“That night of Halloween—” he stroked his thumb across her jaw “—maybe now would be a good time to talk about it.”
“Did you just say…？” She broke off, replaying his words in her head. I did mean it. Her heart was hammering. “I thought you regretted it. I embarrassed you. I grabbed you—probably because I drank the witches’ brew on an empty stomach.”
A smile touched the corners of his mouth. “Deadly stuff. Remind me to give you a crate of it for Christmas.” He slid his fingers through her hair. “What made you think I regretted it?”
“You never mentioned it again. We’ve been avoiding the subject.”
He eased away so that he could look at her properly. “Because I thought that was what you wanted. You seemed—conflicted. I didn’t want to do, or say, anything you weren’t ready for. I didn’t want you to feel at all awkward around me.”
“That was why you never mentioned it?”
He gave a faint smile. “Honey, if it had been up to me I’d have been kissing you a hundred times a day since that moment in the barn.” His hand was still in her hair, his thumb still tracing a seductive line across the edge of her jaw.
Her heart almost punched its way out of her chest.
“You would?”
“Yes, Hattie, I would. You really didn’t know that?” He studied her face for a long moment. “Maybe our nonverbal communication isn’t as good as it could be.”
“That’s entirely possible.”
He paused. “We should probably work on that.”
“Yes.” She felt breathless, and when he slowly lowered his mouth to hers she stopped breathing altogether.
Memories of their last kiss were alive in her head, but this time the uncontrolled wildness was replaced by leisurely discovery. He cupped her head with his hands, holding her steady while his mouth tantalized and teased. Heat ripped through her. Her body ached, and she kissed him back with the same hunger he was clearly feeling. She felt his fingers on the buttons of her coat, followed by a rush of cold air and then the skilled touch of his fingers on her breast.
Her heart was pounding against his hand, her mouth urgent against his. She tried to shift closer but their movements were restricted by the car. She heard him curse and then ease away from her.
“You’re shivering—I’m sorry.” He tugged the coat around her and switched on the engine.
“Don’t be.” She tried to tell him that right at that moment she would have been happy to roll naked in the snow with him, but her brain didn’t seem capable of forming a complete sentence.
He grabbed a blanket from the backseat and tucked it around her and then he pulled her against him again, but this time to warm her up.
“The car will heat up soon.”
“I don’t care.” She was pressed against his chest and could happily have stayed there forever. Sadly, that wasn’t an option. “We should probably get back.”
“I know.” He released her reluctantly and sat back in his seat. There was tension in his shoulders and he let out a long breath. “I suppose there’s no point in me telling you that there’s a route to my barn that doesn’t go past the main house?”
Never had she been so torn between duty and desire. “I said I’d be straight home after dinner. I don’t want to take advantage of your mother.”
“And now I’m wishing we’d skipped dinner and settled for a bottle of wine and a bag of potato chips at my place.” His voice was low and rough and it was obvious that his frustration matched hers.
She thought about how much she enjoyed his company, their conversation, his quiet humor, the way he loved Delphi. She thought about the way he made her feel when he kissed her and she thought about how much she’d enjoyed the evening they’d just spent together and how she didn’t want it to end.
And she smiled and touched his face with her hand.
“A bottle of wine and a bag of potato chips sounds like the perfect second date.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Anna
Anna stared into the fire, wondering why she didn’t feel warm. She was wearing the sparkly sweater she’d bought on her shopping trip with Erica but so far she didn’t feel remotely festive.
“This has been the strangest, most surreal book club week ever.” Claudia stretched out on the sofa in the library and put her feet on Erica’s lap.
Erica pushed them off. “Our friendship has limits.”
“I thought you loved me?”
“Not enough to have your feet on my lap.”
Claudia rotated her ankles. “My feet are tired. I’ve been standing on them all day.”
“Exactly.” Erica moved to the sofa next to Anna, leaving Claudia to stretch out full length. “Right. Do we have anything more to say about the book or are we done?”
On the low table that sat between the two sofas was a bottle of wine and glasses, a cheeseboard and their copies of the novel.
“I’m done.” Anna had said all she wanted to say about the book. Right now she was clinging to her belief in love and romance. She didn’t want to think about relationships that had gone wrong.
“I’m done, too,” Claudia said. “And I have something to tell you.”
Erica reached forward and poured wine into the glasses. “I hope it’s something profound and life-changing.”
“It is. Anna, are you okay?” Claudia waved her hand in front of Anna’s face. “You’re quiet. Is it the book? Next time we’ll pick a romance. Your choice.”
“I’m fine.” She could feel Erica looking at her, waiting for her to tell them what was wrong, but she still wasn’t ready to talk about it. Instead, she focused on Claudia. “Tell us your news.”
“It’s major.” Claudia rubbed her calves. She looked tired but happy. “First, I have a new job.”
“What?” Anna was stunned. “Where? What?”
“Here. You’re looking at the new chef for the Maple Sugar Inn. Good food guaranteed and produced in a wholesome, tantrum-free environment.” Claudia was almost glowing. “I’ve had so much fun this week. Working with Hattie has been brilliant. She’s smart and full of ideas. We think the same way, and we’re a good team so we’re making it permanent.”
Erica was smiling. “That’s great news. Congratulations.”
“Yes.” Anna was delighted for her friend. “So this means you won’t be going back to California?”
“That’s my second piece of news. I had a phone call earlier. John.”
Erica spilled wine on her skirt. “After six months of silence? You hadn’t blocked his number?”
“I wasn’t ready to cut him out of my life, and I’m glad I didn’t. It was a good phone call.”
Anna handed Erica a napkin for her skirt. Like Erica, she was worried about Claudia, but she was determined not to judge. All relationships were complicated; she knew that. And Claudia had needed some closure. “It must have been upsetting for you to talk to him after all this time and everything that has happened.”
Erica was less tactful. “You shouldn’t have taken his call.” She pressed the napkin to her skirt and watched as it slowly turned red. “I’ve ruined my favorite dress. Why did you tell me that when I had a glass in my hand?”