|
"Never Say Die"
Jeff heard humming when he came in through the front door, surprising him at first, but bringing a smile to his face immediately. It was nice to see his wife in a good mood again--he had been worried about her the last few days since Mr. Melon had dropped his bomb, though in typical Ginger fashion, she had insisted that she was perfectly fine. But he knew better. Ginger had never been the type of person to wear her heart on her sleeve, not even with him, the one person she could let herself be vulnerable with, but her actions had always spoken loud and clear even when she couldn't bring herself to say to him how much she was hurting over what had happened. He of all people knew what her career meant to her, and it killed him to have to see her face disappointment yet again after how hard she had worked to get to where she was. And though she wouldn't admit it to him, he also knew that learning of the dubious circumstances of her firing must have been like salt in her wound. He clenched his fist at the thought of his ex-teammate's underhandedness, but a smile tugged on the corners of his lips again when he thought of his meeting with Mr. Melon. He couldn't wait to see the look on Arthur's face when he found out about the deal he and Mr. Melon had struck. Nor could he wait to see the look on Ginger's face when he told her. It would be hard to keep this a secret--especially since he had never been very good at keeping anything from his wife--but he knew it would be worth the torture of evading her twenty questions if he could surprise her with this at Christmas. She must not have heard him come in the kitchen, because she continued to hum and didn't turn to face him. He watched her for a few seconds, loving the sight of her when she didn't know anyone else was in the room and she was free of inhibitions. He came up behind her and slid his arms around her waist, brushing her nutmeg curls from the nape of her neck and planting a kiss right on the spot where he knew he could make her shiver with delight. He smiled as he heard her say, "Mmm," and lean back against his chest. "My husband won't be home for a while... What do you say we take full advantage?" Jeff spun her around to tell her that wasn't funny, but her girlish giggle made him smile in spite of himself, and before he could even say a word she had pulled him towards her for a long kiss. "If you weren't such a good kisser," he said, giving her another quick peck, "I wouldn't have overlooked that comment so easily." She rolled her eyes--she knew full well she could do practically anything and get away with it--and reached up to brush a lock of his hair from his forehead. "Serves you right for sneaking up on me like that," she teased. "Where have you been, anyway?" He grimaced, suddenly remembering he had forgotten to stop by the store to get the sugar she had asked for. "Oh Ginger, I completely forgot..." "Forgot what?" "The sugar--I was going to get it, honest, but it slipped my mind." She gave him a frown and placed her hands on her hips, then smiled her brilliant smile a few seconds later. "It's all right," she said with a casual wave of the hand. He did a double take. "It is?" She turned around and went back to work on setting the table--he hadn't noticed until now that she had painstakingly arranged their best china and silverware on the table, and was now lighting the two candles that stood tall in the center. "Mmm hmm..." "You're not sore?" "Don't be silly, of course I'm not sore at you!" She gave him a quick kiss. "Honey, could you hand me that vase on the counter over there?" Amused and more than a little curious, he grabbed her by the waist and smiled. "What's all this for, anyway?" She shrugged and teased him with a mysterious grin. "I just thought I'd make a romantic dinner for my handsome, wonderful, supportive husband." "For no reason at all?" She leaned in close and her perfume filled his lungs, making him a little dizzy. "For no reason at all," she murmured, and kissed him again. "I had a good day and I thought I'd let you in on the celebration." He raised his eyebrows. "Aha, I knew it! So you do have something up your sleeve." If there was anyone worse than he was at keeping a secret, it was Ginger, and he could always sense when she was hiding something. "Maybe I do, maybe I don't," she said noncommittally, calling his bluff. Her smile was a dead giveaway though. "You'll just have to wait until I'm ready to tell..." He leaned in for a kiss and stopped short of touching her lips to tease her. "Well I've got a surprise of my own for you," he whispered. "You do?" It was impossible not to hear the excitement in her voice. She looked up at him with that look that had always been his downfall and flashed a smile. "Jeff..." He laughed and let her go. "Oh no you don't," he said. "I'm not telling you anything until the time is right." She pretended to pout. "And you're sure there's nothing--nothing at all that I can do to get you to tell me this little secret of yours?" Her hand ran up his back, setting all his nerve endings on fire. "Well," he said, "there are ways of making me talk... But I can't guarantee I'll spill the beans on anything..." She smiled seductively. "We'll see about that..." "I'm willing to try if you are." "Jeff," she said, "how hungry are you? Because I think the roast could use a little more time in the oven..." He returned her smile, understanding exactly what she meant. "By all means we can't eat the roast before it's ready." "Oh my word..." 
Home| Kyle| Tammy| History| Transcripts| Quotes| Milestones| Episodes| Pictures| Fanfic| Links| Email List |