Free Anything You Can Do by Sally Berneathy

You just follow the directions."
    Paula pulled a package of white chocolate from one of the bags and studied it appraisingly. "I can mail my letters later. I don't think I'd better leave right now."
    " Paula Lynn Duvall, don't you touch one thing in this kitchen. I' m cooking, and I don't need any criticism or help."
    "You don't mind if I sit here at the bar and drink iced tea, do you?"
    Most assuredly Bailey minded, but there seemed no way out of it. "Fine. But knock off the unsolicited advice. "
    "I'll just sit here quiet as a mouse and take notes. Maybe we could work this into a television sitcom."
    Choosing to ignore her friend's smart mouth, Bailey left the room to change into appropriate attire.
    Minutes later, wearing the T-shirt and shorts she'd worn to paint the b edroom, Bailey unpacked her purchases and arranged them on the counter. She studied the recipe carefully, then rearranged everything and stared at the items, trying vainly to imagine the gorgeous color picture in the cookbook emerging from all that mess. Paula had her head buried in a magazine, but Bailey could have sworn she was smirking.
    Taking a deep breath, she turned her attention to the project. One thing she knew for certain , the blasted recipe had to be followed exactly. Paula's recounting of her high school fiasco, her last experiment with cooking, reminded her that cutting out unnecessary steps had gotten her in trouble before. Heating the water to boiling before adding the pasta really did make a difference.
    She set the oven to the exact temperature, allowing time for it to preheat, then consulted the recipe again. Since she didn't have time to let the cream cheese reach room temperature while lying on the counter, she plopped it into the microwave where parts of it got real soft real fast. Well, it could harden up a little in the freezer while she made the crust.
    Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the cheesecake was in the oven. Now to get all the seeds out of those raspberries and make the sauce. Maybe if she just put them in the blender, the seeds would mush up and disappear.
    Yes, indeed, Austin would regret his tacky remarks about her refrigerator holding nothing but dog food and mayonnaise. She'd show him she was a skilled cook.
    *~*~*
    "This is great," Gordon drawled, popping the tab on a beer and settling onto a dining table chair.
    "You get to clean up," Austin answered from the kitchen, stuffing wild rice mixture into the last Cornish game hen.
    "You're such a pal, going to so much trouble to help me impress Paula."
    Austin hesitated in his work, searching for sarcasm in Gordon's words. "Seems to me you need all the help you can get," he finally said. "What you're doing is the goofiest thing I've ever heard of. Where do you go from here? You can 't leave letters in the park indefinitely." He basted the birds carefully with real butter. This was no time to think of one's arteries.
    "I'm glad you asked. I've got a great idea, and since you're so eager to help, I'll include you. I take her to the park to look for her next letter, and I let you know when we're going. Then you be there waiting, and while we go check the tree , you leave flowers in her car."
    Austin slid the hens into the oven and groaned. He'd never known his friend to go to so much trouble over a woman —over anything, for that matter. If a project involved effort, Gordon just left it and went on to something easier.
    "Has it ever occurred to you that when Paula finds out you're writing these kooky letters, she may just decide you're nuts in addition to being a lawyer? Then she'll for sure never go out with you. Probably never speak to you again."
    "I'm just trying to give her a chance to see what kind of guy I am without being blinded by her prejudice against lawyers."
    Austin joined his friend on the brown leather sofa. "I'm beginning to think she may be right about attorneys."
    "They're still ready to lynch you, huh?"
    "They're fighting the changes." Austin