Page 7 of If Tomorrow Never Comes

He just stared at her. “Don’t they burn?”

“Sometimes.”

“And you still eat them?”

She shrugged. “It’s still a cookie.” She nudged him with her shoulder and grinned. “Don’t worry, I’ll follow your lead tonight. What’s next?”

It took him a moment to recover; then he read the instructions for the custard mixture.

“Start with the egg yolks and sugar. Whisk constantly until thickened, and slowly add the cornstarch and milk. Keep whisking, about ten to fifteen minutes.”

“Did you just say whisk constantly forfifteen minutes?” she cried.

The instructor, a severe woman with gray hair pulled back into a tight bun, appeared at their table. “Do youwanta lumpy soufflé?”

Jamie, whose back was to the woman, bugged out his eyes at Elliott and mouthed,No.

Elliott blinked, meeting the woman’s steely gaze. “Um. No, ma’am.”

Jamie covered his mouth with his fist, turning a laugh into a cough.

When the woman walked away, Elliott glared at him. “I don’t know why you’re laughing; you’ve got the same energy going on. Let’s take it down a notch.”

He nodded. “Right. Sorry.” Then after a few beats: “You called her ‘ma’am.’ Like she was your seventh-grade math teacher.”

“Well! I respect my elders.”

Jamie shuddered. “Don’t let her hear you call her that.”

Elliott huffed out a breath. “Can we move on? We were at the prolonged whisking.” She pulled one arm across her chest, twisting this way and that.

“Whatcha doing?”

“Stretching.”

He grinned at her, again.

The dimple popped, again.

“I don’t remember the last time I smiled this much.”

She smiled back at him, fighting to keep the emotion from her voice. “Me either.” The mixture of elation and sadness his words brought were way too much for the moment, but she couldn’t help the rush of hopelessness. If she ever laughed again after tonight, it would be so far into the future she didn’t even want to guess when.

Jamie grabbed the small saucepan and turned on the burner while she measured the ingredients. She whisked the yolks and sugar while he slowly poured in the milk.

He leaned in close and whispered, “Nice form.”

Wow, that did things to her insides. Things she had no business indulging tonight. “So, what’s next?”

“Let’s see. Now we beat the egg whites until you get stiff peaks.”

She stopped whisking and let a moment of silence pass. “Beat until stiff. Got it.”

His shoulders pitched forward as a snort-laugh burst from his chest. The room went silent, and every head turned in their direction. Elliott spun around to face the wall, grinding her molars together to keep from laughing.

“Sorry. Excuse us,” Jamie muttered before he turned to her and stepped close to her body, bringing along a clean scent of masculine bodywash. A flush had spread up his neck, but his eyes were bright with mirth. “Maybe this was a bad idea.”

“I think this was a great idea.”

---