Page 10 of Dreaming About Forever

He kept his gaze locked with hers, begging her to focus on something besides her spiral. “Are you okay?”

There were a few quiet moments before she blinked and said, “I’m fine.”

Jordan had a mom and a sister. Even though they were assertive and honest, sometimes he still questioned the “I’m fine” response when it was warranted.

This was one of those times.

Nathan looked from Jordan to Alicia. “Maybe we should continue the meeting another time.”

“Actually, I think we’ve heard enough,” Lillian said. “We’ll firm up the contracts and send them over this afternoon. How soon can Jordan be here?”

“Come again?” Jordan asked. He’d missed some key details while he’d been worrying over Alicia.

“You’re going to Taylor Ranch,” Nathan said. “You’ll spend the Christmas season there while Alicia takes some much-needed time off.”

Jordan’s eyes widened. Taylor Ranch? His home in Colorado?

He didn’t have an appropriate response to that revelation. Spending Christmas with his family wasn’t anything new. Spending Christmas in the small town he’d grown up in with Alicia Carver was beyond his comprehension at the moment.

He looked up and met Alicia’s stare. Were her shoulders lifted now? Her eyes were certainly brighter.

His stomach dropped. Apparently, he was going to have these intense physical reactions whenever she looked at him.

Jordan gave a passive acknowledgment and a brief farewell as Nathan ended the video call.

The room remained quiet for a few seconds, until Nathan spoke. “You can’t get involved with her.”

“Way to cut to the chase, boss.”

“I’m serious.”

Jordan picked up his laptop. “No worries. I’m not looking for my happily ever after.”

“I didn’t say happily ever after.”

“Or anything else. It’s not as if she’d even be interested. You’re giving me too much credit,” Jordan said, hoping his tone came off as joking and self-deprecating the way he’d intended.

Nathan narrowed his eyes and lifted a brow. “I know she’s beautiful. She’s Alicia Carver. But emotions prevent you from performing your job well, and we can’t take any chances.”

Getting attached was definitely not on Jordan’s to-do list. He’d done that once and had been willing to sacrifice everything for his friend.

Jordan rubbed the socket of his prosthetic where his knee should be. He’d lost half a leg, but it had all been for nothing. His friend had lost his life.

Yeah, getting attached was never a good idea.

“I understand the rules. I’ve been following them to the letter for years now.”

“You have. I just know this job isn’t your usual, but I do think Taylor Ranch would be a good place for her.”

“What makes you think that? It’s not a luxury resort. It’s not even a two-star hotel. It’s my parents’ house. Just a house. On a cattle farm. In the middle of nowhere.”

“It’s got some charm that I think our client will appreciate. She needs solitude and a place to recover. We can offer that.”

“I shouldn’t have taken you there.”

“Come on, man. We had fun,” Nathan said with his lopsided grin.

“Do Mom and Dad know?” Jordan asked.

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