Oh, Fudge!

Part I: I Left My Heart In...

"…Ray had the beginnings of his acting career and me? Well, I was hooked on being a nurse!”

"That simple?”

“That simple.”

"More coffee?’

“Yeah.”

Kel poured another cup. Not too trusting of its expiration, he added a dribble of creamer.

"Thanks.”

“You’re welcome!”

He returned with a smile and sat back down. Dixie’s pensive expression told him there was more to discuss. She looked up from her coffee and managed a smile. "You may as well know…there is…a little more to the equation than just Scotch and milk."

“Oh?”

‘When two people talk of marriage…" her voice trailed off. Clumsy place to begin, Dix… she thought to herself.

Kel heard little more.

"Marriage?” He began to sit more erect. “Ray asked you to marry him?”

Dixie nodded and smiled awkwardly, watching Kel’s expression change into masked disappointment. He tried to recover, but it was too late. "Congratulations! I’m sure he’ll make you very happy.” He surrendered, realizing this was not only inevitable, but what was best for her. He even tried to smile. "Heaven knows you deserve it--“

She comforted him with a smile and a gentle shake of her head from side to aide. Come to your senses, Desperado. The answer was ‘no’.

"No?!" The unspoken words still rang in his ears. Kel tried in vain to mute his jubilance. His confusion assisted his endeavor. "How come?”

"Ray was talking of how wonderful, rosy, and romantic things were--and they were. He asked me if I had ever felt anything like that before or after San Francisco.”

"And?”

"Well, I told him the truth. What he and I had was pretty incredible.”

He could tell Dixie was headed some place distant.

“It pretty much taught me what love should be like…what it was about…but since then…" Her voice softened as she collected herself.

"Since then?”

She gave Kel a discerning glance. "I think you know the answer to that one.”

Kel’s eyes narrowed, arresting hers. “I hope I do.”

Her gaze intensified. “You know you do.”

His smile erupted from deep inside.

“I couldn’t marry Ray.” She never shied away as she marched into precarious territory. “He simply isn’t you.” Dixie broke the intensity of the moment by returning her glance to her coffee. "I’m sorry, Kel. I didn’t mean to drudge up old memories…”

”Don’t be sorry. Besides, I’m the one who asked.”

She welcomed his admission, smiling sweetly. He bravely placed his hand on hers.

“And I’m glad I did."

‘Me too.” Dixie conceded. "How about you, Kel. Any old flames ever come by and heat up your cage?”

He rolled his eyes. "Only every day."

They both chuckled at the implication.

“Dr. Brackett, Room 5, STAT,” paged the operator.

He shook his head.

"Uh-oh. End of conversation,” Dixie murmured, disheartened.

‘Not this time,” he said, heading for the door. “If it’s all right with you, Ill give you a call tonight?”

‘’I’d like that."

"Dr. Brackett, Room 5, STAT.”

He looked at the loud speaker. “Don’t wait by the phone," he cautioned, smiling.

“‘Tis the season!” he said to himself as he hurried down the hall.

*************

Part II: Oh, Fudge!

“Hello! Santa’s Fudge Factory!” answered a cheerful voice over loud Christmas music.

"Dix?!”

"Hi, Kel.’

Santa’s Fudge Factory ??? "I’m sorry to call back so late…sounds like you're busy. I’ll call back at a better time."

“No! No, no.” She covered the receiver with her hand. “Andy, can you turn the music down please?”

"Andy?!"

"Yes. Andy Confer in administration."

"Yeah. I know him."

"He’s just helping me with my tree.”

Kel’s plan for this evening imploded with a twang of jealousy. “You’re busy. We can talk later--"

"No, Kel, please. He and his wife Cindy just moved in the building opposite…they stopped by with some cookies.”

For the second time in eight hours! Kel thought.

"I was hoping…” He balked a little in frustration. “Well, I know it’s late, but…"

"C’mon over..." she sang into the receiver.

“But you have company."

‘’The tree’s done. They probably won’t be around long. You’d love Cindy! Besides…I was gonna make fudge anyway.” Kel was skeptical.

“Gonna give up that easily?”

"Hmm-mmm."

“Oh! I hate to ask you this…but since you’re already going to be coming by the grocery store…could you pick up some sweetened condensed milk? I’m making my famous 'Christmas Eve Fudge'."

"Oh, yeah? Well, it’s not Christmas Eve yet."

‘You don’t make it on Christmas Eve, you eat it on Christmas Eve. Everybody knows that!”

Right, everybody knows that! "Sweet and condensed milk?”

"No, sweetened, condensed milk.”

“Oh. Sweetened condensed milk.” What the--?? He shrugged to himself. “Sure. How much?”

"Two cans."

‘Two cans of sweetened condensed milk! Got it!"

*************

“Did you say sweetened condensed or evaporated??” Kel teased as he strolled through the door.

"Sweetened condensed.” Dixie was slightly distraught, not yet trusting of Kel’s culinary instincts.

"I wasn’t sure so I got three cans of both." He sat the bag on her counter top.

She smiled radiantly in relief. “What else did you buy?”

“Oh… a bottle of wine. I’m not sure which goes better with fudge so I...”

"Got both," she helped. “Thanks. Hungry?”

"Starved."

"I’ll make you a sandwich.”

“Thanks.” He walked over to the tree. “Still looks good.”

"Yeah…it’s held up well through the years."

He eyed the apartment that he hadn’t visited in longer than he cared to know. The candles burning, the music playing softly in the background…all made him want to take off his shoes and stretch out on the floor in front of the fireplace like he had comfortably so many times before. The fireplace was dark.

*************

"Here’s your sandwich,” she announced proudly, stopping in her tracks as she eyed the fireplace, with flames lighting and burning. “Hey! You fixed it! How’d you do that?”

"Just scratched off a little corrosion on the switch.” He smiled humbly. “Probably got that way from non-usage."

"I thought that thing was history. I’ve been trying to get my landlord to fix it."

"Just used the Swiss Army knife that you got me for my birthday awhile back.” He blew away the smoke, folded it back, and returned it to his ‘holster’.

A/ways a cowboy! She was thrilled.

Kel tried not to eat his sandwich in less than five bites.

"So how long has it been since you’ve eaten?"

Kel looked to the ceiling for an answer.

‘Never mind. I don’t think I want to know. You want another one?”

‘’No, thanks! That hit the spot." He took his plate to the sink and yawned as he rinsed off the dish.

"I can take care of that. You go lay down…I’ll make some coffee and get the stuff together to make fudge."

"But it’s midnight."

"No time like the present."

Kelly laughed. "I'll just lay over here by the fire…if you don’t mind."

"Make yourself at home.”

Kel kicked off his shoes.

************* This time, it didn’t stick. It didn’t run. It was perfect! With the assistance of a spatula, she poured the glistening contents of the heavy sauce pan into the cake pan--previously buttered and greased.

"You’ve been busy.” Kel yawned, holding the refrigerator door.

"Hope I didn’t make too much noise."

"Are you kidding? I don’t remember my head hitting the pillow!”

"I thought I heard you stirring…"

"I was brushing my teeth.”

"You could have just crashed on the bed …you didn’t have to sleep on the floor."

"I like it there.” He closed the door after Dixie placed the pan on the second shelf.

"Besides, I wanted to watch you in the kitchen," he added safely under his breath...or so he thought.

"Pardon?” She opened the cupboards, intent on finding more ingredients for more fudge but nonetheless cognizant of his comment.

“I said I…uh.” He chickened out. "I like to look at the tree and listen to the music playing…on the radio. Really puts me in a Christmas mood.” He exhaled as he baled, quickly, to another subject “How long was I out?”

‘About an hour.’

"I didn’t think I was that tired."

Dixie gave him a shrewd look, allowing him to study her face in full view. His eyes narrowed as he observed a large brown glob of fudge in the corner of her lips.

"Aren’t you glad you listened to me?”

“Always!” He took a moment to enjoy this picture and tuck it into the wrinkles of his memory. He smiled. "Do much tasting?”

"Occasionally.” She looked a little taken back by his seemingly odd question, unaware of her chocolate pout.

Upon further inspection, he noticed chocolate spatterings on her cheek, neck and under the chin. “Mind if I have a taste?” He asked sheepishly, lousy with his boyish charm that surfaced on such rare occasions--especially in the presence of certain little girl who got caught in the chocolate with evidence all over her face.

“Sure." She handed him the bowl and spatula, still naïve of her circumstance.

He received the bowl, gazed into her eyes, and quietly replaced it on the counter. He bit his lip and sighed. “Forgive me.” A bit bewildered at first, Dixie presented an innocence compelling Kel beyond any ability to resist. His lips softly swept the corner of her mouth. She could feel his gentle tongue softly removing the sweet sampling there. “Mmmm…amaretto.”

“A dash.”

“Intense flavor!" he critiqued. He needed more to confirm. She allowed hers to lightly encounter his.

“What about texture…?" she played along.

He slowly brought his hands to her chin to accommodate his approach and inspection, tasting the splotch there also. "Silky. Smooth.” He savored some more, closing his eyes in an attempt to contain the chemical explosions taking charge of him.

“Consistency…?”

His warm eyes narrowed and steeled, penetrating her gaze.

"Perfect," he reported, dragging his breath along the satin of her cheek and meandering down her neck.

“Think you know your confections, huh?” Dixie attempted feebly to maintain composure, but found herself melting into his embrace.

"It’s not my area of expertise…but I’m a good student.” He slipped his way further down her neck to the glistening glob on her clavicle and lingered there for a while, rendering them both defenseless.

She sighed in surrender as her hands worked their way up the arms that were now holding her, frolicking in the thickness of his dark wavy hair. Her fingers massaged through memories of prevailing passion that fanned flames of fresh new fire.

His mouth returned to drink from hers as if his very life depended on the syrup into which she was dissolving. His hands sifted through her silky locks. He breathed her breath and it fueled his desire. She inhaled his passion and it fired her thirst. This was Kel in all of his beauty. This was Dixie in the fullness of her beauty. Both swam in the ecstasy of rediscovery.

Her hand caressed his face.

Kelly halted his pursuit. “Dix...?”

"Mmm-hmmm?”

"This isn’t why I came over..." He said it for his own benefit as well as Dixie’s.

“I know.” She realized the brutal conclusion, but couldn’t back away.

Neither could he. Taking her hand, he led her over by the fireplace where they sat comfortably in each other’s embrace. For a while, no words were said--for none were needed. Kel looked into the soothing blueness of her eyes where he saw the reflection of the renewed flames. He offered her his mouth once again. She accepted.

They broke only briefly.

“I know this sounds … abrupt ..but what would you say to a weekend at the ranch?”

"That’s abrupt.” She nodded in agreement. “It also sounds…marvelous."

"Great!” He kissed her.

"You don’t beat around the bush with anybody do you?”

He pulled back in a little frustration.

“Well, nobody but you," he confessed. “I’ve let anything and everything interfere with our relationship. It’s time that stopped.”

"You can’t blame yourse--“

“Sh..sh…sh." He placed a gentle hand over her lips, his eyes spilling with sincerity.

"It’s time that stopped, Dix,” he repeated. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am.”

Her sparkling eyes still mirrored the fire in the background.

"I love you, Dix. I’ve never stopped.”

"I know.” She smiled.

"And I love you,” she whispered as her heart leapt in release of bottled emotions. "Care to help me make another batch…?"

"Only if I can do the tasting.”

The End

*************

CHRISTMAS EVE FUDGE

1 cup chocolate chips (semi-sweet)

1 cup peanut butter

Place in microwave (forgive me! I know, I know!) for one minute.

Stir.

Add:

1 14-oz. can sweetened condensed milk

Stir.

Place in fridge.

Add as many healthy portions of Kelly Brackett as desired…for taste!

Ya got your fudge!!!!

Merry Christmas, everyone!!!!