Page 83 of Partner Pursuit

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“Yeah, he did a Supreme Court clerkship and fell in love with hisco-clerk. We’d been drifting apart for a while. My father died when I was in high school and his father had died recently, so we bonded over that. But in a way we were both still recovering, so we didn’t want to fully let go into our relationship and risk any type of loss. Still, I think we’re both grateful to each other for creating a space to express our grief. I think our relationship enabled him to succeed in his current one.”He had been braver than me. But she didn’t think she had been using work to avoid attachment. She had dated Kevin.And even thought Kevin was the One.Kevin had seemed so established and secure.

“I’m sorry about your dad. I’m happy to listen if you ever want to talk about it.” Jake’s eyes held hers, and he rubbedherback.

“Thanks. It was a long time ago, but sometimes something will set it off, and then the pain of his death will feel raw. Like, you definitely don’t want me for your date at a funeral. It’s so bad I bring my own tissue box.” She shook her head as if to clear it. “Anyway, I do have one seduction dish—at least when I cooked it for Eve, she said it was that good. It’s my fallen chocolate cake and vanilla ice cream.”

“I’m already intrigued.” He kissed her. She felt safe and secure in his embrace.

She said, “I’ll start making it while you get the stuff for dinner. It can sit in the fridge until we’re ready to bake it.” As she cracked eggs into a bowl, he ran over to his house to pick up the ingredientshe needed.

She was just putting the chocolate batter into the refrigerator when he returned. He placed all the ingredients on the counter.

“Welcome, audience, you have now joined the Audrey and Jake kitchen show, where absolute marvels will be produced,” Audrey announced in a fake French accent. She pointed a spatula at Jake like a microphone. “We turn to Chef Jake and ask: what’s your secret?”

He gamely spoke into the spatula. “Butter, sugar and salt. Every chef should have those ingredients, and he will be masterful. Mysous-chefhere will put all the spices into little bowls, and I will demonstrate how to cut up this onion with what I call the Jake technique. Don’t be fooled by the techniques of other chefs: this isthetechnique.” Jake expertly cutthe onion.

“Wow. Did you go to chef school or take cookingcourses?”

“I may have taken a cooking course hereor there.”

“Wait until I tell Eve,” she said. She’d found someone who cooked. “What inspired you to learntocook?”

“Hunger.” Jake let that sink in. “I was always hungry first in my family. If I wanted to eat something, I hadtocook.”

“And what are you planning to make for ustonight?”

“Jake’s beef vegetablemish-mash.”

“Amish-mash, not many people know how to make that,” she said in a serioustone.

“It’s all in the wrist. Now let me put you to work; you need to cut the carrots, beans, sweet potatoes, and red peppers so that we have the vegetable part. And I’ll start cooking.” Soon, the smell of sautéing onions filled the kitchen.

As he was washing up the dishes after dinner, she removed the bowl of chocolate cake batter from the refrigerator and mixed it again before pouring it into ramekins. He splashed her with water.

“Hey, no water in the cake!”shesaid.

“You’re right. I’d better taste it to make sure it hasn’t been contaminated.” He reached for a clean spoon from the dryingrack.

She grabbed his hand as he put the spoon into the bowl. “No previews!” She pushed his hand back, and chocolate sprayed inadvertently onhisface.

“You know, this means war.” He wiped some chocolate off his face and smearedit onher.

She laughed and sprayed him with chocolate from her mixing spoon. They eyed each other warily, waiting for who was going to strike first with more chocolate. She jumped into his arms and kissed him, then licked the chocolate on his face. He laughed and his tongue licked the chocolate offherface.

“That tickles.” Sheshivered.

He hugged her tighter, and he held her gaze as he kissedher again.

The chocolate cake was eaten much, much later.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

Good point, Audrey thought, as she read Colette’s legal analysis on a churning/fraud defense. The articles didn’t seem to be working, so the next step was praising each other. She typed out the following email.

To:Hunter Evans

From:Audrey Willems

CC:Colette Caron