Page 14 of Cold Case, Warm Hearts

“I don’t mind sharing.”

She chose a scallop. “That’s really good.”

“Anything else you want to try?”

“That’s all right. I’ll know what to order next time.” And then her expression dimmed. “Maybe I’ll get takeout.”

So shehadnoticed the people staring.

He usually loved this little town, but at that moment, he felt like giving the whole room a piece of his mind.

Rather than asking the questions hovering between them, he said, “You’ve seen the house. What do you think?”

“It’s in better shape than I thought it would be.”

Better shape?What had she expected? “What’s your goal for the property?”

She shrugged. “Fix it up and sell it.”

“Do you have a deadline?”

She swallowed her spoonful of soup. “Not a specific date. And I assume that, if I decide to leave town, you could continue the renovations without me.”

“Of course. The time difference will make it harder, but we can figure it out. How many hours behind is Hawaii?”

“I’m not going back to Hawaii, not right away.”

“Oh. Where are you going?”

She shrugged. “I have grandparents in Florida, so I’m planning to go there.”

“I’m sure they’d like that.”

“I don’t know them very well. We never visited them, and they only came to Hawaii a few times when I was growing up. But since they’re the only family I keep in touch with…”

“You could stay here.”

She laughed, the sound musical. The flash of amusement transformed her face. Wow, she was a looker. Not that he wasinterested. No sense getting involved with somebody who clearly had no desire to stick around.

“I don’t think I could get used to the weather,” she said. “I’m a beach girl. A surfer and swimmer. What would I do here?”

“I’m guessing that, if you can surf, you can ski. And the lakes are beautiful in the summer.”

“And cold.”

True. Why would she choose to live in the mountains in New Hampshire when she could go anywhere in the country? The world, really.

He tamped down a surge of disappointment. He barely knew this woman. Why did he care where she lived? “What would you do in Florida?”

“I’ve always wanted to get a college degree.”

“In what?”

“Probably hospitality. I always thought I’d work for Dad, so I never really let myself think about what else I want to do.”

“That’s a good job, though.”

“Working with my father was great. But dealing with tourists and servers and cooks and suppliers… It has its challenges.”

---