It's been a long time since I've finished anything, and while this isn't actually finished quite yet, I'm determined (plus my beta will be peeved if I don't ) so I'm going to take a deep breath and start posting now anyway...

RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

“But…” Tara sighed when her mother wouldn’t let her get a word in edgewise. She juggled the phone between her ear and her shoulder as she stooped down to rummage through her fridge. Left over pasta or two-day-old pizza? She grimaced at the shriveled choices before her and then cautiously edged the crisper drawer open, shuddering when she caught a glimpse of the contents. “Nothing crispy about that…uh, yeah Mom, I’m listening. Uh-huh…every word, but…” She stifled a groan and chose the lesser of two evils, popping the lasagna into the microwave.

Hitching herself up onto the kitchen counter, she gazed at the clock in consternation. 45 minutes! No wonder she was starved. After a late breakfast and an apple for lunch she’d worked an hour’s overtime before driving home. About to call in Chinese takeout, she answered the phone before checking call display and now, nearly an hour later, her mother was in one of her talkative moods.

The ping of the microwave interrupted the latest torrent of words and Tara hastily leapt in. “Like I said, Mom, I’ll think about it, but right now I have to…”

She sighed when her mother refused to let her off that easy. A litany of dire warnings, a well-aimed guilt trip and the parting threat of a dastardly curse had her pinky promising. Only then did her mother end the phone call with her standard, “You always were a good girl, Tara. Love you to bits,” before she hung up.

It came as no surprise that while she had been otherwise occupied the lasagna had turned to rubber – an unappetizing blob that identically resembled the puke her cat, Dixie had barfed up right before she keeled over and died.

“Definitely inedible,” she declared, tossing the tray into the garbage can while her stomach growled a protest. She patted it reassuringly. “Don’t worry we still have oatmeal,” and started the fixings.

There was something soothing about eating breakfast food at dinnertime. She savored the cinnamony taste of the hot cereal and munched contentedly on a crisp piece of raisin toast....well, as contented as she could be given her mother’s final ultimatum.

It was time. She had known it for weeks. She felt the pull every night now when she came home from work. Regardless of how exhausted she was it was there, demanding an audience. Time was running out. Her birthday was in three weeks. The big 3-0. A landmark year worth celebrating. She knew Lucy and Sue were planning a surprise party. She snorted in amusement -- and they thought Sue was the only one who could read lips. Tara was getting pretty good at picking up the odd phrase here and there…things like “Shhh, she’s coming.” And “Surprise party,’ and “Secrets.” It was sweet of them and she would be suitably surprised when the time came – provided her atoms hadn’t been scattered to the four winds on the stroke of midnight on the eve of her birth, as the prophecy proclaimed.

She glanced up at her hallway closet and suddenly the bowl of oatmeal she’d just snarfed down felt like a lead weight in her belly. Pushing her chair out from the table she stood and walked briskly to the closet. Pulling the door ajar she glanced inside the murky depths and blindly groped for the battered box she knew was stashed at the very back. Her hands closed over it easily and she staggered backwards under the surprising weight of it. She teetered over to the couch and plunked the box down, staring at it suspiciously. She hadn’t lifted the lid once since her mother had sent the box to her seven years ago. She didn’t have to look, she knew what was inside and the power that it held over her…and all the Williams’ women for as far back as anyone could remember.

Tipping the lid open cautiously, she peeked inside. It was there, in all its resplendent glory. A family heirloom, it had been passed down from mother to daughter for centuries. Now it was her turn with the ‘recipe book’ as her mother laughingly referred to it.

It was all well and good for her mother to be irreverent about it. She’d done her time and survived, cheerfully thrusting the familial obligation onto her daughter when she left home to come work in DC. She’d been nagging her ever since.

“Have you tried any of the recipes, dear?”

“You might find page 48 helpful with that little problem, darling, just give it a try.”

“Nothing to it, sweetie, once you get the hang of it. Try 21. It’s scrumptious…”

Her mother thought it was cute the way she used cooking terminology to describe the contents of the book.

“Cooking!” Tara scoffed. “If you like cooking up trouble.”

She gazed morosely at the object of her angst, childishly making a face at it as she sullenly turned to the table of contents and skimmed down the line of odd recipes. Page 21 caught her eye. Love Potion Pie. Curious in spite of her self, she ruffled through the pages and scanned the ingredients quickly.

Ugh. She shuddered. And people actually ate this stuff? Still, she supposed the lovelorn would stoop to anything to change their solitary fate. It was a sad fact of life – especially for women. There just weren’t enough commitment minded guys out there. She had first hand knowledge on that score. She gazed at the ingredient list again and then committed the instructions to heart, grimacing when she caught the twist in the last sentence.

“Of course you can’t make it for yourself. That’s against the rules,” she muttered and wrinkled her nose in distaste and then read the last line out loud. “Though a ripple effect is a common occurrence and it is often to the benefit of the ‘cook’.”

She leafed back to the forward, which contained the curse in gruesome detail. All manner of hideous things would happen to the Williams’ heir who did not attempt at least one potion recipe from the book before her 30th birthday.

“Just peachy keen and groovy,” she mumbled to herself as she studied Love Potion on page 21 again. "Everyone else I know gets handed down tried and true recipes for pot roast and matrimony cake while I get handed a book of spells with a curse. Next thing you know Mother’s going to send me a broom and a black cat.”

She glumly perused the book but kept coming back to page 21. The book was like that, she’d been told. It picked the perfect spell for the first time potion maker. It was best to go with the book’s gut instinct, rather than your own. Grandma Williams had given that advice years ago.

So Love Potion it was…but who would be the most likely candidates for her first foray into the family's secret hobby?

Of course the answer was an obvious one to Tara…but she would still need to figure out a way to go about giving her two hapless co-workers the final push they needed. And by the time all was said and done, she’d be free of the curse and she’d have the rest of her colleagues bowing at her feet for finally putting an end to the doe-eyed looks that went back and forth across the bullpen on a regular basis. She smiled to herself as she imagined the grateful smile on the face of one tall, handsome co-worker in particular and hoped that if this all worked out, maybe there would be a ripple-effect like the book insinuated.

*****

Why do I have the feeling that it won't go as planned?


Glad you started, Tina

Oh boy! I have a feeling this is going to be a great ride!

Kim

<- your beta if you don't finish...

I am SO excited to see you writing again, Tina! And I have a feeling things won't be quite as they seem... Only you can tell!

Oh, a chance for me to read a new author!

And another love potion story; but, this one is going to be about using it on Jack and Sue!

I am loving this story already and can't wait to see what you have in store for us!

Lynn

As she watched the silent interplay between Jack and Sue, Tara pondered her situation yet again. Three weeks seemed like plenty of time when her life wasn’t at stake, but in this case, there wasn’t a moment to spare. She needed to give Jack or Sue some of her Love Potion Pie in order to ensure that she wouldn’t fall victim to the curse that had afflicted her family for generations. Sure she was skeptical, but the fact was that while she had no actual proof that the curse was genuine, she hadn’t uncovered anything that would disprove it either.

Naturally there were stories that had been passed down in her family along with the curse, like that of her grandmother’s third cousin, who apparently hadn’t taken the warnings seriously and had disappeared without a trace on the eve of her 30th birthday; after doing some digging Tara had discovered that the story of her disappearance was a true one. Whether or not the curse was responsible was something she’d be hard-pressed to prove, but the disappearance alone that was enough for Tara to heed her mother’s warnings.

She was convinced that she would only need to give the pie to one of the would-be lovers in order for the potion to have an effect, but she needed to make sure that one whole slice was ingested or her efforts would be futile. Under different circumstances Tara would probably have found the whole situation hysterical, but as it was, she had become rather resigned to making it work. She planned to gather the ingredients over the next couple of days, which might take some doing, but she was certain her determination would win out. And who better than an FBI Agent with connections to get the job done?

The sound of her email program notification pulled her attention back to the computer screen and she clicked the mouse to open up a new email. She’d recently reconnected with one of her friends from high school and the two of them had been communicating via email for the past couple of weeks. It was a blast from the past she hadn’t been expecting, but Amanda had found her on an Internet site where people could network with their friends, family and colleagues, and she’d been enjoying getting reacquainted with her old friend. In school, Amanda had always been very career-minded, and Tara had been surprised to discover that she was now a stay-at-home mom to a three-year-old girl. While Tara was proud of her own career and didn’t mind telling Amanda about it, there were times she wished she had more in her life than work. Sure, she had friends, but she didn’t have anyone to come home to at the end of the day. She also found herself growing rather wistful as she looked at the photos of Amanda’s child in her email.

It was funny the way things had turned out. Tara had always imagined by now that she would be a wife and mother, but usually it wasn’t something she chose to dwell on either. After all, she was happy-go-lucky Tara, a girl with a slightly wacky personality who rarely stopped to wonder if people were laughing with her or at her. So rather than letting herself get down about what might have been or what the future may or may not hold, she simply pushed it aside, pasted a smile on her face and soon it didn’t feel like she was pretending anymore. Usually it worked like a charm, but in these weeks leading up to her birthday she’d found herself feeling a bit like a dark cloud was following her around. An amusing thought suddenly occurred to her, and she wondered if the so-called curse was really a mere fabrication dreamed up by one of her ancestors, designed to distract the Williams women from being melancholy about turning 30.

“What a sweet little girl!” Lucy exclaimed, catching sight of Tara’s computer screen as she walked by with a pile of files.

“Kristy’s a cutie pie, alright. She’s the daughter of an old high school friend of mine.”

“And obviously a ham,” Lucy observed with a grin.

“Oh, definitely,” Tara agreed, looking back at the little girl dressed in a pink tutu and striking a pose for the camera.

“Looks like we’ll be out of here early for once,” Lucy said, observing the quiet bullpen. There weren’t any pressing cases and most of the team was simply dealing with the remnants of paperwork from a few cases they had recently wrapped up.

“Yup,” Tara agreed, her mind working a mile a minute as she mentally reviewed the list of ingredients she was going to need for the potion. If she could get them all after work she might even have time to bake the pie before she went to bed.

“Sue and I were going to do some shopping tonight; do you want to join us?”

“I would, but there are some things I really need to do at home. Count me in for the next one though?”

“Course!” Lucy smiled before walking over to the filing cabinet to file the stack of reports she carried. Tara wished that she could confide her plans in Lucy, but she knew her friend would insist on helping, and the ‘recipe book’ stipulated that she alone must gather and prepare the ingredients of the potion in order for it to work. She was thankful that both Jack and Sue were polite people. No matter how nasty her pie tasted, she was pretty sure she could count on either one of them to choke down a slice under her watchful eye. After mulling it over for a while, she’d decided that Jack would be her intended target. Knowing Sue as well as she did, Tara didn’t see her making the first move where their relationship was concerned, which put that responsibility on Jack’s plate; she planned to do exactly that. Once he’d eaten the Love Potion Pie, any and all reasons that had been keeping him from professing his love for Sue should simply disappear, and she was looking forward to witnessing the fallout from that. She was counting on some spectacular fireworks!

*****

Tina, I'm so excited you're writing this, and I love your start. I can only imagine all the ways this could go right or wrong.

That was a great post; Tara's thoughts about herself and where she would be at this juncture in her life; introduction of two new characters in her old school friend and her daughter; and, of course, the curse; her observation about Lucy wanting to help as well as giving the pie to Jack because she didn't think Sue would make the first move. The characterizations are so real. Now, why do I have the feeling things might not go as easily as she seems to think they will. And only three weeks until her birthday...that doesn't seem like very much time to get turtle Jack on the move.

This is a great start! Now, for some ingredient shopping!

Lynn

Fireworks? Will it be the right kind of fireworks? And what are those hard to find ingredients?

great start, looking forward to more

your beta won't be the only one sad if you don't finish this

cath

You know, there was just something about this part of the post that caught my attention. Disappear... that one little word has gotten all of these scenarios floating around my head. Disappear... as in vanish from all existence?

OKay, hypothetically, what if Jack is actually dating someone else (not saying he is, though)? With the thought of a spell/potion making "any and all reasons keeping him from professing his love for Sue simply disappear", there's always the chance that this woman might just go poof! I could just be thinking too much into it though and they could break up (again, that's only IF he is seeing someone) and they can just go their separate ways. That way, it could send him right into Sue's arms.

Of course, I could just watch too many fantasy movies and that's where my head is right now.

“Do you think she seemed a little sad today?” Lucy asked as they were waiting in line to pay for their purchases.

“Tara? Maybe a little at times. But she hasn’t really been herself lately.”

“I know. Hopefully this party we’re planning is a good idea.”

“I think it will be just what Tara needs. Turning 30 isn’t easy, no matter how happy a person you are. It’s too easy to dwell on all of the things you wished you’d done in your 20s.”

“Isn’t that the truth,” Lucy said, well remembering the funk she had fallen into leading up to her own 30th birthday a couple of years before. She was glad to be past that little bump in the road of her life.

“It’s also easy to look around and think that everyone else has what you want, but…the truth is that so many women in our generation are in the same situation. Everything is happening later for us.”

”You’re right.”

“We survived 30 and Tara will too!” Sue said with determination.

“Thankfully we’ve already been through it and can be there to support her, right?” Lucy said with a wink.

“Exactly.” Their conversation paused as their purchases were rung through. “I know that when I turned 30,” Sue continued thoughtfully as they were leaving the store, “I just needed to get through it and then I felt fine. It’ll probably the same for Tara. I think she’s okay.”

“Hopefully that’s all it is…when I asked her to come with us, she said she had some things to do at home and seemed really distracted. It’s not like her to bow out of a girls’ night of shopping.”

“She knows you’re there for her…that we all are. I’m sure if anything is really bothering Tara she will come to one of us.”

“You’re right. I know I’m probably worried over nothing. Oh! Sue, that red dress was made for you!”

Feeling amused, not to mention a bit caught off guard at Lucy’s sudden detour from the topic at hand, Sue turned to see what exactly had captured her attention and immediately shook her head. “Oh, Luce…I don’t know about that…”

“Come on,” Lucy insisted. “You’ve been looking for something to wear to Tara’s party and that dress would be perfect for you! And you know that Jack can’t take his eyes off of you when you wear red.” Sue knew her cheeks were probably flushing that very color as Lucy grinned at her. The dress was pretty but was also a little more daring than something Sue would normally choose for herself; however, experience had taught her that she probably wouldn’t escape without at least trying it on, so she allowed herself to be pulled into the store by her roommate, hoping that the price of the dress would settle the matter for her.

*****

Tina, I'm so excited you are joinning the challenge!! And, I love that you have chosen the love potion option!!!

I can see all kinds of possibilities in Tara giving Jack a slice of love potion pie!! I can't wait to see where you are taking us!!!

Joy

so luce is still matchmaking, some things never change

cath

You had to choose the Harry Potter weekend to make your challenge debut? I've arrived embarrassingly late! Well, no matter, I'm caught up now and I'm sticking to this baby like glue until the last encore! Personally, seeing as Tara's targets are Jack and Sue, I wouldn't leave a single thing to chance. I think I'd lock them both in a room for days without anything to eat except the love potion pie and then just maybe we'd be lucky to have it take the desire effect...on each of them...with each other... But then, I've always been an optimist! So glad you entered this challenge. You've made my day

kav

What a great start. I can't wait to read more. A pie, and maybe a red dress. Now, why do I think Jack Hudson may be in for the time of his life.

The red dress would be the perfect coupling to the love potion pie. Jack won't be able to keep his hands off of her!

Love pie, red dress... very good start, but I also vote to lock them together until the desire effect is produced

It didn't even occur to me that the board might be quieter because of Harry Potter mania this past weekend! I'm a fan and actually won a copy of the book through a local radio station, but I didn't find out til after they were closed on Friday, so I don't have it yet. Would have been fun to spend yesterday reading it, but oh well! Thanks for all of the comments and here is the next post!

Casting a glare at the book she’d just hurled across the room, Tara heaved a sigh as she looked over the list of ingredients once again. The shopping hadn’t gone well, and she felt it had been perfectly appropriate to take her frustration out on the book. After all, if it wasn’t for the book with its ridiculous curse, she’d have been out shopping with her friends for something new to wear that would make her look better than she felt right now. She’d barely been able to collect half of the ingredients she needed; there were a couple of items that were proving very difficult to obtain, and many of the other ingredients had to be fresh, so she couldn’t very well buy those either until she’d found the elusive ones.

She thought about calling her mother but really wasn’t in the mood for a lengthy conversation, so she’d settled instead for a bowl of buttered popcorn, telling herself that the big salad she’d had for lunch more than made up for the lack of nutrition of this particular ‘meal’. After she’d returned home she’d spent some time online, researching some of the ingredients in her potion and she had a better idea now of where to go and what exactly she needed. Tomorrow after work, she was going to have to make a trip out to one of the city’s ‘alternative’ health food stores. She shuddered to think of what that meant and couldn’t help but be grateful for the fact that she’d be carrying her gun with her when she went there. Reminding herself that a gun was no protection against a curse or any other type of spell, Tara groaned as she realized just how far gone she was. If she didn’t get this potion-making out of the way soon, she was going to lose her already tenuous hold on reality and then it wouldn’t matter whether or not she lived to see her 30th birthday.

*****

I guess you can't just go to your local supermarket and get "potion" ingredients!! I hadn't thought of that!!!

Joy

I am extremely intrigued!!!!!!!! Love Potion Pie and a sexy red dress...nice combo so far!!!!! Can't wait for more!!!!!!!!!!!

I, too, am late to the game....to everyone's as I was trying to hold out until the stories were finished and then read them all at once....but I couldn't resist reading yours. (And now I'll probably cave and begin reading some others.)

So far, all I can do is , imagining how very wrong this can go....and how you (err, Tara) are going to make it okay.

Wonderful to see you writing and posting again, Tina. You go girl!!!!

I'm so excited to see you writing again!!!!!! Great start! I can't wait to see where you take us

Em

See? I'm on time (more or less). I'm very intrigued about the ingredients. It's probably as bad as going in search of some vague vegetarian recipe. Tara needs a plan of attack...too bad she can't have any accomplices, but she's a clever duck, I'm sure she'll work this out...in a roundabout way, which is just fine with me.

kav

Twirling around once more in front of the mirror, Sue had to admit that the dress was very figure flattering. It highlighted the trimness of her waist and accentuated her curves while still managing to somewhat preserve her modesty. Right now it was too soon to predict whether or not she’d regret buying it, but it was a little late to turn back now; the dress had been such a great price that the sale was a final one. As she changed into her pajamas, Sue remembered what Lucy had said about Jack and wondered what he’d think of her new purchase once he saw her wearing it. Feeling her face grow warm as she imagined his reaction when his dark eyes fell upon her, she shook her head with a sigh. She had to get a hold of herself, and Lucy’s teasing really wasn’t helping matters. Much as she’d hoped and prayed for a relationship with Jack that went beyond their work and friendship, nothing had ever happened. Sometimes she was sure that he felt more for her, but he had never done anything overt, and she was trying not to let her happiness hinge on his actions. For a while, after she’d made her decision to turn down the New York job offer, she’d been disappointed when Jack hadn’t made a move. She’d thought for sure that he would, thought she’d seen something new in the way he looked at her after she’d decided to stay, but she’d been wrong and he’d said nothing…. done nothing.

Tara’s impending birthday had made Sue dwell too much lately on her own feelings about growing older. She couldn’t deny that with each year that passed she felt more confidence in herself---a little more comfortable in her own skin, yet she still had her own dreams and yearnings that hadn’t been fulfilled, and she wondered sometimes if they ever would. Still, while she did slip from time to time, for the most part she had faith that things were working out as they were meant to and that God’s plan for her was surely better than anything she might be able to dream up. Glancing at the dress she’d hung in the closet, Sue knew that while the future might not be up to her, she certainly shouldn’t give up hope either. She’d wear the dress to feel good about herself, and if Jack took notice of her, that would be the icing on the cake. Reaching for the notebook on her dresser, she headed for the living room where Lucy was waiting for her with a bowl of ice cream for each of them.

“Are you ready for some serious party planning?” Lucy asked as Sue sat down beside her.

“I wasn’t sure, but now that I see we’ve got ice cream, I think I can handle anything,”

“Yes, we’ve got ice cream. And no thanks to Levi, who had to be banished to the corner because he wouldn’t stop trying to get to the bowls on the coffee table.”

Sue shook her head at the dog watching them from across the room, saying his name in a soft reprimand. Levi looked suitably chastened, rolling over onto his back. Taking a bite of her ice cream, Sue looked down at the list she’d written in her notebook. “So…we’ve got the venue organized, the music set up, food has been ordered…that leaves the cake and most importantly, the list of invites. Is there anyone else we need to add? I’ll call Tara’s mom to try and get the information on her old friend, Amanda.”

“Yes! It would be wonderful if she could make it…I think we’ve got everyone else covered,” Lucy replied, glancing at her own list. “Want to start making phone calls tomorrow evening?”

“Perfect. And maybe we can stop at the bakery tomorrow to get some ideas for the cake.”

“That should work,” Lucy said with a nod. “I’m so glad this is all coming together for Tara! Do you think we’ll be able to keep it a surprise?”

“I’m not sure; I think she might already suspect something. We really need to stop talking about it at work,” Sue replied with a chuckle. There had been a couple of times they’d been discussing the party when Tara had walked into the room. They’d stopped right away, but it was hard to tell if Tara was onto them or not.

“Yes, you’re right. And I know I’ve been guilty of that.”

“We both have, but it’s okay. Whether she’s surprised or not, we’ll make sure she has a great time.” The two of them worked on the list for a while, dividing it up so that they could each do some of the phone calls the next night, and Sue found her mind wandering again to thoughts of Jack. Forcing herself to focus on the task at hand, she could only hope that as the day for the party neared, she’d be too busy to think about Jack and whether or not he’d notice how she looked in her new dress. The night was going to be about Tara, and not about her own non-existent love life.

*****

sounds as though the party will be fun and the dress will probably blow jack's mind

cath

I cannot wait for this party!!!!!!!!!

Em

Is it my imagination, or does Sue seem almost ready to make a move on her own?

I can't wait for the party. So many possibilities.

I love all the mind-wandering-to-Jack possibilities! Hopefully Sue has as vivid an imagination as I do.

kav

What a wonderful attitude Sue has. This could turn out to be a fantastic party.

I don't think anyone has the vivid imagination about Jack as you do Kav...except I think Sue...maybe you both could trade notes

Can't wait to get this party started!!!!!!!!

Yeah, yeah, yeah...Sue can think all she wants that the night will be all about Tara, but we all know better.

I can't wait!

1 WEEK LATER…

Shuddering as she reached for the next ingredient on the list, Tara closed her eyes and dropped it into the pot simmering on the stove. The filling for her love potion pie wasn’t looking terribly tempting at the moment, but thankfully the most important ingredient was yet to come and she was confident that chocolate would fix everything. It usually did, to her way of thinking. A few minutes later she breathed a sigh of relief as she poured the filling into the pie shell she’d already prepared. The texture looked velvety smooth, and while she wasn’t certain what it would taste like, considering some of things that were in it, she was now confident that it would at least look appetizing.

When she’d called her mother earlier to tell her what she had planned for the evening, she’d had to hold the phone away from her ear at the squeal of delight that came out of the receiver. Iris Williams had made Tara promise to call her with a full report the next day, after she’d given the pie to Jack. Her heart fluttered with excitement as she imagined the possibility that the potion might actually work. Would there really be magic in the air the next day? And more importantly, would it inspire romance between two of her dearest friends? She wasn’t sure if she really believed in magic, the spell-book kind anyway, but she was pretty sure she’d get her answer the next day. She wasn’t entirely clear yet on how she’d give the pie to Jack, but she knew that she’d manage. If anyone was resourceful, it was Tara Williams!

The sound of the doorbell startled her, and she carefully placed the pie in the oven, setting the timer before she went to answer the door. A glance through the peephole revealed a man dressed in a FedEx uniform on her front step, and she wondered what this might be…maybe an early birthday present?

“Delivery for Tara Williams,” the man said with a smile.

“That’s me.”

“Sign here, please,” he said, handing her a clipboard and indicating where she was to sign. Accepting the clipboard back after she’d signed, the man passed her a box with small holes on each side and bid her goodnight. Tara studied it curiously as she stepped back inside, and a scraping sound from within the box almost caused her to drop it. Carefully setting it down on the floor, she bent down to stare at it in alarm. Visions of rattlesnakes and rats and other unpleasant creatures flew through her head and she hurriedly reached for the envelope taped to the top of the box. If this was someone’s idea of a joke it wasn’t striking her as very funny. The card inside the envelope was a run-of-the-mill milestone birthday card, but the message inside certainly wasn’t. A note that she recognized as her mom’s script said, ‘Happy Birthday, sweetheart, and congratulations on tackling your first recipe. Here’s a gift that no good potion-maker should be without. Enjoy! Love Mom.’ Her eyes narrowed, falling to the box again just as it made another sound, this one reassuring her that she had nothing to fear. Opening the top of the container, she couldn’t help but smile at the tiny, squalling creature looking up at her with deep blue eyes. “What’s next, Mom, a black cauldron?” she asked as she gently lifted the tiny black kitten out of the box.

*****

At least now we know where Tara got some of her quirkiness. Tara's mom sounds like a riot!

And thanks for the morning post! I know it's e-a-r-l-y where you live!

hope bobby likes cats

cath

Cute!!!!! But sending a kitty FedEx???? Can you do that?????

Em

Does FedEx deliver kitties to new homes? Not sure...chalk it up to my muse deciding to let loose when dealing with such...interesting subject matter. I'm thinking Tara's mom arranged for the kitty to be picked up at a pet store not far from Tara's home. Wouldn't want to traumatize the poor creature any more than necessary, after all!

I'm loving every minute of this, Tina!! I'm not sure about FedEx and a kitten, but I like the idea!!!

Now, I have everything crossed that this goes off without a hitch tomorrow!!!

Joy

YAY!!! Kitty!!! /me loves kittys!

Tina, there's probably a potion in that book that when given to the fedex personnel make them willingly fedex kitties anywhere int he world within an 1/2 hour delivery window. Bet Iris has used that one lots so she knows it off by heart!

I so believe that to be the gospel truth...though I've never tried it on cauliflower!

I love that Tara is getting into the swing of things! And she certainly is resourceful, so hopefully she'll slip the pie to Jack easy as well...pie!

kav

Glancing across the room to where the women were gathered around Tara’s computer, Jack allowed himself to admire Sue, whose eyes were alight as Tara showed her and Lucy pictures of the new kitten. “Just wait until Levi meets him,” she said. “I bet it won’t take them long to make friends.”

“Definitely! You should bring him over in a couple of days.” The three women continued to talk and Jack leaned over his work once again. Myles and Bobby were out on a case while D was in a meeting and soon the girls would undoubtedly be heading out for lunch. Maybe then he’d be able to get some work done, because so far he’d spent most of the morning going over the same few lines. He knew it was his own fault. Right now Sue was kind of like a forbidden fruit, unconsciously tempting him with her every look, her every move. Of course he was sure that if they really wanted to, they’d be able to find away around the ‘no-dating’ rule in their office, but he had long ago convinced himself that he’d screw it up and hurt her, so he considered her off-limits. Most days the attraction he felt for her was manageable and didn’t interfere with his work. Today…. Jack hadn’t yet figured out if it was the way she’d arranged her hair or the red jacket she wore, but there was something about her that drew his attention more than normal. It seemed like he couldn’t concentrate on his work for more than thirty seconds before his eyes sought her out again. For her part, Sue seemed oblivious, and he was grateful for that.

Sure enough, a few minutes later Sue and Lucy stopped by his desk, their purses in hand. “We’re going for something to eat at the deli, Jack. Do you want to join us?” Lucy asked. He saw the hopeful gaze in Sue’s eyes, but he knew he really needed to use this time wisely if he wanted to accomplish anything today.

“I’ve really gotta finish this,” he replied.

“We’ll bring you back something then,” Sue said.

“I won’t argue with that,” he told her with a grin. The smile Sue gave him in return almost made him change his mind about staying behind, but he resisted the urge. A few minutes later, after promising to bring him back a turkey club on whole wheat, the two of them were heading out of the office with Levi. He was about to get back to work when he noticed Tara watching him thoughtfully. “You’re not going with them?”

“No…there’s something I need to take care of here.”

“Anything I can help with?” She looked almost nervous and that wasn’t like Tara.

“Actually…. I would really love it if you could,” she said, brightening considerably. “I’ll be right back!” She ran from the office, leaving Jack to stare quizzically after her. She didn’t make him wait long; a couple of minutes later she was back with a plate, breathlessly placing it on his desk in front of the report he’d been working on.

“You made me pie?” he asked, wondering what he’d done to deserve this special treatment. “It looks great.” It certainly did. Just looking at the piece of chocolate pie in front of him was making his mouth water.

“I need you to eat this, Jack…it’s really important that I get this recipe right and since I know you’re a bit of a connoisseur of baked goods…”

“Well, I’m flattered you’d pick me, considering Bobby is a human vacuum cleaner when it comes to food, and Myles is probably a better one to give pointers on baking…”

“Yeah, except Bobby eats so quickly that he probably doesn’t taste his food, and Myles…well, Myles might think a little too much sometimes.”

“Might?”

“Okay, so I don’t need to explain that one to you. I hope you like it, Jack.”

Eagerly reaching for the fork, Jack pushed the papers aside and slid the plate toward him


*****

It looks like Jack is about to sample the pie. I wonder what commotion this little confection will create.

can't wait for jack to eat it,

cath

Wahoooooo! I can't wait to see the results of the pie eating.

Oh! Wait! This is Tara - and her family's recipe - and no telling if she even has the right recipe. What if, after eating the pie, Jack begins to rapidly grow hair and begins to howl at the moon?

Hmmmm...I guess that won't happen. Let's just hope that Bobby doesn't barge in, grab the pie, and interrupt Tara's plans. ACK!

As I've already stated, I can't wait to see the results!

Only Tara's mom could send a kitten ina box for her daughter's birthday. I just love it.

Jack, hurry to eat the pie before you get interrupted by something

I can't wait to see what happens!!!!!!!!!

Em

I'm eagerly awaiting your next post...I can't wait to see what happens!!!!!

She held her breath as he put the first bite in his mouth, watching his expression for any sort of untoward reaction. He looked thoughtful as he began to chew but he was soon smiling, and she let out the breath. “You’ve got nothing to worry about, Tara. Delicious!” Jack said as he shoveled in another bite, then another. “I wish you’d brought more than one piece.” He scraped the last bit of the pie from the plate and into his mouth. “What did you put in that, anyway? I know there was chocolate, but I could taste something else.”

“Secret family recipe,” Tara replied with a wink.

“Well, if you ever need another guinea pig, let me know,” he told her, chuckling as she reached for the plate.

“I’m glad you liked it!” She was more than glad; she was ready to jump for joy, but she managed to contain herself until she’d taken his plate and was on her way back into the kitchen to wash it. Thankfully there was no one in the hallway when she let out a whoop and danced a little jig in the hallway. This whole thing had gone so much better than Tara had imagined. She really couldn’t believe her luck and felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders now that it was over. Then she reminded herself that really, things may have only just begun. Given the way Jack had been watching Sue all morning with a hungry look in his eyes, she shouldn’t have to wait long to find out. Reaching for her cell phone, Tara decided she’d have enough time before Lucy and Sue returned to call her mother and assure her that she’d followed through on her end of the deal. Plus, she really needed to thank her for the little gift she’d sent…the one that had kept her up most of the night with its pitiful yet very endearing mewling.

*****

That was just a snippet, right? You're going to post more later? So we'll know Jack's reaction to the recipe??????? Right????????

ARGH!!!!!