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He grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. “Are you looking to collaborate with them?”
“Possibly. I left my name and number with the woman working there. She wasn’t the owner. Who knows if anything will come of it.”
Sam drank from the glass, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down, before he lowered it, and said, “That’s amazing.”
I laughed. “It’s nothing. Not yet.”
He winked. “It might be.”
I wrapped an arm around my middle. “It’s just one small thing that might not be anything.” I felt a little uncomfortable with his praise, and I wasn’t sure why.
“How did you feel after you left your contact information?” he asked, dipping his chin.
I smiled. “Good. Like I finally did something I’ve been needing to do for a while.”
He slapped a hand on the counter. “That’s all that matters. Now, go dress warmly. I want to hit the slopes.”
Heading upstairs, my mind was running in circles. We were going skiing without Maggie’s chatter and questions. Suddenly, I was nervous. I went to my room to put on sweatpants over my leggings, several layers of long-sleeve shirts, and a bulky sweater with my boots.
I grabbed my warmest jacket, gloves, and hat. Nerves fluttered in my stomach, which was crazy. I had on a ton of layers. We were going skiing. Nothing about this outing was sexy.
I kept repeating to myself that it was a fun outing with a friend. A friend that happened to be my boss, whom I’d kissed on several occasions. It was bad any way I looked at it.
Sam came to stand in my doorway. “Are you ready?”
I stood, my stomach dipping at the sight of him there, knowing he was taking me out. “Just making sure I have everything.”
“You weren’t changing your mind, were you?” he asked, coming to stand in front of me.
I smiled. “Maybe. I haven’t been skiing in a while.”
“Is that what has you nervous, or that you haven’t been on a date in a while?” He always could see right through me.
“This isn’t a date. We’re just going skiing.” I needed to cling to that for my sanity.
He grabbed my hand and tugged me out of the room. “Oh, this is a date, Miss Alice. I intend to woo you on the slopes.”
“Really?” I asked, already softening under his playful manner.
He looked over his shoulder and winked. “Don’t worry. I intend to catch you when you fall.”
“Mmm. I see.” He had me off balance.
At the door, he stopped and pulled me into his arms. It felt good there. Warm and protected. His expression soft, he said, “I won’t let you get hurt.”
It felt like a balloon expanded in my chest. He wasn’t just talking about physically. I think he might have been referring to my heart too. He couldn’t make that promise, but I wanted to believe him. “I trust you.” Because that seemed like the biggest thing I could say in that moment. I wasn’t a hundred percent onboard, but I was willing to take this risk with him.
He grinned. “We’re going to have fun.”
He kissed me quickly before leading me outside to his SUV and opening the door. “First rentals and then skiing. You think you can start on a green slope?”
“I’ve never done a bunny hill,” I admitted as I climbed in.
“You started off with the slopes? Even better,” he said, sounding impressed as he shut the door, and I couldn’t help but be lifted by his energy.
He was excited for today, and I wanted to have a good time. It had been so long since I’d done anything like this. Ice-skating had been fun, but then Maggie had been there, too. We’d been focused almost entirely on her.
Here, there wouldn’t be anything else but him. It was as scary as it was enticing.
