“Is that an invitation?” he asked, his tone rumbling over her skin.
She smiled and rose. “Join me and find out.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
Lovell navigated Daphne’s car around the top of the lake, stopping several times by the lodge as skiers crossed the road, ignoring the two pedestrian bridges built for their safety.
“Do you ski?” he asked idly as three young men carrying snowboards passed in front of them.
“Occasionally. Living in Europe, it’s hard not to, but it’s not my favorite. You?”
“It wasn’t a possibility growing up. Then the military didn’t require it either. We did some cold-weather ops, but still usually walking or snowshoeing. When I moved here, I decided that while there are a lot of things I’m willing to learn as an adult, skiing isn’t one of them. Too damn cold. And if you say I need to dress warmer, that’s a lie.”
Daphne chuckled. “The first time I saw you, you were jogging down the street in running tights, a lightweight athletic jacket, and a hat. Don’t tell me you get cold skiing.”
“Too much wind and way more time sitting around on lifts than running. Besides, if it gets too cold when running, there’s usually a store or café I can duck into within a few minutes. I’m not stuck at the top of a mountain.”
“Fair,” she said with a smile in her voice. “You know the way to Asher and Ellie’s house?”
He nodded. They’d agreed to meet Ryan and Ava at Ryan’s cousin’s home. Asher and his movie-star wife, Ellie, were hosting a Warwick sledding day, and the entire family, including in-laws, were gathering at the compound. Lovell wasn’t sure how many people there’d be, but he’d guess close to fifty.
“Did Ryan give any indication of what updates they had?” she asked.
“Only that Weeks was being tight-lipped. Don’t know if that means he’s said nothing or just hasn’t said a lot.”
He glanced at his passenger as he turned onto the main road heading south. He still couldn’t quite believe what had passed between them in the last twelve hours. And he had no idea where he stood in her life, if anywhere. He didn’t think it was a one-night thing, but she could be thinking of it as “while we’re locked up in the cabin together” kind of thing. The lack of clarity sat uneasily on his shoulders, but after less than a day, forcing her to name or define it didn’t seem like the right move.
Especially not when he didn’t have an easy answer himself. It was more than a one-night thing for him, for certain. But was it more than the time they had in the cabin? He hadn’t been in a real relationship since Daisy, but Daphne was nothing like his ex-wife, so his hesitation didn’t stem from that. And yet hedidfeel hesitant.
“You’re thinking awfully hard over there,” Daphne said.
He was. Probably too hard. Also a first for him. “Just lost in thought,” he replied, turning left at the last light in town. The icy lake came into view as they crested a small hill.
“Can people snowmobile on the lake?” Daphne asked.
He shook his head. “Every year, a couple of kids try, but it’s too big and the winds keep the water churning. Besides, it’s coldhere, but we’re not like North Dakota- or Minnesota-cold.” He turned right onto Asher and Ellie’s street.
“Have you met Ellie?” he asked. It would make sense if she had. She might even know Cody Warwick, another of Ryan’s cousins who was also a famous country singer.
Because knowing famous people was the life she lived. The life sheused tolive. Now she seemed content with her apartment in Paris and writing.
“I met her years ago,” Daphne said. “Her breakout year, when she won her first Oscar. But I wouldn’t say I know her. We were at a few red-carpet events and a party or two.”
“Do you miss that world?” he asked as the gate to the property appeared at the end of the road.
A sardonic laugh filled the cab. “Not in the least. I loved it, it gave me what I needed: money, escape, and eventually, when I got big enough, autonomy. But it was only ever that, a way out. Maybe that’s why I was so good at it—I didn’t get emotionally attached to much of anything. It was never something Iwas, just something Idid. Does that make any sense?”
He nodded, pulling up to the gate. “It does, but I can’t imagine it was as easy as that,” he said, punching the intercom button.
“It definitely wasn’t easy, but it’s easier to do hard things when you’re not emotionally invested in them. They’d ask me to lose weight, and I’d lose weight. I wouldn’t pout and take it personally. They’d make me the anchor of a show or put me on the cover of some famous magazine, and I wouldn’t gloat or pull any prima donna bullshit. It was ajob. And I think photographers and industry people appreciated that approach. And when they like working with you, the more jobs you’re offered.”
“And more jobs means more exposure and more exposure means climbing the ladder of superstardom,” he said as the intercom crackled to life.
“Come on in,” Ryan’s voice came through as the wrought iron gates began opening. “Find parking wherever you can and head to the main house. I’ll meet you there.”
“Roger that,” Lovell replied, easing the car forward once the gates were fully open.
“It wasn’t quite as smooth as that,” Daphne responded. “There was a fair bit of luck at play, too. But yeah, that’s basically how it worked for me. It’s a different world now, though. Not sure that approach would work anymore.”
