Feeling petulant, he decided to see how far he had to go to make her blush. “Hey, babe.” He slid into the seat next to her, making sure their hips and thighs were pressed together.
She leaned into him. “Hey there, handsome.”
Oh, she was good. He put his arm around the back of the chair.
“This is my second cousin Tucker, and his wife Layla, and their daughter Danielle.” She lifted Danielle’s little fist in a wave.
He exchanged greetings with the couple while lifting a strand of Diana’s hair to fiddle with. It was silky and slipped right through his fingers, giving him visions of more intimate moments they could share.
But they wouldn’t. Because they were only going to be affectionate in front of people.
Layla made a meltyohsound. “You guys are riding Mistletoe Mile tonight, aren’t you?”
Diana’s eyes widened in panic. “No. No. I don’t think so. No.”
“But you’re a couple, and so you have to come.” Layla reached for Danielle, who went to her mother with a happy bounce of her arms and legs. “Before all the romance gets sucked up in one of these.” She went cross-eyed and Layla giggled.
“What’s Mistletoe Mile?” Cliff asked, curious because of Diana’s insistence they not go. “If it’s a family tradition, we should do it.”
Her ears turned pink and her lashes lowered. She put her hand on his knee and squeezed, warning him away from the topic. How he knew that was what that meant, he wasn’t sure.
Tucker dug through the diaper bag and came up with a package of wipes. He passed it to Layla. “Basically, it’s a sleigh ride around the lake and an excuse to make out.”
Layla elbowed him in the gut. “You make it sound like a frat party or something. It started out as a way to remember Great-Grandpa’s proposal to Great-Grandma. There’s soft Christmas music playing and a plaid woolen blanket to snuggle under. The stars are out, and the way is lit by old-fashioned lanterns. It’s totally romantic.”
Diana cut him a look. “I usually stay back and help babysit.”
“That’s silly!” Layla scowled. “There’s plenty of older siblings to keep the peace for an hour or so.”
It sounded like this was one of those things they should be doing if they were in love. “I can’t wait.” He tugged her to his side and kissed her hair.
She giggled. “You have no idea what you’re getting yourself into.”
He turned to Tucker. “That’s what she said the first time I asked her out.”
They all laughed. He patted himself on the back. He was doing great, and Diana was happy.
She bumped him with her shoulder, and they shared a look, a couple-like look—the kind of look that was intimate and said,I want to laugh with you all day. He brought her fingers to his lips and kissed them. This scheme might be fake on her part, but he definitely felt something for her. If he wasn’t careful, the lines would blur and he’d forget that he had an empty apartment waiting for him, along with a firm spot in Diana’s friend zone.
* * *
After lunch, Cliff excused himself and rushed to the basement. Marie was right: the beef stew was really good. It wasn’t eating too much that had him running away; it was the racing of his heart every time he touched Diana. As big as the mansion cabin was, the walls were closing in. He grabbed his coat off the hook and took off on foot down the driveway.
Snow crunched under his boots and birds chirped in the trees. The sun bounced off the snow with a vengeance, and he pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and slipped them on. When he’d put enough distance between him and the house that he could breathe without smelling Diana’s coconut/vanilla scent, he dialed his brother.
“I have four minutes,” said Asher by way of answering the phone. He was a busy doctor, but he always answered when Cliff called. He was a more loyal brother than Cliff had been over the last year.
There was a huge apology in there somewhere, but he didn’t have time to spend groveling. He needed advice. As quickly as he could, he summed up the situation.
Asher hooted. “I can’t believe she got to you.”
“Yeah, well, it’s the same old pattern. I seem to like the women who aren’t available. What am I going to do? The more time I spend with her, the more I like her.”
“Like? I thought you liked her the first time she brought you cupcakes.”
“Why’d you think that?” He stopped walking, needing to hear the answer. The snow was crunchy and loud.
“Because you ate them. I seriously thought you were going to dump them in the trash, but you not only ate them; you hoarded them.”
