“What are you trying to do, stir a hole in that pot?” I heard him yell from the bedroom. “Jamie, come back, please.”
“Ann Amie,” Bailey said firmly imitating the tone of voice her mother used when she wanted attention.
“I really need to get my work done. I’ll be back in a little while to serve you lunch.”
“If you don’t come back here right now, I’m going to fire you.”
“So would that be before lunch or after?” I sassed back.
“All right, so I’m not going to fire you. But I can see you need to talk to someone and I was hoping that someone would be me. I know you’ve had heartache. I can see it in your face, and even more so after I told you my story. You need someone to talk to as much as I do.”
“No, I don’t. I’m just feeling bad for you.”
“If that’s the case, then why won’t you come back in here?”
I ignored him and continued spooning the mixture onto the open-faced hamburger buns when I suddenly heard another loud thud and Bailey’s cry. I rushed into the room and found Chase on the floor groaning in pain. I leaned over to help him up, but he was too heavy.
“Are you okay?”
“I think so.” He moaned. “I don’t know. Just let me lie here for a minute.”
“Amie,” Bailey cried out. “Zoom-zoom hurt,” the broken pieces of crackers shooting from her mouth like arrows.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. Zoom-zoom is going to be okay.” I watched his chest rise and fall, the pain etched on his face. I tried one more time to help him but couldn’t lift his body no matter which way I tried. Just as I was about to sit upright, his lips crushed down on mine. I jerked back and sighed. “Chase, please don’t.”
“Zoom-zoom kiss Ann Amie.” Bailey giggled.
“No, he didn’t, sweetie.”
“Why are you lying to the kid?”
“Stop with your little game here.”
“For God’s sake, I was just trying to thank you for taking care of me,” he said in a huff.
“Okay, fine.” I held up my hand. “I guess I just misunderstood.” I liked the tingly feeling on my lips from his kiss and reminded myself not to think about it now. I needed to figure out what to do next. “Are there any neighbors who can help me get you back in bed?”
“I don’t know. I think so, but will you stay here with me for a few minutes before you call Courtney to find out where they live?” I watched his hand reach up and massage his temples as his face contorted into a pained expression. “This is my fault,” I said, “for not coming back in here when you called. I’m so sorry.”
“No, it’s not,” he said, his labored breath releasing in short shallow spurts. “I’m the one to blame. I figured if I told you about my experience, you might open up to me, but all I did, again, was remind you of your pain.” He grimaced again. “We’re kindred spirits.”
“Are we?” He nodded in agreement. “Stop talking and try to relax.” In that brief second, I knew what I was feeling was real and it scared the crap out of me. Trust wasn’t something I was accustomed to doling out when it came to men. I don’t know. Maybe it was the helpless expression on his face, or the crush of his lips against mine that had my mind sprinting, but I found myself smoothing his hair back with my hand the way my mother did when I was a child and sick in bed. It always gave me comfort. What I really wanted to do was reach out and hold him, to make his pain go away, but I needed to control my emotions before I did something I’d be sorry for later. I couldn’t deny that the tender moment had me reeling in a blaze of emotions. I reached for my cell and dialed Courtney’s number. “Don’t move a muscle,” I ordered.
“Oh, I’m not going anywhere.” He nodded as Bailey was now kneeling next to him, picking up where I left off with her tiny hand smoothing his hair back. We both grinned.
“She’s a keeper, just like you, pretty lady.” He grabbed my hand and kissed it tenderly. “You are so beautiful,” he said in a throaty voice.
I swallowed hard, ignoring the rush of excitement I felt from his touch and willing my resolve not to crumble into a pile of pulp before I could get my act together.
Okay, so it was a long shot on your part to open up about your lost love life hoping she’d feel more comfortable around you. Or were you thinking she’d feel sorry for you and cozy up? And when she didn’t jump at the chance, you tried to get out of bed in your condition? Did you think it would impress her?
What? You thought it would show her you were serious about getting involved? I’d say that was pretty egotistical on your part, and seriously, you laid a passionate lip-lock on her mouth when she least expected it? Sloppy job! You’ve been around those Barbie-looking women far too long. If you think this classy chick is going to treat you the way they do, you’re whistling up the wrong tree, Bud. This is one woman who’ll have you jumping through hoops until the cows come home unless you can come up with something more meaningful than sneaking a kiss. That was so high school. But, hey, maybe we’re wrong. So let’s see how you fare on this one. And seriously, if you win this one’s heart, you may just be entitled to winning that Sprint Cup Series without putting the pedal to the metal.
So clear your head and watch her adeptness in the kitchen as she browns the beef and onions until translucent in a large frying pan. You might charm her if you took part in something she loves. Helping prepare the food is one way to win her heart. Not so much, huh. Okay, just sayin’ it might win her over. Unfortunately, in your present state, you’ll just have to settle for watching her prance around for right now. We know your main objective is to cook up a large dish of romance and feed it to her with a shovel.
She’ll be draining off the rendered fat in a few minutes by placing a single paper towel in a colander and pouring the meat mixture over top. Watch her wrist action when she aerates the mixture with a large spoon to make sure the fat drains. And now, she’s returning the mixture back into the pan. Okay, so you can’t watch anymore. Uh-oh, she’s looking a little puffy around the eyes. Could it be you struck a chord with her?
If push comes to shove, you could go back to the two sisters for help, but then, they’d take over and that might not be the best use of time. They’re aggressive and without patience. You’re subtler—yeah, like a Mack truck, that is. That kiss really showed off your subtleness—so no bows just yet. Oh, and do something about that large ego of yours, huh, unless, of course, you want to turn her off completely.
Blend the remaining ingredients in a measuring cup and pour the liquid ingredients over top of the meat mixture and mix until thoroughly incorporated.
Serve on open-faced hamburger buns. Makes six servings.
“Warren, thank you for coming to our rescue,” I said to Courtney’s neighbor after he lifted Chase back into bed.
“Anytime, Jamie.” He placed his coffee cup down on the counter and peeked into Chase’s room. “You got yourself quite a lady here.” He pointed to me.
I almost spit my coffee right out of my mouth. Goose bumps pebbled my skin and my gut tightened into knots of anxiety because Warren had said what I’d been feeling lately but had passed off as nonsense. I was afraid I might have shown Chase more than I’d intended. I was beside myself. I avoided any eye contact with Chase. I didn’t want to know what he thought of Warren’s comment, but Chase’s voice rushed out in a burst of energy.
“Ah, I wish, Warren. She keeps me at a distance, but you’re right, she’s a real beauty all right, and I’m sad to say, she’s not mine.”
“Gee, that’s too bad.” He turned to me, no doubt seeing my expression. “Holy cow! Will you look at the panic in this woman’s eyes? I’m real sorry. I have a bad habit of doing that to people. I thought I saw a sparkle in your eyes when you looked at him, but I guess it was poor judgment on my part.” He grinned. “I guess it’s a good thing I’m not serving on a jury, huh?” He laughed before turning back to Chase. “Either way, pal, she’s something to fight for, and if it was me, I’d work real hard at getting
her into my arms.” He saluted Chase and gave me a wink, then turned to leave.
I managed to mumble a thank-you as I shut the door behind him.
“Jamie,” Chase called out. “Will you come back in here?”
I hesitated, wondering if he was going to push the issue again, but he was in this sore state because I had ignored him. I brushed my feelings aside and rushed into his room. “Are you ready for lunch yet?”
“Yeah, I’m famished.” He grimaced again. “Bailey’s hungry too. Isn’t that right, sweetheart?” Bailey nodded. “Okay, Aunt Jamie,” he said breathlessly, “it’s time to feed us.”
“Sloppy joes coming up.” I returned to the kitchen and nervously prepared two dishes. The warmth of his lips ever present on my mind caused me to drop hot liquid on my finger. I rushed to the faucet and held my finger under the cold water for a few minutes until I felt comfortable enough to proceed. I wiped the edge of the plate where juice had spilled with the end of a towel and brought the dishes into the room.
“Where’s yours?” he asked.
“Oh, I’ve got work to do. You two should go ahead and eat.”
“Jaime”—he patted the bed again—“sit.” I grudgingly lowered my body down onto the bed.
“If I don’t finish cooking your dinner, your sister is going to fire me.”
“No. My sister didn’t hire you. I’m the one paying you.” He gave me a side-glance. “I promise not to bring this subject up again, but I feel the need to apologize to you. I honestly thought I was helping before by letting you know you’re not alone in your quest to learn to trust in love again, but it’s obvious I’ve made things worse. Nevertheless, I’m glad you know about me and I hope it helps you to see me in a different light now. I like you, Jamie…a lot, and what matters most to me is what you think.”
“But you hardly know me.”
“That may be true, but I read people fairly well—most of the time—and I see something in you that I haven’t seen in a long time. The fact that I have a lifetime to get to know you makes me even happier. I admire you for putting Bailey’s needs before your own. It says volumes about who you are. I’ve never met anyone like you…so unassuming and humble. I’m not about to let a chance like this slip through my fingers. So when you’re ready…like really ready, I’d like to see—”
I stopped him with my hand but I couldn’t deny how badly the thought of not having a relationship with him bothered me. I still needed to protect myself. “You’re a wonderful man, Chase, and I’m enjoying my time at this job more than I imagined. Watching your interaction with Bailey after you didn’t want her here has been amazing to me, but I didn’t put my life on hold just for this little cutie.” I pinched her cheek. “I’ve chosen to remain single for my own reasons.”
“I find that hard to believe.”
“Well, you can believe it.”
“That bad, huh?”
“Yep, that bad.”
“Do you think you’ll ever tell me what happened?”
“I don’t know. Maybe.”
He bit into the bun. “Mmm, this is delicious.”
“Terrific.” I walked back into the kitchen, my legs barely carrying my body.
“I met with Courtney yesterday,” Renee spouted as she made her way over to the chair. “Sounds like you’ve had some excitement over at their place.”
“To say the least. But now that the nurse has been fired, things should get back to normal.”
“How did Chase fall out of bed?”
“His impatience to get his life back.” I wasn’t about to tell Renee about our conversation. “So what did you and Courtney talk about?” I asked, trying to see if she’d reveal anything to me.
“Oh, things like a Christmas party, getting together to go shopping—stuff like that.”
Bailey entered the living room. “There’s my girl.” Renee picked her up and kissed her on the cheek. “How’s my girl?” she asked.
Shocked by Renee’s motherly overture, my expression didn’t go unnoticed. Being the type of person to never let anything slide, Renee shot back, “What was that face for?”
“Ah…” I hesitated, making sure to choose my words wisely before speaking. One wrong word and Renee would be starting World War III. “Well, you just surprised me, that’s all. Showing affection doesn’t come naturally for you.” Okay, so not as tactful as I would have liked, but oh well.
“Not expressive…emotionless. Wow.” She pushed her lips out. “Okay, well, I guess I’ll just have work on that.” I’d braced myself for her backlash, but she surprised me when she admitted her fault. “What you’re saying is true. I want Bailey to be as happy to see me, as I am to see her. I love this little girl and getting to know her better is a way to help us both.” I gave her a quizzical look.
“That’s such a change for you.”
“I know it is, but I’m well aware of my shortcomings and I’m trying to correct them.” She grinned. “I heard you’ll be taking Chase to the doctor’s tomorrow, so why don’t I watch Bailey for you. Dragging her around the city and waiting in the doctor’s office won’t be fun for either of you. You need to focus on him and not be worried about what she’s doing or not doing.”
“I hadn’t thought of it, but you’re right. That would be very nice of you. Thanks.”
I was appreciative of her offer but I couldn’t tame the suspicion I was feeling. Given Renee’s track record, it was hard to believe she’d turned over a new leaf.
“Good. Better yet, let me take her home with me now. There’s really no reason for me to stay here at your place. The girls are off from school for the next three days, so why not let her stay with us? We’re going to the Bronx Zoo on Saturday and I think Bailey would love it. I’ll bring her back home on Sunday.”
“Are you sure you want to do that?”
“Absolutely. The girls have been missing their cousin, so this would be a good opportunity for them to catch up—and for you, three days to do whatever you want without the burden of lugging around a kid. What do you say?”
“Let’s see what she thinks. Bailey, Aunt Nene wants to take you to the zoo. Would you like to spend time with Marley and Jana?”
Bailey’s eyes opened wide. “Ooh,” whooshed out of her mouth as she cupped her face with her hands. “Bailey go to zoo to see nanamals,” she said excitedly, then jumped up and down.
“Okay. Then you want to help me pack your suitcase?” Two seconds later and she latched onto my hand and pulled me toward the bedroom.
All packed and bundled up to deal with the ravages of the cold weather outside, Bailey was ready to hit the road. “See you Sunday, munchkin,” I kneeled down in front of her and planted a smooch on her cheek. “You have a good time with your cousins, okay?”
Bailey was no sooner out the door than I called Gabi to see if she wanted to go out. Going over the conversation again, I really wanted to trust Renee’s sudden attention toward Bailey and that she wanted to change some things about herself, but I wasn’t thrilled that she knew everything that was going on with my job. I couldn’t do anything about the two sisters conniving, but there was little doubt their goal was to see their siblings joined at the hip.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Baby sister is about to learn the power of siblings. Taking Bailey for a long weekend is right up there with perfect planning. If you play your cards right, I see this as an uninterrupted opportunity to let the love flow.
I’m sure you want to toast to your success thus far, but doing so might jinx the deal. Don’t make your objectives so transparent next time—she’s not one who’s easily fooled. If you continue with this facade, you may even decide you like being nice. And if you still can’t resist the urge to toast, measure out the butter and almonds in a frying pan and watch the butter melt as you toast the nuts. I know you’re thinking the heat from the stove might just get to Jamie’s heart when she’s alone with Chase. You must remember this is another one of those times when you can’t leave th
is pan unattended. If you do so, the nuts are gonna burn as fast as you will, if Jamie ever finds out what you three connivers have been up to. If Jamie ever knew Chase was in the mix, she’d be heading for the hills. So stand close by and watch.
Your measure of success will be the continuing updates about the development of the romance. Now step back and measure out the flour. Toss it into a food processor bowl and pulse a few times to sift the flour before you leap too quickly. Add two tablespoons of cocoa, two tablespoons granulated sugar, baking soda and salt; process to a fine powder. And that’s just how quickly the intended relationship could fizzle, if you’re not careful.
Using an electric mixer and the paddle attachment, blend the wet ingredients together, adding the eggs, Frangelico or Kahlúa, and cherry extract until completely combined. Speaking of cherries, if you two gals can pull this off, you get to have a cherry on top of the icing to prove you know what’s best for your sibling. Now, combine the dry and wet ingredients into the mixer bowl and paddle on low speed until blended. Mix in the almonds with your hands. Dough will be stiff—probably as stiff as Jamie is when it comes to the opposite sex.
Mix two tablespoons granulated sugar and two tablespoons unsweetened cocoa. Cut the dough into three equal parts. Coat each piece with the sugar-cocoa mixture then shape each into a twelve-inch log, squaring off the ends, and bake in the oven for thirty-five minutes, switching pans around after seventeen minutes for even baking to all three trays until tops of logs spring back when touched. Lower the heat to 300 degrees while allowing the logs to cool for fifteen minutes.
Using a sharp knife, slice the biscotti on the diagonal, half-inch-thick slices, and place side down on the sheet pan and toss back into the oven for another seventeen minutes to crisp the cookies only on one side.
While waiting for the biscotti to cool, melt the three ounces of semisweet chocolate and either dip one end of the biscotti into the chocolate, shaking to remove any excess, or drizzle the chocolate over the cookies using a spoon in a uniform zigzag design for a satisfying treat. Makes thirty-two cookies.
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