Jack chuckled from behind them and moved into the kitchen. “Mimi, you mind if I finish off the coffee?”
“So long as you make another pot – then no,” the woman shot back, eyeballing the skillet like a surgeon. “Stir a little faster. We don’t want it lumpy.”
“It’s still milk.”
“It’s gonna take a hot-minute to thicken – but don’t let it boil.”
“You'd better listen to her,” Jack smirked as he poured the coffee into a large mug, dropped in a heaping spoonful of sugar, and then emptied the grounds into the trash can. “Mimi, you want flavored coffee or…”
“Boy, make it real,” she shot back, not looking away from the skillet as Jack winked at Heidi, before pointing at the pan. Heidi dragged her eyes away from him, trying tofocus, and kept shooting glances at him to see what he was doing now.
“Excuse me, ladies,” he murmured, much too close to Heidi, causing her to nearly burn her hand as she moved away from him. He scooted past the two of them in the smaller kitchen, turned on the water, and stood there with the carafe under the stream… holding her gaze as his lip curled upward. “Stir.”
“Hush.”
“He’s right…”
“Don’t tell him that,” Heidi retorted in a hushed voice to his grandmother. “He’ll never get that melonhead through the doorway with his ego.”
“Oh, I like you,” Mimi chuckled and then pointed. “Stir faster – it’s thickening.”
“Told you,” Jack inserted – and Heidi shot him a nasty look, whisking that fork wildly in the pan under Mimi’s tutelage. The older woman grabbed a bowl nearby that had three eggs in it – pausing as she inspected the skillet again.
“She’s better than you were,” Mimi acknowledged – and Heidi took a moment to look up at him, sticking out her tongue. The smile that spread across his face was everything. His gorgeous eyes crinkled at the edges, a dimple appeared in the shadow on his chin… and her heart nearly skipped a beat – only to slam back into pattern as Mimi swatted her.
“Pay attention to me – you can eyeball him later.”
“I’m not,” she sputtered indignantly, her face warming.
“You are, and we’re at an important part.”
“Yeah,” Jack taunted in a hushed voice meant for her as he walked past her with the full carafe of water. “You can eyeball me later.”
“Never gonna happen…”
“Are you ready for the eggs to turn?”
“That sounded loaded…”
“Would you shut up?” Heidi yelped as Mimi poked her side.
“Would you focus?” Jack quipped, chuckling.
“I am focused. Mimi, tell him I’m focused…”
“You’re not.”
“What?” Heidi started, feeling a note of betrayal from the older woman’s clapback that hit home.
“My egg gravy is going to burn…” Mimi whimpered, taking the fork from Heidi – and she immediately took it back, holding up her other hand to Jack to make him stop. Whisking madly, Mimi cracked three eggs directly in the white gravy as Heidi stared, still whisking.
“Don’t get the yolks,” Jack volunteered.
“Shut up,” Heidi shot back – and Mimi patted her arm.
“He’s right. The yolks are last, Heidi. Let the whites cook, turn down the heat only slightly, and let them turn. You want to keep mixing – but don’t touch the yolks until the very end.”
Staring at the pan, Heidi could feel Jack’s eyes on her, making her feel antsy. Why was that pesky officer hanging around anyhow? Yes, it was his grandmother, but did he have to act so informal, so cozy now? Didn’t he have someone else to harass, someplace else to go?
