Jo meandered down the vegetable aisle and stopped to pick up a red bell pepper. She remembered a stir fry recipe she'd seen a while back and thought about buying the ingredients for it, but then she was brought back to reality. The reality that she really, really couldn't cook. She grimaced as she remembered the macaroni and cheese fiasco from last week. How was she so inept at cooking? Her mom was a master chef – why couldn't she have inherited those genes? Smiling sadly, Jo placed the bright pepper down and walked on.

Ah, the pre-packaged sliced meat isle. Now that was her kind of aisle. Along with fruits and vegetables (she could slice and dice just fine, thank you very much), Jo basically lived off take out, sandwiches, and microwavable meals as evident by the contents of her shopping basket. The microwave she could handle. As long as you put a cover on the food and not metal objects in, there was no threat of fire or explosions! So much could not be said about ovens and stoves, at least from Jo's experiences.

She walked to the end of the row and turned the corner. Unfortunately, someone from the other side seemed to have had the same idea at the exact same time and she found out the hard way. Via head.

They both staggered backwards after impact, but thanks to having grown up with three brothers, Jo recovered quickly. The man she'd cracked skulls with was not so lucky and looked very much in pain as he clutched his forehead.

"Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" Jo rushed over and set her basket down. "Are you okay?"

He winced, removing his hand. "I'm fine. Fine. Probably just a concussion. And internal bleeding. And permanent brain cell loss."

Jo rolled her eyes at his wry humor, but noticed a healthy bump forming. Looking around, she realized the convenience of them being in the freezer aisle. She opened a nearby door and grabbed some frozen peas. He flinched slightly as she pressed the bag to his increasingly large swelling. She realized he was actually pretty attractive. Was this really the only way to meet guys?

He opened his eyes and seemed pleasantly surprised at her appearance, and an incredibly attractive smirk began to play upon his lips.

"So am I allowed to know the name of my attacker?"

She pressed the peas against his forehead harder and he whined.

"Attacker? What a drama queen."

"Well, by process of elimination, you have to be the attacker. I don't see a watermelon-sized lump growing on your forehead" he pouted.

She lessened the pressure and smiled. "It's not that bad."

He reached up and lowered her hand, then turned to look at his reflection in the glass door and groaned. "Jesus, I look like Frankenstein's monster!"

"I think that has something more to do with the haircut" Jo said playfully.

He mock glared at her until he noticed that he still had her hand in his grasp. Jo was suddenly feeling very warm, but that couldn't be right since they were in the freezer aisle. She definitely did not remember Frankenstein's monster making her feel this way. Finally, after what seemed like ages staring hungrily into his eyes, she gently broke free.

He cleared his throat and Jo picked her basket back up. She looked at the peas for a moment before holding them out hesitantly to the man.

"Do you like peas?"

He smiled as he took the bag from her. In doing so, his hand skimmed over hers again and she resisted the urge to gasp. Damn, but that was some spark.

"They did save my life." Jo rolled her eyes again and he smiled wider.

"Hey, there have been numerous cases of death by forehead swellings. It's true. Very resourceful of you, by the way. Using the peas as a makeshift ice pack."

"And I wasn't even a Girl Scout."

They smiled at each other and Jo realized that she was probably keeping him from something (or someone, but she didn't like that option), so she gave him an opening to leave.

"Sorry again about the crash."

He waved her off. "Naw, it's nothing."

A little disappointed, she started to walk away. But when she got about halfway down the aisle, she heard him call out to her.

He jogged over and fumbled for words.

"I know this was a clearly very, very big moment in your life, and since I am most likely going to be a permanent memory of yours, I don't want you to be telling your future kids about that guy you accidentally crashed into at the Shop and Stop one time and refer to him – me – as Frankenstein's monster. I'm Zane Donovan. No Frank's or Stein's anywhere to be found in my name."

He stared at her hopefully with those gorgeous eyes of his, and it actually seemed like their meeting could be a momentous occasion.

"I'm Jo Lupo. And hey, what happened to me 'attacking' you? Now I 'accidentally crashed into' you?"

"No, you still attacked me. I just figured you'd tell your kids differently, so as not to seem like the bad guy. Of course…"

He seemed to get an idea. "…if you want to clear the guilty conscience you'll have once you tell your kids this story then you could always make it up to me."

"Oh?"

"It's six o'clock. How about cooking these peas into a delectable meal for me?"

"That might be a little bit hard for me, considering I have the culinary skills of a bachelor in college."

She indicated to her basket and Zane nodded thoughtfully.

"Then I'll just have to make on for you instead" he said simply.

"You can cook?"

He smiled proudly. "Quite masterfully, if I do say so myself. And I'm going to teach you how!"

Jo bit her lip. "Is that a good idea? I'm the kind of person who burns water and confuses the sugar with salt. Basically, not someone you want around in the kitchen. "

Zane laughed. "Please, like anyone wouldn't want to have you around. I'll take my chances."

Jo blushed as they walked towards the check-out line, and then she suddenly considered the possibility that Zane was a serial killer or rapist. But as they stood waiting for their turn and she watched in delight as he juggled three packs of Mentos and then reenacted Star Wars with raw vegetables, she ruled those options out. Besides, she was trained in martial arts, and no one ever got the drop on Jo Lupo. He wasn't a threat. He was adorable. And also a great chef, apparently.

He offered her his arm as they strolled out to the parking lot, and Jo smiled.

Zane was right. This would be a good story to tell their kids.

Wait.

What.