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Post by Jonah Wellington on Jul 18, 2012 17:10:25 GMT -5
Jonah raised his eyebrow at her. "Oh, really? Well, in that case, I'll have to work extra hard to impress Rylan."
He'd already impressed Carley, that much he was sure of. Of course, most of what had impressed her so much was a lie, but at least he was telling the truth about being a good cook. As for the kid, he wasn't too worried. Kids usually liked him. Maybe it was because he was immature at times and still acted like a kid, but he'd found that girls didn't mind that, as long as he was talking to a kid at the time.
"Yeah, I tried to play with a recipe... but I didn't use enough eggs and the cake was just a mushy, crumbly mess. Cooking is harder to mess up, unless you over-cook something. But maybe you could give me a baking lesson sometime."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Jul 19, 2012 15:14:56 GMT -5
She laughed. "I can tell you after you leave, he'll ask me about twenty questions about you." Rylan was something else. He was a sweetheart, that was for sure. "Although, I will have to warn you. Rylan is really spot on about judging people. He's usually always right about them. Sometimes it's almost as if he's a lie detector." Carley's back was to Jonah's face as she said this. Of course she didn't know anything really about him except for what he told her.
"As for this baking lesson, I think we can work something out. We'll start off with something really easy." She added the last sentence with a teasing tone as she glanced at him over her shoulder.
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Jul 30, 2012 23:28:40 GMT -5
Lie detector? Jonah felt a nervous rumble in his stomach at this comment. He was lucky that neither Carley nor the boy Rylan were looking at him at that moment. If he'd been drinking something, he surely would have choked on it.
Somehow he was going to have to either avoid the boy or find a way to convince him. So far it didn't seem like Rylan suspected anything, or was even all that interested in him... but over dinner, that could change quickly.
Why had he allowed himself to get into this mess?
"Well, I guess I'll have to work extra hard to impress him, won't I?" he said in a vaguely teasing voice. Only he knew he wasn't joking.
"Hey, do you have anything for a salad? I could mix up a salad for you," he said, eager to change the subject.
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Post by Carley Spangler on Aug 19, 2012 10:19:26 GMT -5
"If you look in the fridge, second shelf behind the apple juice, is the carrots, broccoli, and a few other things. The bottom draw on the left has the lettuce and the draw on the right has the cheese, ham, and turkey. Use whatever you want to make it. If you want to use everything, go for it, but if not that's perfectly fine." Carly smiled.
It was different having someone offering to help her like that. Usually she could discreetly use magic to help her in the kitchen, but this time she didn't want to use magic. What if Jonah was a muggle? There was no way she was going to let him think that she was some kind of freak. After all, he was offering to fix up the orphanage. She was not about to chase him off.
"If you want to use any sort of dressing as well, check the cabinet right beside the fridge." She stirred the ingredients in the pot to let it start getting warm. "I really appreciate your help. It's just usually me running around the kitchen trying to hurry to cook."
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Aug 19, 2012 22:12:38 GMT -5
"Hmm," Jonah said, considering these options. "I actually make a mean broccoli salad. The kids'll love it, believe me... it was always the only way I'd ever eat broccoli as a kid."
He reached into the refrigerator and pulled out the broccoli, the cheese, and some mayonnaise, along with the bottle of ranch dressing. "I don't suppose you have any bacon? I can probably use ham if you don't... and how do you feel about raisins?"
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Post by Carley Spangler on Aug 25, 2012 20:49:46 GMT -5
"Bacon is on the bottom shelf, look behind the pudding." No one would ever notice it, but Carley magically charmed the refrigerator to hold more items. There was no difference if someone just looked at it. There was no way in the world a normal refrigerator could hold as many items needed for the orphanage.
"Raisins are amazing. Look in the cabinet beside the refrigerator, second shelf." Carley glanced over her shoulder and observed Jonah for a moment as he gathered everything he needed. She turned back to the stove and gave a small smile to herself before she finished up the sauce and started on the noodles.
"You might wanna be careful, I might attempt to get you to help me in the kitchen more often if you're going to be around," she said jokingly as she added water to another pot to boil.
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Oct 25, 2012 23:38:38 GMT -5
It was subtle, yes... but Jonah still noticed it. It was the sort of thing that probably only someone with magic would even think to look for. It brought a smile to Jonah's face as he reached for the ingredients he needed for the salad. He had to admire the way she used her magic in subtle ways to help the orphanage, when no one would even notice it.
He could do the same, actually. Instead of reaching to the back of the refrigerator to grab the bacon, he simply whispered "Accio bacon," and caught the package in his hands.
He stood up and went into the cabinet to grab the raisins, then laid out his ingredients in front of him.
He took a frying pan and started the bacon cooking, then looked over at her with a smile. "I don't mind helping you in the kitchen whenever I'm here. But you know, you should take turns teaching the kids how to cook... especially the boys. I learned to cook because I heard a rumor that girls love guys who can cook. Is it working on you?" he added with a wink.
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Post by Carley Spangler on Oct 26, 2012 15:07:25 GMT -5
Oddly, in a way the situation felt normal. Carley was used to not really having anyone else in the kitchen with her. Just as Jonah came over to the stove, she moved over a little to make sure he had enough room to get to the burner.
His comment of guys cooking caused her to laugh. She looked at him and rolled her eyes playfully. Leaning against the kitchen counter, she crossed her arm and pretended to assess him for a moment. "Hmm, I suppose there is some truth to the rumor. So, I guess it's working just a little," she said using her index finger and thumb to show 'a little'. Carley's smile widened a little as she stirred the noodles in the pot to make sure they didn't stick to the bottom.
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Oct 28, 2012 0:14:17 GMT -5
The thought occurred to Jonah that this would be the perfect time to kiss her. He pictured it in his mind, just him leaning over to her and giving her a light, but unmistakeable kiss on her lips. they were standing so close and they were flirting pretty obviously and the timing seemed perfect... except for one thing.
He had come here to this orphanage to try and get the woman who owned it to sell to him, so that his father could close it and put up a shopping mall. This wasn't just any building; it was Carley's home and the home of all those other orphan children who had no where else to go. He'd offered to help them fix the place up, which was the exact opposite of the real reason he'd come here. He really did want to help, but it meant betraying his father. And if she found out what his father's real plan was, she'd hate him. And this hypothetical kiss would look make him look even more like a liar, cheater, and a user than he already was.
So he couldn't kiss her. Not until he figured out how to make his lies into the truth and help her save the orphanage that she didn't even know was in danger yet.
"Well, wait 'till you taste the broccoli salad. All of my friends order me to make this whenever they have a party. And it was the only way my brother would ever eat broccoli."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Nov 6, 2012 12:56:01 GMT -5
Carley let out a laugh. Part of her wanted him to kiss her, but when he didn't she didn't let any sort of disappointment show. "Some one is super confident," she joked. Once the noodles were finished she moved from the stove to the sink in order to drain the noodles and finished up making the pasta.
"Well, maybe Rylan will finally eat his broccoli. If he does eat your broccoli salad, you get bonus points with me. I've tried everything I can with that boy and he refuses to get his vegetables. Matthew takes after Rylan and will eat whatever he eats, or at least try to eat whatever he eats. The other children seem to eat whatever is put in front of them."
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Dec 9, 2012 18:36:46 GMT -5
Jonah smiled. "Kids always need someone to look up to," he said. "The children are lucky to have you. I had my older sister growing up, and my little brother had me. But you have a family here, with all these children. That's why it's important to keep things in good shape here... to give them that stability."
How could his father think it was fair to close down an orphanage? These were children with no where else to go, no one else to rely on. For them, this was their home, their family, their life. How could anyone take that away from them?
As he spoke, he continued cooking, cutting the broccoli into small pieces, then placing it into a pot of boiling water to flash steam it, so that it wouldn't be too hard and crunchy.
"Anyway, my little brother is a very picky eater... always has been. And he loves my broccoli salad. The secret is the combination of bacon and raisins... and honey. It's sweet and salty, and you don't even think about the broccoli."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 9, 2012 22:52:20 GMT -5
There was a light blush to Carley's cheeks as Jonah gave a compliment to her. These children were her family. She wouldn't know what she would do without them. "You are full of surprises. Not only are you a contractor, and a man who knows how to flirt, but you also know your way around the kitchen. You're sure you're not already married or have a girlfriend off somewhere?"
She gave him a smile as she finished up the pasta. Carley reached up into the cabinet and pulled down plates for the children. Even the cabinets were touched with magic. There was only one way all the food and dishes were going to fit. Mrs. Elvington knew her secret and was obviously welcoming to the idea.
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Dec 17, 2012 22:46:30 GMT -5
Jonah laughed and gave her a wink. "I also play guitar and write music," he said as he quickly drained the broccoli and ran it under cold water to stop the cooking. "But alas, I don't have a girlfriend. I think I'm just so perfect that women are intimidated by me."
He turned to her and wiggled his eyebrows at her teasingly. "No, the truth is, I work a lot, and it makes it hard for me to go out and meet girls. That's why I have to flirt with pretty girls where ever I can find them. I have to say, I was not expecting to find one at the orphanage..."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Dec 24, 2012 1:26:42 GMT -5
Before Jonah wiggled his eyebrows, Carley let out a laugh. She rolled her eyes. "Intimidating, huh?" In a way to her, he seemed almost perfect. He was extremely well rounded, a gentleman, and nice enough to offer repairing the orphanage. In the back of her mind she wondered where his flaw was, other than the fact that he worked a lot. This whole day seemed almost too good to be true, but Carley pushed those thoughts out of her mind. She was going to enjoy her evening.
"What? Did you expect me to be white haired, wrinkles, glasses hanging half way down my nose, a blanket over my shoulders with a cane?" Carley looked at him amused. "Not even Mrs. Elvington is completely like that." She laughed. "There's not a whole lot of younger people that help around in an orphanage. I remembered what it was like and I wanted to come back to try to make it a good if not great experience for them. No matter what child it is, orphan or not, they need someone to push them in a good way. Adoption day is always exciting yet frightening. I remember going through interview after interview. Every family that interviewed me thought I was a freak. I remember crying for hours after each time. There were times when I wished someone younger was around that was little older than me, but not quite as old as Mrs. Elvington that I could talk to. I thought these kids would want the same thing, and a little extra comfort on those frightening days."
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Dec 30, 2012 23:19:38 GMT -5
Jonah laughed at her description. No... it was pretty hard to imagine her as a withered old lady with a cane. But his own image seemed even more ridiculous now that he was here.
"Actually, I was imagining something out of a Dickens novel," he replied. "You know, a run-down craphole with poor little urchins running around and sitting at a long table with tiny bowls of greyish gruel, and nasty caretakers who beat the kids for asking for more food. Maybe even a batty old lady wandering around in a wedding dress."
He shook his head and laughed. "I'm really very glad this place wasn't like that. And I'm glad you're not wandering around in a wedding dress. You're really doing a good thing here... and if you ask me, the people who didn't adopt you were the ones who missed out. These kids... they're the lucky ones, because they've got you."
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Post by Carley Spangler on Jan 4, 2013 0:26:28 GMT -5
"A little Oliver Twist, eh?" Carley laughed. "I'm positive if the children ever want more, they sure can have more." She looked down toward the floor with a light blush on her cheeks. "Thank you. That's basically the nicest thing I've heard, other than maybe a compliment from one of the children." She gave a small laugh before turning back to make sure all the noodles were covered in sauce and plentiful.
"The children mainly like me because I can do magic tricks," she said teasingly. Of course Carley used magic around the house, but she never preformed it literally in front of the children, or any other muggle. "They like the trick I can do at dinner time. You can see it too." Usually after the pot or whatever container was empty and the children wanted more of, she finally figured out how to keep food plentiful, as long as it was the same food.
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Post by Jonah Wellington on Jan 26, 2013 23:25:16 GMT -5
Jonah raised his eyebrows playfully at her. "Magic tricks, eh? Well, I do think I'd like to see that," he replied. "Now I can't wait for dinner."
He found himself wondering if she knew just how beautiful she really was when she smiled and blushed. She really took his breath away, even now that he was used to talking to her.
And that was when Jonah realized he was really in trouble. This wasn't just about flirting with a cute girl and trying to help her. This was something more than that. He felt a connection with this girl and it suddenly scared him a little. If and when this whole thing blew up in his face, it was going to hurt. A lot.
Now that the bacon was ready, Jonah pulled it from the heat and began to mix the other salad ingredients together. "What other interests do you have? Did you ever want to work anywhere else?"
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