Page 15 of The CEO and the Mountain Man

“You’re doing your very best, and your son sees that,” I answered through a bite of my minty peanut butter deliciousness.

“You think?” Clark dipped his spoon into his Blizzard and listlessly pulled it out, looking at the bite. “I’ve been a wreck. I’m convinced I’m the worst dad imaginable. My stomach’s been in knots for months. I get, like, four hours of sleep a night. I…”

He shoved the spoon back into the cup.

“River smiles when you’re not looking,” I said, taking another bite.

Clark’s brows met in the middle as he continued to muddle his poor Blizzard. “He does?”

“Not often, of course. He has his dark aesthetic to maintain.” I gestured for him to take a bite. “But I see it.”

He played with the ice cream a bit more. “I don’t even care if you’re lying to me at this point,” he said, finally slipping the plastic spoon into his mouth.

“I wouldn’t lie about that,” I said, and meant it. “I see a lot of parents and their children trying to reconnect. He’s trying. He’s acting like he’s not, but he is trying.”

A tear spilled into Clark’s Blizzard.

“Sorry,” he said, shaking his head, avoiding my eyes. “I’m a real joy to be around right now.”

I reached across and grabbed his hand. Squeezing it. “You are fantastic company. You’re a great dad, which is aces in my book. And for a business guy, you’re pretty funny.”

“Thank you.”

His eyes finally made contact with mine, then drifted, as if cataloging my features. Shaking his head, he grinned through his sniffles. Took a small bite and another tour of my face. Seemed to get caught up around my lips.

He reached across the table and swiped his thumb across my lower lip. Surprised, I inhaled sharply.

“Got a little mint on your lip there,” he said, flushing.

He might as well have run his open palm over the front of my jeans.

Stop lusting after River’s dad, you bonehead. He’s only here for two weeks, and he needs to focus on his son.

“Thanks for the cleanup.” I winked, which was the most cringe thing I could’ve done in that moment. “Can’t be seen around town looking like a mess.”

“Oh?” he asked, lighting up. “You got someone in town? A boyfriend?”

If only he knew.

“No, uh. Just … saying.”

After an awkward pause, we went back to eating our Blizzards, me with gusto and him with careful concentration. I got him talking about his plans for the summer, and he perked up, going on an adorable tangent about business properties and the high cost of running a water cooler, and how that led to him running a vote with his employees on whether to keep up the office space, stay at home, or manage some hybrid of the two. Long story short, he had an office space to sell and an entire staff who’d sworn fealty to him. He seemed proud of his decisions, even if they went against conventional wisdom.

I nodded my head in all the right spots, contributed to the conversation wherever I could, but for the rest of the day, all I could feel was that warm swipe of his thumb against my bottom lip.

Chapter 5

Clark

Ilet myself into the cabin, laden with bags, surprised to smell actual food. River was at the sink, pouring noodles into a colander. His walking stick sat off to the side, so maybe he wasn’t too sore from the riding this morning.

“Did you make spaghetti?” I asked, closing the door with my foot.

“Yeah, there’s plenty,” he said, returning the noodles to the pot.

“Nah, I had something to eat with Beau.”

He turned around, his eyebrows comically arched as he took in all my shopping. “Did you buy out the whole store, Dad?”