Mommy For A Minute. Judy Christenberry

found the candles and matches and they ate their dinner by candlelight. Outside, the storm raged.

      “I like this dinner, Lauren. What did you call the casserole?” Jack asked.

      “Chicken spaghetti. It was one of Mom’s favorites.”

      “Yeah, I love it,” James said, smiling at Cheryl.

      “I’d love the recipe,” Cheryl said softly, looking at Lauren.

      “Of course. Mom got it out of a church cookbook, so it didn’t originate with her. But it’s very filling and has a lot of good things in it,” Lauren explained.

      “It’s a good thing you fixed a lot of it,” James said, “since Bill and Barry arrived.”

      “You think we shouldn’t check on Lauren?” Barry demanded.

      “You know I always come on Friday,” James pointed out.

      “Yeah, but this is a bad storm. We were afraid she might find she had a leak or something like that,” Bill said. “You never know in a new place until it’s tested.”

      A crack of thunder emphasized his words.

      “Ooh, that was close,” Lauren said, staring out the window.

      Ally whimpered, and her father comforted her. “We’re okay, baby. Don’t worry.”

      Cheryl said, “I haven’t seen a storm like this before.”

      “I remember a bad one when we were little,” Bill said. “We were frightened, but Mom and Dad calmed us down.”

      “Yes, they were good at that,” Lauren said. “It’s different when you’re the adult. It’s easier to convince a child.”

      “Yeah,” James agreed. “You used to tell me everything was all right.”

      “But I was right, wasn’t I?” Lauren asked.

      “Yeah, but—” Just then a booming crack of thunder resounded. “Do you want to tell me again?”

      “I don’t think it works as well when you’re an adult.”

      Lauren almost ducked at another loud boom of thunder. “Maybe we should just pretend it isn’t storming.”

      Jack gave her a skeptical look.

      She squared her jaw and got up from the table. “How about dessert? I made carrot cake.”

      Her brothers showed enthusiasm, but Cheryl and Jack looked a little unsure.

      James leaned over to Cheryl. “You’ll love it, honey. It’s one of Lauren’s specialties.”

      “I’m willing to try it, but I’ve never had it before.” Cheryl gave Lauren a smile.

      “Don’t worry. I won’t be upset if you don’t like it. James, will you get some saucers, and Bill, some clean forks, please?”

      She took one of the candles from the table into the kitchen. The cake was heavy and she realized she couldn’t carry it and the candle at the same time. “Barry? I need some help here.”

      She heard footsteps and assumed Barry had come to assist her. “Thanks. The cake is too heavy and—”

      Turning around, she almost dropped the cake when she realized it was Jack who had followed her to the kitchen. “What happened to Barry?”

      “He was still eating chicken so I volunteered. You needed help?”

      Help was just what she needed. Help from her brother, not Jack. Somehow just being alone with him in the kitchen was making her nervous. She could feel her heart pick up the pace, and her voice was breathless when she finally responded, “You can take the cake.”

      Jack reached out for it and, underestimating the heft, nearly dropped it. Acting on instinct, she flung out her arms and they met his hands as he got a tighter grip on the plate.

      From the mere contact she felt a sizzle course from her hands up her arms, jolting her with its intensity. Pulling back as if burned, she grabbed the candle and spun toward the door, trying not to let Jack know she was running away.

      The quick motion extinguished the flame on the candle, plunging the kitchen into darkness.

      In her haste to escape, she ran into something hard, warm and…all male.