Page 36 of Falling For You

“Whoa. Wait a minute.” He laughed, bringing his hands into the air. “I didn’t say I was a psychopath.”

I laughed and shook my head. “I didn’t either. I said a sociopath.”

“Tomato, tomahto.” He chuckled, running his fingers along the day’s stubble on his chin.

“Well, what else would we call it?” My brows lifted. “You know, a person without empathy or emotions.”

“I guess, I mean…”

I snickered a little more. “I was saying you weren’t one, anyway.”

“Well, thanks for that. Appreciate it.”

I took a sip of water between laughs. “How did we get here again?”

“I haven’t the foggiest.” He finished the casserole on his plate. “But I can’t wait to see where it goes.”

Chapter Nine

Violet

His words floated through my mind from last night as I put together the day’s lunch. Fifi and Sienna were down in Madison, and I looked hard at the stove as I tried to forget him. Telling me he couldn’t wait to see where we went messed with my mind. The look in his eyes was even more impossible to shake.

Owen’s striking green eyes haunted me in a way that seemed to pull my thoughts to him nonstop. Of course, it didn’t hurt that he had dark lashes to go with his blond hair. He was the entire package, except that he’d proven himself to be too good at keeping secrets from me.

The last thought pushed a frown right onto my lips.

The smell of sizzling bacon brought me back to the present as I chopped apples and prepared the rest of the salad ingredients. A fresh pot of coffee brewed for the afternoon as I stood over the counter. The stew pot had already been placed on the dining table, and guests would arrive shortly.

Not all guests showed up for meals, but we offered them to those who wanted them, and itseemed to be a pretty nice feature that set us apart from the main hotel.

Outside, the fall wind rustled through the trees, and bright colors painted the treetops beyond the kitchen windows. A light rain had come and gone this morning, leaving a few puddles dotted along our property.

Inside, the lodge’s warmth mixed with the clatter of drink glasses and silverware being set in the dining room with my mom’s jolly humming. The sounds all brought a tremendous amount of comfort.

When my mom trundled into the kitchen, I finished chopping the apples and went on to the walnuts. Washing my hands, I glanced at her, looking into the cabinet to choose the meal’s serving platters.

She chose a bright orange platter for the sandwiches and a giant yellow bowl to transfer my salad as I drained the bacon and crumbled it into pieces.

“You’re not as chatty as normal,” my mom said, turning with the platter and bowl in her hands.

I chuckled as she set the items down. “Did you know that I got wrangled into some dating auction or something?”

My mom’s brows lifted. “By whom?”

“Millie.” I eyed her suspiciously.

“I thought you were supposed to bake cupcakes.” My mom reached for the salad ingredients and mixed them in the yellow bowl.

“It started with cupcakes and somehow spun to being offered to the highest bidder.”

My mom chuckled and shook her head. “Ah, Millie. You really can’t trust that gal. I told her I doubted you’d be interested.”

“Come to find out, all my siblings told her no.”

“Yup. I was around for that.” My mom shook her head with a grin. “I’m sure you can get out of it if you’re uncomfortable.”

“I already committed.” I took my mom’s giant salad bowl, placed it in the corner with a pretty backdrop, sprinkled the bacon on top, and took a photo. “Perfect.”

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