Everyone shook hands. Lila’s gaze seemed to linger on Ben, and Gideon almost smiled. Then she gave herself a shake and looked away.
“Ben and the boys have asked if I’d have some hot chocolate with them,” Maya said to Gideon. “I told them I’d love to if you can join us.” Now there was something more in her eyes. Something that said she didn’t really want to have hot chocolate but didn’t want to disappoint the boys—and their father?—either.
He smiled. “I never turn down hot chocolate. Happy to join you.”
She nodded and shot him a relieved look. “Perfect.” She turnedto Ben. “I have to run to my cabin real quick, then we’ll find you in the café.”
“Great.” Ben’s smile looked a bit strained. “I’ll go ahead and put the order in, and we’ll see you in a few minutes.”
After Ben and the boys left, Gideon led the way while Lila hung back, giving them some privacy but close enough to intervene if she needed to.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not real excited about this hot chocolate date?” he asked.
“Because I wanted to work and talk to you, not hang out with them, but—” She shrugged.
No sense in pretending her words didn’t thrill him. He cleared his throat. “But you could see how excited little Mitch was at the thought of you joining them.”
“I could.”
“His brother—”
“Owen.”
“Owen didn’t seem too upset about the idea either.”
She cut him a sideways look. “What are you getting at?”
He shrugged. “Ben has his eye on you for their new mom, and I think he’s let them in on the plan.”
“Oh stop.” Her cheeks turned a deep pink, and he laughed.
“I’m not kidding.”
“I’m not either. He’s a nice man and I’m always open to making new friends, but I’m not interested in anything more with him.”
“Is there someone youwouldbe interested in something more with?”
She raised a brow at him, but sadness clouded her gaze. “There hasn’t been anyone on the radar in a very long time.” She sighed. “To be honest, I feel like I have too much baggage, too many nightmares. Asking someone else to take that on doesn’t seem fair to them.”
He stopped in his tracks and she did too, looking up at him, her face a question mark.
“Gideon?”
“I ... It’s ... I just...” He shook his head, unable to find the words. Finally, he said, “I know what you mean.”
“You do?”
“Yeah.” And he left it at that.
She nodded and they continued the trek toward her cabin in silence. Gideon kicked himself the rest of the way. He was an awkward idiot. Once they were inside, she grabbed her laptop and papers from the safe and shoved them in a bag that she slung over her shoulder. “I’m ready.”
He opened the door, saw Lila standing on the small porch, and told himself to relax the hypervigilance. He had more important things to focus his attention on.
Like making it clear that Ben needed to look elsewhere for a mother for his boys, because while Gideon didn’t have any plans for a romance with Maya, he didn’t like that someone else did.
And yes, he realized how stalker creepy that sounded.
He shut the door on the cabin—and his thoughts.
