“I’ll see you after the weather clears, I guess.” And then she’s walking down the stairs with Tim behind her.
It’ll probably be Monday before I see Whitney again, and it shouldn’t feel like forever. I haven’t even known her that long. But the idea of a couple of days passing without seeing her—especially with the memory of our kiss lingering unresolved—is enough to put a serious damper on my mood.
But I know my community well enough to know some of them think having four-wheel-drive means they’re impervious to slick roads, so I need to concentrate more on the coming storm and less on kissing Whitney.
Chapter
Fifteen
Whitney
With the snow forecast to start falling around lunchtime, I decide it’s safe to run a couple of errands in the morning. My first stop will be the Wilson house, so I can make sure Natalie has anything and everything she needs to weather the storm.
My second stop will be the General Store for the last scrumptious coffee I’ll have until Monday morning at the earliest.
After pulling into the driveway of the Wilson home, I get out and walk to the front door. Then I hesitate because what if one or both of them is napping? Do three-year-olds nap? I have no idea. But I’m guessing pregnant women do, if they get the chance.
I’m debating whether I should text her that I’m outside when the door opens.
“Oh,” I say, so startled I almost drop my phone. “I’m sorry.”
She tilts her head, looking confused, but not like a pregnant mother of a toddler whose sleep was interrupted. “For what?”
“For disturbing you. Also, for standing awkwardly on your step because I realized too late I might wake you or Sam if I rang the doorbell.”
She laughs and steps back, gesturing for me to come inside. “I’m alone at the moment, actually. My mother told me I should nap, but I don’t want to waste the peace and quiet by sleeping through it. Have a seat.”
I sit on the edge of the chair she points to, but I’m not staying long. “I’ll let you get back to your peace and quiet. I just wanted to make sure you have everything you need before the storm.”
“My mother and my sisters are all over this, I promise. Between Donovan traveling for business and this Christmas fair, I think you’ve got your hands full.”
I do have a lot on my plate, but I know my boss—nothing is as important as his family. “There’s no good way to phrase this, so I guess I’ll just say it outright. Sometimes there are things you don’t want to bother the people you love with, but it’s different if a person is being paid to make sure you have everything you need.”
Natalie laughs, but it’s a warm and friendly sound. “You’re paid to make sure Donovan Wilson, CEO, has everythingheneeds.”
“And Donovan Wilson, CEO, needs a happy and healthy family.”
Natalie sighs and rubs her hand over the top of her very large baby bump. She looks content, so I’m not alarmed, but it makes me nervous. “I have everything I need to get through the storm. My parents and Sam are picking up some last-minute things, and they’ll be staying with us here until the roads are clear after the storm.”
I feel a little ridiculous now. The Byrnes, with their roots in Charming Lake and ever-expanding family tree, have a lot moreexperience with winter storms and pregnancies than I do. I’m probably theleastqualified person to offer help in this situation.
“And if my cell phone number comes up on Rob’s phone,” Natalie continues, “he’d probably be halfway here before it rang a second time.”
Laughing, I imagine Rob’s reaction to a call from his sister during a storm. “Usually I’d think you were exaggerating, but I’m not sure you’re wrong about that.”
“How’s that going, by the way? Working with Rob, I mean.”
Working with Rob is turning my life upside down because he’s pretty much the opposite of everything I want in my life, but I can’t stop thinking about him. Oh, and we kissed and I desperately want to kiss him again and it’s hard to do my job when I just want to relive it over and over.“It’s good. We’re getting a lot done and, even with this storm, we’re on track for a fabulous Charming Lake Christmas Fair.”
“I heard you had a fun lunch at the diner. Lots of laughing, which is good because I was afraid your management styles would clash.”
“Oh, they clash. But we also complement each other.” I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear the part about the diner.
That damn french fry.The idea somebody saw me eat the fry out of Rob’s hand and reported back to Natalie makes me want to cover my face with my hands, but I keep them clenched in my lap.
I still don’t know what possessed me to do it. We were having fun and it was playful. But the look in Rob’s eyes after was so intensely hot I almost choked on the salt-and-vinegar-coated potato. That man was thinking filthy thoughts, and if we hadn’t been sitting in the diner, I might have coaxed him into sharing them with me.
None of this was information I wanted Natalie to have. Or her husband.
