Yay! I worked long hours and weekends and finished the first draft of my mystery, so it's off to my critique partners. Until I hear from them, I'm back working on LUCAS. Hope you like this chapter!
Chapter 30
When Randie called her grandmother to tell her that Lucas invited them to his house to cook on Sunday, Gram got a little carried away.
“I like that boy. He’s trying to get in your pants, and he doesn’t mind bribing you with his kitchen.”
“Gram!”
A chuckle sounded on the phone. “He’s a good catch. Let’s keep him on the line. Does he have a favorite meal?”
“He talked about his grandma’s beef and noodles over mashed potatoes. Said he always looked forward to it.”
“A perfect meal. It takes three hours to make the meat tender. That means we have plenty of time to entice him with other things.”
“What other things?” Randie wasn’t sure what her grandma had in mind.
Another chuckle. “I was thinking about homemade fudge and pies.”
Randie gave a sigh of relief. Her grandma could be a handful sometimes. “Good, I’m up for that.”
“Honey, you’d better hold onto your hat, because if you hook up with Lucas, you’re in for a great ride.”
“Grandma!”
“I don’t want to show up empty-handed,” Gram said. “I want to go shopping on Saturday to buy this boy a Dutch oven. I always cook a chuck roast for my beef and noodles. You need a heavy pot to do it right. Does he have one?”
“He has a Dutch oven, but it’s not heavy.”
“Not good enough. Why don’t you pick me up on Saturday morning and we’ll look for what we need? It doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve always loved my Lodge cookware. Once we find that, we can stop somewhere for lunch.”
It wasn’t a suggestion, Randie knew. Gram was serious about cookware. “I’ll be there at ten.”
“Good! And Lucas has cheap pots and pans. I don’t like them.”
“He’s happy with them.” But Randie knew her argument would be futile.
“He doesn’t know any better. He’s someone who fumbles around in the kitchen. No one taught him any better. Now he has us.”
Whether he wanted them or not. God help him. “You have a list, don’t you?”
“He has cheap pie and cake pans, too.”
“You’re going to overwhelm him.”
“Phooey! That boy’s made of tough stuff. He’ll survive.”
Randie decided to leave it between Lucas and Gram. It would be interesting to see how they bumped heads. She got the feeling, though, that Saturday was going to be an event. And it was.
When she picked up Gram from the Townehouse, they went from one store to another until Gram found exactly what she wanted. The cost of the pot and pan set she bought made Randie cringe. “That’s way too expensive. Lucas isn’t going to be happy you spent that much.”
Gram grinned. She was dressed in a red blouse with a white boa today. Not what most people wore to the mall, but Gram never cared what other people did. “He won’t even know. He has no clue what good kitchenware costs. I’d bet he bought his stuff from the grocery store when he went for a beer run.”
Entirely possible. He had a few good pieces and a lot of standard stuff.
“We bought the Lodge from the grocery store,” Randie said, defending him.
“I’ll give you that, but pots and pans? Don’t get me started or I’ll buy him good knives, too.” It wouldn’t end there. If Randie wasn’t careful, Gram would move on to silverware, then candlesticks, and Lord knew what they’d end up with.
“That’s where I draw the line.”
Gram looked naughty. “What would you do?”
“I’d turn you in. I’d tell Lucas exactly what you spent for every item.”
Gram grimaced and played with the ends of her boa. She was having too much fun spending money, and someone had to put the brakes on or she’d restock Lucas’s entire kitchen. “You can be a downer sometimes. No fair.”
Randie raised her school teacher eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re pushing it, and you know it.”
“Oh, all right.” Gram knew when she was busted, but it took that to cool her down. “Why don’t we leave all of our purchases in your trunk and go to get something to eat?”
Finally. They ended up at Cosmos restaurant, just down the street from the Townehouse, and Grams ordered their Greek lemon-rice soup. Randie opted for one of their puffy omelets. It was late afternoon when she got back to her apartment. She was meeting Kelli at Wrigley Field Bar and Grill later that night. She had time to clean her apartment before running to the grocery store for all of the items on Gram’s list for tomorrow.
She was still glad she was going to Lucas’s to cook, but from now on, she wouldn’t tell Gram until the last minute. Her grandmother had a thing for the man. Randie just hoped she’d behave herself when they spent an entire afternoon in the kitchen together.
Chapter 30
When Randie called her grandmother to tell her that Lucas invited them to his house to cook on Sunday, Gram got a little carried away.
“I like that boy. He’s trying to get in your pants, and he doesn’t mind bribing you with his kitchen.”
“Gram!”
A chuckle sounded on the phone. “He’s a good catch. Let’s keep him on the line. Does he have a favorite meal?”
“He talked about his grandma’s beef and noodles over mashed potatoes. Said he always looked forward to it.”
“A perfect meal. It takes three hours to make the meat tender. That means we have plenty of time to entice him with other things.”
“What other things?” Randie wasn’t sure what her grandma had in mind.
Another chuckle. “I was thinking about homemade fudge and pies.”
Randie gave a sigh of relief. Her grandma could be a handful sometimes. “Good, I’m up for that.”
“Honey, you’d better hold onto your hat, because if you hook up with Lucas, you’re in for a great ride.”
“Grandma!”
“I don’t want to show up empty-handed,” Gram said. “I want to go shopping on Saturday to buy this boy a Dutch oven. I always cook a chuck roast for my beef and noodles. You need a heavy pot to do it right. Does he have one?”
“He has a Dutch oven, but it’s not heavy.”
“Not good enough. Why don’t you pick me up on Saturday morning and we’ll look for what we need? It doesn’t have to be expensive. I’ve always loved my Lodge cookware. Once we find that, we can stop somewhere for lunch.”
It wasn’t a suggestion, Randie knew. Gram was serious about cookware. “I’ll be there at ten.”
“Good! And Lucas has cheap pots and pans. I don’t like them.”
“He’s happy with them.” But Randie knew her argument would be futile.
“He doesn’t know any better. He’s someone who fumbles around in the kitchen. No one taught him any better. Now he has us.”
Whether he wanted them or not. God help him. “You have a list, don’t you?”
“He has cheap pie and cake pans, too.”
“You’re going to overwhelm him.”
“Phooey! That boy’s made of tough stuff. He’ll survive.”
Randie decided to leave it between Lucas and Gram. It would be interesting to see how they bumped heads. She got the feeling, though, that Saturday was going to be an event. And it was.
When she picked up Gram from the Townehouse, they went from one store to another until Gram found exactly what she wanted. The cost of the pot and pan set she bought made Randie cringe. “That’s way too expensive. Lucas isn’t going to be happy you spent that much.”
Gram grinned. She was dressed in a red blouse with a white boa today. Not what most people wore to the mall, but Gram never cared what other people did. “He won’t even know. He has no clue what good kitchenware costs. I’d bet he bought his stuff from the grocery store when he went for a beer run.”
Entirely possible. He had a few good pieces and a lot of standard stuff.
“We bought the Lodge from the grocery store,” Randie said, defending him.
“I’ll give you that, but pots and pans? Don’t get me started or I’ll buy him good knives, too.” It wouldn’t end there. If Randie wasn’t careful, Gram would move on to silverware, then candlesticks, and Lord knew what they’d end up with.
“That’s where I draw the line.”
Gram looked naughty. “What would you do?”
“I’d turn you in. I’d tell Lucas exactly what you spent for every item.”
Gram grimaced and played with the ends of her boa. She was having too much fun spending money, and someone had to put the brakes on or she’d restock Lucas’s entire kitchen. “You can be a downer sometimes. No fair.”
Randie raised her school teacher eyebrow and crossed her arms over her chest. “You’re pushing it, and you know it.”
“Oh, all right.” Gram knew when she was busted, but it took that to cool her down. “Why don’t we leave all of our purchases in your trunk and go to get something to eat?”
Finally. They ended up at Cosmos restaurant, just down the street from the Townehouse, and Grams ordered their Greek lemon-rice soup. Randie opted for one of their puffy omelets. It was late afternoon when she got back to her apartment. She was meeting Kelli at Wrigley Field Bar and Grill later that night. She had time to clean her apartment before running to the grocery store for all of the items on Gram’s list for tomorrow.
She was still glad she was going to Lucas’s to cook, but from now on, she wouldn’t tell Gram until the last minute. Her grandmother had a thing for the man. Randie just hoped she’d behave herself when they spent an entire afternoon in the kitchen together.
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