“I do have to admit,” Luke said, “this is kind of fun.”
“It is.” Bella reached up and took the clips out of her hair, then tilted her head back. Her hair fell along her back, and Luke resisted the urge to reach out and run his hand through it. Maybe he’d had more to drink than he’d thought. He’d just met this woman, after all.
“So, Bella,” he said. “Tell me more about you.”
She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. “What do you want to know? My job? Where I live? My birthday? How many siblings I have?”
Luke shook his head. “No, nothing like that. That stuff gets boring after a while — I ask it about a million times a day as a doctor. Tell me something you don’t usually tell people.”
“Is this you seizing the day?” Bella grinned.
“If I say yes, will you answer?”
“Maybe.” Bella winked.
“Then yes.”
“Okay… let me think.” Bella trailed her feet through the water again. For a few moments, they sat without speaking, kicking their feet through the water and listening to the faint patter of rain on the roof. “Okay, I’ve got something. I once lost my tooth on a ski lift.”
Luke burst out laughing. “I know I asked for something random, but I really didn’t expect that.”
Bella giggled too. “I know — I figured you didn’t.”
“Now I need the story, though.”
“Of course. So, when I was a kid, my family went skiing up at Timberline Lodge a lot.” She paused. “I forgot you’re not from around here, so you might not know it, but Timberline Lodge is on Mount Hood and is about a ninety-minute drive from here. That doesn’t really matter. We were up on the lift, and I was wiggling my tooth, and all of a sudden, there was something in my mouth. I spat it out — and it fell all the way down onto the snow.”
“Oh, no!” Luke chuckled. “I thought you were going to swallow it and have to go to the ER.”
“No, I just dropped it.” Bella grinned. “Do a lot of people end up in the ER after swallowing teeth?”
“Some.” Luke made a face. “Did the tooth fairy still come even though you dropped the tooth in the snow?”
“Oh, my family didn’t do stuff like the tooth fairy.” Bella looked away, her expression suddenly distant. Luke’s brow furrowed. He was tempted to ask her about her family and why she looked sad, but he held back. Once again, he made the choice not to let things get too personal. It was better to keep a little distance.
“Really? My family did all that stuff — the tooth fairy, Santa Claus, the Easter bunny — I still believed in all of them until I was like ten.”
“That’s embarrassing for you.” Bella’s smile returned, and she nudged his shoulder with her own. “Did you really think they existed? Mr. Facts-No-Gut-Feelings.”
“I don’t think I love that nickname.” Luke smiled back. “And yeah, maybe I didn’treallybelieve. The other kids definitely told me Santa didn’t exist and all that. But a part of me thought it was fun to believe in magic.”
Bella smiled. “Now,thatI understand. Everyone needs a little magic now and then. Speaking of which…” She got to her feet. “My gut tells me I need another drink.”
They slipped their shoes back on and walked down to the bar. The hotel had gotten noisier while they were away, and people had filled most of the barstools. Luke and Bella found a quiet booth near the back and ordered another drink each. After glancing at the menu, Bella also asked for a slice of cheesecake.
“Don’t worry,” she said when she saw Luke looking at her. “You can have a bite.”
“That’s okay; I’ve already had dessert today.” He smiled at the memory of the red velvet creation at dinner. “It was great.”
“It was,” Bella said, her green eyes sparkling. “But that doesn’t mean you can’t have a second dessert.”
Their drinks came shortly, along with the cheesecake. Bella took a bite and closed her eyes as she considered it. A hint of a smile played at the corners of her mouth.
“Excellent,” she said, flicking her eyes open. “Sweet, but not too sweet. The crust is just the right thickness without overwhelming the cheesecake. I like the fruit on top, though I would have stuck with forest fruit instead of tropical fruit, I think. Come on, try.”
Luke obediently tried a bite. The cheesecake was thick and rich and smooth, just like Luke liked it, and he nodded.
“It’s nice.” He tilted his head. “You know a lot about food.”
