Page 13 of Snow Much Trouble
But then the lights flicker, longer this time, and we both look up at the fixture above the table.
"Think we'll lose power?" she asks.
"Probably. But we've got both a gas and a woodburning fireplace, plenty of wood, and..." I raise my mug. "Hot chocolate."
"How much bourbon did you bring?”
“Enough to keep us warm all weekend.”
She's looking at me across the table, and there's something in her expression that tells me her thoughts might be running in the same direction as mine.
That there might be other ways to stay warm.
The snow is falling harder outside, and the warm light from the lamps is making everything feel intimate and cozy.
"Dylan?"
"Yeah?"
"Thank you. For dinner, I mean. And for not making me drive down the mountain in this weather."
"I would have never done that. I’m a gentleman.”
“Oh, really? A real choir boy?”
“No, just not an asshole. I was raised to treat women with respect. I still open doors and pay for dinner.” And make sure a woman comes first in bed. But I restrain myself from speaking that last part out loud. It could sound flirty or…too much when we’re trapped alone in a cabin together.
Lauren cocks her head to the side and studies me. “I think you were smart to delete the dating apps.”
“Why is that?”
“I think you’re looking for a relationship and you don’t even know it.”
That makes me grimace. I’m not. Not really. Or am I? I just want something different than random hookups and for now that has meant being single and celibate and I’ve been cool with that. “For fuck’s sake. Have you been conspiring with my mother? I’m not looking for anything. Well, besides taking the bourbon industry by storm and achieving great financial success.”
“Are all your brothers single?”
“Why, are you going to ask for their numbers?”
Lauren laughs. “No! I’m just curious. I’m an only child but my parents honestly don’t pressure me about any of that stuff like marriage and babies.”
“Lucky you. My brother MacKay has a girlfriend, Faith. They’re recently engaged. Her brother is his best friend and he has like eight hundred kids already. I think Faith is catching the baby bug because of her nieces and nephews.”
“That is contagious,” Lauren admits. “Though I haven’t caught it yet. Maybe when I’m thirty I’ll panic.”
“I want kids some day. Just not yet. My other brothers are still single.” I rub my jaw and think about the awkward night when MacKay was staying with me before he met Faith and hewalked in on me and a woman in the living room. That right there had probably scared MacKay into finding a wife.
Maybe Lauren is right—maybe I am ready for a relationship.
It’s not a scary thought, surprisingly.
If that’s the way my thoughts are going, Lauren really is trouble.
“But no, I’m not introducing you to them so forget it.”
Lauren licks foam off of the edge of her mug. “You can at least show me a picture,” she says, smirking.
“No way in hell. Besides, Ian is my identical twin. You’re already looking at him.” I point to my own face.
