“A waste of a wish,” I muttered.
The building that had caught my attention earlier drew my eyes toward it. There was a lit-up window and in it, a woman stood there, looking out. From what I could tell, she was wearing a silky-looking robe in a pretty, purple color. Her wild red hair was set in soft waves that even from a distance made my hands itch to touch it. To stroke and test out its softness. To gently pull on a curl and see how it bounced back into place.
As I slipped my phone into my back pocket, I couldn’t help but notice just how beautiful she was. Enchanting. Ethereal. And weirdly enough, oddly familiar. I blinked and blinked again, almost like my mind couldn’t process or figure out if she was actually real.Mine,a voice in my head whispered. I frowned.Mine?Before I could process that thought, she disappeared from sight, moving back into the depths of what I could only assume was her apartment.Or maybe it’s a rented-out Airbnb?I shook my head and rubbed my chest right beneath my thundering heart.Mine, that voice whispered again, a smidge louder this time.
It took me a moment to get my head wrapped around what the hell I’d seen. She’d been beautiful. Tall with wild reddish curls and a body wrapped in a silky satin material that highlighted the soft curves of her lithe body.
Was she real?There was no way. She was too beautiful to put into words, and that was from far away. I wasn’t sure my heart could handle seeing her up close and personal.What if she’s there tomorrow?I wondered and almost wanted to laugh at myself.
I was an idiot.
One little talk about finding ‘the one’ and a stupid wish on a star had me thinking I could fall in love at first sight with a complete stranger from across the street. A woman I hadn’t seen clearly.
I pushed off the building and started to walk. The ski resort was about two miles from the brewery, which wasn’t bad, but the hills were what got you. I could have easily called for a car or gone to wait at the shuttle stop. Instead, I chose to go for a walk. My sister was right. A walk and fresh air to help clear my head was what I needed. It might even help with the apology I had to give Cassie and the rule I was pretty sure I was going to drop.
Just as I crossed the street, a door beside the main one for the bakery opened, catching me by surprise. I stopped in my tracks, so close I put my hand on the doorframe that had almost slammed me in the face, only to see someone in a pink hoodie. Their eyes rose, and my heart stuttered inside my chest.
It’s her.
The woman from the window. I had no idea how I knew it, but I did.
“Oh!” Her bright green eyes widened with surprise. Green eyes that made my heart start to pick up dangerous speeds. “I am so sorry! I didn’t know you were out here. I didn’t mean to scare you. This is kind of a trick door. Not a lot of people notice it.” She made a face and kept talking. I was pretty sure she could read the phone book to me, and I would have happily stood there as she went from a to z and then did it again. “I usually use the back door, but it seemed like there was no one out here and…” Her voice drifted to nothing, and I couldn’t get my brain to work long enough to even open my mouth, much less say anything.
Not when it felt like she saw me.
Not just looked at or through me but somehow saw all of me.
All the bad and good and somehow still felt like I was worth something. A lot happened in those few seconds of silence. I took in every detail I could. It was like I couldn’t stop myself if I tried. She was tall but not taller than me. Her green eyes were incredible, like grassy hills I’d seen on a documentary of Ireland.That pretty gaze held me hostage, and fuck me, I never wanted to be free again, not if it meant not being with her.
“Don’t worry about it,” I finally said, my voice hoarse and slightly scratchy. “I should have been paying attention.”
“Right.” Her eyes skittered across the way toward the brewery. “Were you in a hurry?”
“No. I was just thinking and walking back to the resort.”
“To the resort?” Her eyes popped open wide. “That’s like an hour walk,” she pointed out.
“I know.” I smiled politely.
“In the dark,” she added.
“It’s not that bad. The stars are shining pretty brightly tonight.” I pointed and watched her head tip back. The hood part of her sweater fell, exposing the gorgeous red locks that were even lovelier up close.
I couldn’t tear my gaze from her. I watched as her eyes rose up to the sky, extending the line of her neck. My lips suddenly tingled to press them up against her pulse point.
“The sky might be bright with stars, but it’s feels like rain,” she noted.
“Rain?” My heart couldn’t seem to relax, and when her gaze connected with mine, it only got worse. She was so damn pretty. Those green eyes… Fuck me, how could they feel so familiar, so right?
“Yeah.” My chest expanded at the sight of her face breaking into a breathtaking smile. Jesus, was this what the Grinch had felt like when his heart suddenly grew three times its original size? His heart?Myheart? How could a woman whose name I didn’t even know yet have any kind of effect on my heart and the size of it?
“Yeah, I mean,“—she breathed in deeply—“can’t you smell it?” she asked just as a breeze picked up, sweeping up her sweet,gentle scent. Everything inside me went warm. She smelled like vanilla and sugar with a hint of berries.
“Rain?” I asked again, and she nodded. Her eyes shined as she stared at me.
“It’s also February and really cold.”
“Not that cold.” I shrugged. “What about you?” I asked. “Umm… headed somewhere?”
