Page 34 of Snowed In on Valentine's Day

“Indeed. I’ve discovered that.” He gazed at me then and swirled the water in his glass. “Some women wear old-fashioned sleeping caps.”

I flushed. “Don’t knock the night cap until you try it.”

He put both hands up. “I wouldn’t dare.”

Needing a change of subject, I asked, “Are you almost finished? I’m dying to go see what board games you have. Let me guess—Monopoly?”

“Good guess. Yes, I actually collect different editions.”

He said this with such a straight face that I couldn’t stop a giggle from erupting. “Oh, that’s so cute.”

He narrowed his eyes. “How is itcute?”

“Well, it’s—never mind. Let’s just go, OK?” I hid my smile as I turned to put my bowl and spoon in the sink behind us.

I started to lead us out of the kitchen but then halted, and he almost ran into me. He stopped himself though with merely a brush of his chest against my back, and I nearly jumped out of my skin at the brief contact. “Ah, sorry. I’m, uh, sometimes I get jumpy. For no reason,” I lied. “Anyway, I was just stopping to say I have no idea where the basement door is, so you’ll need to lead the way.”

He brushed past me slightly, and I shivered. What was wrong with me? I was responding as though I was attracted to him, and I definitely wasn’t.

Definitely not.

And even if I were, it wouldn’t matter. He wasdefinitelynot into me. Or anyone, apparently.

I needed to get a grip.

*****

“You can’t seriously be building more hotels.”

Grinning, I placed two more little red buildings on the board. “Watch me.”

“You are ruthless.”

“Says you,” I said with a laugh. “Aren’t you, like, a finance nerd? Isn’t real estate investing right up your alley?”

He crossed his arms over his chest. “It’s not, because I run a greeting card company.” His lips curved downward. “Well, I used to.”

Greeting cards? That wasn’t what I expected. For a fraction of a second, my mind wandered to Valentine’s Day and how I’d be spending it alone this year. By choice, of course. Mari might be back by then, but she’d want to spend it with Terry.And that’s fine—I’m fine alone.

My thoughts shifted to his last words. As he rolled the dice and progressed to a railroad he already owned, I eyed him curiously. “Are you bothered by that?”

He was still frowning when he raised his eyes to mine. “By what?”

“The past tense. Not running the company anymore, or any company.”

He ran his hands over his lush brown hair, which my fingers ached to touch as well. Wait, what? Why was I thinking about touching his hair? I wasnotbecoming smitten with this man.

Finally, after a long silence, he shook his head. “I don’t know if ‘bothered’ is the right word. It’s certainly an adjustment.”

“I mean, yeah, a massive one. It’s a complete upheaval of your life, letting go of the fancy corporate job and moving to rural Minnesota.”

He shrugged, but a muscle in his jaw tensed. Sensing he wasn’t going to respond, I rolled the dice and moved my thimble to a utility he owned. “Ah, I don’t have to pay rent, since you’ve mortgaged that one.”

His frown somehow deepened as he looked down at the Monopoly board. Finally, he sat back in his chair and looked at me with narrowed eyes. “Not my best game.”

“No?” I said, hiding a smile. “Let me guess, you’re used to winning?”

He crossed his arms, his eyes not leaving mine. “Always.”

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