Page 6 of Fated Midlife Christmas
“That happens sometimes,” she said carefully, taking the next platter and passing it on to Chelsea without looking at her. “You just feel like you have to do something.”
He knew, and now he was sure that she knew as well. But could it really be? Could he have spent his forty-seven years on Svalbard, patiently waiting, only to find out that she wasthousands of miles away? “Sort of like destiny,” he replied. “It puts you right where you’re supposed to be.”
Amanda’s eyes had been steady on his, and now they flickered over his face for a brief moment before she turned back to her plate. “It could be random,” she hesitated.
“Possibly.” No. There was nothing arbitrary about this at all, but she was pulling back slightly. He’d felt her interest as though it were a palpable force in the room, but now it was retreating and leaving him far colder than the Norwegian winters ever did.
His eyes slid down to her plate. “It seems to me that your Viking feast is a little lacking.”
That brought her gaze immediately back up to his, her shoulder curving a little as her eyes sparked with laughter. “Is that so?”
“Absolutely.” He gestured with his fork. “You can still see your plate underneath. Unacceptable.”
The tip of her tongue darted out to the corner of her mouth. “You’re the expert, I suppose. Do you have any recommendations?”
He was already holding a bowl of buttered corn, and he put a large spoonful on her plate. “You need a little bit of everything, some variety so that you never get tired of any one thing.”
Amanda’s chin lifted slightly, and her lips pressed together as she tried to keep herself from smiling. “Anything else?”
Lars grabbed a warm roll and added it to the rim of her plate. “Some bread, because you need a lot of energy to get through the cold winter months.”
One of her brows tweaked up slightly as she tapped the edge of her plate closest to her. “A good start, but there’s still plenty of porcelain here.”
“That’s because you still need this.” He reached out and stabbed a large slab of ham with his fork and added it to her plate. “Protein, for lots—and lots—of stamina.”
Someone snickered, and Amanda’s eyes darted to the side.
Kristy was holding her hand over her mouth, but her giggles were escaping on either side of it.
Amanda cleared her throat and straightened up a little. “Could someone pass the butter, please?”
Lars held himself back through the rest of the dinner, but it was enough to at least be next to her for the moment, making polite conversation where he could. Far too quickly, the evening came to an end, and it was time for everyone to go home.
“Thank you so much for having us over,” Erin said as she gave Lilith a big hug. “This was the perfect way to kick off the holiday season.”
“Of course!” Lilith moved to hug Tina next. “It was wonderful. I love it when we can all get together like this.”
Everyone was hugging goodbye, and Lars found himself caught up in the fold. It seemed to be a natural part of the evening for everyone, and they included him as though he’d always been a part of it, too.
“It’s so wonderful to meet you,” Maeve said, giving him a warm, motherly embrace. “If there’s anything we can do for you while you’re here, you just let us know.”
“Thank you.” Lars shook Kendrick’s hand next, and then he turned and found himself facing Amanda.
She looked a bit startled to be so close to him. Her shoulders rolled a bit in a shrug as she reached up and put her arms around him. “It was nice to meet you.”
Her perfume enveloped him in roses with the undertone of something woodsy and earthy that made him want to draw her in even closer. Lars felt her generous curves against him, her arms around his shoulders, her cheek so close to his, and he once again wondered how fate could work so that the two of them were standing there together.
He pulled back as she did, but he didn’t let go. Lars let his hands linger on her waist as he took one last, long look at her. “It was a shame you were standing behind me back at the hotel.”
“Oh?” She let out a short, nervous laugh as she cocked her head to the side. “Why is that?”
“Because it meant I only had a moment to look at this beautiful face without being rude.” Keeping his left hand on her waist, he lifted his right and trailed his finger down the delicate curve of her cheek. Her face was a little more angular than her relatives, a trait that made her quite intriguing.
“You would’ve gotten away with a bit longer of a look,” she returned, her smile widening. “Good-looking people always get away with more.”
He sighed, already regretting the fact that he’d have to let go of her soon enough. “Ah, but this is a face that should be seen through a crowd, noticed from across a big room. The kind of face that makes you feel like you might be the only person there, even if there are hundreds. The kind that men travel across oceans for.”
Her breath hitched in her lungs, making her breasts brush against him slightly. “I don’t know about that.”
