He opened the door to the restaurant, and they stepped inside. Instantly, she was enveloped by the cozy atmosphere. Delicious smells drifted from the kitchen. There was an open fire, and fairy lights and foliage artfully twisted over thick wooden beams.
“This is wonderful.” She felt the heat from the fire and unfastened the buttons on her coat. “The only place I’ve eaten in the past year that isn’t my own home or yours is Delphi’s favorite pizza place. I hope I can remember how to order something that doesn’t have toppings and come ready sliced.”
She caught a glimpse of her reflection in the large mirror that stretched the length of one wall behind the tables and stared for a moment because she didn’t recognize this glamorous version of herself. It was like meeting an old friend after years of absence and searching to find those aspects that were familiar.
Her eyes looked bigger thanks to Anna’s expertise with makeup, and her hair, usually close to unruly, tonight looked artfully creative.
She handed over her coat to the girl who was hovering, and saw Noah looking at her in a way he never had before. Or maybe he had, just once, on the night of the Halloween party. She’d seen the same hungry look in his eyes in the fleeting seconds before she’d kissed him, when two glasses of “witches’ brew” and a deficit of human contact had eradicated all traces of self-control.
She rubbed her palms over the fabric of her dress, feeling suddenly self-conscious. “Too much? You can blame Delphi. I started with my standard safe black dress, but she said it was boring. You’ve probably noticed that five-year-olds aren’t subtle. To win her approval, something must either glow in the dark or sparkle.”
“You’re doing both.” His voice was husky. “Remind me to thank Delphi when I see her next.” Before he could say anything else they were interrupted by a woman who appeared from the kitchen.
“Noah?” She approached with a bouncy stride and gave him a warm, unselfconscious hug. “This is a treat. Why didn’t you tell us you were coming? We would have reserved you our best table.”
“Didn’t want to make a fuss. And all your tables are great, Sophie.” He kissed her on both cheeks and introduced Hattie.
She liked the fact that although he obviously knew the place well, he hadn’t asked for any favors. That was Noah. Quiet. Decent.
“You brought a date? Welcome.” Sophie studied her, and Hattie saw the curiosity there, but it was friendly curiosity.
“Thank you. This place is wonderful.”
“And now it’s my turn to thank you.” She beamed. “Wait—are you the same Hattie who owns the Maple Sugar Inn?”
“Yes.”
“Congratulations. That place is incredible. My partner and I stopped by for breakfast just yesterday before we went to the Christmas market. Your new chef is a treasure. If you weren’t a friend of Noah’s, I might try and steal her from you.” With a wink, she gestured to a table in a quiet alcove by the window. “You should take this table.” The girl who had been waiting to seat them started to say something, but Sophie waved her away. “It’s fine. I’ll deal with it.”
They sat down and Hattie wondered whose table they’d just taken.
“Menus.” Sophie provided them with a flourish. “Or you could just ask me what I recommend, and I’d tell you to go for the seafood bisque, followed by the beef.”
“She’s a control freak,” Noah said mildly. “You don’t have to agree.”
“Seafood bisque and beef sounds perfect.” Hattie handed the menu back and Sophie smiled her approval.
“Allergies?”
“None.”
“Good. What can I bring you to drink?”
Noah looked at Hattie. “Champagne?” There was something in his eyes that she couldn’t read, and not being able to read him unsettled her. She was used to feeling comfortable with Noah.
“Champagne would be great.” She felt a little breathless, as if she was balanced on the edge of something.
Sophie walked away and Hattie watched her for a moment. “She’s friendly. You know her well?”
“Pretty well. We’ve been supplying the restaurant for years, and they buy their Christmas trees from us. She’s a good customer. Took over the place from her parents a few years ago, and has been gradually making changes. That was tough at the beginning. They’d built this place from nothing and didn’t understand why she needed to change anything.”
“They took it personally?”
“It’s always delicate working with family.” He paused as Sophie delivered two glasses of champagne with a smile and then melted away discreetly.
Hattie watched the bubbles rise. “Are we celebrating something?”
“The moment. Christmas. A night off.” He lifted his glass and smiled. “Take your pick.”
“The moment sounds good to me.” She took a sip. “I remember you telling me you had some lively discussions with your father when you first joined him.”
“That’s true, although I’m the first to admit I didn’t handle it well.” He put his glass down. “I wince when I think about it. My dad probably does, too. I like to tell myself I was young, but I know that’s a pretty poor excuse.”
“You were twenty-three?”
“Twenty-four. After I graduated I worked at a tech startup in Boston. In those first few years I thought I was going to change the world.”
“I can’t picture you living in a city.”
“When I was growing up, it was all I could picture. This place felt—” he paused “—small. Compressed. I lay awake at night dreaming of escape.”
“Was your father disappointed that you didn’t want to join him in the business?”
“Maybe a little, although he never showed it. He and my mother were very supportive. They knew I needed to follow my own path. They were wise.” He stroked his fingers along the stem of the glass. “I think they knew I’d be back. It was just a question of when. It took a couple of years for the shine to come off city life. I realized I was coming home more often, to ski and hike. I missed the mountains and the trails. The clean air. I missed having family close by. Then Dad had his accident and that was that. I decided to come home. It wasn’t something I needed to think about. I knew right away.” He gave a half laugh. “I think it was the excuse I’d been looking for. It saved me having to admit that the city wasn’t for me after all.”
“But you tried it. You had a dream, and you followed that dream. That’s important. If there’s something you want to do, you should do it and if it doesn’t live up to expectations then—” she shrugged “—at least you know. Better that than spending your life wishing you’d done something and wondering if you would have been happy or not. But I’m guessing it wasn’t an easy transition.”