Page 71 of Love on the Run

Food with a view was underhyped. They satat a small table for two in front of a big window showcasing the snowy mountains, and Anna absolutely glowed throughout the entire meal.

She talked too. A lot. He’d never been a fan of chitchat, but he’d do anything to keep her talking and smiling. He hung on every word she said like a total sap.

Shoot. This was bad. Awful. The worst. He was one hundred percent captivated by Anna, and he didn’t have the willpower to pump the brakes.

Spending time with Anna was easy, and he wanted more.

After the meal, they headed back to the car.

“Where to now?” Beau asked.

“I’d like to go back to some of those cute shops we saw when we were here for the tree lighting. I think I could pick up some more Christmas presents.”

“Okay.” He reached for the passenger door, but she grabbed his hand.

Good grief. Why did he get a shock to his system every time she touched him?

“Could we walk? It’s such a pretty day.”

He released the door and returned to her side. She wrapped her arms around his, plastering herself to his side.

And he didn’t hate it. Not one bit.

The first shop that Anna pulled himinto was a candle shop called Wick and Sarcasm. It was a whole store filled with shelves of candles.

A variety of scents hit him at the same time, but one overpowered all others—vanilla. It was as if Anna had just wrapped herself around him.

A short woman with sandy-blonde hair glanced at them over her shoulder as she placed candles onto a shelf from a rolling cart. “Hello! Welcome to Wick and Sarcasm. Our candle of the day is Stories and Scones named after the bakery here in town. It’s a warm vanilla and pastry scent.”

“It smells amazing. I definitely want one of those,” Anna said.

The woman turned to face them, brushing off her apron. “We also make custom candles. You can pick your scent and give it a name. They’re great for celebrating special occasions.”

Oh, so they looked like a couple. Awesome. His journey into the Twilight Zone was complete.

“Can we do that?” Anna asked, looking up at him with wide eyes.

“If you want.”

Anna squealed and followed the woman toward a room at the back. “Come on and we’ll get started.”

Beau tried and failed to hang out on the sidelines, but Anna asked his opinion about everything. If he was going to have a say in this special candle, he wanted it to smell just like Anna. Even without her standing right next to him, he’d memorized thescent that tangled around his thoughts day and night.

When they decided on a scent, the woman brought over a laptop where she pointed to a label template. “Now, what would you like to call your candle?”

“Candles have names?” Beau asked.

“Of course! And they’re all unique and special,” the woman said as if she were telling him something everyone else in the world already knew.

Anna looked up at him. “Can we call it Freedom?”

“Whatever you want.” Whether she wanted to remember the place or her newfound freedom, the name was fitting.

“Perfect. I’ll have this ready for you in about two hours. Let me get your information, and I’ll call you when it’s ready.”

When they stepped out onto the sidewalk, Anna looked all around, completely thrilled by the decorations and flare of the Christmas town.

“Where to?” Beau asked.

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