Jessa giggled awkwardly and held up a hand and gave a small wave in confusion to the rest of the group before smiling brightly at Emma.
The snicker from his brothers followed them out the door, and Noah swore he’d kill them all.
Once they were in the parking lot, Noah led Jessa over to his truck and opened the passenger side door for her. He closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side, sliding in and shutting out the icy wind.
“Um… What was that about?” she asked.
He sighed. Couldn’t even make it to dinner before the family conversation came up.
“Just my psychotic family trying their hardest to embarrass me.”
“They’re just… hanging out at the resort? Do they normally hang out there?”
Noah turned the truck on and backed out of the parking spot. “Not normally this late. Apparently Megan told Jackson we were going out, and Jackson spread it around to the family.”
Confusion crossed her face. “What do you mean not normally this late?”
He glanced at her as he drove through town. They could have walked, but with as cold as it was, he thought it might be best to drive.
“Their workday is over.”
“They all work for the resort?” Then she squeezed her eyes shut and sighed. “That’s right. You told me your family owns it, right? I’m sorry. I got distracted by the nachos that were set down in front of us right after you told me.”
He laughed. Once the truck was in park, he turned toward her in the seat. He realized she knew nothing about his family, something he forgot he would need to explain. Living in a small town, everyone knew what everyone else did for a living, so he didn’t normally need to explain it. It had slipped his mind.
“I’m sorry. I’m used to the small town life and everyone knowing everything about my family and me.”
A small smile crossed her face. “I can understand that.”
“Let’s get inside the diner, and I’ll fill you in there.”
“Sounds good.”
He stepped out of his truck and nodded at a couple walking by before pulling open Jessa’s door. He took her hand and helped her down. The sidewalk was well-maintained from the snow, but it could get slick in spots.
They stepped inside Trudy’s, the local diner, and smiled at the server, who took them to a table near the window. After she walked away, Noah smiled at Jessa.
“There aren’t a lot of options for restaurants around here, and I wanted to avoid the resort. The roads are a little slick today, so I didn’t want to risk driving to the next town over.”
At Jessa’s questioning look, he continued. “Since my family owns the resort, they all spend a lot of time there. All the employees gossip with my parents and siblings. Plus, the displaythey just put on in the lobby doesn’t exactly make me want to hang out there.”
She giggled. “I understand.”
She tugged her jacket off and set it on the bench next to her. And that’s when Noah could drink her in. His family had distracted him from looking her over before, but now the maroon sweater she wore looked beautiful with her dark hair, which cascaded down her back in long waves.
“You look gorgeous, by the way.”
A blush crept up into her cheeks, and she smiled shyly at him. “Thank you.”
They each picked up the menu and looked over it, despite Noah knowing it like the back of his hand. He didn’t need to look, but he thought staring at her would make her uncomfortable.
Once they both settled on their food and placed their orders, he smiled at her. “So, how are you liking Wintervale so far?”
“I love it. It’s a beautiful town. Almost doesn’t feel real.”
He smiled. “Yeah. It’s picturesque. It wears off once you’ve been here a while until you travel somewhere else.”
“I bet.” She picked up her water glass and took a sip. “So the group of people standing with Jackson at the resort were all your family?”
