Charlette certainly enjoyed ruffling his hair, ever the playful minx.  Which then begged the question, should he get it buzzed?  C’mon, Old Man, came the quick retort.  Quit being such a wet noodle.  You can’t take all the fun out for her.  With no response of his own, Paul was just thankful of the avoided close call with her on his lap.  Then there were the kisses and teasing, though she was by no means a tease per se.  Events from his backyard and shower instantly removed any label (if any existed in the first place) of her being a tease.<br/><br/>Now that he was briefly alone, Paul moved toward the kitchen, wishing to assess if he had everything to hand for what he was thinking of cooking.  Dinner was still a few hours away, but it never hurt to get a jump-start on the proceedings.<br/><br/>Canned goods were removed from the cupboards, as he lined them up on the counter like they were soldiers, standing in formation.  Two cans of tomato sauce, one can each of tomato paste, chili beans, red kidney beans, and a packet of powdered chili mix were all part of his chili concoction.  There was already a pound-and-a-half of ground round in the fridge, while he retrieved a spicy sausage from the freezer for defrosting.  The completed dish would be spread over a bed of sticky, white rice.<br/><br/>Hopefully, she remembered her towel this time, though Paul kept a tuned ear in case she hadn’t.  He smiled at the memory, shaking his head.