Sarah hollered her goodbyes to her parents over her shoulder before shutting the door behind her. The front steps were slick, a thin dusting of snow speckling the surface. Lance wordlessly offered his arm to keep her steady.
“Thank you.” She curled her other hand over his forearm, and even with all the layers of fabric, Lance still felt a zing of electricity shoot all the way up to his shoulder.
He pulled out every chivalrous gesture he knew, from opening her car door, to making sure the heating vents were all pointed in her direction, to letting her select the music for their quick drive. In any other scenario, these gestures would have felt forced, but with Sarah, they just came naturally. He wanted her comfort more than anything.
“Would you believe I’ve never eaten at Timber Creek?” she admitted as they pulled up to the venue.
“Really?” He flipped his turn signal before angling into the parking lot after the short drive.
“It’s not really kid-friendly.”
He hadn’t thought about that, but supposed she was right. A quick perusal of the online menu did show it was lacking in the chicken strips and mac and cheese department.
“Thank you for bringing me,” she said, giving him one last look before unbuckling her seatbelt. “I’m not sure I’d have the opportunity otherwise.”
Lance wanted to tell her he would bring her here every week if she so desired. Every night, truly. But another part of him wanted to spend time with Laney, too. She was the sweetest little thing, and what he loved the most was watching Sarah with her daughter. The way it came so naturally to care for her. How Sarah beamed with pride just in looking at her. It was moving to witness love pouring out of someone right before your very eyes.
They found their way into the restaurant, and after speaking with the hostess, were seated at a cozy table in the back next to a piano that still had leftover holiday poinsettias displayed around its base.
The menus were thick and leatherbound, with items ranging from locally caught fresh fish to their game-of-the-week. And the wine list was twice as long as the menu.
“I’m not sure what to get.” Sarah scanned the pages. “It all looks delicious. What are you thinking?”
“I’m leaning toward either the New York strip, or the venison.”
“And venison is?” She bit her lip and looked almost afraid to ask.
“Deer.”
“Oh.” She pulled a face. “I think it’s a little too soon after Christmas for me to think of ordering one of Santa’s reindeer.”
Lance chuckled. “I’ve heard the bourbon-glazed pork chop is a winner.”
“I was looking at that. I think I’ll go with it. Sounds safer.”
Their server came by shortly after with a basket of crusty breads, along with a notepad and pen, ready to jot down their orders. When he retreated, Sarah looked across the table at Lance with the most thoughtful expression on her face.
“What?” Insecurity caused him to swipe his napkin over his mouth, just to be sure he didn’t have a stray breadcrumb on his lip.
“I’m just really glad we’re doing this. That’s all.”
“Me too,” Lance admitted. “Well, the dinner part, at least. Not so convinced on the book club part yet.”
She rolled her eyes at him. “Please tell me you at least started the book.”
“I did.” Lance reached into the pocket on the front of his shirt and withdrew a folded slip of paper. “I even wrote down some talking points, just to get the ball rolling.”
“Lance Major.” Sarah straightened in her seat. “You never cease to amaze me.”
As their eyes met and a smile passed between them, Lance thought that maybe, justmaybe, this book club thing wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
CHAPTER 9
Sarah had wanted Lance to kiss her. Was that crazy? It was a book club meeting, not a date. But it had all the trappings of a real date, from Lance footing the bill to the way he stood and pulled out her chair for her when she’d returned from the restroom to freshen up before dessert. And when he’d dropped her off at the cabin at the end of their time together, leaving the engine running as their conversation lingered and eventually lulled, she swore he was going to lean across the cab of his truck and kiss her.
But he didn’t. He’d just looked at her with something that felt a lot like longing, and then thanked her again for the enjoyable evening.
She’d waited until his truck had backed all the way out of the driveway before stepping into the cabin. She needed a minute to clear her head, and the mountain air always helped with that.
