Page 14 of One Christmas Eve
Her cheeks turned a lovely shade of pink, but then she frowned and held up a hand. “Wait, you saidespeciallythe parts with the sticky notes. You didn’t actually read thewholebook, did you?”
“Of course I did. Random scenes with no context aren’t going to mean anything.” He gave her a sheepish grin. “Although, I must confess that the closer I got to a sticky note, the faster I read.”
“Trust me, we all do.”
“I felt bad for the guy’s brother, though. His wife taking off and leaving him with a baby like that.”
“He’s the next book in the series,” she said with a chuckle. “Do you want to read it and find out what happens to him?”
His cheeks heated in the cold air. “I kind of do want to know how his story goes.”
“I’ll get you a copy, then.” She pulled the collar of her sweater up and then stood. “Okay, it’s officially cold out here. Let’s go inside.”
When he held the door open for her, it felt like the most natural thing in the world to put his hand on the small of her back as she went by him. And he kept it there, the heat of her back warming his palm, as she looked around for Carly and Noah.
They’d gotten a booth, so Zoe slid across the seat to the inside and once she was settled, he slid in next to her.
“It’s definitely warmer in here,” he said.
“And their buffalo sauce will take care of any lingering chill,” Carly said, and they all laughed.
Good humor was the vibe of the night as they talked about random things and ate wings hot enough to make his eyes water. He was glad he’d come out tonight, and not just because he was spending time with Zoe. This was the kind of relaxing, stress-busting evening he never seemed to have time for working for the big city firm, and it was a big part of why he’d moved.
Zoe shifted her weight on the seat, and her leg pressed against his. There had been a few accidental brushes that had heated his body as much as the wing sauce, but this time she didn’t move away.
He savored the warm pressure, though he tried his best not to give any visual clues he was aware of it. The contact of their thighs through his khakis and her jeans drew his awareness, though, and made it a lot harder to focus on the conversation. It was tempting to do the old stretch and yawn routine and rest his arm on the back of the booth behind her, but he didn’t dare try it with Noah and Carly sitting across from them. If he blew it, they’d probably piss themselves laughing at him.
When they’d settled the bill and it was time to leave, Preston stood up, and after she slid across the seat, he offered Zoe his hand to help her up. He would have held on to it as they walked out to the parking lot, but at some point she’d taken her sweater off and she needed both hands to put it back on.
He was parked near her, so after saying goodnight to Noah and Carly, he walked her to her car.
“I’ll leave first,” she said with a saucy grin. “I can’t cut you off if I’m already in front of you.”
He laughed at the lighthearted reference to their first meeting. “I’ve figured out to just yield to you.”
That suggestive half smile with arched eyebrow look of hers made his senses sizzle. “Oh, really?”
But hehadpaid attention to the pages she’d marked with the sticky notes and he didn’t really think she’d have time for a guy who just threw up a white flag, no matter the contest. “No, not really.”
Her laugh was almost musical in the still, cold air. “I didn’t think so. But I’m freezing, so I’m going home now.”
“I have to go back to Boston for a few days and finalize a few things, so I won’t be around. You know, in case you wonder why the office is closed next week.” He was rewarded with what might have been a glimmer of disappointment in her expression, but it cleared so quickly, it was possible he’d imagined it.
“I hear you’re coming to Thanksgiving dinner at Granddad’s,” she said.
“I was invited.” He gave a little shrug. “And it was more like hetoldme to come when I said I wouldn’t be joining my family for the holiday.”
“That’s kind of how he is.”
“But I didn’t want to commit to accepting until I got a chance to talk to you. If you think it would be weird for me to be there, I won’t go.”
Her lips tilted into a slight smile. “And will you post pictures on Instagram of your bowl of ramen soup you’re eating all alone?”
He laughed. “Ramen soup? You don’t think I can do any better than that?”
“I’m sure you can, but you don’t have to. Of course you’re welcome at Thanksgiving dinner.”
“You’re sure?”
