His eyes locked on her the second he came into view. It was a searing kind of gaze—one that could burn her from the inside out if she wasn’t careful. Wynter couldn’t move. She told herself she needed to. She would have given anything to be able to break eye contact with Marcus and move farther into the room.
Why couldn’t she do it?
“Wynter? Are you going to keep standing there or join us?” Grams called over to her, allowing Wynter the distraction she needed from Marcus.
When Jason and Isabelle turned toward her expectantly, she found her footing and closed the distance. Isabelle scooted closer to Jason, bumping her hip against his. She stared up at him, hearts in her eyes. Wynter had heard a few things in town about this latest couple. According to the gossip mill, Jason was a catch, and it was too bad that he’d been scooped up. The only good side was that Isabelle had been the one to catch his eye.
Isabelle was beautiful. All of Marcus’s siblings were attractive. Their whole family had hit the genetics lottery. Of course someone like Isabelle would win over a tall hunk of a cowboy.
Wynter’s eyes slid over to Marcus, and she was grateful that for once he wasn’t looking her direction. Jason might have been attractive, but Marcus was a dream. If she could have put all the qualities of a guy on a list, he’d meet every requirement.
But she couldn’t allow herself to think about him that way.
Nope, she’d be strong. Just because he was here in her home decorating cookies for their community didn’t mean she was going to allow herself to be weak. So, she plastered on a smile and reached for the first cookie.
“Jason, how did you get into baking? I hear you prefer the sweets to savory dishes.” Grams kept the conversation going when they shifted into quiet concentration.
Marcus stood at Wynter’s side, and more than once his forearm brushed against hers. Goosebumps racked her body at the contact, and she had to stifle a shiver. There wasn’t enough space around the table to put distance between them, so she was stuck.
Her eyes lifted when she heard Isabelle laugh softly. Jason glowered at his fiancée, but there was more amusement in itthan anything else. Isabelle had swiped some frosting across Jason’s lips and on his nose. But apparently, he wasn’t going to take it lying down. He snaked his arm around Isabelle’s waist and pulled her into him.
Isabelle squealed when Jason moved his face closer to hers. She turned her head, and the frosting on his face rubbed against her cheek.
“Bad move.” Jason laughed. “You could have licked it off me.”
“Ugh. That’s my sister,” Marcus said.
Grams and Wynter snickered, then glanced at each other. There was something in her grandmother’s eyes that seemed to say what Wynter didn’t want to admit.
Wynter wanted what they had. As crazy as it seemed, Wynter wished things were different and she could find someone who could give her what Isabelle had. The problem was that love didn’t last. Nothing was permanent. And it didn’t matter how much she wanted what they had; she’d always be worried that the other shoe would drop.
This understanding made up her armor.
And that was what she needed every single time Marcus caught her eye.
Like right now.
He smiled at her and then leaned closer to inspect her angel. “I think you’ve been holding out on me,” Marcus said. “Hey, Jason, I think you might need to hire this one to help out with your cookies at the café.”
Jason glanced over and flashed her a smile. “You’re not wrong, Marcus. Wynter, you’re a natural.”
She ducked her head. “Thanks.”
Marcus nudged her. “None of that.” His voice was lower, husky, even. And it made the hairs on the back of her neck lift.She peeked at him, expecting to see that penetrating stare of his. Instead, he was smiling at her warmly. And why was that worse?
Wynter swallowed hard. “What?”
“Don’t downplay what you’re good at. Especially if it’s frosting cookies.”
She snickered. That wasn’t what she’d been expecting him to say.
“He’s right, girly,” Grams said pointedly. “You have so many talents. You’ve always shied away from the attention of others. Even when you were a little girl.”
“Yeah, well, that seems to happen when everyone in your grade thinks it’s okay to tease you for liking bugs.” She didn’t have the strength to look toward Marcus because he’d been more than aware of how her peers had treated her.
And he’d been the only one to put a stop to it.
Back when she was younger, Marcus had been her protector. He’d been the one she could count on.
