Page 34 of Falling For You

“Here’s hoping.” His eyes widened.

I tossed the potholder at him, and he caught it.

To see this side of him was refreshing.

I looked down at the casserole. “Impressive. Can I have the potholder back?”

He walked over with the potholder, glanced at the food, and smiled. “It actually looks really good. The cheese is all bubbly, and the rye is all toasty under there.”

“You’re just saying that.” I chuckled. “And it’s okay. It might look like a hot mess, but the lady online swore by the recipe.”

“Well, the lady online can’t be wrong.”

He stood right behind me, and I felt electricity slide through my body each time he let out a breath. It had to be in my imagination. Bodies didn’t exactly let off electricity, but I swore the air between us could crackle at any second.

I slid potholders on my hands, walked the casserole dish over to the table, and put it in the center before taking my laptop off the table so it didn’t get ruined.

“Did you want anything besides water for a drink? I have some beers left over from Liam and Beck. And my brother’s hard cider. He makes it every fall. He says his recipe is nearly perfect.”

“Water is fine, but I look forward to trying the cider sometime.”

I nodded, walked to the cabinets, and filled our glasses with filtered water.

“Who’s Beck?”

“Oh, that’s right. You’ve only met Liam.” I smiled and sat down. “He’s my other brother.”

He cocked his head slightly. “How many do you have?”

“I have two brothers and two sisters.”

Owen nodded slowly as if he were letting that sink in. I sliced into the casserole and glanced at him as he lifted his plate.

“Here we go. I’ll shovel some of this crap on your plate.”

Owen cracked up and shook his head. “Yeah, we might want to work on your lingo if you’re trying to sell your recipes. Shoveling crap and slop don’t really scream, eat me.”

“Oh, I’m not taking credit for this bad boy.”

His eyes caught mine, and his smile only deepened. “Do all of your siblings work here at the lodge?”

“Yup. They all do.” I scooped some Reuben onto his plate, and he set it down. “I’m the only one who left for a long period. We all went to college, but I was the kid who never wanted to return. Fifi didn’t return until recently, but her life imploded, so…”

“Oh, I’m sorry to hear that.”

I nodded. “She certainly didn’t deserve it.”

“People rarely do.” He took a bite, and surprise washed over his features.

“Not so bad or…?” I watched with worry.

His lip curled, and he nodded. “It’s actually incredible.”

I took a bite and was pleasantly surprised. “Not quite like the sandwich, but still pretty darn good.”

“Really good.”

“Listen, I’m so sorry about forgetting about our plans tonight. I got all wrapped in my thoughts from the day, and the next thing I knew, headlights were blinding me.” I shrugged. “I guess I’m just not used to people asking me out. I don’t usually have to remember things like that.”

---