He looked up at the darkening sky, almost expecting to see flurries. The scent of smoke from a fireplace nearby was permeating the air, and he wished he were headed to the comforts of home and not making the drive back to base.
Hell.
He’d love bringing Amy home with him—snuggling up by a roaring fire, enjoying a glass of wine. Finally seeing if she tasted as sweet as she looked.
At least he’d see Amy this weekend, no matter if it was just for a quick visit. He’d look at the painting she had and ask her out then on a proper date, he decided.
No more acting like he wasn’t interested.
Saturday couldn’t get here soon enough.
Chapter 10
“So how’d the bake sale go?” Melissa asked the next night over dinner. She and Amy had decided to meet for a quick bite at a local Mexican restaurant. Melissa had spent the day taking a newlywed couple all over town looking for their first home. The fact that other people were still getting married and she wasn’t had to be rough, and she’d called Amy late in the day pleading for a dinner companion.
“I spent all Sunday baking. All of it,” Amy repeated for emphasis. “But the sale was a success, and the kids were thrilled. Now I’ve got to spend this weekend getting ready for Thanksgiving.”
“I thought you were going over to Beth’s with the rest of us?”
“I am, but I offered to bring a couple of pies,” Amy replied, sipping her margarita. “What can I say? I must have been in a baking mood when I agreed to that. I need to get to the store, too—you know it’s going to be crazy on Saturday morning with everyone doing their Thanksgiving shopping.”
“I offered to bring the wine,” Melissa said with a grin. “White, red, maybe a bottle or two of champagne....”
“You got off too easy,” Amy jokingly scoffed. They all knew Melissa wasn’t exactly known for her cooking. “And now they’re saying that a snowstorm’s coming. It seems really early in the year for that—you know how the weather forecasters are always predicting the next blizzard and then we only get an inch or two. But I may need to swing by the store tomorrow instead. If I’m stuck inside, at least I can get some prep work done over the weekend.”
“Ugh—I hope it doesn’t snow. The last thing I want is to sit around moping all weekend. Plus I have several showings, and this will mess up my schedule.”
“You, mope?”
“Very funny. I’ve spent the last week cancelling all the vendors for my wedding. And the Saturday before that I spent with my ex-fiancé, yelling at him over the demise of our relationship. I was hoping for something a little more fun this weekend.”
“Well, we’ll all have a good time at Thanksgiving. And that’s only a few more days away.”
“I know; I’m just in a bad mood. Driving around town with that lovey-dovey couple did me in this afternoon.” Melissa gestured to the waitress to bring another round of margaritas for the two of them. “Let’s talk about you instead. Did you ever hear back from Ben after his ski trip?”
“God no. Why would I?”
Melissa shrugged. “You never know. Maybe he had a horrible time and wanted you back?”
Amy laughed. “I’m sure he had a terrible time on his romantic vacation. All cooped up in that hotel room with a fireplace and king-sized bed. How about this—no more guy talk for the rest of the night?”
Melissa laughed and lifted her glass into the air. “That, my friend, is a promise.”
***
The commute home the next afternoon was horrible, with everyone else in the vicinity of DC leaving the office early as well. It had taken Amy an hour to make her usual ten-minute drive. The snow had been falling heavily all afternoon, and while there was an inch or two already on the grass, the roads and sidewalks were just beginning to accumulate precipitation. Finally reaching her street, she drove slowly down the road, leaving tire tracks behind in the wet, snowy mess.
After pulling into her driveway, she turned off her windshield wipers, and a thin layer of snow immediately began to cover the glass. She watched the snowflakes falling, one after another sticking to the windshield, until she could hardly see outside. Amy climbed out of her SUV and slid on the icy asphalt, clutching onto the side of her vehicle for support. Cursing herself for wearing flats today and not sensible boots, Amy pulled her tote bag, purse, and bag of groceries from the back of her car. She glanced down at the fresh white powder, which covered the ground in an even layer.
She slammed the tailgate closed and, heaving her tote bag over her shoulder, clutched the bag of groceries in one arm as she inched along the side of her car, heading for the front door. Confident that she hadn’t fallen yet, Amy took a bigger step and suddenly slipped, falling backwards as she lost her footing.
Strong arms caught her from behind, and she cried out in surprise as she felt a firm body supporting her as she regained her balance. She looked up and right into the steel blue eyes of Jason. His hands remained on her arms as she steadied herself, and suddenly she felt flustered as he held her. How many times over the past few days had she imagined just this thing? Yet Jason pulling her into his arms and kissing her passionately was not exactly the same as catching her as she fell, and she realized it was silly to pretend it was anything more than him simply offering his assistance.
“Thanks,” she said, turning to face him as he released her, noticing for the first time how tall he really was. She brushed some of the snowflakes from her hair and looked up at him.
“Are you okay?” he asked, his voice deep.
“Yeah, I just slipped in this icy mess,” she said, gesturing to the ground.
“Those don’t look like the best shoes for walking around in the snow,” he said, eyeing her skimpy flats.
“Uh, no, probably not. I’m just coming from work. And I had to swing by the grocery store.”
“Let me help you,” he said, reaching out to take her things. He lifted her tote bag and slung it over his own shoulder and then reached out for the bag of groceries. As he held out his free arm to her, she saw no choice but to take it. Unless she wanted to walk up the driveway barefoot, she was going to have trouble navigating the icy mess in her shoes.
Gripping his muscular arm, she walked with him to the front door. He towered over her, and she noted that he was well over six feet tall. She slipped once more but did not fall with Jason beside her, and she was grateful that he had been there to offer his help. She released his arm as soon as they reached the front porch.
“I’m surprised you had school today,” Jason commented as Amy dug her keys out from her purse.
“The roads were fine this morning. I shouldn’t have stayed late though. Traffic was terrible.”
“For me, too. Nonessential employees were released early from base, but I think everyone else in the DC area was already on the road by the time I left. Took me two hours.”
“That’s terrible,” Amy said, pushing open her front door. She pulled her key from the lock and walked inside.
Jason stepped in beside her. “Where do you want these?”
Once again, she felt a slight pang of sadness that Jason was just here for a moment. Of course he’d just come in to put down her things—it wasn’t like they were about to spend a cozy evening together.
“Oh, just set them down anywhere. Thanks for your help.”
“Sure thing. Let me know if you need any more assistance in the driveway,” he said, a twinkle in his blue eyes.
Amy flushed, surprised that he was teasing her again. He always seemed so serious before and until the past week or so, they’d barely spoken. Something about all their unexpected encounters pleased her, and she smiled back up at him. “You’ll be the first to know,” she joked. “I’ll just toss some pebbles at your window or something if I need help.”
He laughed heartily. “Seriously though, if you need something, I’m right across the street. And I do want to see that painting.”
“Definitely. Maybe you can stop by later on or tomorr
ow. I don’t want it to get wet if you carry it home now in the snow.”
“I can still come by tomorrow, if that’s okay. Maybe you can come over afterward and help me pick out the perfect spot.”
“Sounds good. Let’s see if you like it first though.”
He chuckled, the deep sound doing something funny to her insides.
“I’m sure I will, but even if it’s the wrong colors or something, you’re still welcome to come over for a drink. I have a feeling we’ll be snowed in for a day or so with the horrible way they plow the streets around here.”
“That I don’t doubt,” she agreed with a laugh. “And thanks again for your help. It would’ve been embarrassing to fall over right in my own driveway.”
“You’re welcome, Amy.” The sound of his deep, masculine voice saying her name sent an unexpected thrill through her. Of course, he’d probably said her name plenty of times before. But something about her name on his lips and the memory of his arms around her in the driveway earlier made her yearn for something more. His gaze stayed on her for just a beat too long, and then he turned to go.
Her heart fell ever so slightly as she slowly shut the door behind him.
Walking into her bedroom, Amy pulled the shirt she’d been wearing over her head and slipped out of her wet jeans. Really, what had she been thinking not even bringing boots with her to school today? What if she’d gotten stranded on the road?
Pulling a stretchy camisole over her head, she then rooted around in her drawers looking for a cozy cardigan. Finding a soft cream one that hung open but was nice and warm, she slid her arms through, wrapping herself in comfort. She then grabbed a pair of black yoga pants. They were stretchy and comfortable, and she planned to spend the next few hours camped out at her kitchen table getting some work done before dinner. Thank God she’d already swung by the grocery store so she wouldn’t have to go out again in this mess.
She walked into the kitchen, surveying the contents of her fridge. Aside from a mad dash through the store grabbing what she needed to make pies for Thanksgiving before the store shelves were empty, she’d picked up some of her favorite foods as a special treat: French bread and brie, which she never purchased, because who could eat that all by themselves, chocolate croissants for breakfast, and plenty of dark roast coffee, since she’d been running low. She had a roast and vegetables that she planned to cook tomorrow. Although that was a lot of food for one person, she’d freeze the extras and have plenty of meals for days. Plus, a nice roast in the crock pot reminded her of snow days when she was a kid, when her mom would have a meal cooking all day long, filling up the house with a delicious scent.
Amy sliced some bread and brie for a snack and put on a pot of coffee. She set her laptop up at the kitchen table while the coffee brewed and looked outside to watch the snow heavily falling. The streets were completely covered now, and she was glad that she didn’t have to go anywhere else today. She poured herself a cup of steaming hot coffee and sat down, ready to get to work.
Several hours later she was still sitting there, typing up the newsletter she’d send out to the parents for the month of December. She was just starting to get hungry for dinner when the lights flickered a few times. Sighing, she rose from the table and walked over to the window in the dim evening light. Hopefully the power wouldn’t go out. For now, the neighborhood was lit up with street lamps and the light coming from frosty windows. They were only expecting several inches of snow, but in this area, that could mean accidents all over the place.
She shivered, thankful that she didn’t need to be anywhere else this evening.
Her phone buzzed on the kitchen table a little while later.
“Hey sweetie,” came Beth’s voice on the other end of the line. “How’d you do in the storm?” Amy could hear a male voice in the background and knew it was Nick. She glanced at the clock and realized that they were probably getting ready to sit down to dinner together. She’d need to find something to eat as well. Even though she’d planned a meal for tomorrow, dinner this evening hadn’t been on her mind.
“The snow’s starting to taper off,” Amy said. “I’ve just been finishing up some work this afternoon. How about you guys?”
“We’re going to try and find someplace open to eat because we lost power.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. Is your whole building out?”
“Yep. There’s a crew outside working already, so hopefully it will be back on soon. Want us to come pick you up?”
“No, no,” Amy said. “I’m fine here, and I don’t want you guys to drive over in this mess. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, bye hun.”
“Bye.”
Amy stood up from the table, ready to go raid her own fridge, when she heard the scraping of a shovel outside. She walked over to the window and was surprised to see Jason in her driveway. He had on a black ski jacket and black wool cap, and with the large shovel he was holding, had already cleared half of her driveway. She looked across the street and saw that his own driveway was clean as well, as was the sidewalk in front of his home. The snow had finally tapered off to a few flurries, and it looked like he’d made haste to get out there before nightfall.
She quickly pulled on her snow boots and warm red parka before heading outside to greet him.
“Hey there!” he called out. “I thought I’d quick shovel your driveway, too, before I go to Mrs. Jones’s house.”
“Wow, thanks. You really don’t need to though. It’s only a couple of inches; I can go grab my shovel.”
“It’s no problem,” he said walking over to stand in front of her. “I’m almost done already. I’m not so much ‘shoveling’ as just pushing the snow off the driveway. Luckily there’s not too much,” he added with a grin.
“That’s right—you’re a California boy. You’re probably not used to all this snow.”
Jason laughed, his blue eyes sparkling. “Guilty as charged. What I’m really not used to is this crazy weather—I was jogging in a tee shirt a week or two ago. Now I’m out here shoveling snow? Something’s wrong with that.”
“It’ll probably all melt tomorrow if this is all we’re getting. The weather is always weird this time of year.”
“I can see that,” he chuckled. “And the forecast seems a bit off from the massive blizzard I was expecting. But I figured I’d help out a few neighbors as long as I was out shoveling my own driveway.”
“Thanks,” she said gazing up at him. She was half-tempted to invite him in for a cup of hot cocoa. He’d said he wanted to shovel the neighbor’s driveway though, and she didn’t want to prevent him from doing that since she knew her elderly neighbor really could use the help.
“You have some snowflakes in your hair,” he said, reaching out to brush them away. She froze as he touched her, remembering what it’d felt like as he caught her in his strong arms earlier that day.
Had he felt anything, too?
Or was she just like the kid sister across the street that he was always coming to rescue? He was probably ten years older than her, but she was thirty-one years old. It’s not like she was a child. So why was she always feeling so uncertain around him?
“So, I’ll stop by in the morning to check out that painting?”
“Hmmm?” she asked, lost in her own thoughts.
“The painting. Is tomorrow morning still okay?” His blue eyes met hers, and she had the strangest feeling that he was leaving things unspoken as well. They were out in the middle of her driveway, but at that moment it felt like they were the only two people in the world. The street was quiet around them, covered in the softly falling snow. Everyone had come home early before the storm, and it was now dinner time, so there were no cars driving by or kids out playing. Amidst the soft white backdrop, it was almost like they were in their own magical winter wonderland.
“Yes, tomorrow morning’s perfect.”
“Great, I’m looking forward to it.”
Amy wasn’t sure if he meant he was look
ing forward to seeing the painting or seeing her again in the morning. “Me too,” she hedged. “Are you sure you don’t need any help out here?”
“No, I’m good. Go inside where it’s warm. I’ll head over to your next-door neighbor’s house after I finish up here.”
“Okay. Thanks again, Jason. I’ll see you tomorrow. Have a good night.”
“You too,” he replied quietly, giving her one last glance before he turned away to continue working. She could have sworn that she saw that heated look in his eyes once more.
Chapter 11
The doorbell rang at exactly eleven the next morning, and Amy pulled open the door to find Jason on her front porch, wearing his black ski jacket and jeans, and somehow looking sexy as hell. His hands were tucked into his pockets, and he’d stepped back from the doormat, like he didn’t want to be too close when she opened the door.
He sure had that ruggedly handsome thing going for him, she thought as she met his gaze. He smelled of cologne and soap and something distinctly male, and she was dying to pull him closer, which was completely crazy.
“You look nice,” he said, a smile tugging at his lips.
She flushed and glanced down at her pale pink sweater and jeans. Of course she didn’t want to look like she was trying too hard. This was just supposed to be her neighbor dropping by to check out her artwork. But she had taken extra care this morning when she dressed, putting on a little makeup and selecting an outfit she liked. The lightweight sweater hugged her curves nicely, and the jeans were snug yet comfortable. All those hours running had paid off, so why not dress in something that made her look great, right?
“Thanks,” she said, meeting his gaze again. “You too. I mean, come in,” she said, stepping back and gesturing for him to come inside.
Jason smiled, and she wondered if he knew just how flustered she was around him. This was getting ridiculous. “Let me take your coat,” she said. He shrugged out of it and offered it to her in a one-handed grip, and she noticed how muscular his hands were.
One Night with a Marine Page 7
