Page 97 of Silent Partner (Pine Falls 3)

He chuckled low. “Maybe someday.”

“Maybe.” I reached for my knife to cut the cake into a perfect square.

“What are you working on while you avoid me?”

I let the knife go, in case any illegal thoughts turned into actions, before I turned and came face-to-face with him. In a word, he captivated me and rendered me speechless. It really wasn’t fair how attractive he was to me. And I was talking in more than the physical sense. In his eyes I saw so much goodness. But the pleading in them reminded me of the pain that was ever present. I tore myself away from his gaze. “I’m not avoiding you,” I tried keeping my voice down. “I’m working on new menu items.” That was a good spin on it.

He wasn’t having it. He removed any distance between us. “You are avoiding me, but I’m not going to let you.” His warm breath on my cheek sent a shiver down my spine.

I narrowed my eyes at him. “If I want to avoid you, I will.”

He tugged on my toque. “I guess we’ll be playing a lot of hide-and-seek, then. Just so you know, I’m an excellent seeker.” He didn’t seem to care if anyone heard him.

I was sure there wasn’t anything he wasn’t good at. “I guess I’ll just have to up my game.”

He kissed my cheek without warning. “I would expect nothing less of you.”

I touched my tingling cheek. “You’re making people talk about us,” I said under my breath.

“I hope they do.”

I bit my lip and went back to work.

“Kinsley,” he said for my ears only. “This isn’t me making light of our situation. This is me trying.”

“Maybe you could try less,” I suggested.

“No,” he stated plainly.

“Fine. Then taste this.” I had no idea what else to do with him. I grabbed a clean tasting spoon and scooped up a dollop of the coffee-and-chocolate-infused cream before shoving it into his mouth.

His eyes widened; then the smile came. “Mmm,” he groaned. “Sign me up for some more of that. While you’re at it, put your name on that list too.”

My lips may have ticked up a little. “What am I going to do with you?”

“Let me try,” he pleaded.

I wasn’t sure there was anything I could do to stop him. And there was a part of me that didn’t want to. However, I had no idea how we would move on from the pain of it all. For now, all I could do was shove a large spoonful of the cream into my mouth. I took a moment and let the chocolate and coffee soothe my soul. If only it could mend my broken heart. But I knew that would be up to Brant and me. Like I said, it was going to be the hardest work around.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Brant and I walked out together that night around eight. It had been a long day but, weirdly, a good one, even if everyone had been talking about us. I honestly thought we were so busy today because the rumor mill was churning. People wanted to come in and see if it was true—that Brant and I were a couple. It added to the pressure I was feeling. Now, instead of trying to work out my feelings in private, it would all be on display. But I had to say, Brant had the makings of an excellent business partner. He knew how to talk to the contractors and had helped me relay my vision to them. He also had some great insight on how to improve the restaurant’s cash flow. And . . . we were meeting with Giselle, Carter, and their lawyer tomorrow morning. It was happening.

I looked around the parking lot and didn’t see Brant’s car. “How are you getting home?”

He pulled out some keys from his pocket and clicked a button. The lights flickered on the fancy car I’d seen this morning. It made me glad I hadn’t sent a note to the accounting firm next door.

“You got a new car?”

“This is a loaner from the dealership while my car is being serviced.”

Wow. What kind of dealership gives out loaners like that? It reminded me of just how far apart our worlds were. I wondered if that aspect alone would do us in. I knew sometimes Dani still had a hard time with it. Dani. I thought about her all the time. And not always in the most flattering ways. I hated it.

“Oh. Have a good night.” I meant to hustle to my car—it was quite nippy out. And, you know, I was trying to get away from Brant.

Brant had other ideas. He took my hand. “Let me take you for a test drive.”

“That’s okay.” I glanced down at our hands, which looked as if they belonged together. They felt like it too. It’s why I pulled away.

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