“I’ll be able to do that by text. Max drove me home.”
Hailey gave her a look over her shoulder, then hurried to join Matt. Tori laughed and went in search of Max. She found him deep in conversation with Mitch, a foam cup of hot cocoa in each hand. When she stepped up beside him, he handed her one of them. After cradling it in her hands for a moment to warm them up, she took a sip. It was delicious.
“We were discussing trestles,” Max said. “Um, train bridges and such.”
“I’ve seen some done in HO scale, at expos and such, and they’re pretty remarkable,” Mitch said. “And since you’re here, Tori, I want to thank you for being there for Liz. And for Paige, of course.”
She was going to brush it off as nothing, but they were his wife and his sister, so it wouldn’t be nothing to him. “I’m glad my other job is flexible, so I can help as much as possible.”
“Where is Paige? I haven’t seen her for a while.”
“She went in to put Sarah to bed and I haven’t seen her since, so I’m guessing she went to bed, too. She’s working in the morning, but she’s not taking the baby since I managed to free up a couple of weeks at home. That means I’ll be getting up at the ass-crack of dawn, too.”
“I offered to do it, but Paige doesn’t think I’m a four-thirty in the morning kind of girl.”
He laughed and shook his head. “Paige has opened at the diner since she bought the place and we were all raised here at the lodge, so we’re a whole family of early risers. Though Sarah’s taking it to a whole new level.”
Tori laughed, but a chill hit her and she shivered. Instantly, Max’s arm was around her shoulders, offering her warmth.
“We should get going,” Max said, and he let go of her just long enough to shake Mitch’s hand.
Her teeth were starting to chatter by the time they’d said all their goodbyes and reached his car. Max opened her door for her, then hurried around to get in. It seemed like forever before the engine started generating heat and he would hold his hand in front of the vent every few seconds. Once he deemed it warm enough, he cranked the fan up. She didn’t miss the way he pointed the vents in her direction and she put her hand over his where it rested on the gear shifter.
“Thanks,” she said when he looked over at her.
He just smiled and rubbed the side of her hand with his thumb. Tori breathed in the warming, Max-scented air of the car and felt her good intentions crumbling around her.
Chapter Sixteen
Max pulled his car into the bank lot, which was considered overnight tenant parking after the businesses were closed, and parked next to an old beat-up truck he assumed was her cousin’s. He killed the ignition and put the keys in his pocket as he walked around the car. He grabbed her flower basket from the backseat, where he’d tossed it along with his serial killer mask, then opened her door.
She laughed when he offered his hand. “I just got warm and now it’s back into the cold.”
“Only for a minute.”
Once she was on her feet, he tightened his fingers slightly, not letting her hand drop away as they walked around the corner of the bank to her door. She had her keys in her other hand, though she made no move toward the lock. But Max was hoping for more than a quick good-night kiss on the sidewalk.
“I should walk you up,” he said.
“You didn’t last time.”
“But it’s Halloween. People get up to no good on Halloween.”
She smiled and shook her head. “Last night was Halloween night. Tonight was just the party.”
“Call it curiosity, then. It doesn’t seem fair that you’ve rummaged in my closet and dresser drawers, but I’ve never seen where you live.”
She didn’t totally buy the excuse that rolled so easily off of his tongue. He could see that in her eyes. “That’s true.”
“Plus I’m carrying your basket.” Which weighed less than a hardcover book, but it was the chivalrous thought that counted.
He had to let go of her hand so she could unlock the door and let them in. After following her up the stairs, he had to wait while she unlocked the interior door, too.
“It’s a little messy.” She flipped on the light switch as they entered. “Actually, compared to your house, it’s probably a lot messy.”
It was essentially a wide-open space, like a loft, which meant he could not only see the living, kitchen and her work areas, but—bam—there was her bed. And unlike him, making it wasn’t the first thing she did in the morning.
She had one of those old-fashioned quilts made of bright-colored blocks stitched together, but it was shoved back so he could see the tangle of white sheets. She was a restless sleeper who liked a lot of pillows, and knowing that sent heat rushing below the belt.