Fire and Ice at Silver Ridge by Claire Cain

Author:Claire Cain [Cain, Claire]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Claire Cain

Chapter Thirty

Leo

* * *

Between opening the door and sitting down at the table, something had happened to my brain.

Seeing him, it became clear this was a date. And then, I walked into the home to find the fire blazing, music low, the table set beautifully… it was all so… romantic.

Something I’d never had, but longed for. I’d never been on a date like this, never had someone want to do anything like this for me, and it was so small.

Then I started to doubt. My confidence wavered in these moments—the romantic ones where, if I opened myself to someone else, I would definitely be hurt.

Especially this man, with his glasses and his soft eyes looking at me like I shouldn’t be surprised he liked me. Did he realize he was essentially Mark Darcy-ing me? If the next words out of his mouth were that he liked me just the way that I am, well. There’d be no going back.

I shouldn’t want this with him. How was it possible that of all the people in Silverton—or, you know, the world—it was him doing this? And how could I look myself in the eye after this—after falling all over myself about this evening and hoping for more?

But I couldn’t stop it. And the moment he said my name like he did—that tone that said he knew me and he liked me and he wanted to know me more… well. I turned my back on the knowledge that I shouldn’t be getting close with this man and gave into the experience.

The food, predictably, was delicious. Basta was both fine dining and comfort food. Well, maybe not fine dining but it was delicious and mildly fancy, and since we lived in Silverton, it remained affordable. I dreaded the influx of Jamie’s fancy friends into the neighborhood and the likelihood that they, the expanding resort, and a hotel would inevitably drive up prices.

Speaking of the hotel…

“About the hotel.”

He froze, fork halfway to his mouth, then set it down. “No.”

“That’s not—”

“I appreciate that we will need to discuss the hotel. But we work together five days a week and that is reasonably something we can expect to discuss, even fight about, during those five days. Right now while I have you to myself in a situation that very much resembles a date, in which we’re getting along pretty well, I do not wish to begin discussing something that will only anger you.”

“Of course. I can… wait.” Against my nature, perhaps, but I could. If I had to. Especially because I did like the point about it being a date, and us getting along. I wanted that to continue. I wanted him to keep liking me. If we avoided discussing work, I could more easily ignore the part of me that knew this was all a mistake.

His low laugh sent a thrill racing up my spine. Serious Jonas, who I never would have guessed had a deliciously sinister kind of laugh, was proving to be a man who actually did have a sense of humor.

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