A couple of cars sped past, throwing icy slush toward the truck. Marlie ducked, but spray covered her boots anyway.
“Thanks.” Anna grinned. “Welcome to chaos, my new friend.”
After grabbinga quick coffee where she’d been asked out on a date by a handsome accountant, Marlie headed to the college, parking outside her brick building and using her key to get inside. The college was quiet during the holiday season, and she hummed as she made her way up the stairs to the faculty offices. Hers was in the corner with windows overlooking the lake, and she smiled, feeling a sense of peace as the snow fell lightly over the water.
It took a few hours to get organized, and movement caught her attention outside her door. She looked up to see Mark carrying what looked like a couple of plants. His office was two doors down from hers, and he paused in the doorway. “Hey there.”
She smiled. “Nice plants.”
He snorted. “They’re from my grandma. She sent them to my apartment, figuring I wouldn’t find time to buy my own. Something about oxygen in the air helping me to think clearly.” Today, he wore dark jeans, snow boots, and a thick black sweater that matched his hair. His intelligent eyes twinkled.
“She’s probably right?” Marlie hadn’t considered plants.
“Well, then.” He moved inside the office and deposited one of the flowering bundles on her credenza. “Here’s a welcome present. Since we’re shaping young minds, I guess we should both have more oxygen in our offices.” He peered at the foliage. “I’d love to tell you all about this plant and how much water it needs, but I have no idea. We’ll have to google it.”
She laughed. “Thanks for the present.” She missed her friends from Seattle, and it was nice to be meeting people. She had a date with the guy from the coffee shop for lunch tomorrow and then for a night out this weekend, and that would help her stop spinning little fantasies about her too-sexy neighbor. Bosco had been gone for days, and she already worried about him.
Mark angled toward the door. “Do you want to grab lunch in an hour or so? There’s a deli across the park that’s supposed to be really good.”
She swallowed. He was charming and good-looking, but she knew better than to date a colleague. Even so, what could lunch hurt? “Sure. I’ll be finished with these files about then. We can walk across the park and check out the area.” She’d been meaning to do so anyway.
His smile was wide. “Excellent.” Then he disappeared down the hallway.
She winced. It wasn’t a date. Her phone buzzed, and she answered it. “Hello.”
“Hey, Sunshine. We miss you around here,” Stacia, her friend who taught physics, said. “When are you coming home?”
Marlie kicked back in her chair and watched the snow falling outside. “I am home now. Why don’t you come and visit me? You’d love the lake and the snow, and we could go skiing.” Or, rather, go to the ski hill and drink hot toddies by the fireplace. Maybe take a run or two. “What do you say?”
“I say that sounds like fun,” Stacia agreed. “I’m booked until after Christmas but could head over if the pass is open. Maybe the day after New Year’s? We have that week off.”
She sat up. “Really?” Excitement filtered through her. “It would be so great to see you. I’ll find ski tickets and have the week planned.” They’d been good friends for five years, and Marlie missed bouncing ideas off Stacia. “We’ll have so much fun.”
Stacia laughed. “We always do. For now, tell me about the local talent. Have you met anybody interesting?”
Marlie bit her lip and then told all, including her run-in with Bosco, the coffee-shop guy named Turner, and even Mark.
Stacia breathed out. “Seriously? Is there a shortage of women in Timber City, or what? I need to come visit just to find a date. What are you going to do about the neighbor?”
Marlie rolled her eyes. “I just told you that I have a date this weekend with a hottie and lunch today with another handsome man, and you’re asking about Bosco? What’s wrong with you?”
“Your voice changed when you talked about him,” Stacia said wisely. “He’s the one who interests you, even though you’re in the friend zone. I mean, how could he not? Who is named Bosco Albertini? The name alone is beyond cool. Add in his job and the danger and those broad shoulders you described in way too much detail and, come on, I know you.”
Marlie shook her head. “Nope. Not going there. You know when a guy warns you off that you should listen. Always.”
“True.” Stacia sighed. “Even so, I hope I get to meet him when I visit. Plus, it sounds like the Albertini family is a lot of fun.”
Marlie chuckled. “I’m not surefunis the right word. But they’re definitely not boring.”
Chapter5
It had been a rough few days away from home, but it was Sunday, and Bosco was home and ready to relax. “Thanks for picking me up,” he said to Rory, easing his aching body toward his doorway. He’d always trained hard in hand-to-hand, just in case a mission went wrong, and he ended up on the ground fighting for his life this time.
“Sure.” Rory looked toward Marlie’s closed door. “We should say hi.”
Bosco snorted. During their days apart, he’d spent too much time thinking about his pretty neighbor. Way too much time. “You just want to see if she made dinner again.” Although, he wouldn’t mind seeing her. Just saying hi and being neighborly. Then he could forget all about the dream he’d had about her naked in his bed. Or the one with her nude over his couch. Also, the one on his kitchen table.
Rory happily stomped to her door and knocked.
