guy who fixes motorcycles?

Sonja’s back went ramrod straight, and Jeff was surprised that her ex wasn’t pushed backward by the anger radiating from her. ‘That comment doesn’t deserve a response. I have not, nor do I ever plan to, get myself into a relationship where I’m depending on a man again for anything.”

Jeff’s gut clenched. He and Sonja weren’t anything more than in-laws, grandparents who shared his son’s daughter Shelley, possibly friends. But Sonja’s lack of words in his defense and her vehemence about not depending on a man laid open buried wounds about failing his deceased wife when she’d needed him most. Sonja’s ex was right about him not having anything to offer her. Everything he’d had had gone to his wife’s medical bills

Not that he was about to offer Sonja anything but the drink he held. He forced his seemingly weighted feet into action and finished crossing the room to Sonja.

“Here’s that drink you wanted.

She turned around. Her eyes narrowed.

Jeff halted. Did not depending on men include him delivering the drink he’d offered to get her? He was getting one for himself after all. He hesitated, the drink between them.

In a 180 turnaround, her face came to life, making her look far too young to have a twenty-eight-eight-year-old daughter. “Thanks, Jeff.”

He released his held breath and handed her the drink, sizing up the man standing across from Sonja. The guy was shorter than him and the tailored suit he wore didn’t quite hide the paunch in what may have once been an athletic physique. Jeff tightened his stomach muscles. One thing he could say about manual labor, it was a great workout.

“I don’t think you’ve met Tom Cooper, Lauren’s father,” Sonja said.

Lauren’s father, not her ex-husband. Interesting.

“Tom, this is Jeff Brewster, Jesse’s father.”

Again with the father stuff. But what did he expect? He was Jesse’s father. And Shelley’s grandfather. Why did that make him sound so old? Being a grandfather did not change the fact that he was only forty-seven.

Jeff accepted Tom’s offered hand, gripping it a shade too hard for the handshake and noticing the softness despite the guy’s tightening grip. “Nice to meet you,” Jeff said, feeling anything but nice. The guy’s soft hands and the casual, comfortable way he wore his suit, shouted money to Jeff. As for himself, it took all of his will power not to run his finger around the constricting collar of his tuxedo shirt when Tom released his hand. In the past when he’d had to dress up, he’d had his deceased wife, Shelley, to gently stop him from fiddling with his tie or collar button. He couldn’t expect Sonja to do the same. So why was he searching her face for help?

Sonja broke their eye contact. “I need to go check with the banquet coordinator. Thanks for the drink.

“And I have a plane to catch,” Tom said.

Seriously? The man wasn’t even staying for his daughter’s wedding reception?

Sonja headed off in one direction and her ex in another direction, leaving Jeff in the middle of the room taking a swig of his beer and trying to figure out what had just happened.

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6 comments:

  1. Jean, I'm a chocolate ice cream girl too. Two fun holidays on one day. Thanks for sharing.

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  2. Interesting information about ice cream and doughnuts! And the scene in your story sounds so intriguing.

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  3. Donuts--I love ice cream but not chocolate ice cream.

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  4. Chocolate ice cream for me too. :)

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  5. Jean, thank you for the interesting holiday info, and for the excerpt from your book!

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  6. Fun information! I like chocolate ice cream.

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