A slow country ballad starts to play, the melody drifting from the bar.
I stop and grab his hand. “Hey, do you want to dance?”
“Out here?” Kit raises an eyebrow but doesn’t seem opposed to the idea.
“Sure, why not? I want to slow dance with you.”
In response, he steps closer and places a hand on the small of my back. I wrap my arms around his neck and we begin to sway to the soft music. I’m struck by how easily we fall into step with one another. Nothing like the chaotic shambles of our earlier attempts. We’re perfectly in tune as we dance under the chilly night sky.
Kit presses his cheek to mine. “I’m so glad we’ve gotten to know each other,” he murmurs against my ear.
I hum in agreement. “Yeah, me too.”
“It means a lot that you’ve shared so much of your town, of your life, with me. You’re a very special man, Felix Montgomery.”
My heart leaps at his words, and I tighten my grip on him ever so slightly.
He pulls back to look at me. We’re in partial darkness, the light from the Randy’s sign too far away for much illumination, but it’s bright enough to see Kit’s crystal clear blue eyes.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” he says.
“Sure. Anything.” I hold my breath, waiting for his question.
His face is serious, his gaze fixed on me. “It’s fucking freezing out here. Can we go home?”
I’m not sure what I thought he was going to say but it wasn’t that. I burst into laughter. “Kit!”
He grabs my hand and tugs. “I’ll slow dance with you all night, so long as we do it naked and in front of the fire.”
I don’t need any more encouragement and together we run for the car.
Chapter Nineteen
Kit
Placing the wine bottle on the counter, I reach for the corkscrew. I run my thumb over the smooth stainless steel, remembering snatching the opener from Felix the first time he came to dinner at the cabin. We’ve come a long way since then, although it’s only been weeks. Taking the bottle, I peel away the foil to expose the cork, then twist in the corkscrew. The cork comes out with a pop.
Mike wants me back in Seattle next week. He wants to arrange a meeting with my publisher to give them some confidence the new book is back on track. They’ve been patient up until now, but there’s only so much they’ll put up with.
I pour the cabernet into two glasses, contemplating leaving all this behind. It feels wrong to walk away from Felix and our relationship, which is just starting to blossom. Sure, we were only supposed to be friends, but what I feel goes well beyond friendship and I know Felix feels it too. Then the doubts resurface. The gossip about the two of us and our age difference. The lingering feeling I’m stopping him from finding someone better, someone more suited to his outgoing, bubbly personality. I’m not sure what he sees in me, but I’m grateful for whatever it is.
“Hey, I’m dying of thirst over here. What are you doing? Helping age the wine?”
His words pull me from my thoughts and I chuckle. He sits cross-legged on the braided rug, shuffling Connect Four chips between his hands. He looks young, and eager, and most of all happy.
I grab the glasses and make my way over, placing them on the coffee table and lowering myself to the floor. My knees crack and Felix raises a brow.
“Don’t you say a word!”
“I wouldn’t dare,” he says. There’s laughter in his eyes as he takes his wine.
As we bring our glasses together in a toast, I resolve then and there to make the most of every moment with him, and if that means delaying my return to Seattle, then so be it. I want to give this a chance. I want what we have between us to work more than I want my book to be a success.Fuck. That’s a scary thought.“Cheers.”
The fire crackles, popping and hissing. The cabernet dances on my tongue, and Felix’s smile warms my heart. It’s a perfect night in.
“So, are you ready?’ Felix asks.
“Ready?”
