by Leah Atwood
Kate’s eyes were large as she watched the constant activity around them. “Can you imagine if our location was this busy?”
“I prefer our laid-back atmosphere, but the staff here is a study in efficiency.” He shut his mouth before he launched into accountant speak sure to bore her.
A wall of arctic air hit him when he went through the revolving door, and a shiver shook his body. Brr. Why didn’t I wear a coat this morning?
Two seconds behind him, Kate stepped out, her teeth chattering. “I don’t think it ever gets this cold back home. Maybe a few days in January, but never in November.”
“I heard tonight’s overnight low here is in the teens.” A sign on the post in the pickup area drew his gaze. Last shuttle to hotel: 5:35. “Looks like we missed the shuttle by ten minutes. Mind sharing a cab?”
Her arms enveloped her midsection in a self-hug. “Anything to get out of this cold.”
A white car with a painted stripe drove toward them, slowing down. It was a car from the taxi service he’d used while in Baltimore for his orientation when he’d first joined the company. Leaning forward at the waist, he flagged down the cab.
When the car came to a stop, he opened the rear passenger door and Kate climbed in first. He slid in after her and gave the hotel’s address to the driver.
“I love Christmastime.” Kate tore her attention from their surroundings. “When I was fourteen, my parents took my brother and me to New York City for a weekend in December. It was magical.” The faraway look from earlier returned.
“I’ve never been.” A flashing Frosty in a storefront caught his eye and made him smile. His mom had one very similar. “My dad tended to be gone at Christmastime, so it was just my mom and my siblings. Me too, of course.”
Kate frowned, opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, as though not sure what to say. Once. Twice. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. Once Dad came home, we had our own celebration, only a few months late sometimes.” He smirked. “If that were nowadays, we’d have all video chatted instead of waiting.”
Curiosity shone in her eyes. “Was your dad in the oilfield?”
A logical question coming from someone who’d lived in South Louisiana her entire life, but no. “Military. The Marine Corps had a bad habit of sending him on deployments and field exercises during the holidays.”
“Your dad was a Marine?” Her broad smile shrunk.
“Is. He’s still in, stationed at Quantico now.” Luke stretched his cramped leg. “In fact, he’s going to try to meet me for dinner tomorrow since we’re so near.” Bright spot number two.
“That’s great.” Her frown lacked the enthusiasm of her words and her gaze drifted out the window, leaving him confused.
“Did I say something wrong?”
“I’m not good company tonight.” She turned back to him, wiped her eye. “I’ll understand if you’d rather have dinner without me bringing you down.”
The taxi chose that second to stop, even though the hotel was still a hundred feet away. Kate grabbed her bag and jumped from the car, not giving him a chance to say anything.
Whoa. He scratched his head before handing money to the driver. What had just happened?
