Right. He’d also promised not to fall for her. Guess he did make promises after all. Really bad ones. “I remember.”
She nodded. Stared at his mouth. “A very unusual pretend date.”
“Do you go on a lot of pretend dates, then?”
She shook her head. Nibbled on her lip, which was what he wanted to do too. He should be pulling away rather than wanting to extend the evening for as long as possible, but he didn’t want to go anywhere. What he wanted was to see her again. And again.
“I’m going to be gone soon,” she reminded him as if she could read his mind. “So are you too, right?”
“I thought so.” He nodded at her surprise. Then he voiced the thought that had been in his head for days now. “Yeah, it caught me off guard too, but I’m actually thinking of moving back. I’ve missed connections, and I have a lot of them here. More than I wanted to remember.”
She looked across the outdoor patio to the lake just beyond, dark and beautiful. “I can see why you’d want to stay here.”
“And you?” he asked.
She slowly shook her head. “I’m not really a one place sort of girl.”
Then right now would have to do. Assuming, of course, she was feeling the same. And though he could tell by her body language that at least a part of her was, he knew she hadn’t even come close to deciding on him as something she couldn’t be without.
Real or otherwise.
It began to snow, lightly at first, but by the time they laughingly gobbled up the last of their s’mores and walked out front, it was coming down pretty good.
Jane stepped out from the protective cover of the awning and tipped her face up to the falling flakes. “I never get tired of snow. It’s got such potential to do serious damage, and yet it’s so beautiful.”
He thought maybe that could describe Jane too. “Where’s your car?”
“Oh, I walked.”
“Let me drive you home,” he said, reaching for her hand.
“I’m okay. I like to walk.”
But she held on to his hand and he smiled. “Then let me walk you home.”
She met his gaze, her head dusted with powdery snowflakes, a few more on her lashes and her cheeks, making them rosy. “Then you’d just have to walk back here to get your car.”
“I don’t mind.”
“There you go hiding your faults again, seeming too good to be true.”
“Jane,” he said on a rough laugh, “I can promise you I’m not too good to be true.”
She studied him for a long beat, while he did his damnedest to look like something she couldn’t live without. “A ride home would be nice, thank you,” she finally said softly.
He followed her directions to an older neighborhood about four blocks up on the hill from the lake. Homes here had been built decades ago, were close together, and were mostly not renovated. He stopped before two old Victorians that shared a driveway.
“We’re on the left,” Jane said.
Levi had never been to Mateo’s. Mateo had bought this house after Levi had moved to San Francisco, but it suited him. The front yard was good sized, with two huge pine trees, all of it covered with snow. Levi turned off the engine and started to get out of the car.
Hand on the door handle, Jane looked over at him, startled. “What are you doing?”
“Walking you to your door.”
“That’s hardly necessary.”
He got out of the car anyway and met her at the front of the car. “Cute place.”