“Where did that thought come from?”
Anya quirked her head. “What thought?”
Had she spoken out loud? “Nothing. I must have been mumbling to myself.”
“Sure.” Anya drew out the word. “As you watched James walk away.”
A groan puffed out of her. “Please don’t start on that again. There is nothing between us. We’ve barely known each other twenty-four hours.”
“You don’t believe in love at first sight?”
An automatic no came to her lips, but she didn’t answer right away. “Love is more than attraction or a chemical reaction. Love, in its truest form, requires so much more. How could love at first sight exist in that case?”
“I’ll grant you that, but attraction at first sight is real, and so are instant connections.” Anya nudged her. “Which is exactly what’s happening with you and James whether or not you admit it.”
Cece shook her head. “You’re imagining roses and poetry because you have romance on the brain.”
“Denial and diversion. Classic symptoms my friend.” Anya laughed walking to the register.
Since she wasn’t making a purchase, Cece escaped the crowds and waited outside until Anya and James finished their shopping. After spending most of her day outdoors, the tight spot felt confining and suffocating.
James exited the store first, carrying a brown paper bag with the Finlovian crest stamped in the center.
“You found stationery for your sister?”
“I did.” He pulled a box set out of the bag and showed it to her. “She loves to read. As a child, she’d spend her summers outside under the large oak in our parent’s yard. When I saw the grove of Ash trees with the benches, I thought, ‘Grace would love to read under there.’ When I saw they had a note card set with a pencil drawing of that scene, I knew it was meant for her.”
He appeared so proud of his purchase, Cece couldn’t help but smile. “She will love it.”
Anya came out of the store with a larger bag in hand. “I’ve done my Auntie duties for the day. The real question will be how long can I wait until I give them their gifts? I won’t be able to videochat with my brother or best friend, or I’ll end up showing the plushies.”
“Oh no. You’re one of those people, aren’t you?” James gave a mock scowl of disgust.
Lifting the bag and twirling around, Anya chuckled. “What can I say? I can’t keep secrets when it comes to a gift.”
James flicked his wrist and checked his watch. “The shuttle back to Ellington will be here in ten minutes.”
“Does anyone want to stay in town and catch a later shuttle?” Anya asked.
“I made plans with Edwin for a rousing game of chess later, and there are a few calls I need to make, so I’ll head on this shuttle.”
“What about you, Cece?”
Her immediate response would be no. She’d done an immense amount of walking already today—her fitness tracker told her she’d doubled her goal. Relaxing with a good book for an hour sounded delightful.
Except she was on vacation, and how could she soak up every moment while reading?
That’s an excuse and you know it. Every vacation needed downtime, so what was her real reason?
James.
Despite all her denials, she was attracted to him.
Chapter Ten
“How is Finlovia and Ellington Castle?” Grant asked over the phone.
“Very nice, but I’m sure you are aware of that since you booked the entire trip.” James sat at the writing desk in his room with his laptop setup in front of him.
