The Bachelor's Dare by Shirley Jump

Author:Shirley Jump
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Harlequin
Published: 2013-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Six

That afternoon, Mark watched Claire in the kitchen, beating a chocolate mousse into submission. Art and Gracie were napping; Roger and Jessica sat on the couch, arguing about kitchen appliances. Millie knitted another afghan while Lester dozed in the recliner. Renee sat on the floor, playing solitaire. Danny was married to the NFL, of course.

Mark knew he should be thinking about eliminating the competition, but all he saw was Claire. Her hips swayed to the music on the kitchen radio as she worked, a sight more delicious than the dessert she was making. She seemed so at home, so perfect in the kitchen.

For years, he’d avoided anything remotely resembling commitment with women. Then Claire had come back into his life. However, she’d made it clear she didn’t want to be tied down to anyone right now. On any other day, Mark would have seen that as an opportunity. But now, he wanted more. He wanted the house, the desserts in the kitchen, the smile at the end of the day.

He wanted Claire.

Claire went on working, clearly unaware of where his thoughts were going. This was her fourth or fifth dessert of the week, concocted from the shopping lists she gave Nancy. All had been equally amazing, especially considering she’d cooked them in a kitchen the size of a breadbox.

He took advantage of her pause in beating and dipped a finger into the bowl to taste the creamy concoction. “This is incredible. Better than the mousse I had in L.A.”

“You mentioned you liked mousse, so I made some.”

“Thanks.”

She shrugged, as if it were no big deal. But the dessert was evidence she’d been thinking of him and that realization pleased him more than he’d thought possible.

He took another taste. “You really are good at this. How come you didn’t become a chef?”

She swatted away his hand before he could dip again. “And how would I have gotten to cooking school?”

“Easy. Sign up and go.”

“Going to cooking school takes money.” She spooned the mousse into ten plastic bowls, then disconnected and washed the beaters. “Which I didn’t have much of and Abe wasn’t going to part with, not when there was a sale on beer.”

With Claire’s attention diverted, Mark didn’t waste any time. He scooped up another taste from the last little bit in the bowl. “There are scholarships. Financial aid.”

“My chance to go to cooking school ended ten years ago. I should have gone. I always wanted to. But I got sidetracked and wound up at beauty school instead.” She returned to the counter, grabbed a second bowl out of the cabinet and set it on top of one filled with ice. Then she poured a generous amount of cream into the top bowl. She dried the clean beaters, reattached them to the hand mixer and began whipping the cream until it foamed. “I wish I had a copper bowl. It works better,” she muttered.

As she worked, a look of contentment softened her features. The aroma of the chocolate, coupled with the quiet accent of Claire’s perfume, lent an air of home to the scene.

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