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Feeling odd and awkward, he said, “That’s great,” just as Kristen came running down the stairs. She stopped when she saw him and their gazes met.
She wore jeans and a white sweatshirt. Her hair fell around her in loose curls. But her smile was huge, luscious. As if seeing him made her the happiest woman in the world.
Now, how the hell was he supposed to resist that?
“I’m so glad you came.”
“Yeah, well, I’m sorry I didn’t call.”
“There was no reason to call,” Kristen’s mom said, taking his arm and guiding him through the short hall that led to an unexpectedly modern kitchen. “We don’t stand on ceremony here.”
He walked up to the center island that was cluttered with pots and pans, utensils and dishes used to make the dinner. The hardwood floors sparkled. The other counters were neat and tidy. A table in the adjoining dining area had been set.
Kristen said, “I’ll set another place.”
As she scrambled to gather plates, Kristen’s mom nodded at a stool by the center island and he sat.
“Kristen’s dad should be in any minute,” Joan said, rifling through a drawer. She pulled out a corkscrew and handed it to him with the wine he’d brought. “You do the honors.” She turned to the dining area. “Kristen, would you also get wineglasses?”
He opened the wine as Kristen retrieved wineglasses from a cabinet with a glass front. She set the four glasses on the counter, then smiled at him.
Warmth invaded his heart. Warmth and ease and a kind of comfort he’d never felt before.
The back door opened and an older man entered, a teenage boy on his heels.
“This is Kristen’s dad, James, and her youngest brother, Lars. Lars, Jimmy, this is Kristen’s friend Dean. He’s the man who brought his company here for a bit of a rest while they work.”
He didn’t question that they knew about him. He would expect Kristen to tell her family about her work. Given the relaxed atmosphere of the kitchen, he would expect that she talked about everything in her life with her parents, and that they talked freely with her.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
The big man walked over and clasped his hand. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, too. Kristen’s been all about trying to get a company here to Grennady, especially since her other brother, Brian, is studying computer science at university.”
Dean peeked over at Kristen who blushed. “She never mentioned that.”
Her gaze met his. “I didn’t want to unduly influence you.”
That made him laugh. Really laugh. The kind of laugh he experienced with her in New York. “Are you kidding? You stalked me to Paris, wouldn’t get off my plane in New York until I listened to your pitch. And now you’re trying to say you didn’t want to influence me?”
She winced. “All right. Maybe a little.”
Kristen’s father and brother went upstairs to wash up for dinner. Dean poured the wine. He sat at the center island while Kristen cleared the counter and her mom put the finishing touches on dinner. By the time the men returned, dinner was ready to serve.
They spent the meal discussing Dean’s company, Kristen’s charity and the possibility that Lars would be going into computer science too. They sat around the table, eating chocolate cake for dessert, finishing the wine, talking like old friends, not worrying about clearing dishes. Until at nine o’clock when Kristen volunteered to drive him home.
He realized that her parents probably had to get up early the next morning and took his jacket when Joan brought it from the newel post on the stairway in the foyer.
“I can get a cab.”
Shrugging into her coat, Kristen said, “Nonsense. It’s not that far.”
Then she smiled that smile again, the one that made him feel warm all over, the one that made him feel very much a part of her life, and the one he couldn’t resist.
They got into her little car and he let her have her concentration to maneuver out of the farm’s lane and onto the snow-covered main road.
“Your family is really nice.”
“Yes. They are. We’re just average, normal people, living life.” She peeked at him. “I appreciate you being so nice to them. My mom really wanted to meet you. She was thrilled you accepted her dinner invitation.”
