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~ The Horrors Persist, Yet So Do I ~
Beverly was struggling, but determined. She was straining to her limits, but almost there. Almost...
Her fingertips brushed the object she was trying to reach, which only succeeded in pushing it slightly backwards on the shelf, putting it a little bit further out of her grasp.
She huffed out a frustrated sigh, and was seriously considering dragging a chair over to climb on. But really, it was only just barely out of her reach. If she was just an inch taller then she would have no problem grabbing the stupid thing! A chair shouldn't need to be involved.
There was one other solution she could think of, which did not involve moving any furniture around, although it would be a bit undignified.
Oh, well... it's not like anyone is going to see me do it, she thought to herself, and she jumped up to grab the elusive item.
And then the most horrible thing in the world happened.
"I could have gotten that down for you," came Father Paul's voice from the kitchen doorway, startling her.
Beverly nearly jumped out of her skin. Her hard-won prize - a can of baking powder - slipped from her hand, hitting the floor with a dull thunk as it landed on its side and proceeded to roll under the table.
"Don't sneak up on me like that!"
The priest smiled softly at her as he said, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."
She was blushing, clearly embarrassed that he had seen her jumping up to get something off the top shelf from her kitchen cabinet, so he didn't say anything else to her about it.
He retrieved the can from under the table, and brought it to her. She was still blushing and refusing to look at him as he handed it to her.
Despite having decided just a moment ago not to say anything else about it, he changed his mind now, as he slid his arm around her and gently pulled her to him.
"Don't be embarrassed," he said, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "You looked so cute doing that."
She made a sound of disgust, which at first he thought was directed at him in response to what he'd said, but then he saw that she was staring at the item in her hands with an expression of barely-suppressed rage.
"This is expired," she lamented.
~end~