Page 34 of The Confidant
“What type of food are you in the mood for?” Addison asked when we made it to the top floor of the lodge where all the restaurants were located.
“I usually like the sandwiches at Amelia’s Cafe,” I said, pointing to the small cafe across the way from us. “But if you want more of a hot lunch, then The Hot Pot is really good, too. Their pho is amazing.”
“I think everyone wanted to meet on the rooftop to eat, so let’s go with the sandwiches.”
We walked over to Amelia’s café, and we’d only been in line for thirty seconds before I regretted not suggesting another choice. Because Scarlett and Xander stepped right behind us just then.
“Hey guys,” Addison said, turning back to look at them.
“Hi,” Scarlett replied, her gaze going briefly to me before returning to Addison. “Did you have fun tubing?”
“It was so fun,” Addison said with a smile. “What about you guys?”
Scarlett and Xander glanced at each other before he spoke for both of them, saying, “It was really fun. In fact, I think we might need to try it again.”
I flicked my gaze to Scarlett, to try and get a read on how she felt about going tubing with Xander in the near future, and my heart sunk a little when she blushed under his gaze.
So maybe she did like riding on the same snow tube as him.
“I don’t think we’ve been officially introduced yet,” Addison said, bringing my attention back to her as she spoke to Xander. “I’m Addison, and this is my date Hunter.” She gestured to me.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Addison.” Xander offered his hand for her to shake, a charming smile spreading across his lips. “I’m Xander Pierce.”
“It’s so nice to meet you, Xander.” Addison took his hand, and I tried not to notice how she, too, flushed under his gaze.
Yep…I was basically chopped liver today.
Xander offered his hand to me next. “You look really familiar. Do we know each other?”
“Yes,” I said, making sure to keep my handshake firm. “We went to the same church, growing up.”
I didn’t like bringing up the church in normal conversation, because it was a part of my life that I wanted to keep in the past. But since it was actually where we knew each other from, I couldn’t exactly say it any other way.
“Hunter is Sebastian Blackwell’s younger brother,” Scarlett said, offering clarification. “You were in Sebastian’s Sunday School class, right?”
“Oh yeah,” Xander said, further recognition showing on his face. “Sebastian and I go way back. And now that you mention it, you and your brother look so much alike.”
The line moved as some people got their orders, so we took a few steps forward.
“So Scarlett said you go to Yale?” Addison asked Xander, keeping the get-to-know-you session going. “What are you studying?”
“I’m working toward a dual major. One in History, and one in Religious Studies,” he said.
Which really shouldn’t surprise me. Only people with the kind of money Xander had in his future could study something that had such a small chance of becoming a lucrative career path.
Though, I guess I really couldn’t talk since I was hoping to study Creative Writing and Psychology.
“What made you pick History?” Addison asked, seeming intrigued by that for some reason.
Xander shrugged his broad shoulders. “I’ve always enjoyed learning the stories of how we got to where we are now. I also really like studying the lives of the great leaders in the past and seeing what commonalities they had.”
“Do you want to become a leader of something someday?” Addison asked.
Xander nodded. “I actually did an internship with Scarlett’s dad this summer and would love to possibly become a pastor someday. Which is where the Religious Studies comes in.”
“What made you interested in that?” I couldn’t help but ask since there wasn’t usually a lot of money in church leadership.
Well, unless you were at the top—the High Priest and his Deacons certainly had a nice stipend provided by the church.
