Novel Almond Novels & Stories

"I dreamt we were at the grocery store. Buying milk." "Okay. That sounds safe." "But they were out of oat milk," Cale said, his eyes wide with residual panic. "There was only almond milk. And you hate almonds." "I do hate almonds." "And then you left," Cale said. "You walked out the automatic doors to find another store. And the doors closed. And they wouldn't open. I was trapped inside with the almond milk, and you were gone. And I couldn't find the exit." Elion stared at him. He tried not to smile, but the corner of his mouth twitched.

I pulled Nora into my arms and looked up at him with reddened eyes. "Nora is allergic to almonds," I said, making every word clear. "Didn't you know that?" Larry froze. A few long seconds later, he finally said in a low voice, "I didn't." There was that excuse again. Nora leaned weakly into my arms. Her face was as pale as a sheet. She looked at Larry. The final flicker of hope died out in her eyes. She didn't even feel any resentment toward him anymore. "It's okay, Mommy," she said in a tiny voice. "It's normal that Mr. Alpha doesn't know."

"Bianca. These are the favor gifts for the wedding. Carina got them from that old shop in Palermo. They're custom-made. I tried one earlier, and it was excellent." As he spoke, he unwrapped a piece of nougat and held it to my lips. Without thinking, I took a bite. The next second, the taste hit my tongue and my expression changed. I immediately spat it out. Giovanni paused, startled. "You don't like it?" I lifted my gaze to meet his. "It contains almonds." "What's wrong with almonds?" He frowned slightly, looking genuinely confused. I simply stared at him in silence. I am severely allergic to almonds. I had eaten them by mistake once and ended up with a high fever, unconscious for two days.

I smiled, relieved to recognize Almond, who walked in carrying a bucket full of garbage and another one with water and a scrubbing brush. “She says she’s bringing remedies,” one of the other women whispered to her. “Of course. She works with Lady Tilda,” Almond replied. “She was who gave me the tea to ease my allergy.” The women turned to me in surprise. Almond gave them what she was carrying and approached me with a warm smile. “Lady Tilda gave me more yesterday,” she said.

“What, Plushy, do you want now?” Nia’s head snapped toward her. “What the hell did you just call her?” I instinctively grabbed Nia’s arm before she could pop off. “Don’t,” I whispered. “It’s not worth it.” Then I turned and pointed to the refrigerator. “Tony left a note. There was a recall on the almond milk. He picked up an alternative, cashew milk.” Talia stomped over to the fridge, snatched the note, read it, then rolled her eyes dramatically.

CHAPTER 14 Alicia sniffed the surface of Elena's paper cup. The sheer volume of coffee in the cup indicated how little Elena had drunk. Perhaps because it tasted a little different, Elena chose not to drink any more. The faint scent of almonds touched Alicia's sense of smell. Even though the coffee that Carl was holding tightly was no longer billowing hot steam. "Did you have any almond-based food or drink today?" Alicia asked, without leaving her fingerprints on the cup.