Huh. Was it weird that I wasn’t used to people telling me I’d been right about something?
I shook my head. “No judgment here. I’ve been that person.”
“Still,” he mumbled, rubbing a hand over his face. “Could’ve used a gallon of coffee.”
Without thinking, I held out my cup, still mostly full. “You need this more than I do.”
He paused. “Black?”
“Sugar and cream. Perfect ratio, thank you very much.”
He winced but took the cup without hesitation. After the first sip, he made a sound that was half sigh, half groan. “Damn. That tastes like heaven.”
I smiled, too proud of myself to think before I spoke. “Like me.”
His eyebrows lifted over the rim of the cup, but instead of laughing or teasing, he just held my gaze, slow. Deliberate. “Noted,” he said.
My stomach did a little flip, and I glanced away, hearing the door up front close with a hiss.
As the bus rumbled to life and pulled away from the hotel, I leaned my forehead against the window.
I’d flirted with him.
He’d definitely flirted back.
Watching the outskirts of Grand Junction blur past—gas stations and motels turning to open highway surrounded by strangely barren-looking plains and hills—I knew, without a doubt, that this time I wasn’t imagining it.
And it was fun.
Fun was good.
I could handle fun.
Probably.
While I came to terms with something that shouldn’t feel like such a life-altering realization, Tay’s voice crackled overhead.
“Rise and shine, my beautiful band of travelers!” she chirped. “Hope everyone’s feeling well-rested and hydrated this morning, because today’s adventure includes hard hats, hashbrowns, and”—she paused dramatically—“absolutely no wine.”
There were a few groggy groans and sheepish chuckles at that.
Noah turned to me, both eyebrows raised. “What all did I miss last night?”
“Suffice it to say the PDA between Ed and Eddie got worse at each winery.”
“More than what I saw on Josie’s Facebook Live?”
I squeezed my eyes closed. “I saw senior-citizen tongue.”
“I think we all did,” Tay called back from the front. She didn’t miss a beat, though, as she continued her announcement. “I might have to start calling this the Love Bus! Anyhoo… Moving on, we’re scheduled to pull into Ouray around oh-nine-hundred hours, and we’re kicking off the day with a real-deal mine tour. That’s right! You’ll descend into the belly of the earth, walk the old tunnels, see original equipment, and the best part? You’ll be served a Miner’s Breakfast underground. Eggs, pancakes, sausage—the works. No pickaxe required.”
“And since it’s a brisk fifty-two degrees inside the mine, year-round, I hope you’re all wearing something warm,” Tay added.
I glanced down at my bare legs. “Am I seriously dressed wrong again?” I muttered.
Noah’s gaze dipped, his eyes lingering before returning to mine. “Not from where I’m sitting,” he said, voice low and even.
If he kept looking at me like that, I wouldn’t have to worry about keeping warm.
