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“I appreciate your concern, but I’m fine,” I said, rising before he could sit.
“Good. I’m glad. What are your plans for today?”
“I’m leaving.”
He smiled wide. “Snow’s chance in hell of that.”
I was already living those chances. “We’ll see.”
“Well, we’re all getting together for dinner tonight. It’d be a shame for you to have come all this way and not get some face time with the execs.”
He wasn’t wrong. The torture I’d endured would all be for naught.
“Tell you what,” Peter said. “If you’re still here at dinner, come on back to the private dining room and join us. We’ll be there all evening.”
I wanted to tell him again that I would be gone by then. Instead, I gave him a courteous nod. “I appreciate the invitation.”
“See you then.”
I hoped not.
TWENTY-ONE
LAYANA
As soon as Gabriel left, I snatched my laptop from my bag and set up on the tiny desk by the huge window. It was still a bit early for sunlight, but I opened the curtains anyway.
I broke off a piece of the massive chocolate chip muffin sitting beside my slow-to-start laptop and popped it into my mouth. The texture was slightly dry and grainy, but not bad. I’d been spoiled by Juno’s baking into thinking this perfectly good baked good was not super good. Then again, it put Edwardo’s bran muffins to shame.
Maybe I needed to bring him one back. Better yet, I could let him taste one of Juno’s. No. Sharing with Edwardo, even if for the betterment of Eterni-Tea kind, would be a waste. He would never appreciate the quality enough to make it worth giving up one of Juno’s goodies.
My laptop groaned, cranked, and sputtered.
Then like always, voila, it lit up!
When I’d packed for the day trip, I hadn’t expected to get any writing time in at all. Lucky for me, I’d brought my laptop along just in case.
Just a little indulgence in my side project, and then I’d really get to work.
I hovered over my super secret file with the most boring title I could think of, the absolute least clickable file ever. I’d considered a few other titles likeJustin Bieber’s Secret Rap Album,The Life and Times of Dryer Lint, andDiary of a Potato, but nothing was less inspiring than unflavored toothpaste.
I clickedUnflavored Toothpaste Reviewsand my diary of Gabriel encounters opened. I glanced back at the door, just to be one thousand percent sure he was gone and not sneaking up behind me.
Then I let loose. My fingers flew across the keyboard.
I didn’t think it was possible for the human equivalent of a cactus to smile, but he can, and he has. Knowing the possibility exists, I can’t help but watch for the anomaly, like staring at the night sky for a shooting star.
Better still, he has a dimple—an adorable, boyish feature on an otherwise hard, perpetually scowling face.
I haven’t decided yet which face I enjoy looking at more, the frustrated scowl that sears me like I’m a marshmallow spinning over a fire, or the rarer sighting. I think the former. The latter is unnatural, alluring only in its rarity.
His smile is a petrified dinosaur turd, while his frown is a glorious display of fireworks.
I cackled.The dinosaur turd bit was hilarious, but not at all true. I debated deleting the line. No. I needed to remember that the tension between us was the entire reason that I was here. I needed to forget the flutter I felt in my chest when he smiled.
Light filtered through the glass, pulling my attention upward. The sun rose behind the mountain. It was beautiful.
This was everything I could have asked for—forced time with the ultimate grumpy inspiration. I hoped the snow never cleared and the inspiration flowed freely forever. Well, that was only kinda true.
