“Don’t be.” She tried to tell him that right at that moment she would have been happy to roll naked in the snow with him, but her brain didn’t seem capable of forming a complete sentence.
He grabbed a blanket from the backseat and tucked it around her and then he pulled her against him again, but this time to warm her up.
“The car will heat up soon.”
“I don’t care.” She was pressed against his chest and could happily have stayed there forever. Sadly, that wasn’t an option. “We should probably get back.”
“I know.” He released her reluctantly and sat back in his seat. There was tension in his shoulders and he let out a long breath. “I suppose there’s no point in me telling you that there’s a route to my barn that doesn’t go past the main house?”
Never had she been so torn between duty and desire. “I said I’d be straight home after dinner. I don’t want to take advantage of your mother.”
“And now I’m wishing we’d skipped dinner and settled for a bottle of wine and a bag of potato chips at my place.” His voice was low and rough and it was obvious that his frustration matched hers.
She thought about how much she enjoyed his company, their conversation, his quiet humor, the way he loved Delphi. She thought about the way he made her feel when he kissed her and she thought about how much she’d enjoyed the evening they’d just spent together and how she didn’t want it to end.
And she smiled and touched his face with her hand.
“A bottle of wine and a bag of potato chips sounds like the perfect second date.”
TWENTY-FOUR
Anna
Anna stared into the fire, wondering why she didn’t feel warm. She was wearing the sparkly sweater she’d bought on her shopping trip with Erica but so far she didn’t feel remotely festive.
“This has been the strangest, most surreal book club week ever.” Claudia stretched out on the sofa in the library and put her feet on Erica’s lap.
Erica pushed them off. “Our friendship has limits.”
“I thought you loved me?”
“Not enough to have your feet on my lap.”
Claudia rotated her ankles. “My feet are tired. I’ve been standing on them all day.”
“Exactly.” Erica moved to the sofa next to Anna, leaving Claudia to stretch out full length. “Right. Do we have anything more to say about the book or are we done?”
On the low table that sat between the two sofas was a bottle of wine and glasses, a cheeseboard and their copies of the novel.
“I’m done.” Anna had said all she wanted to say about the book. Right now she was clinging to her belief in love and romance. She didn’t want to think about relationships that had gone wrong.
“I’m done, too,” Claudia said. “And I have something to tell you.”
Erica reached forward and poured wine into the glasses. “I hope it’s something profound and life-changing.”
“It is. Anna, are you okay?” Claudia waved her hand in front of Anna’s face. “You’re quiet. Is it the book? Next time we’ll pick a romance. Your choice.”
“I’m fine.” She could feel Erica looking at her, waiting for her to tell them what was wrong, but she still wasn’t ready to talk about it. Instead, she focused on Claudia. “Tell us your news.”
“It’s major.” Claudia rubbed her calves. She looked tired but happy. “First, I have a new job.”
“What?” Anna was stunned. “Where? What?”
“Here. You’re looking at the new chef for the Maple Sugar Inn. Good food guaranteed and produced in a wholesome, tantrum-free environment.” Claudia was almost glowing. “I’ve had so much fun this week. Working with Hattie has been brilliant. She’s smart and full of ideas. We think the same way, and we’re a good team so we’re making it permanent.”
Erica was smiling. “That’s great news. Congratulations.”
“Yes.” Anna was delighted for her friend. “So this means you won’t be going back to California?”
“That’s my second piece of news. I had a phone call earlier. John.”
Erica spilled wine on her skirt. “After six months of silence? You hadn’t blocked his number?”
“I wasn’t ready to cut him out of my life, and I’m glad I didn’t. It was a good phone call.”
Anna handed Erica a napkin for her skirt. Like Erica, she was worried about Claudia, but she was determined not to judge. All relationships were complicated; she knew that. And Claudia had needed some closure. “It must have been upsetting for you to talk to him after all this time and everything that has happened.”
Erica was less tactful. “You shouldn’t have taken his call.” She pressed the napkin to her skirt and watched as it slowly turned red. “I’ve ruined my favorite dress. Why did you tell me that when I had a glass in my hand?”
“At least your dress is black. And I’m pleased I took his call.”
Erica made a sound that was somewhere between a grunt and a growl. “What did he want after all this time?”
“He wanted to get back together.”
“Oh, Claudia—” Anna bit her lip to stop herself expressing her horror at the very idea.
“No need to oh, Claudia me. That isn’t happening.”
“Good.” Erica reached for a fresh napkin. “But why didn’t you say so right away instead of creating all this tension? And why is it that a glass of wine feels like nothing when you’re drinking it and a massive lake when you spill it?”
“Hush.” Anna put her hand on Erica’s arm so that Claudia could finish her story. “What happened?”
“I know you think I shouldn’t have talked to him, but it was the right thing to do. When he walked out, he was calling all the shots. I felt as if I hadn’t been given a choice.”
“You hadn’t.” Erica dropped the napkin on the table. “He walked out without a discussion.”
“I know. And it has been hard, and then losing my job, too—” Claudia took a deep breath. “It made me feel helpless and out of control. But being here this week, spending time with you two and falling in love with cooking again, I realized that I have plenty of control over what I do next.”
Erica examined the stain on her dress. “I can’t believe you took his call.”
“We were together for ten years. We had no closure, and I wanted to hear what he had to say. And it wasn’t what I expected.”
“Don’t tell me—he loves you,” Erica did a fair imitation of a breathy voice “—he made a big mistake, he wants you to forgive him so that you can both live happily ever after.”
Anna nudged her. “Of course he didn’t say that. Drink your wine, Erica, instead of spilling it on yourself.”
“Actually, he did say that,” Claudia said. “Or pretty much that.”
Erica stared. “Seriously?”
“Yes. I was shocked, too. I wasn’t expecting him to come crawling back. And it was strange, because my thoughts have been so tangled up and all over the place lately. I’ve been angry, I’ve been sad, I’ve been confused—but while he was talking, everything cleared in my head.”