Page 17 of Meet Me at the Christmas Cottage
Bronte’s eyes slid closed. “You did not give him the Liam Neeson speech, did you?”
“You bet I did.”
Sighing, Bronte glanced toward Jonah, still reading his book, but his smile had grown even more. “I’m going to let you go.” Bronte ended the call before Lexi could protest. This day had gotten off to a fabulous start.
But whatever the case, she still had ninety thousand words to write. And it looked like she was going to have to do it not in peace and quiet but in the company of a much-too-handsome distraction.
Not ideal. But when had life ever given her what was ideal?
Bronte Parker would make the best of her lemons, just like she always did.
* * *
Jonah bit the inside of his mouth to keep from smiling. He didn’t know Bronte’s friend Lexi, but hearing the “Liam Neeson speech” coming from the sweet but stern voice on the other end of the phone reminded him of something one of his sisters would do. Lexi didn’t have anything to worry about, he’d be gone soon enough. Hopefully.
“I am so sorry about her.” Bronte picked up her fork and stabbed her eggs.
“No problem at all.” Jonah turned the page of the book he was reading. Or pretending to read. Since Bronte had answered her phone, Jonah had read the same paragraph three times before giving up and just turning the page. “It’s good to have someone looking out for you.”
“Yeah.” Bronte crunched off a bit of bacon. “It’s really coming down, isn’t it? Any chance of it stopping soon?”
“This is nothing.” Jonah lifted his cup toward the winter wonderland. “You should have been here for the snow of ’08. Almost completely snowed us in. Snow up to the top of the windows.”
“That’s”—Bronte paused, and Jonah could visibly see her swallow—“a lot of snow.”
“What? It doesn’t snow where you live?” Jonah’s eyebrow quirked.
“It does. Just not like this.”
Jonah took another drink of his coffee, his eyes never drifting from Bronte. When she’d come down this morning ready to leave, his heart had dropped. Not because she expected him to leave—he completely understood that. He didn’t want to be trapped in a house with a stranger any more than she did, but maybe he didn’t want to be trapped here all alone either.
“So, what brings you to Jonathon Island? You mentioned work?”
Bronte wrapped her hands around her mug and stared into the backyard. “I came here to write a book.”
“Like abookbook? A real book? I didn’t see that one coming. Most visitors on the island are here because of Daisy’s YouTube channel. Daisy Decker, she?—”
“Yeah, I’m familiar with her channel.” Bronte brushed him off with a wave of her hand.
“I don’t actually know her, but she’s dating my buddy, Hunter. Or I guess they’re engaged now. Anyway, I’ve heard there’s been an influx of visitors to the island because of Daisy’s show. Well, an influx compared to the usual numbers since the Grand burned. Before the fire, Jonathon Island was a pretty big destination for families. There was talk of abandoning the island, but…” Jonah trailed off. He was rambling, and Bronte’s eyes were getting that glazed-over look. “But a real book? Are you writing about Daisy?”
“Yes, like a real book. No, not about Daisy.” He could be mistaken, but was that a blush on Bronte’s cheeks?
Color him fascinated. Jonah leaned his chin into his hand. “Reading is my favorite. Tell me about it. What do you write?”
Bronte set down her tea, opting for picking at her eggs with her fork. Was she going to tell him?
After a pause, Bronte put her fork next to her plate and wrapped her hands back around her mug. “I write about messy family relationships. The series I’m working on tells the story of a single mother and her two daughters as they navigate the ups and downs of their lives and relationships.”
Jonah blinked. Her series sounded…boring.
“It’s literary fiction,” she followed up when Jonah didn’t say anything.
Jonah slowly nodded. “I can’t say that I’ve read a lot of literary fiction.”
“What do you generally read?”
Jonah lifted the book he was almost finished with. “I read a lot of rom-coms.” Bronte’s eyebrows shot up. “Seriously. When you have four sisters, it just happens, but when I’m not reading hot-pink books, I love a good fantasy. Brandon Sanderson is my favorite.”
