Page 91 of Halstead House

“What do you think about dinner out tonight?” I asked. I felt some tension drain from him and knew that I’d done the right thing in changing the subject. He wasn’t ready for a big talk.

“I came here to ask you the same thing.”

I pulled back so that I could see his face. “You mean you didn’t come here to get attacked by your employee?” I grinned.

His eyes turned suddenly serious, and his hands left my back to cup my face. “You stopped being my employee a long time ago,” he whispered, and then we were kissing again.

This time the desperation wasn’t there. Instead it was so soft and tender and loving that I felt those tears well again. He said things so well this way. I wished he could say the same things out loud. I wished I could.

I clung to him for an extra second when he tried to release me. “Don’t stop,” I said.

He smiled and kissed me once more. This time I let go when he did. He brushed a thumb under my eye. I hadn’t even realized some of those tears had escaped.

“You okay?” he asked.

I nodded once. “Hamburgers or pizza?” I asked.

“For the game, or for dinner?”

I shrugged. “Both.”

“Hamburgers.”

“Me too.” I stepped out of his embrace entirely and tucked a strand of hair behind my ear. “My treat tonight. Let me grab some shoes and my purse and we’ll go.”

Dinner was relaxed and entertaining, and when we returned to the mansion neither of us wanted to call it a night.

“How about a game of cards?” I asked him as we crossed the grounds, arms around each other.

“What did you have in mind?”

“What cards do you have around here?”

His eyebrows pulled down as he thought about it. “It’s been a long time since I played any card games. I have no idea. We can check out the cupboards in the family sitting room and see what we find.”

We made our way through the kitchen and into the cozy and casual room reserved for family. I’d only been in the room once or twice, as it wasn’t used regularly. The tans, creams, and reds that made up the color scheme created a welcoming feeling. I followed Lucas as he crossed to some cabinets near the television and opened them. There were some board games, a few stacks of cards, and some movies inside.

“Okay, Ms. Burke. Pick your pleasure. We have Uno, Phase 10, Skip Bo, or regular old face cards.”

“Phase 10 it is.”

He nodded and set the other boxes aside while he pulled out the deck and began to expertly shuffle. His long fingers were mesmerizing as I remembered the feel of them on my face and back.

“Cake or pie?” he asked, interrupting my mental wanderings, which was just as well, seeing as my heart rate was starting to pick up.

“Oh, um, that’s an impossible choice.”

“Come on, that’s a cop out. Which will it be?” He grinned and dealt the hand.

“Well, I really love cake. Pie is more of an occasional treat. So, I suppose cake. You?”

“Apple pie all the way. Not the Dutch apple, though, with that brown sugar crumble on top. I like it lattice. Crust on top and bottom.”

“What kind of monster doesn’t like the brown sugar crumble?”

“Nowhere in the rules of the game does it say we’re allowed to question each other’s choices.”

“Consider me chastised.” I laughed. “Football or basketball?”

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