Page 45 of The Christmas Lodge
“I’ve been in a couple of longish relationships, but they never got too serious, no.”
“Same for me,” Lacy admitted, but she looked a little troubled.
Does she think I could never be serious with someone?he wondered.Does she think I never want to settle down?
If he was honest with himself, he’d asked himself the same questions before. He’d just never seemed to find someone with whom he’d really found a lasting connection, and over the years he’d begun to wonder if he just wasn’t cut out for marriage, if he was just missing some vital component that led to lasting relationships.
Looking at Lacy across the table, though, he felt something stirring within himself that he’d never felt before. It made no sense—she was only here temporarily, after all—but when he looked into her eyes he could envision the kind of love that led to settling down.
Their gaze caught and held and he felt the spark swirling in the air between them.
“Lacy,” he began, not even sure what he wanted to say, but feeling it was finally time to tell her how he felt. “I—”
Before he could finish, the waiter came back with their drinks, giving them a friendly smile and a nod. Derek broke off, clearing his throat as the moment slipped away.
* * *
Lacy forced herself to look down at her menu while the waiter poured out their glasses of wine, her heart racing. There had been something in Derek’s eyes just then when he’d looked at her, something about the expression on his face that had made her pulse speed up. The way he’d looked at her… it had been so serious, so tender, that it had made her heart ache.
Was he feeling the same way she was?
Because the truth was, even though it made no sense, she couldn’t hide from the fact that she wanted to be with Derek any longer. Admitting that to herself frightened her enough that she consumed herself with the menu, focusing on it with a determination that was hardly warranted when picking an entree.
“See anything you like?” Derek asked, studying his own menu.
Lacy blinked, confused for a moment and then blushed when she realized he meant the menu options and not himself.
“Um…” She reread the menu items, the descriptions finally getting through her muddled brain and beginning to make sense. As she read, the foodie side of her came out and she realized the fooddidsound incredible. “Ooh, I think I want to try the chicken cacciatore.”
“I haven’t had that one yet! Their eggplant parmesan and spaghetti Bolognese are incredible. If you get the chicken cacciatore and I get something you like, want to try each other’s?”
“I thought you’d never ask,” Lacy teased. “I had my eye on the salmon piccata, as well.”
“That sounds amazing too. How about I get that?”
“Sounds good to me!”
Derek turned to the waiter, who was waiting for their final orders.
“We’ll get a caprese salad and some bruschetta to start,” Derek told the waiter, who nodded ceremoniously. “And I’ll have the salmon piccata with the lemon garlic rigatoni. Lacy?”
“And I’ll have the chicken cacciatore.”
The waiter glided away, leaving them alone once more. Lacy had been pleasantly surprised to discover that Derek was a foodie like her—for some reason, she’d just assumed a guy from a small town would be into burgers and beers, but he was knowledgeable about the menu at a place like Bella Notte, which told her a lot. She took a sip of her water, trying not to notice how close their legs were beneath the table, or the way his strong and calloused hand rested on the white tablecloth and the way she wanted that hand to hold hers.
“How’s the house coming?”
Lacy pulled herself back to the present, pushing her twitterpated thoughts aside. “It’s nearly finished!” She pulled a face. “Well, with a house like that, it will never be ‘finished’ since there’s always more that could be done, but it’s really coming along. I think by the Christmas party it’s going to be in shining condition. Speaking of, I can’t wait for you to see the decorations I’ve picked out!” Lacy leaned forward, getting excited now. “In addition to the enormous tree for the front parlor and the garlands for the fireplaces and the staircase, I’m getting about a million twinkle lights, tons of candles, and lots of poinsettias. Picture a scene from a snow globe, basically.”
“That sounds gorgeous. Do you need help?”
“You bet I’ll need help,” Lacy said with a laugh. “Hanging all the lights alone is going to be a job and a half.”
“Count me in. Derek Morse, at your service.”
Lacy smiled. “Thanks. I knew I could count on you.”
“Oh, I see. So that’s why you said yes to this date. You’re wining and dining me to get me to work for you.”
