I scampered off to the parlor like a lovestruck teenager, snatched the receiver off the hook, and fell breathlessly onto the sofa.
"Hey, Mason."
"Hey. I had this number on the service ticket from last fall. Um, is it okay I called?"
I heard the "click" as Tyler hung up the phone upstairs. "Yeah, sure. I guess I should give you my cell phone number, though."
"Yeah. Do it tonight."
My stomach plunged. The weather wasn't conducive to going out. I appreciated Tyler's offer of his truck, but it would be foolish to go out on unfamiliar icy roads when I didn't really need to.
"It's snowing, Mason."
There was a clattering crash in my ear.
"Fuck. Dropped my wrench. Hold on."
I grinned as I listened to more noise and additional foul language. Was he nervous over calling me? His smooth baritone flowed back into my ear. "Sorry about that. I know it's snowing, damn it. So you're not coming into town?"
"I'd better not. I don't know the roads around here that well." I held my breath, dreading his next words. What if he hung up and we never connected again?
But wouldn't that be best? My head and my heart weren't in agreement.
"I guess you're right." He cleared his throat. I heard him take a deep breath. "Kenzie, will you have dinner with me tomorrow night?"
I failed to remember I was thirty-six and a mature man. I ignored how bad of an idea it was to get involved with anyone a thousand miles away from home.
We'd already had each other in the most physically intimate ways possible, and now he wanted to take me to dinner. I pumped my fist in the air in a gesture of victory.
"I would love to have dinner with you, Mason."
)
