Intoxicated by Alicia Renee Kline

Author:Alicia Renee Kline
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, romance, chick lit, contemporary, indiana, indianapolis, fort wayne

Chapter Seventeen

It was game time. As the oven timer counted down, the finishing touches put on our carefully laid plans, my stomach continued to twist in knots. Any minute now, the doorbell would ring and the Indianapolis quotient of our party would arrive, ready to pass their judgment. I began to second guess everything, even though it was all perfect.

The last couple of hours had been a flurry of activity. I would never have been able to pull off an event of this magnitude without Blake and Matthew’s help. After our interesting talk in the car, Blake had left Matthew and me to our own devices. She had stayed out of our way, keeping busy with flitting about the house and making sure everything was picture perfect. Apparently, she felt as though she had given me enough to think about. I would be way too occupied with my own thoughts to even consider flirting.

Matthew had surprised me by handling every task I had given him with perfection. No matter how much he joked about being the typical bachelor, there was hope for him. His future didn’t have to consist of microwave popcorn and TV dinners. I told him that I would teach him some basics and we could go from there. Since he was over at my place for dinner more often than not, it would be simple to squeeze in some cooking lessons. He agreed, but I wasn’t sure if he was just humoring me or not.

As we worked together, I studied him discreetly. During the time that Blake and I had gone back to our place, he had showered and changed. Gone were the glasses, though his face was still unshaven. Normally, I didn’t like scruffy, but on him, the five o’clock shadow worked. His blond hair was characteristically unruly, threatening to fall into his piercing blue eyes. He was as dressed up as I had ever seen him; over his jeans he had layered a white dress shirt and a black sweater. The shirt remained untucked and peeked out from underneath. He looked like a celebrity, stylish in a way that mere mortals couldn’t be from the top of his head to the bottom of his black combat boots.

Whoever won his heart would be insanely lucky.

A chill shot down my spine, and I shuddered at the thought.

“It’s okay; I’m nervous too,” he admitted, mistaking my action.

I smiled up at him. Our eyes met and I swallowed the lump in my throat. “Happy Thanksgiving,” I whispered. “No matter what happens today, I am thankful for meeting you and the friendship that you’ve given me.”

He reached across the countertop and grabbed my hand. “Happy Thanksgiving, gorgeous. One day I hope I will be the person you think I already am. Sometimes when we are together, I forget that I’m not and I almost start believing it myself.”

I laced my fingers around his and squeezed. Holding his hand felt like one of the most natural things in the world. Our hands rested against the cold concrete, but I felt no chill.

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