Page 15 of Cloud Nine Love

I went into the bathroom and washed my hands. I already thought I had to be dreaming, and now I come back to this…

When did this happen in real life?

Maybe it was just the universe, or karma, or God’s way of balancing the scales of good and evil. My plane gets grounded, but I get upgraded to first class, which gives me access to the executive lounge. I find out Misty is pregnant with another man’s baby, but I meet Ana and end up sharing a hotel room with her.

Actually, I felt like the scales were tilting in my favor.

When I walked out, I found Ana removing the oyster pails from the plastic bags and opening them. When she stared down at the contents in the to-go containers, her expression grew alarmed.

“Is everything okay?”

“Your food’s not here. They gave us double chow mien, fried rice, and won tons, but there is no sweet and sour pork, dim sum, or dumplings.”

“That’s fine.”

“No. It’s not.” She shook her head and picked up her phone. “I heard what you ordered, and this is not it.”

I could see that it bothered her more than me. There was no way I was going to waste a second of the time I got to spend with her, going back to the restaurant to pick up my original order.

I reached out and covered her hand before she could bring the phone to her ear. “I really don’t mind. I love chow mien and fried rice.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

Neither of us moved our hands. We just stood there staring at one another. As much as I loved the feeling of her silky, soft skin beneath mine, I forced myself to drop my arm before I gave into the urge to lift her fingers to my mouth and kiss her knuckles like I was some Victorian-era suitor.

After clearing my throat, I sat down, and we both worked to fill our plates. Once mine was overflowing, I noticed a stack of what looked like playing cards on the table, except they had tiny cupids on them.

“What are these?” I picked one up.

“Have you heard of Dr. Vanessa Cupid?”

I had, actually. She was married to Cooper Briggs, whose brother, Wyatt Briggs, had been mine and Kane’s third musketeer growing up.

“Yeah. I have.”

She seemed a little surprised at my response. “Oh, okay, well, these are a pack of icebreaker questions for people to use on first dates or with their partners to increase intimacy.”

The moment she said the word intimacy, a blush rose on her cheeks. I wanted to point out how cute it was, but decided against it.

“You just carry these around with you?”

Her lips pursed, and I wasn’t sure if I’d said the wrong thing. “I like to be prepared, and I hate wasting time. And, like I said, I’m not a fan of small talk. Time is valuable to me. If I’m going to get to know someone, I’d much rather not waste it on subjects that are not important.”

“Right. Makes sense.” Everything I learned about her only made me want to know her more. Maybe these cards would solve that problem.

“Do you want to ask me a question first or…” Her voice trailed off.

“Sure.” I turned over the card and read, “Which one of your parents are you most like?”

“My dad,” she quickly replied. “I mean, I don’t really remember him because he died when I was five.”

“I’m so sorry. My dad died when I was nine.”

“I’m sorry.” We exchanged a knowing look before she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and continued, “But I’m nothing like my mom is. Or was… She died ten years ago.”

“I’m so sorry.” I apologized again.

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