Loving Cousin

"We want the chicken to get really brown to transfer the salt and fat to the bottom of the pan, but not enough to burn. Don't move it too much. Just lift the corner of this middle piece to see when it begins to stick."

Mom chimed in, "We usually take the skin off or get skinless chicken breasts."

"It might save you some calories, but you lose all the flavor that way. You can also press the chicken with the spatula to squeeze more of the grease out if you want."

His breath touched my cheek and made me shiver. I needed an excuse to get him away from me or I was going to embarrass myself. "Can you hand me my wine?"

He put it in my hand and our fingers touched briefly. I drank the rest of the wine and sat it on the counter next to the stove, where he refilled my glass and wandered over to pour more in Mom's glass. "This is amazing wine, Aunt Lisa."

"Dan and I went that last summer. Kate had gone away to summer camp with Jules and we were on our own. He was between rounds of chemo and was