"I'll drop you in this snowdrift," he growled playfully.
"No!" I yelped, which caused Milo to run over to us, barking.
Jack set me down. "Now you're happy and you can take photos."
I was pressed close against his chest. There were snowflakes on his eyelashes. We were so close I could count them.
"I should get those pictures," I murmured. He released me, his hands lingering on my back. I handed him my phone.
"Make me look like a star!" I said.
He snapped photo after photo as I spun around, threw snow up into the air, and played with the husky.
"Classic Instagram poses," I said as I flipped through the pictures. "These are great! When you're tired of being a billionaire, you can be a photographer."
He smiled, and it seemed a little bit dangerous.
"Okay, I helped you," he said. "Now, what do I get in return?"
"What do you want?" I asked him, my heart yammering.
"Cookies."
18
Jack
When we stepped out of the elevator on the top floor, I grabbed her by the hand and led her to my front door. Her hands were warm, and she didn't pull away when I laced our fingers together.
"You have a keypad too," she said.
"Every condo in the building does," I explained. "It was supposed to be state of the art. This tower was such a mistake."
"It's nice. It just needs some playfulness and people," she said, stepping into my penthouse.
"I'm working on it," I told her. I didn't want to go into the details of my hubris. The tower, like my parents, was going to be a sore point the rest of my life.
"Let's talk about happier things, like cookies," I said to her.
"I'm shocked that you are so enamored of them," said Chloe, her face lighting up in a smile. Her whole presence warmed my apartment, chasing away the chill of self-doubt and past hurts.
"I tried to find these cookies at other bakeries," I said as I helped her out of her coat, "but they don't have your magic touch."
"Your touch is pretty magical," she said under her breath.
"What was that?" I asked, grinning at her.
"Nothing." She headed toward my open kitchen.
"The Austrian wedding cookies don't take long to make," she told me as she tied her hair back, "but I need the ingredients."
"I already have them."
"You do?"
"I tried to make them myself, but…" I sheepishly pulled out the box of disasters.
"Oh my," she said. Chloe picked up one of the sad little cookies and broke it. She sniffed it then tasted it. She made a face and threw away the whole box.
