Starcrossed (Starcrossed 1)

for all the shopping, meals, and dishes for a few days yet, but she

needed something to do with her hands or she?d use them to climb

the walls.

Pasta in general was Helen?s comfort food, and lasagna was the

queen of pasta. If she made the noodles from scratch, she?d be

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occupied for hours, just like she wanted, so she pulled out the flour

and eggs and got to work.

When Jerry came home the second thing he noticed, after the

amazing smell, was that the house was swelteringly hot. He found

Helen sitting at the kitchen table, flour stuck to her sweaty face and

arms, worrying the heart-shaped necklace, which her mother had

given her as a baby, between her thumb and forefinger. He looked

around with tense shoulders and wide eyes.

?Made dinner,? Helen told him in a flat voice.

?Did I do something wrong?? he asked tentatively.

?Of course not. Why would you ask that when I just cooked you

dinner??

?Because usually when a woman spends hours cooking a complicated

meal and then just sits at the table with a pissed-off look

on her face, that means some guy somewhere did something really

stupid,? he said, still on edge. ?I have had other women in my life

besides you, you know.?

?Are you hungry or not?? Helen asked with a smile, trying to

shake off her ugly mood.

Hunger won out. Jerry shut his mouth and went to wash his

hands. Helen hadn?t eaten since breakfast and should have been

starved. When she tasted the first forkful she realized she wouldn?t

be able to eat. She listened as best as she could while she pushed

bits of her favorite food around her plate and Jerry devoured two