Free Chocolate Kisses by Judith Arnold

here and took over
my kitchen and then she went parading around the ballroom with that ridiculous
cake—”
    “It
was a beautiful cake. Melanie special-ordered it. And Claudia’s just doing her
job.”
    “I
don’t like her job,” Edie blurted out. “It used to be my job. No one
ever asked me to make cakes like that.”
    “Oh,
Edie…” He clasped her hands within his. “No one can replace you, you know
that. But you’re retired. You’ve earned the right to take it easy. I just want
you to kick back and enjoy yourself.”
    “I
see that girl working in my kitchen,” Edie complained, “and she’s doing
everything different from the way I did it.”
    “She’s
a different person. She does things her own way.”
    Edie’s’
eyes narrowed on him. “You’ve got the hots for her.”
    He
grinned unapologetically. “Is it that obvious?”
    “I’ll
grant you, she’s young and pretty. But she’s got a chip on her shoulder, Ned.
She doesn’t understand the Wyatt way of doing things.”
    “Neither
do I, sometimes,” Ned confessed. “Frankly, I’m kind of interested in the
Mulcahey way of doing things.”
    “You
should find a girl from your own world, Ned.”
    “I
should find a woman I admire—and love,” he said, half to himself. Straightening
up, he walked to the refrigerator, opened it and sneaked two chocolate kisses
out of the bowl. He gave one to Edie. “Taste that,” he ordered, “and see if you
still don’t like Claudia.”
    Eyeing
him suspiciously, Edie bit into the chocolate. Her eyes grew round, her jaw
grew slack and she popped the rest of the candy into her mouth and sucked on
her fingers. “Oh, my,” she said weakly. “That’s something.”
    “It’s
something, all right.”
    “What
did she put in there?”
    “Magic,”
he joked.
    “I
can see why you’re in love,” Edie said, reaching for the candy in his hand.
“Give me another.”
    Ned
shook his head. “This one’s for me. Treat her nicely, Edie, and maybe she’ll
give you a few herself.”
    “Well…I
suppose I can tolerate her for an evening,” Edie conceded gruffly, although her
smile remained, along with a trace of chocolate on her teeth. “Go home and get
dressed. I’ll make sure her cakes stay in one piece.”
    “Thanks.”
Ned winked and headed for the door. Not until he was outside did he eat the
chocolate kiss he’d taken for himself. He bit into it and was reminded of his
brief glimpse of Claudia’s body beneath the rainbow-flecked bubbles in the tub,
her hair pinned up and glistening with drops of water, her face dewy, her
throat pale and her eyes as blue as heaven.
    His
body grew hard as he swallowed the kiss, hungry for more kisses, her kisses. If Claudia’s chocolate could win Edie’s grudging respect, it was no
wonder it won Ned’s respect—to say nothing of his lust.
    Tomorrow,
he promised himself. They’d get through this ridiculous party tonight, and
tomorrow he and Claudia could really get down to business.
    ***
    THE
OVEN WASN’T ON.
    Claudia
had entered the kitchen dressed in her black wool sheath—with a full-length
apron over it—her comfortable low-heeled black pumps and plain gold earrings.
She was ready to frost her chocolate cake.
    She
was also ready to forge a truce with Edie Mueller. But Edie wasn’t there.
    Claudia
checked the wall clock. The ovens should have begun preheating by now. She
twisted the dial on one, listening for the click and the woof of the gas
vents igniting.
    Nothing.
    She
twisted the dial again, off and then on, off and on. Nothing.
    No, she gasped under her breath. Enough
things had gone wrong for one job—for one lifetime. She’d had a near accident,
smashed two cakes and fallen in love.
    And
now this.
    The
oven had been working earlier. What happened?
    She
raced down the hall in search of help and spotted Edie near the open front
door. “Edie!” Claudia cried, abandoning her pride. “Edie! The main oven isn’t
working.”
    “Don’t
be silly,” Edie