Page 83 of The Mating Game
“No promises,” I chuckle. “I’ll see you next week.”
“See you then.”
I think I’m actually beaming when I hang up the phone, doing some strange little dance number in place. I already can’t wait to see the look on Hunter’s face when I tell him.
Thinking of him gets me excited all over again, and I rush out of my room, still pulling on a fresh pair of socks, to bound down the stairs. I don’t see him in the main entrance at his desk when I step off the landing, so I start to wander through the rooms at a quick pace, shouting his name excitedly as I move throughout the lodge.
It takes a few minutes for him to appear from the back door that leads out to the deck where the hot tub is. He’s rushing inside with a concerned expression when he finds me running around and shouting his name. I’m only alittledistracted by the sight of him in black coveralls and a thick buffalo plaid coat that makes his dark hair seem darker and his big body seem bigger—but seeing him look distressed brings me out of it.
“Tess? What’s wrong? Are you okay?”
I grin even wider, rushing up to him and grabbing his hands. “Nate called me back!”
“Nate?” Hunter glances down between us where I am still gripping his hands, raising an eyebrow before finding my eyes again. “Who is Nate?”
“Sorry, sorry.” I shake my head to clear away my excited energy. “My friend. The one from the magazine. He wants to interview you! They’re going to fly him out next Wednesday, after the storm passes so he can get pictures of the place.”
Hunter’s mouth parts in surprise. “Wednesday?”
“Okay, I know that’s sort of short notice, but we can totally spruce things up around here with very little effort. We just need to clear out the paint cans and stuff…fix some of those railings outside, polish the wood surfaces a little—oh, and we definitely have to give this place amajordust-over. I’m talking top to bottom. And those Santa hats should probably come down from the elk head until he leaves, at least. Also, I think we should—”
I finally notice the way Hunter is looking at me—sort of a mixture of shock and confusion as his eyes move from my face to our joined hands and back again—and it’s then I realize that in my excitement I marched down here and rushed him with this wild news, the memory of the kiss he rejected only last night momentarily forgotten.
But I’m remembering it now.
I release his hands quickly and let mine hang limply at my side, unsure for a moment what I should do in this situation.
“I’m sorry,” I offer, feeling shy now. “I didn’t mean to bombard you first thing in the morning.”
Hunter shakes his head slowly. “No, it’s fine. I thought you might be hurt or something.”
“I just got so excited when he called…I didn’t think. You might not even want all this. God, I’m such an idiot. I didn’t evenconfirm that you wanted all this to happen before I just set up a damn interview for you.”
“No, I appreciate it. I…” He still looks a little stunned. “He really wants to come out here?”
I nod emphatically. “His editorlovedthe pictures I sent. Said this place reminded her of some old painting or something or other. I don’t know. The point is, yes, they want to come if you want them to.”
Hunter’s brow furrows as he looks down at his feet, thinking. His hands come to rest on his hips as his jaw works subtly, and now I notice the bits of snow clinging to his hair. I reach unconsciously to brush them away, but his head snaps back up right as my fingers slide against the dark curls near his temple.
“Sorry,” I squeak. “You’ve got some…”
“Oh.” He runs his own hand through his hair to shake away the snow. “Yeah. It’s really coming down out there. I was making sure we were going to have enough wood if the power goes out.”
“Does that usually happen?”
He turns to grimace at the patio door and the increasingly thick flurry that continues to come down. “If it gets any worse than this…I wouldn’t doubt it.”
“Awesome,” I deadpan. “I’ve always wanted to freeze to death.”
Hunter laughs enough I can see that dimple hiding behind his scruff, and I have the odd urge to touch it.
“So,” I prod gently. “What do you think? I can cancel this whole thing if you like. I don’t want to overstep.”
“I just…” He reaches to rub at the back of his neck. “Are you sure you want to be wasting your favors on me? I mean…on this place?”
“I told you last night,” I remind him. “I want to help.”
“You never said why though.”
