Page 19 of Mountain Dreams
Her feeble attempt at swearing made him chuckle, though he tried to rein it in.
She lifted her head and looked at him with a soft smile. “I hate swearing.”
“I know, but you gave it a valiant effort.”
A strand of hair was stuck to her cheek, and on impulse, he gently brushed it away. She searched his face for a moment like she was looking for answers there.
“What’s the difference between loving someone and being in love with them?”
He hoped it was a rhetorical question, because he was at a serious loss. He’d never told a woman he loved her, and he wasn’t sure he’d ever been in love. If she’d asked him about infatuation, lust, or desire, he’d have had plenty to say.
Since she was still looking at him, he felt the need to say something, though. “I’m really not sure.”
Her brows raised. “You’ve never been in love before?”
He shifted uncomfortably. “Um…”
She giggled, which he didn’t mind because at least she was smiling.
“Sorry. I forgot that you’ve never been a one-woman man.”
She hadn’t said it with malice, but he wasn’t satisfied with her depiction of him.
“It’s not to say that I couldn’t be—someday.”
“And miss out on all those women who haven’t had the pleasure of your company?” she teased.
“True,” he teased back. This was more familiar ground, at least.
“Maybe you just haven’t found the right one yet.”
“Maybe.”
“Anyway, will you call Avery now?”
He’d almost forgotten about that, and he reluctantly let go of her to pull out his phone. “Are you sure you don’t just want to stay here?”
“You said you would call,” she reminded him.
At least it wasn’t a flat-out no. Still, he scrolled through his phone, found Avery’s number, and dialed.
“Hey, Cody,” she answered after a few rings.
“What does he want?” Jax grumbled in the background.
Maddie was sitting close enough to hear them, and she stifled a laugh.
“Quick question, do we have any vacancies this weekend?”
“No, why?” Avery said.
Cody glanced at Maddie, and she shook her head like she didn’t want him to explain her dilemma to a stranger.
“Never mind. I’ll talk to you later.” He hung up before Avery could say another word, or Jax for that matter.
Maddie frowned. “I knew it. It’s because of the holiday.”
Cody hadn’t considered Valentine’s Day an official holiday before, probably because he hadn’t had a serious girlfriend to spend it with. It obviously held some significance for Maddie, though.
