She’s silent long enough to think of the answer. While she’s lost in her thoughts, I can’t help but notice the light pink hue on her cheeks. “It would be hard to meet someone in between traveling. Even if I do, it would be hard to maintain a relationship.”
Rolling her shoulders like she doesn’t mind, the lonely look in her eyes says otherwise. While I can understand her loving what she does, that doesn’t have to mean she has to stay with the same company. Hell, if she’s good at what she does, couldn’t she just do her own thing?
“Willowbrook Ridge could use a matchmaker. I can think of plenty of lonely guys up here who can’t get their hands on programs like Cupid’s Bloom.” The words leave me, and all at once, my skin feels like it’s on fire. “If your job doesn’t work out,you could settle down here and meet someone. All while doing what you already do.”
There is no acting shy about it. She’ll be able to tell that I’m trying to convince her to stick around. There’s only one reason someone would try to go out of their way to do that. I could really throw a wrench in the works if I expressed my interest in her.
“I think you should try again.” Pushing past this lump forming in the back of my throat, I continue. “You’re a beautiful woman, Daphne. Just take a walk around town, and I can guarantee at least one man here will want you in the way you’d want him to.”
Her lips part in surprise at my words. As her brows lift and her eyes widen, she almost looks… startled. Startled, but not displeased.
“You’re that confident?”
I nod. “Very.”
She glances toward the window and peeks past the curtains, her cheeks now darker in color. “It’s, um, really coming down out there. Is that something worth being concerned about?” Changing the subject, I don’t push us back to the last one. I think she understands my interest by now.
Throwing her meal in a bowl, I don’t bother looking outside. It’s always coming and going this time of the year. “Snow comes and goes up here. The weather man didn’t warn about any snowstorm. Especially with spring right around the corner.” Setting the bowl down, I move to do the same for my own. “It’s nothing to worry about. It’ll stop eventually.”
Her eyes linger outside until I’m settled across from her. The meal is mostly silent. Hoping I haven’t made her too uncomfortable, I sneak in glances in between bites.
She looks so pretty when her cheeks are painted with a blush. It’s a real shame that she’s never found someone to settle downwith before. Whoever she has been with clearly doesn’t know how good he had it to leave her single.
Finishing one bowl and moving to a second, she finally offers up a small smile. “It’s good. Really good.”
Filling up her bowl a second time, her compliment strikes a chord in my chest. “You can add ‘good cook’ to my description. Maybe there’s someone out there who’ll put up with all of this for three hearty meals.”
My words make her smile disappear. Or, it’s the sudden darkness that swallows us up that does the trick before the generator kicks on. Either way, she’s still staring at me before blinking. “Is that normal?”
It is, but only when it’s not good outside. Setting her food down, I try to ignore the grim lump forming in the pit of my stomach.
“No.” Shoving the curtain to the side so I can look outside, I’m welcomed to a view of nothing but white. Snow is pouring down from the sky, making it hard to see. “Well, fuck.”
We stare out the window as everything gets swallowed up by the snow. “Told you it was coming down.”
Surprised by the sudden storm, I curse again and release the curtain. “So, you want the good news or the bad news?”
She cocks her head, lifting a brow. “Good first, bad second.”
“You’re going to have plenty of time to figure out what’s wrong with me because, as far as this weather’s concerned, you’re stuck on the mountain until the snow gets cleared.” Being honest, I grimace at her long pause. “At least you’re stuck with good company.”
4
Daphne
I can’t believe this is happening. Never in my career have I ever been stuck with a client before. Up here, my phone can’t even get a strong enough signal to report back and update the company. Can this get any worse?
“Depending on how bad it gets, we may not be able to leave for a couple of days.” Talking out loud, it’s more like he’s just speaking his thoughts as he watches the fat flakes fall. Everything outside is white as can be.
Gavin wants to call himself good company? Well, I’d describe him as something far more tempting. Every time he opens his mouth, he says something that makes my heart flutter, and my stomach fills with butterflies.
Go camping with him? Move to Willowbrook Ridge and start my own practice?
My skin is still tingling because of it.
After taking a few more bites of his stew, seeming unbothered by the entire situation, he turns away. “I’ll have to bring in some logs to get the fire going.”
Nodding, I watch him leave. Only once I hear the thump of his boots, and the front door opening and closing, do I allow myself one very quick moment of panic. It’s not because I don’t trust Gavin, but more because I don’t trust myself. Not while my heart is trying to take charge and do something reckless by chasing after something that doesn’t exist.
