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“Just what?” She waits for me to answer before stepping inside.
“You said I wasn’t your type. Remember? And then you almost got me killed.”
“What can I say?” She shrugs. “Sometimes things start slow and they build.”
Chapter Forty
Ali
An undisclosed small town in Texas
December
Ethan stomps his feet on the doormat several times before crossing the threshold. Dirt flies everywhere. He looks up and meets her eye. “Don’t worry,” he says. “I’ll clean it up.”
Ali pulls the throw tighter around her shoulders. He’s left the door open and the chill creeps in. Outside, the sun hangs low in the sky.
“You look comfy.” He eases out of his boots and then warms his hands by the fire. “What have you been up to?”
“Oh, you know. A little of this, a little of that.”
He tosses her a concerned look. “No, really.”
“I wrote a little. I’m working on a new talk, something for my next conference. It feels promising.”
She holds up a novel. He squints to see the cover. “And I just started reading this.”
“Kill Me Tomorrow,huh.” He rubs his jaw. “It looks interesting.”
“It had better be. What else am I supposed to do here for six days?”
He walks over to her and plants a kiss directly on her mouth. “I can think of a few things.”
It’s their first Christmas in the old farmhouse, their first Christmas as a couple. Ethan spent the last four months restoring the place while Ali wrapped up business around the country. She closed her office in Seattle. Said she no longer liked the rain. And Boston, she said, was too cold. “The world is ripe with possibilities,” she said to Ethan. “Sometimes you just need a fresh start.”
Restoring the old house, a place Ali found outside of Austin, was that for him. Using his hands, teaching Kelsey and Nick about farm life, and watching them explore the place has afforded him a different way of looking at life. Which is to say, life goes on. No matter what, life goes on.
“You took forever,” Ali says, laying the book aside. “Want some tea?”
“I’d love some.” She watches him add logs to the fire. “Everything was packed. The tourists have officially arrived. First time I’ve ever seen traffic on Main Street. This town, with its three stoplights. You should have seen it. It was crazy.”
She takes a knife from the base and slices into a lemon. “Tourists. I say we kill them all.”
“Ah,” he says, making his way into the kitchen. He wraps his arms around her waist. “There’s the Christmas spirit. Unfortunately, they’ll just keep coming.”
“I didn’t take you for a quitter.” She fills two mugs with water from the kettle and drops the tea bags in. Then she turns to him and arches her brow suggestively. “So what now?”
“I could use a shower. Care to join me?”
“I’ve never wanted anything more. But it has to be quick. I have an appointment this evening. I have to drive back to the city.”
“To Austin? No way.”
“Yes way.” She glances over her shoulder. “Now come on, before I change my mind.”
Afterward, he studies her as she fastens her bra. His eyes do not leave her as she searches for her jeans, lingering still as she slides them over her thighs. “So, you really have to go.”
She wraps the towel around her head and squeezes the excess water from her hair. But mostly, she ignores his question. “Have you seen the hair dryer?”
