Ethan laughed. “Okay. Fine.”
He pressed a kiss to the top of her head and left the office. Then he made his way over to the restaurant to see if Miles was in. The morning breakfast rush was in full swing, and the restaurant was packed. A line of people waited outside the door for seats to open.
Ethan backtracked. There was no way Miles would have time to chat and Ethan wouldn’t dare interrupt him. He moved to head outside just as the elevator opened and Lily stepped out.
A smile erupted across his face, and he once again changed directions and headed toward Lily.
“Good morning,” he said.
She startled. “Um… good morning.”
He rocked on his heels, watching her, a smile still plastered on his face. He knew he looked crazy, but he didn’t care. Today was going to be a good day.
She pursed her lips and threw a thumb over her shoulder. “Well, I’m going to grab some breakfast.”
She took one step before stopping and staring at the long line outside the restaurant. “Or not.”
“The coffeehouse serves breakfast sandwiches. I was about to head there to get a coffee myself if you’d like to join me.”
He hadn’t been about to get coffee, but suddenly it felt like the only thing he wanted to do.
Lily regarded him distrustfully before slowly nodding her head. “Okay. Sure. I need to eat before the hike. And getting my caffeine fix isn’t a bad idea either. Sorry to say it, but the coffee in the room isn’t doing it for me.”
Ethan held the door to the resort open for her to walk through before following her. “But, really, is coffee in a hotel ever good?”
She laughed. “True. To be honest, I don’t travel often. Maybe for work once in a while, but that’s about it.”
“So what brought you here?”
“I just needed a break. Needed to get away.”
Ethan pulled in a deep breath. “And what a great place to do it.”
She smiled up at him and closed her eyes briefly before pulling in a deep breath herself. “Indeed.”
They walked down the main strip of stores in town. The sun was out in full force, and he was excited for the heat during the hike. They would be in the forest again, where it was much cooler. When it was hot out, it made the forest feel less chilly.
“Have you been down to the stores much?”
He knew she had been to the bar and to the Country Store since he had seen her in both. But wasn’t sure about the rest.
She shrugged. “A little. I like to walk around when I need a break from work.”
“What kind of work do you do?”
“I’m a writer.”
“Oh yeah? What do you write?”
“Romance.”
He couldn’t help that his eyebrows nearly shot straight off his head. Ethan didn’t know much about romance books, but being around Mia had taught him they can be incredibly spicy. She had often joked about how it’s her version of porn, and now Ethan was wildly curious.
They arrived at Brewbirds Coffeehouse, and he pulled the door open for Lily. They stepped inside and immediately got in line.
“Would I be able to find one of your books in the Country Store?”
She shrugged, noncommittally. “So what’s good here?”
