Page 57 of Lovesick
“I recognize you. You work at the coffee shop. Or ... did.” She grimaced. “Heard about that. So sorry. What a darling place that was.”
“Thanks.”
Her head cocked to the side. “Are JJ and Mark here?”
“Mark is in town closing a real estate deal, and I’m not sure where JJ went. He left hours ago.”
She nodded, studying me. “And you are doing...”
“Work for Mark. Trying to get his paperwork under control.” With a little shrug, I gestured to the box in my arms and then at the boxes of papers near the desk.
“Brave girl,” she cried, chuckling. “Need some help?”
“Sure, thanks! I’m just carting these outside. Mark said he wanted all the boxes left by the woodpile so he could burn the paperwork when it’s done.”
She tilted her head back and laughed. “That’s definitely my oldest son. Arsonist to the core. I’d love to help. Just show me which ones to move.”
It took us ten minutes to lug the four boxes to the designated spot. Which left four more to scan and organize. Thankfully, the burn pile wasn’t too far from the main lodge, and Justin had dug a path to it. Atticus trotted up to us, panting in the crisp air. The distant sound of a saw meant Justin was around somewhere.
Movement and sound came from the main kitchen, and I thought I glimpsed JJ inside. After my outburst this morning, I was grateful for some distance.
I dropped the last box and kicked it the final few feet through the snow. Supposedly, Justin would come burn it when Mark returned. Something abouta bonfireands’moresandanoffering to the snow gods.
Kelly turned toward the kitchen, then beckoned me with a wave. “My nose detects something in there. Let’s go check it out.”
I had to admit I was hungry. I’d fended for myself for lunch, and I’d really only been able to find Froot Loops in the bachelor pad kitchenette.
I followed behind her, both eager and a little nervous. Curiosity pushed me forward. JJ’s culinary creations seemed to just appear. What did it look like when he made them happen? Did he frown when he concentrated? Jabber nervously, like Mark? Somehow, I pictured him utterly quiet and focused.
Kelly knocked on a side door, but let us inside before JJ could respond. Warmth rushed out of the kitchen and over my skin. In the fading afternoon light, I welcomed it. A fierce chill had settled as the sun sank behind the mountain.
JJ looked up as we stepped inside. With his hair pulled away from his face and his shoulders broad beneath a long-sleeved T-shirt, he reminded me of a Nordic god. A Nordic god wearing a flour-covered apron. I almost swore under my breath. Sometimes it hurt to look at him.
Half a breath seemed to pass before he grinned at his mom. In that span, I saw hesitation. Maybe a flash of anger. It disappeared so quickly that I couldn’t be sure.
Odd.
Kelly didn’t seem to notice. She wrapped her arms around her son and squeezed him tight. Was it weird to feel jealous of a mom?
“Please tell me you’re fixing something delicious,” she said as she released him.
“Brioche.”
He leaned against a counter, shoulders drawn tight against his shirt, and I almost swallowed my tongue. Instead, I focused on the mess of dough in the mixer. Only JJ could break hearts while wearing flour.
“Fancy,” she sang. “What’s the occasion?”
“Love a challenge.”
He didn’t quite meet her eyes as he said it. Instead, he gave me a smile that spoke worlds of reassurance. Did I imagine extra warmth in there?
Was I losing my mind?
“Hey, Liz.”
My insides melted. “Hey.”
He kept his gaze on me for a breath longer. It threw me off orbit, like he had his own gravity.
