Read Online More Than This by Shannyn Schroeder - Free Book Online Page A

enough.”
    “It’s not difficult, but if you don’t pay attention, the chocolate will burn.” Quinn
     turned back and mixed flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt in a separate bowl.
     She tried to ignore his presence without being rude.
    “Do you bake a lot?”
    “I don’t know if I’d say a lot, but I like to bake. It’s relaxing, especially when
     I have stuff to think about.”
    “What else do you do for fun?”
    She remained quiet for a minute. What did she do for fun? “I like to read.”
    But even that wasn’t always for fun. More often than not, she read something related
     to teaching. “I like to watch reality TV.”
    “Like Survivor ?”
    “No, more like The Bachelor. ”
    He huffed out a sound of disgust. “That is not reality.”
    “I know that. But for the most part, it’s regular people. They just spend an inordinate
     amount of time doing stupid crap. It’s fun to watch and doesn’t require anything from
     me.” She turned to check on the chocolate. “How’s the chocolate?”
    “Looks melted to me.” He scooped the spoon through the lake of chocolate and lifted
     it to show the smooth drizzle. “Now what?”
    She turned off the flame. “Dump the chocolate into the egg mixture I already made.”
    He grasped the handle of the top pot of the double boiler and poured the chocolate
     over the batter.
    After the chocolate was incorporated with the eggs and butter, she added the dry ingredients
     slowly. When it was all mixed, she said, “Now we fold it together with the chocolate
     chips so it stays kind of fluffy. We don’t want to beat it.”
    One eyebrow shot high on his forehead and she knew she lost him. Dumping chocolate
     he understood, folding it was a different matter. “Like this.”
    She used her spatula and gently folded the chocolate in.
    “I can handle that.” He reached for the spatula and his hand brushed hers.
    The charge between them startled her. He stood so close she thought for sure he was
     going to kiss her again. She stepped quickly to the side to let him access the bowl.
    She stood on tiptoe and pulled down her stoneware cookie sheets. The stone was smooth
     and shiny from years of use. They were heavy, but they gave her perfect cookies every
     time.
    “All mixed. Now what?”
    Ryan looked like a kid baking for the first time. He displayed his excitement on his
     face. Most guys would be bored or would only care about the finished product. Ryan
     was enjoying the process.
    Rather than take over, she handed him the cookie scoop. “Scoop the dough and plop
     it on the pan. Leave space between the cookies. You should get a dozen per pan.”
    He played with the scoop for a minute, squeezing the handle to get an understanding
     of how it worked. “Like scooping ice cream.”
    “Yep.” She eased onto a stool and watched him drop dough on the pans. It was weird
     teaching Ryan to bake Comfort Cookies. She’d always imagined that the first person
     she’d teach would be her own child.
    “Have you decided what you’re doing on Monday?”
    His question brought her back to the kitchen, away from her thoughts. “Monday?”
    “You’re playing hooky, right?”
    “Oh, that. I have no idea what I’m going to do.”
    He finished filling the two pans and she slid them into the preheated oven. After
     setting the timer, she returned to her stool. What was she supposed to talk about
     now?
    “I bet my sister Moira would love these cookies. She loves everything chocolate, and
     there appears to be about a hundred kind in these.”
    Within minutes, the inviting smell of chocolate filled her kitchen. “You’re more than
     welcome to take some with you. You can tell her that you made them yourself.” She
     dipped a finger into the remaining batter. “A good cookie always starts with good
     dough. This is Indy’s favorite part.” She licked her finger. “Sometimes we don’t even
     get a second batch in the oven. We just lick the bowl clean.” Dipping her