Page 12 of Mountain Gift

"I'm sorry, Boone," I say sheepishly. "It was early, and you had a long day yesterday. I didn't want to bother you." Then I raise an eyebrow at him. "You got here awfully fast, though."

Boone chuckles again. "I had a feeling you might change your mind. So, I got here early to wait for you. I'm guessing you didn't notice that my truck wasn't parked out front?"

No, I guess I didn't.

I must look worried because Boone reaches out across the table, capturing my hand in his. His fingers weave through mine, creating a comforting warmth that has me looking up at him.

"It's okay, sweetheart," he murmurs, his voice so tender that it sends a delicate shudder through me. "I know you want to take things slow. And I'm okay with that. I'll take you home after your shift."

"But what about my car? I don’t want to leave it here.”

Boone sips his coffee casually. "Don't worry about that. I had it towed to a mechanic shop a few minutes ago. I wanted to take a look at it myself."

My eyebrows shoot up in surprise. My car had been acting up lately, but I didn't expect Boone to take matters into his own hands.

It's been so long since a man had gone out of his way to take care of me that I'd almost forgotten what it feels like. The feeling is unexpectedly stirring, a blend of comfort and warmth that I haven't felt in a long time.

"Thank you, Boone," I say softly.

"Of course, baby," he replies, his voice a gentle caress.

Just then, I'm flagged down by another table, pulling me out of our private bubble. As I turn towards them, Boone stands up.

"I was just about to get going anyway," he says. I look at him, suddenly realizing that he had already finished his coffee and bagel while we were talking.

Boone pulls out a wad of cash from his pocket and leaves it on the table. Then he leans down and presses a soft kiss on my forehead.

"I'll be back to pick you up when your shift is done," he says.

Watching him leave, I can't help but touch the spot where his lips met my skin.

Turning around, I spot Kristine standing by one of her tables, watching me over the heads of her customers and smiling. I flush and hurry to the kitchen to drop off the dirty dishes.

To my embarrassment, she quickly appears right behind me.

"That was him, wasn't it?" she asks.

"Who?" I turn the corner into the kitchen and set the dishes down against the counter harder than I mean to. The dishwasher turns to look at me, but luckily, he doesn't say anything.

Kristine smirks. "The guy that's staying at your house. That washim.Penny said he was good-looking, but oh boy… he'sincredibleto look at."

"You say that about a lot of people," I say, pushing past her and back out to the dining room. "In fact, I remember when you used to say that about Callum, too."

But she ignores this. "Did you see the way he was looking at you? Damn. He's smitten."

I stop in my tracks, my heart beating in my ears. Turning around to look at her, I ask, "He was?"

She nods vigorously. "Would I lie about that? Of course, he was. Though how could he resist that act you were putting on for him?"

My face grows hot again. "I wasn't putting on an act."

"You were flirting with him," she insists, nudging me with her elbow. "Either that, or you two just had great chemistry together. Either way, I'm rooting for you two."

I laugh politely and nudge her back even harder. "Well, have fun with that," I say. "Because there's nothing there you could rootfor.He's a friend of my brothers' who happens to be staying at my house. That's all it is."

And with that, I turn on my heels and head back out to greet my newest table of customers. Although I brushed her off when she said them, Kristine's words linger in my mind, feeding the flurry of emotions inside me.

Is it really that obvious?

---