Chapter 2

“That new place” is a French bakery and cafe that has recently opened in their neighborhood. A brisk walk takes them to a cute little brick building. They find a table on the patio. Jer’s mouth waters at the scents of butter and sugar, almond and chocolate. Normally he would try to order something light, but he’s so hungry right now. He orders the double ham, eggs and cheese, which comes stuffed into two flaky, soft croissants. The plate looks huge but he makes it disappear quickly. Corrine isn’t finished her single avocado and egg filled croissant yet. She laughs as Jer looks longingly at the shelves of pastries.

Something long tamped down bubbles to the surface. “Go on,” she says. “ Get us something sweet for later.” His face lights up.

He gets up and crosses to the shelves of baked goods. He takes his time considering. To Corinne’s surprise, he puts four croissants - two chocolate and two almond - into a bag, then adds two breton cakes and an assortment of six macarons. Was he really getting four desserts? She blushed but made no comment.

After breakfast they wander downtown, popping in and out of the independent shops. Corinne pauses, arrested, in front of a cheerful mint green machine in the kitchen goods store.

“What’s that?” asks Jer, noticing her covetous gaze.

“An ice cream maker,” says Corinne. “I always wanted to try one.”

“Get it,” says Jer.

“We don’t eat enough ice cream,” she says, wistfully.

“Maybe that will change,” says Jer, and so the mint green contraption finds its way to their counter, it’s bowl in the freezer, cooling down for use. Corinne is looking up gelato recipes but she hears the suspicious crinkling of a paper bag several times. Sure enough, when she goes to dole out dessert after a light supper of baked salmon and salad, there are only three croissants, one breton cake and three macarons. She takes the remaining almond one and Jer takes a chocolate one. He looks a bit sheepish but Corinne makes no comment. That night she wraps her arms around him from behind, hands on his belly. It is fuller than normal. The skin is taut and she imagines it growing, growing until her fingers are unable to touch and her hands are buried in rolls of softness.

On Tuesday Corinne brings home whole milk and heavy cream and Dutch process cocoa powder. After supper she whips up a batch of chocolate gelato. She and Jer both eat a bowl of the soft, creamy result and proclaim it a success.

“It’s made with mostly milk and just a little cream,” she tells Jer, which is true. She puts the remaining five cups of gelato into a tupperware container in the freezer.

She works in an office at an accounting firm. Jer is a technical writer who works from home, a job that has always given him the ability to cook healthy meals and calorie count portions. But today - it’s so warm, and the gelato seems to sing a sweet siren song in his mind, calling him to the cool confines of the freezer for “just one spoonful.”

When Corinne gets home from work, she is surprised to find the tupperware container, empty, in the drying rack by the sink. Did Jer eat all the gelato? She opens her mouth to call out this exact question, then snaps it shut. Instead she gets out a recipe and starts making a custard to whip up another batch, this time using real vanilla beans for a creamy vanilla treat.

Every evening the machine whirs, and every day Jer eats his way through the leftovers. Corrine experiments with ice cream - more cream, less milk - and with sorbet - no dairy, just water and fruit. Peppermint, peanut butter, pistachio. Strawberry, mint chocolate chip, cookie dough. Plum, mango, marshmallow swirl. Blueberry cheesecake, champagne, watermelon. This pattern continues for weeks with neither of them acknowledging it.

It’s no surprise that Jer is gaining weight as a result. The buttons on his size large shirts are straining to stay closed around a wider belly. His face fills out and a hint of a double chin appears. He left out his belt a notch, but before it can wear a new groove he has to let it out again. Corinne can’t keep her hands off him. His jiggly belly and puffing love handles are so hot. Finally one Saturday she waits to make the ice cream until later.