“So…she just…shows everyone her eyes?”
“Yep.”
She pressed her lips together, like she was smearing around her pink lipstick. “I need to think on this information. You may go now, Lance.” She stuck her hand out for a shake.
This was the strangest woman he’d ever met.
“Okay.” He shook her hand and held it. “Sorry for calling you a child.”
“I forgive you.”
“Do you want me to help you with your zipper?”
She nodded magnanimously. “I might be permanently stuck inside of my jacket if you do not.”
He bit back a smile as he knelt down in front of her and finagled the stuck zipper. Some of the puffer fabric was caught in it, so he gently released that and pulled her zipper down.
“That was the most action I’ve had in a year,” she said.
A laugh took him and he stood. “Nice.”
“Eh hem.” Her cheeks were bright red. “See you around, Lance.”
“See you around, Dorcas. You didn’t tell me your name, but you look like a Dorcas to me.”
Her smile was stunning. “My name is Birdie.”
“That’s even worse,” he teased, and ducked out of the way of her swat.
“Be gone, annoying one. I have to get ready for dinner.”
“Can’t wait to hear how you charm the pants off of everyone,” he called over his shoulder as he left.
Her giggle was actually really cute.
What the hell had just happened?
Lance made it all the way to his truck before he gave into the temptation of looking back. She was still standing there in the open doorway, a lingering smile on her face. When she saw him turn toward her, Birdie suddenly tensed and slammed the door. Then the door opened again, and she yelled, “You forgotyour phone,” and then that woman chucked it out onto the snow, looked mortified, and then slammed the door again.
He laughed and went back to pick up his phone, wiped it off on his jeans and then strode back to his truck and yanked his door open.
Okay, this week might be more fun than he’d thought. Little hellion hated Valentine’s Day and had traveled here from who-knows-where to avoid it.
He wanted to know why.
Sure, he had his own reasons for hating the holiday, but Birdie was an interesting distraction.
Chapter Two
Birdie Grenadine was not doing okay.
She went over her notes one last time on conversation topics to possibly broach with Ava if there was an awkward silence, which there absolutely would be, because Birdie was in fact inherently awkward.
It was this reason that she held down an at-home job funding loans for a bank, but the downfall was her lack of socialization. Too many hours spent with herself and her rock collection, three of which were sitting on the dining table of the cabin for good luck.
Pyrite, or fool’s gold, in the shape of a penis named Gary.
Vermiculite named Barry.
