A selection of lovely dishes were spread across the table, each of them porcelain white with a delicate pattern of tiny blue roses around the edge. On one oval dish, spears of asparagus wrapped in bacon were stacked high. On another dish was a selection of tomatoes cut in half and broiled. A third specialty dish had hollows to cradle soft-boiled eggs partially shelled to display the rich, yellow yolk. A polished wood board was set to one side, offering a selection of at least five cheeses.
“I’m not a cheese kind of guy, but this looked like something you’d like to nibble on through the day, so I had them put it here for you.” Brandon crouched down and balanced on his heels as Haydn walked by. The big dog was easily tall enough to lean over the low table and gobble up everything there. “Don’t worry about Haydn; he’ll leave the people food alone.”
“It looks gorgeous, and I’m picky about my cheeses.” She couldn’t wait to pounce on them and start sampling.
He regarded the cheese with less affection. “What are all these, and is this one even edible?” He pointed to a white, crumbly cheese veined with blue.
She laughed. “Okay, so the selection on this cheese board hits every one of my top things to remember about putting together a tasty combination of flavors and textures. That’s always a win for me.”
“So what are Sophie’s top things to remember about cheese?”
She giggled then blushed as he watched her, waiting. He actually wanted to know.
“Oh.” He knew she loved food, but they’d never talked about food together. “Well, there’s variety, for one thing. There’s a nice sharp block of white cheddar; a nutty chunk of manchego; a creamy wedge of brie; a tiny fresh white wheel of goat cheese; a nice strong blue cheese, which you were pointing to; and a gooey wedge of something so soft it looks spreadable with a strong, funky scent. That’s more choice than most cheese boards I’ve seen in restaurants. They usually only serve between three and five cheeses.”
He wrinkled his nose. “You want funky cheese?”
She nodded with enthusiasm. “That kind is my absolute favorite to spread on a slice of thick, crusty bread. So good.”
“And you’re happy about this other stuff served with the cheese, too?” He gestured to a couple of tiny ramekins of preserves and dried fruits.
“I can’t wait to taste them.” She leaned closer to get a better look. “Dried apricots or cranberries are great to have with the brie or goat cheese. And there’s any number of preserves you could pair with the nutty cheese. Maybe they make these preserves on site. A lot of B-and-B’s do. This one even looks like it might be bacon jam.”
“Seriously? They make jam with bacon in it?” He was definitely dubious.
“Bacon is a versatile ingredient.” She was very serious about that statement. “It makes a lot of things better.”
He snorted. “I’ll try it later. For now, eat, please.”
“Aren’t you eating with me?” Her spirits took a dive as he stood, his knees creaking faintly with the motion.
He paused. “I’ll have some if you want me to join you. Or you can fall into a book. I brought an e-reader with books already loaded from Lyn and Elisa on it. It’s not connected to any kind of data plan, and we’ll need to keep the Wi-Fi turned off. I’ve got to walk the property and make sure I’ve got as clear a line of sight as possible on the approaches to this place.”
His consideration was overwhelming. This really was like a dream vacation. If someone wasn’t trying to find and kill her. “Brandon?”
“Yeah?” His brows had drawn together as concern colored his tone.
She asked her next question in a very quiet, hopeful voice. “Could we pretend, just for a while, that the outside world doesn’t exist? Could it just be us here, enjoying a remote getaway?”
He came to her side and leaned close. His lips met hers in a soft, lingering kiss full of promises. “You can pretend if you want, Sophie, and I’ll keep your dream safe.”
Chapter Fourteen
Forte woke at dawn out of habit. He didn’t need an alarm clock anymore, but he reached for the current disposable phone and disabled the alarm he’d set for peace of mind. Might be a weird quirk of his, but it made it easier to fall asleep at night when he wasn’t anxious about whether he’d wake up on time in the morning, or in the morning at all.
Sophie had rolled to the other side of the bed. She might be a snuggle monster on first falling asleep, but she definitely tossed and turned through the night. Apparently, she’d gotten too warm toward the early hours before dawn because she’d not only rolled to the other end of the gigantic bed but she also kicked off the majority of the covers. Only a single corner of the bedspread covered her hip, and the sight of her lying naked and mostly exposed like that was amazingly tempting.
He shook his head and pushed aside thoughts of a morning ambush for the time being. She needed her rest.