Her Heart's Desire

“As a matter of fact, they have. It’s called the rocker technique. You have to get your hip into it and then rock back on your heels and then forward before you flip the meat.” Adrian demonstrated the move.

His father laughed. “Thanks, but I think my tried-and-true method will be fine.”

“There’s no way you’re getting that spatula, Adrian,” Tiffany said.

“My father won’t give up his, either,” Ivan joined in. “My brother and I can’t grill so much as an ear of corn when he’s around.”

“Like it should be,” Heathcliffe replied. “You young bucks get the honors when you’re at your own house. Then you can be Grill Master, and us dads can sit and relax.”

When the meat was ready, they sat down at the large table set up on the lawn. Heathcliffe blessed the food, and then dishes and plates were passed around.

“The food looks delicious,” he complimented his wife. “As always.”

The group seconded that motion, and Norma Jean beamed with pride.

“I’m glad to do it, and thank you, dears, for bringing such wonderful dishes, too.”

Tiffany was sitting across from Ivan. She took a bite of his beans and exclaimed, “Wow. What’s in these beans? It’s like a meal on its own.”

“Thanks. It’s my dad’s recipe. It has hamburger, green pepper, onions, a few different barbecue sauces and some secret ingredients.”

Norma Jean glanced over at Tiffany. “So I hear you’ve been holding out on me.”

Tiffany was taking a bite out of her burger when suddenly all eyes were on her. “I have?”

“I heard that you helped Ivan with his senior self-defense class the other day. A few of my friends were in the class and said that you were terrific.”

Her face was flushed with embarrassment at being called out in front of everyone…especially Ivan. She remembered their almost kiss that night. Thank goodness they hadn’t been caught making out, or Norma Jean definit

ely would have gotten an earful. She wondered what she would say if she knew about their impromptu date at her house the night before. Though Tiffany wasn’t looking directly at Ivan, she could still feel the heat of his gaze. It was boring into her like a laser beam. There was no way she was going to risk gazing into those tiger eyes right now. Not when she felt like a gazelle caught between the tiger and a hard place.

“Uh, well…it wasn’t at all what I expected. I didn’t think I would be any good at demonstrating the moves since they were new to me, but Ivan is a great teacher, and it went much better than I expected.”

“That’s great, honey.” She turned to Ivan. “I hope you plan on having Tiffany help out with class again. The group enjoyed having her there.”

“I did, too. She’s a natural. She caught on to my techniques in record time.”

Tiffany’s breath caught in her throat at being reminded of their conversation about his techniques. Unable to help herself, she raised her head and was not surprised to find Ivan staring right at her. He definitely looked like a tiger ready to pounce.

If anyone noticed the smoldering heat between the two of them, nobody mentioned it. Heathcliffe began talking about how much he liked water aerobics and how good it was for his joints. Norma Jean chimed in about the class she taught, and chastised her husband for never taking it, but Tiffany didn’t hear either of them. She only had eyes for Ivan.

“I get bossed around by you at home, Jeannie. The last thing I want to do is have you giving me orders in a class,” Heathcliffe groused.

Tiffany was grateful that the awkward moment passed, and that she was no longer the center of conversation. She excused herself and left the table under the guise of going to the bathroom. Once there, she shut the door and sank against it. Her heart was racing, and her stomach tingled from nervous energy.

Relax, her inner voice instructed.

Tiffany tried hard to steady her breathing. There was no way she could go out there right now. All Ivan would have to do was look at her with those smoldering eyes again, and she would lose her composure for sure.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

“Hey, it’s me. Open up,” her friend whispered through the door. “Are you okay?” she asked with concern.

“I’m fine,” Tiffany replied. “Be out in a minute.”

Tiffany rushed over to the sink and splashed cold water on her face. She repeated the action, and then grabbed a hand towel and patted her face dry. “Get a grip, girl. It’s not like drop-dead gorgeous men have never eyed you like you were candy before.”

She laughed at that and left the bathroom, and then went back outside. Dinner was over, so they all helped bring the dishes inside.