Well, as long as I get filled in, that's all that matters.

Myles can be a sneaky little devil whenever he likes to be, huh? I had a feeling of who he'd send over and I wasn't disappointed! Now, to teach Jack a few things...... interpret it as you like.

Sue surveyed the kitchen with a critical eye and gave Jack a dubious look after he claimed he cleaned before her arrival. She regretted not bringing Levi, he could have licked a generous dessert off the floor.

“Sue, I did follow the instructions,” he swore, when she picked his grandmother recipe from the counter. “But they don’t taste... or smell... or even look like my grandmother’s cookies.”

She read the list and compared it to the ingredients lined up on the table. Shortening, brown sugar...

“Jack, did you pack the brown sugar?”

“Pack? But it already came in a pack,” he observed, baffled.

She swallowed her laughter. His grandmother’s handwritten instructions might have been foolproof, but they were not Jackproof.

Eggs, baking powder, salt, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, chopped walnuts and raisins.

“Sue, even if I mixed the wrong amount, shouldn’t the cookies still smell or taste fairly the same?”

“Not necessarily,” she said, feeling sorry for Jack. Despite his lack of success, he obviously tried and he deserved at least an A for effort. “You have enough walnuts and raisins left for one more trial. We could make it together this time.”

He dithered. Those were his favourite cookies growing up, but after the systematic massacre he unintentionally orchestrated, he lost his appetite for them.

“They lost their appeal,” he admitted. “You didn’t by any chance bring another recipe with you, did you? One we could make together?”

She could not hear the husky tone of his voice when he spoke the last few words, but she saw his expression softened and his eyes shimmered, and she felt a small tremor course through her own body.

She chastised her overactive imagination and concentrated on the task on hand. Myles had told her she might need a substitute recipe, so she had thrown her three favourite ones in her purse.

“Double chocolate chip cookies, Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, or Apple and chocolate chip muffins.” She glowed more radiant with each new recipe. And when she licked her lips with the tip of her tongue in anticipation of the delicious chocolatey taste, the urge to kiss her senseless until she melted in his arms like chocolate under the hot oven heat became so intense, it nearly sent him over the edge. “So? What do you think?”

He took a step towards her. “It sounds very luscious, Sue.”

She chuckled. “Which one of the three, Jack?”

“The one with chocolate,” he teased, before abruptly sobering up. “Sue, we have a chocolate problem.”

“What?” He was not allergic to chocolate, was he? Surely fate could not be that cruel.

“I’m out of chocolate chips,” he apologized. He had used his last scoop in his morning cereals.

She heaved a huge sigh of relief. “Grocery stores are open on Saturday, you know. Come, we have a life and death errand to run.”

And reacting to the urgency of their situation, she grabbed his hand and dragged him out of the kitchen.

Oh, this is fun! I'm glad Sue brought some other recipes to try!

Im pleased sues going to help out and please jack
can you get out of turtle mode and get into chettah mode and tell sue your
feelings please sue you doing this you know the saying the way to a mans
heart is threw his stomach so go girl more soon please marlene IM loving
this story

Marlo, you are sending me into a sighing frenzy, and desperately in need of chocolate chips!!!

Joy

I am so excited to see a story from you! And this is sooo good!

I love Myles!!!!!

Em

It seems hot in the kitchen already

I like the sound of the muffins personally...

Anything with chocolate sounds good to me
Great going, Marlo!

I agree.
I'm loving this story, Marlo!

And I LOVED this line!

Ornella

Oh boy! A trip to the grocery store followed by cookin' in the kitchen followed by Kim reigns in her wayward thoughts before she melts into a puddle with the anticipation of what Marlo might have planned after cookin' in the kitchen.

This is wonderful!
Kim

Jack, bless your heart. Let's face it. We love you, but you do tend to dither!

Wow, baking cookies with Jack sounds pretty exciting. Of course Jack seems pretty excited with the idea of baking cookies with Sue. This is fun. Can't wait to go shopping.

First of all, I'm so excited to see another story from you. Second, when I guessed what Myles was up to, I was afraid the "murder" title might refer to his demise when Jack found out. I'm glad Jack took it in stride. Lastly, I Sue's fear of Jack being alergic to chocolate were too funny. She's a girl after my own heart.

Yeah, a Marlo story...wahoo....loving it and all the possibilities...can't wait for more.

Yippee! This is such a treat! Glad you're doing this!

Jill

Why is there never any chocolate in the house when you need some? I knew I should have shopped after work today... -sigh- oh well... maybe there's some hidden around here somewhere....

Whoops! Double post! Still lovin' it Marlene!

I love chocolate... well, let's see what happens next!

Marlo:

You are doing a great job on this challenge story...I am impressed!

Jack and Sue in the kitchen huh...it's going to get mighty hot in there

Sorry for the delay. I actually had to bake the recipe in order to measure the exact quantity I use. Mind you, my kids were happy when they saw the tray on the kitchen table.

+++

Somewhere between the top and the bottom of the staircase, Sue became aware of their intertwined fingers and the small circles Jack’s thumb drew over her skin.

When he felt the tension invade her body and the imperceptible pull as she attempted to free her hand, he searched her face. Flustered, she avoided his gaze, until he gently lifted her chin with the back of his other hand.

“If you let me go, I may get lost between here and the grocery store,” he teased, “and we can’t take that chance, can we?”

A shy smile blossomed in front of his eyes. “I guess not,” she conceded.

“Good,” and with her hand tucked into his, he led her to his car.

While driving, they debated the merit of the three recipes.

“Jack, if Eleanor requested your handwritten cookie recipe, shouldn’t that mean she expects you to bake cookies?”

“She said a bake off not a cookie contest,” he recalled, sticking to his interpretation. “Besides, I wouldn’t mind getting disqualified.”

She frowned. “Why?”

“Sue, I don’t want to be March or September Cookie,” he exclaimed in horror.

She burst out laughing. “Why not? I would pin you to my kitchen wall.”

He grinned at the image filling his mind. With his back against the wall and her soft curves pushing against his chest, she would take his breath away... in more senses than one.

“Seriously, Jack,” she continued, having missed the pun. “You will annoy Eleanor if you stray from the cookie recipe.”

“One more reason to bake muffins”, he quipped.

She rolled her eyes while secretly agreeing with him.

The store was crowded. He steered the cart through the aisles with the dexterity of a car racer, keeping pace with her. This was the most fun he had ever had doing grocery. And when he avoided a collision with a cart in which a little blond girl was seated, an indescribable force tugged at his heart.

The mother glared at him, and he hurried to catch up with Sue who was stopped at the end of the aisle.

“Jack, do you have any muffin pans at home?”

“Muffin pan? They’re the same than cupcake pan, right?” She nodded. “Hum... Maybe we should buy one, just in case.”

She threw two pans in the cart before surveying its content. Satisfied, she headed for the checkout with Jack on her heel.

Some how I can so picture it all...

~laura michelle~

Just like a couple HEE HEEE. I like it

That was all so great!









These were my favourite parts!

Jack and Sue in the grocery store...Somehow I knew a Marlo post would pull me out of my blue funk.

The smile is back! Thanks Marlo.

Kim

sue and jack shopping wonderful I think jack nearly ramming
the trolly with the blonde hair girl bet he was thinking his and sues little one
and trolly rage is bad honest I have one everytime I go to the supermarket,
more soon please marlene
Lin

Love the shopping scene!

“Sue, I don’t want to be March or September Cookie,” he exclaimed in horror.

Oh, I had so much fun catching up. I was only two posts behind, I think, but they were so full of priceless gems...like Thank goodness Sue came to the resuce and brought into the conversation...so appropriate for Jack since it matches his eyes. Inquiring minds want to know if they held hands on the drive as well? How about October -- that's my birthday month. And then her remark about pinning him to the wall and his thoughts about what pinning meant.

kav

What a fun post. I am still laughing at Jack's line about not wanting to be a March or September cookie

Now onto the cooking!....you know what they say.....it does get hot in the kitchen! And knowing your fantastic imagination Marlene, it's probably going to get hot on many different levels!

I love reading all the comments everyone has made! Can you tell you've been missed and that you're a 'wee' bit popular around here!!! It's good to have you back! Please post again and SOON!

Jack's ineptness in the kitchen makes me smile, because it shows me that he isn't great at everything, which makes him actually human.

I suppose your family has inhaled the goodies and you have none left to share.


Guess I'll have to settle for the recipie. Dish. Oh...feel free to add some along the way!

Jill

Jill, goodies don't last long in this house

+++

“Studmuffins,” he read in disbelief. “Your grandmother called them studmuffins?”

Sue grinned. “She had a wicked sense of humour,” she said, though she found the name very appropriate under the circumstances.

“Sue, I’m not naming that recipe Studmuffins,” he declared, adamant.

“Eleanor would love it,” she teased.

He shuddered at the thought before pushing the irritating woman off his mind. “I’ll personally visit your grandmother’s grave and apologize to her for renaming the recipe.”

“You could say Granny’s Muffins. No one needs to know whose grandmother she was,” she pointed out wisely.

“I think I have a better name... no offence to all the grannies.”

“And what would that be?” she asked in a silky voice, as she gave him a heartwarming version of Levi’s best puppy face.

Unable to resist her charm, he signed the name. Her eyes widened in awe.

“Do you approve?”

“Yes. I love it, Jack. So? Are you ready to start?”

He looked at the recipe in his hand, at the ingredients on the counter, and at the dog they rescued from the grooming salon and that was now lying under the table ready to eat anything that fell on the floor.

“I’m ready,” he said with confidence, “but...”

She glanced around at what might be missing. “What?”

“Well... I could use a good luck kiss.”

Gooo audacious Jack!

I have a feeling the kitchen is about to heat up!

Marlo, have I told you lately just how much I have missed your stories?

Kim

I wonder if they'll actually get any muffins baked.

A kiss for luck. Good thinking, Jack.

Okay... what are they calling the muffins? Oh - and just for the record, I'd pin Jack to my wall too

Em

IM agreeing with you Kim just hope sue will kiss him senseless

I love Jack playing this for all he's worth!!!

What's he going to name the muffins???

Joy

Well Jack, a good luck kiss might be the answer and it might not, but whether it is or not it is a good place to start

Well, well, Jack. Feeling a bit bold now, are we?

And...what is he going to call these muffins?

I am just loving this! It is so fun to read! Studmuffins? Sounds good to me.

“Studmuffins,” he read in disbelief. “Your grandmother called them studmuffins?” I can just picture his face

I am so curious what he renamed the muffins! I love how things are heating up in this kitchen.

It's going to get mighty hot in the kitchen Good thinking Jack!

I actually think that would make him bumble more... of course, Levi is always available if they're able to coax him out.

Her eyes twinkled with mischief as she placed a light peck on his left cheek. “Now get to work, Hudson,” she ordered with amusement in her voice. “Start with greasing the pan.”

“Why the pan? Shouldn’t we start with the recipe?” he asked while he grabbed a paper towel to dip in the grease container, ready to obey her.

She smiled. She enjoyed spending time with Jack, and she felt empowered by the knowledge she was the one teaching him a thing or two.

“The pan needs to be ready to receive the batter”, she explained. “And you should also preheat the oven before you start mixing.”

“Preheat? Why?”

Her smile grew wider. “Jack, you did preheat the oven when you baked your grandmothers cookies, didn’t you?”

He nervously shifted from one leg to the next. “I think I did,” he replied, not remembering the recipe saying anything about preheating the oven. “Theoretically speaking, what would happen to the cookies if I forgot?”

She bit her bottom lip, swallowing her laughter. “Well, theoretically speaking,” she repeated, thinking she found an explanation as why at least a few batches ended up in the garbage can, “the cookies would be dry and hard, if they’re not burned altogether.”

So much for fooling her, he thought, amazed that his pride was not hurting.

“Could we make only a dozen at a time?” he asked, as he set aside the pan he just finished greasing. “That way I could practice more,” and enjoy her presence longer, unless... “You didn’t have any other commitment for the day, did you?”

“Jack, I’m very happy to skip my date with the vacuum cleaner,” she chuckled.

He rolled his eyes. “You do know how to flatter a man’s ego,” he observed, before turning his attention to the recipe card.

He searched his cupboard for a medium and a large mixing bowl.

In the medium bowl, he needed to mix 2 cups of flour, ½ cup of sugar, 1 tablespoon of baking powder and ½ cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.

“Jack, you’re not supposed to pack the flour, you shift it,” she pointed out, before demonstrating the procedure. Her wrist shook rapidly as she sprinkled the flour into the measuring cup. “See?”

“Got it,” he said. If the motion was all in the flick of the wrist, he could easily manage that part. “How come the flour is measured loose and the brown sugar is measured packed?” he wondered aloud. And how come his grandmother’s recipe did not mention the difference?

She shrugged and her nose twitched, making her even more adorable. “It’s a cooking secret,” she teased, impressed that he knew to pack the brown sugar.

“Sugar? It’s normal white sugar, right?” he asked, having set aside his pride for the sake of learning. “Not one of the fancy versions?”

“If the recipe doesn’t specify, it means just regular sugar,” she confirmed. “But you want to add a full cup of chocolate.”

Confused, he read the recipe again. “Why? It does say ½ cup. See?”

She leaned towards him and whispered to his ear. “Jack, you can never put too much chocolate chips in a recipe.”

His laughter filled the kitchen. “Is that so?” She nodded vigorously. “But I promise Rose I would follow the recipe to the letter.”

“Trust me, she will love it. She may even kiss you later to thank you,” she bribed, wondering when she grew so bold.

A kiss for an extra ½ cup? Maybe he should throw the entire bag in the bowl.

He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger, leaving flour dust over her skin. “Sue Thomas, you better make sure she doesn’t forget,” he said, before winking at her.

The butterflies in her stomach fluttered, aroused by the increasing heat caused by more than the oven temperature rising to 350F. Was he teasing her or flirting with her?

+++

For my metric friends, I promise to post the recipe with the equivalence shortly.

Marlene

Perhaps a bit of both

Maybe..... but i think Jack is flirting a little more than he is teasing

Why not try?