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Oh well.
The truth, indiscreet as it could be, had a way of slipping out.
But his next comment suggested he was fine with the idea of another social meetup. “If there’s any left, I’ll take you up on that. So is your baking done for the day?”
“Not quite. I decided to make a pie too. Why don’t we go into the kitchen and I’ll finish that up while we drink our hot chocolate?”
“That works.”
He followed her to the back of the condo but remained standing while she pulled out a saucepan.
“You can sit.” She motioned to one of the two stools at her counter.
“My parents had a rule. Nobody sits till everybody sits. Put me to work.”
“I like that as a general rule for families, but guests are exempt.”
“Not this one.”
He wasn’t budging.
Kind of nice, really.
“Well ... if you insist.” She handed him a container of unsweetened cocoa powder. “Measuring spoons are in the drawer to the right of the sink. Sugar canister is on the counter above. You can add two tablespoons of cocoa and two tablespoons of sugar to the milk.”
“Got it.”
She measured two cups of milk into the saucepan and set it on medium heat.
While he completed his task, she pulled a bag of chocolate chips and a bottle of vanilla extract from another cabinet.
Once the milk was warm, she whisked in the chips and vanilla until the chips had melted.
“And now for my secret ingredient.” She pulled out a bottle of peppermint schnapps from the cabinet under the sink. Added a splash.
“Aha. You’re a mint lover.”
“Can you think of a more perfect combination than chocolate and mint?”
“As a matter of fact, no. My mom’s recipe for chocolate mint squares always gets rave reviews. I’ll save you a couple next time I make them.”
Another excuse to see each other again.
This day was getting better and better.
After stirring the hot chocolate again, she poured it into two mugs and topped it with whipped cream. “Enjoy.”
He took a sip, which left him with an endearing white mustache. “Amazing.”
Tapping her upper lip, she handed over a paper napkin. “One of the downsides of whipped cream, but so worth it.”
“I agree.” He wiped off the residue and motioned to her piecrust. “Are you going to blind bake that?”
She blinked.
He was familiar with blind baking?
While a fair number of men knew their way around a kitchen, most in her acquaintance stuck to the basics.
