Page 78 of Snowed In With the Mountain Man
She straightened, all hint of her previous smile gone as she peered over at him. “Are we going to play another game, or are you going to sit here and psychoanalyze my family?”
He just barely swallowed a sigh. He could practically see the fun tomboy disappearing behind that cold mask she wore so well.
Luckily for him, he’d gotten awfully good at teasing out the tomboy.
“Are sure you can handle another round?” he quipped. “I don’t want you having a hissy fit when I win again.”
“Whenyou win?” She arched her brows, her eyes glinting with amusement. “Now who’s trash-talking?”
“I’m just looking out for you, Lia.” He put a hand to his heart. “If I’d known you were such a poor loser, I’d never have suggested poker.”
She pinched her lips together, but he could see the smile forming.
“We could have had a nice game of Go Fish instead, unless…” He widened his eyes. “Unless Go Fish is too high stakes for you?”
She burst out laughing as she dealt the cards. “Okay, smack talker. Let’s do this.”
He reached for his cards.
“And I’m not a poor loser. I just don’t think losing is fun. Unlike some weirdos.” She added the last part under her breath, making him laugh.
“Aw, come on. Losing a few times makes the game a challenge… and you can’t say a challenge isn’t fun.”
She rolled her eyes. “You have the ability to put a positive spin on everything. It’s kinda annoying. Has anyone ever told you that?”
“All the time.” He laughed. “That’s exactly what Rena used to say.”
His insides froze as soon as the words popped out. They seemed to echo in the air around them. And he couldn’t breathe.
Rena? Really? Where did that come from?He hadn’t said her name in years and it popped out now? In front of Dahlia?
He wanted to slap the back of his head for being such a careless idiot, but instead he fixed his gaze on the tabletop and their two little piles of jellybeans.
Red, blue, green, orange. He started counting candy colors, anything to keep his gaze off the beautiful woman across from him and the question he just knew was coming.
“Who’s Rena?” she asked.
“An ex,” he murmured, shuffling in his seat. He tried to think of any way to steer this conversation elsewhere, but Dahlia’s gaze was fixed on him.
He risked a glance at her face and wished he hadn't.
Her eyes narrowed into thin slits. “Sounds like it was serious.”
“Really?” He gave a snort of amusement. “You picked that up from two words?”
“I picked it up from your squirming and the way your neck is going bright red.”
He cleared his throat. Crap. Why on earth had he said her name? It was one thing that Dahlia had proven so easy to talk to, but this?
This was not a conversation he wanted to have with anyone, least of all the woman he liked.
He glanced up at her again. There was no denying it. He did like her. He liked her a lot.
“Who was she?” Dahlia tapped her finger on the table.
Waiting.
And he had a sinking feeling she’d wait all day if that was what it took.
