Page 96 of Chasing the Sun
“Stunning.” I hadn’t meant to say it aloud, but when her eyes whipped to mine, the blush on her cheeks had me biting back a smile.
A shy hand tucked the curl behind her ear. “Thank you.”
The room tightened. The air turned thick, charged with something molten and hot.
We stared at each other for a beat before I cleared my throat and gave the pasta a quick stir. “So do you miss it?” I asked. “The city.”
Elodie kicked her feet as she considered my question. “Honestly? Not even a little.” She let out a tiny laugh. “I mean, sure. I miss afewthings like this one little bakery that made the most divine oat milk lattes.” Her eyes went dreamy. “You know the kind with the fluffy foam on top and a drizzle of caramel?Mmm...”
The way her throat hummed had my stomach swooping. She mistook my awestruck silence for judgment because her nose crinkled. “It’s silly.”
I shook my head. “I don’t think life’s simple pleasures are silly.”
“Is that so, Mr. Blackwood?” Her eyebrow rose. “How do you enjoy your coffee?”
“Black,” I deadpanned, earning me her hearty, genuine laugh—my favorite one.
Elodie raised her shoulders and sighed. “Honestly, I don’t miss the life I had there. Being here, working on bringing Stan’s dream to life? It’s ...” Her hands motioned in front of her chest. “Changing me.”
My head tipped, eager to glean any insight into the complex woman in front of me. “How so?”
“I built my entire life aroundfun—events, planning, being effortlessly charming.” She batted her lashes. “You know,” she said, her voice deepening as her brow furrowed, “damn the man and just have fun!” She laughed, eyes going soft. “Now? I don’t know. I’ve never had toworkfor something. Suddenly all the hard labor on the farm doesn’t feel so restrictive. It’s freeing. I don’t think anyone ever used to think I was someone they could count on, and now it feels like I have an entire community waiting with bated breath to see me make something of the place.”
I stepped forward, cupping her face in my palm. Mythumb stroked across her high cheekbone. “As much as I hate to admit it, you don’t suck at this.”
Elodie gasped and flattened a hand to her chest. “Sir, your compliments make me blush.”
I bit back a smile as I rolled my eyes. “You know what I mean—you’re talented. You have business mogul written all over you.”
Her grin widened. “You think so?”
I jerked my chin in a firm nod. While I didn’t like the fact Elodie was damn good at this and it made my dream infinitely harder to achieve, I couldn’t lie to her either.
Ellie smiled shyly. “Maybe one day.” She looked around the kitchen and hummed. “My very own place where people could stay, eat, hike, and play?” Her wistful sigh knotted in my chest. “Yeah ... maybe one day.”
Silence stretched between us. Finally, Elodie’s voice came out in a small whisper. “I guess we have to wait and see what happens with the Keepers—what they’ll decide with the farm.”
I hummed, drowning in my own thoughts about how my own dreams of running a kitchen were diluted down to morning muffins and strawberry scones. My jaw tensed. Thinking about how close I had been only riled me up, so I shoved it down and focused on her instead. Somehow I found myself making dinner for the one person whose dream was in direct competition with mine.
It was best not to think about it before I burst a blood vessel right in front of her.
I drained the pasta and finished plating the food, setting it in front of her, watching as she twirled a forkful of pasta and took her first bite.
The second the flavors hit her tongue, her lashes fluttered, and she let out a quiet, sinful little moan. “Cal.”
Jesus Christ. My name on her lips.
I swallowed hard, my fingers curling against the counter, my voice thick with gravel. “That good?”
She swallowed and licked her lips, slow and deliberate. “I told you, you’re dangerous.”
I stepped forward, bracing my hands on the counter, caging her in. “You have no idea.”
She set down her fork, tilting her face up to mine. “Then show me.”
I didn’t hesitate.
One hand threaded through the curls at the nape of her neck, the other gripping her hip as I dragged her forward. Her breath hitched, her fingers fisting the fabric of my shirt as I dipped my head, hovering just above her lips.
