‘No. But I have a feeling you’re going to tell me anyway.’
‘I think you’ve had a bad breakup.’
My head shot up. ‘What? Why would you say that?’
He shrugged his shoulders. ‘That’s usually what makes people decide that moving to a small town on the coast is a good idea. They have this romantic ideation of small-town life, fueled by Hollywood movies.’
‘Movies? For your information, I don’t have a lot of time to watch those.’
He gave me a look that I swear saw right through me. ‘OK. I’m not going to pry.’
‘Isn’t that what you’re doing?’
‘I’m just a curious guy. But whatever brings you here, welcome to Pine Harbor.’
‘Thank you.’
‘Where are you staying?’
‘Somewhere called Shore Cottage.’
‘I know where that is. It’s not far from town.’
‘Good to know.’ The last few weeks had suddenly caught up to me and it was a struggle to keep my eyes open. I yawned.
‘Come on,’ he said, getting to his feet. ‘I’ll walk you back to your car.’
‘You don’t have to do that.’
‘I know. But it’s just the kind of guy I am. I wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight without knowing you were safely where you needed to go.’
It was late, dark and I was in a strange town. I wasn’t going to argue. ‘OK. Thanks.’
‘Night, Jack,’ he called out to the man behind the bar as he opened the front door of the restaurant for me. The cold air rushed in, and I shivered, pulling my coat tighter around me. Outside, the snow was steadily falling, the tiny flakes spinning in the light from the streetlights. I went to step off the curb and felt my boot slide out in front of me. For a moment, time froze,as I felt myself flail, knowing I was about to take a fall into the street. I must have squeaked or something, because Jonah was beside me in less than a second, catching me before I could fall. I reached up and clung to him without thinking.
‘I’ve got you,’ he said in a low voice, looking down at me with eyes that were incredibly dark in the night. The words and the way he said them made me feel light-headed. From the safety of his embrace I looked up at him, the breath sticking in my throat. If a camera had loomed out of the darkness right then and a director had yelled, ‘Cut! Let’s run that from the top,’ I wouldn’t have been at all surprised. Everything about this night had been surreal. Arriving in this picturesque town, meeting Jonah, enjoying a meal with him. Now here I was, in his arms with his face close to mine, his eyes intense, his lipsright there.I had never wanted a man to kiss me more in my life, and the shock of how much I wanted it left me speechless.
‘You need to be more careful,’ he said, straightening up and returning me to an even keel.
‘I’m not drunk.’
‘I didn’t say you were.’
‘Good. Glad to hear it.’
‘The ground gets slippery when it snows. It catches us all out sometimes.’
Realizing that I was still holding on to him, I quickly let go. ‘I have walked on snow before,’ I muttered.
He reached out and took my hand again, tucking it into the crook of his. ‘Where’s your car?’
I pointed across the park. ‘Over there.’
‘Come on, let’s get you out of this cold.’ He shook his head. ‘And I hope that the next time I see you, you’ll be wearing something a bit more sensible for December in Maine.’
‘Yes, sir,’ I murmured. ‘This coat will be officially retired until autumn.’
‘Glad to hear it.’
