“If you could have one thing,” he finally asked quietly, “whatever you want, right now, what would it be?”
That seemed like an unanswerable question. “I think you should go first on that one.”
His eyes were closed again, his voice slower than before, worrying her. “I’d want to see my niece, Peyton . . . Her dad just bailed on her and my sister, and she’s lost so much. I’d want one more day with her, taking her skiing or playing tea party, whatever she wanted to do.”
The words rumbled through his chest to hers, and warmed her every bit as much as his delicious body heat.
“Now you,” he reminded her. “Whatever you want, what would it be?”
She wasn’t actually sure. Maybe to have a family unit, like he did. Impossible with the life she led, of course. She came to work the ski season in Tahoe every year. The rest of the time, she was all over the world, wherever she was needed, working for organizations like Doctors Without Borders. Her next contract was already lined up in Haiti. The job was a labor of love. Hence the annual Tahoe gig, which paid her more over these two months than she would earn for the entire rest of the year. Plus, it was easier, fewer hours, and she loved the snowy terrain.
But none of that was why she really did it. Her reason was her own and deeply personal.
And not something she intended to share. “Well, I was going to say a cookies ’n’ cream cupcake from Cake Walk,” she quipped, needing to lighten the mood. “But now that just sounds shallow.”
Eyes still closed, he smiled. “There’s nothing shallow about a cookies ’n’ cream cupcake from Cake Walk. What else, Jane?”
“I guess if I could have one thing right now . . .” she repeated, stalling. “Um . . .” Maybe it would be to have enough battery to call Charlotte. When Jane was here in Tahoe, she stayed in a big old house owned by Dr. Charlotte Dixon. Charlotte was a trauma surgeon who collected people around her like some women collected shoes, and was the warmest, kindest, and most incredibly stubborn, bossy person Jane had ever met. Once Charlotte decided on having someone in her life, that was that. So yeah, Jane supposed if she could do one thing, it’d be to thank Charlotte for collecting her.
“You’ve got a cat?”
“It’s more like an alley cat I feed when he lets me.”
“What’s his name?”
“Alley Cat.”
He gave a small laugh. “Do you let him inside?”
“No, he’s an alley cat.” Jane might have had a real home for only a brief window at her grandparents’， but she knew what a home should be, all warm and cozy and welcoming, with people in it who loved one another. She couldn’t offer that to Cat, not when she’d be gone in five or six weeks.
“Do you let him in at night?” he asked.
“That would just confuse him when I’m gone, and then his alley would seem cold and hard, and that’s hardly fair.”
He squeezed her gently, his eyes serious now. “See? Sweet.”
“If you knew me better, you’d know how funny that is.” But her smile faded quickly when she realized he’d tipped his head back against the wood bench behind him. He was pale, too pale, and his mouth was a hard grim line.
Definitely still in pain and possibly fighting to stay conscious. Given what he’d done for her tonight, she knew she’d do just about anything for him in return, so she opened her mouth to give him a truth, to confess what she’d really do with her last moment on earth. But in that very moment, the gondola came to life with a little jerk and . . . started moving again.
“Oh my God!” She looked around with shock and relief, having really thought her number might be up. “We’re going to make it!”