Page 5 of Winter's Surprise
Michelle and Jake laughed at Annie’s retreating frame. He turned toward her, and the sweetest sad sigh she’d heard escaped his lips. Her heart beat rapidly at the look he gave her. She met this man barely an hour ago, but something about it all made her feel like she’d known him all her life.
It really was the strangest thing.
“Where were you off to when you fell over?”
“Ifell over?”
Jake rubbed his rough cheek. “Well, you took one look at me and toppled over.”
“Wow, aren’t we just full of ourselves?” Michelle chuckled.
He brushed nonexistent lint off his chest. “I can’t help it if women just fall at my feet.”
Michelle watched as Jake’s head jerked toward her with the impact of Annie’s hand.
“Ow! What wasthatfor?” Jake asked Annie as she dropped the bags and walked away.
He never got a response. The woman shook her head and shot him an annoyed look as she took her place behind the counter once again.
“Do you make friends with women everywhere you go?” Michelle teased.
“I must be losing my touch.” He glanced down to look at the text preview that lit up his phone. “Big baby,” he mumbled at the screen before his eyes met hers. “May I walk you to your car? Or were you going home on foot?”
Michelle pointed at his phone. “Sounds like you’re being beckoned.”
“He can wait however long it will take me to walk you somewhere.”
Her stomach flipped and flopped at those words. So simple, and yet the sweetness of it all caused her to feel special. Something a man hadn’t made her feel in way too long. “My car is a couple blocks in the direction we just came from.”
Jake put cash on the table to cover the food and offered her his hand. She placed hers in it, and he helped her from the booth. He refused to let her carry her own food and led her past the curious eyes in the diner.
The snow came down once again, and the icy flakes fell on her warm skin. After releasing his hand, she adjusted her scarf and he flipped up the collar to his coat. With a shy smile, she slipped her bare hand back into his. She knew it was too cold to go without gloves, but she wanted to feel his warm skin against hers.
“You probably won’t agree with me, and it’s a crappy thing to say, but—”
“But?” Michelle asked.
His smile lit up his face as he looked over at her. “I’m really glad I ran you over.”
She leaned her head on his arm and laughed. “Yeah, you’re right. That is crappy, and trust me, my wrist doesn’t agree with you at all, but—”
“But?” he teased.
Michelle sighed and playfully rolled her eyes at him. “I’m glad you tackled me to the ground too.”
Jake chuckled. “That wasnota tackle.”
She raised her eyebrow in disbelief. “You’re so full of it.”
Jake only laughed. He released her hand and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Butterflies made their home in her stomach at his touch.
“That your car?” he asked of the only vehicle left in the lot.
“Yup,” she whispered. Michelle couldn’t help but feel sad that the night was coming to an end. She was used to the routine of her life, and tonight was far from the norm. She could get accustomed to this norm, and that scared her a bit.
Jake waited patiently by her car as she searched for her keys. “Give me your phone?”
Michelle handed it to him as she dug farther into her bag. This was a daily problem for her. She really needed to stop throwing them in here or find a smaller purse. Glancing up after her fingers felt the cold metal, she found Jake inputting his number into her phone. A moment later, his own began to ring.
