13. Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Elizabeth Turner was miserable.
And in her mind she had every reason to be. She had caught the stomach flu and had only recovered two days previously. It wouldn't have been so bad if Will had been there with her. But he hadn't. Her husband had been gone for two weeks and wasn't scheduled to return until that coming Saturday.
So, to console herself, she had pulled out a package of strawberries and a bag of chocolate chips. One minute of microwaving later, she stood before a bowl of melted chocolate and a colander of fresh strawberries with a knife in hand.
Music played in the background to distract her from the fact that Will wasn't present. He always played music at night when he was working at home. The sound was something that she had been accustomed to and the house seemed empty without it.
Jabbing her knife in the first strawberry to hull it, she fought back tears and focused on how wonderful the fruit was going to taste, not how much she wanted Will back home.
Eight songs and five tissues later she was ready for the warm chocolate. By now she'd stopped sniffling and could work without blowing her nose and then having to wash her hands every twelve seconds.
She lifted the first fat strawberry and smeared the rich chocolate over its bumpy surface. The motion was oddly relaxing and it wasn't long before she had a whole plate of chocolate-strawberry goodness.
Temptation struck and she popped one in her mouth, feeling the sweet juice rush over her tongue. She felt a bit better now and as the strains of music continued to flow she found herself humming along, dancing around the kitchen with her chocolate-covered spatula in hand.
She was finishing a complicated twirl when suddenly she was swept up by two strong arms and kissed soundly on the lips. Shocked beyond words, she pulled back to see a pair of twinkling brown eyes in a familiar handsome face.
"Will!"
"Hello." He kissed her again, lingering this time.
"But I thought you were booked all through Friday! I thought you couldn't come home!"
"Plans changed. I thought I'd surprise you." Will moved his thumb over a dark smudge on her chin. "Miss me?"
"Now, why would you think something like that?"
"Is it normal for you to dance around the kitchen with strawberry partner?"
Elizabeth's cheeks grew hot and she felt herself leaning in for another kiss.
Will grinned as they separated. "Mmm, chocolate."