Free What's Cooking by Gail Sattler

with him, most of which concerned his age, but there was also her mysterious relationship with Hank.
    He could have been angry with Gordie and Roland for making the difference in their ages so obvious, but something else would have happened to bring it up. They’d only sped up the timing of when he had to deal with it. Unfortunately, when he tried to talk to her, he was the only one with anything to say. Mitchell didn’t consider that a good sign.
    He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling again.
    Regardless, Carolyn had still kissed him. The experience was everything he thought it would be and more. He closed his eyes, remembering, then stared back at the ceiling.
    Whatever happened with that kiss, there was still the major hurdle of Hank between them. He took solace in the fact that Carolyn would never have kissed him if she were truly serious about Hank.
    Mitchell rolled over and punched his pillow. Even if she wasn’t serious about Hank, the way things were now, she wasn’t serious about Mitchell, either.
    He couldn’t change his age, but in order to compete with an older man, he could work on maturity. He hadn’t considered settling down before now because he hadn’t met the right woman. But now that he’d met Carolyn, he wanted what Jake and Ellen had. Commitment. Stability. A shared faith.
    Love.
    He didn’t know if it was possible to really fall in love so soon, but the only way to know for sure would be to spend more time with her. Serious, quality time. In order to do that, Carolyn would have to be more receptive to seeing him instead of him forcing invitations where they really weren’t wanted.
    There was nothing he could do to make her want to see him, but he knew Someone who could give him guidance.
    Mitchell closed his eyes and began to pray.

Six
    Carolyn knocked on Mitchell’s door and waited. His dog barked once, then became silent as the door opened.
    Another man stood in the doorway, holding Mitchell’s dog by the collar. He was about Mitchell’s age, but he, too, was a good-looking man. She thought of Gordie and Roland and wondered if Mitchell had any short, ugly friends. Or any that were older.
    He smiled. “You must be Carolyn. I’m Jake. Mitchell had to work late. He called a little while ago to say he was on his way home, and he wanted me to ask if you’d mind waiting if you got here first.”
    â€œI don’t mind at all.” She stepped inside and closed the door behind her.
    â€œGreat.” Jake released the dog, who sniffed up at her, then left.
    Now that his hands were free, Carolyn reached forward to shake Jake’s hand. “I’m pleased to meet you, Jake. So you’re the one getting married. Congratulations. I also want to thank you for replacing the glass in my needlepoint frame.”
    Jake smiled. “You’re welcome. Nice picture, by the way. That means you’re the brave soul who’s trying to teach Mitch to cook something besides hot dogs. Good luck.”
    After experiencing firsthand the extent of Mitchell’s cooking skills, she perfectly understood Jake’s not-so-subtle wisecrack. She grinned to herself, knowing how much Mitchell had improved, but at the same time knowing Mitchell still had a lot to learn in the remaining four short weeks until the big day.
    â€œDoes he often have to work late?”
    â€œActually, yes, he does. His overtime hours are unpredictable because they always involve some crisis that can’t be left until the next day. He never gets any advance warning or notice. It just happens.” Jake checked his watch. “And speaking of late, I hate to be rude, but I have to take care of something for the wedding, and I’m already late. Would you like to watch television or something? Mitch shouldn’t be much longer.”
    â€œThat’s fine; I don’t mind.”
    Jake escorted her to the couch, turned on the television, handed her