Page 5 of A Sudden Romance

Either way, she responded, “Hope to see you.”

If he was in town during their reunion, perhaps Nate would invite him, and she’d bump into him again.

Grey retrieved his wallet and pulled out a business card. “Call me for a coffee if you need an escape from planning.”

She took his card, gave it a cursory glance, then stuffed it into her purse. The way he suddenly looked her up and down made her squirm. “Uh... We better not miss our flights.”

“I have a few minutes. I’ll walk you to your gate.”

They walked side by side, weaving through people as he asked about her job, his voice rising over pre boarding and final boarding announcements. She didn’t sense a pull of attraction or sparks between them, but his invitation to coffee could be the day she might feel something.

Were sparks supposed to be felt the day you met a potential date? Or did they strike after the third or fourth date? Maybe she was overthinking, but Grey seemed practical. Julia talked about reality, and Iris needed to start experiencing reality rather than living a fantasy.

CHAPTER 2

One thing terrified Sabastian Diakos more than being homeless. And that force, now driving him to step outside his comfort zone, was pushing him more this morning as he shifted in the swivel chair in his home office, staring at the laptop screen.

Squinting, he read and reread the email word-by-word—just like he’d done every day for the last two weeks.

Sabastian,

What do you think of adding ugly sweaters to the gingerbread competition?

To be honest, I feel a bit anxious about hosting a reunion in December. With your help though, I feel much better. Thanks for sharing my load. We can pull this off. I’ll be home on December 1.

Let’s make this the best reunion ever!

Iris

Whether she was anxious or not, he pictured the spark in her eyes as she typed the email. He touched the smiley-faced emoji she’d added after her name, the one with hearts in its eyes. Her smile alone could light up the entire town.

When she came to visit her parents, two or three times a year, he couldn’t help sneaking glances without her knowing. He’d also seen her smile whenever she typed on her phone.

Even when she wasn’t at The Peak, he found himself staring at her photo in the group family photos on his computer. Plus, he frequented her company website to look at the photo on her bio.

While he’d harbored a secret burning love for his bosses’ daughter, she was still the reason he wanted to leave The Peak and start his own business, a restaurant, outside her parents’ home.

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