Page 11 of Tempted To Be Mine

“Well, that too.” I grinned, but she didn’t smile back. “Come on, Lucy. I’ve never done one of these location shoots without you. I don’t even know how to check into a hotel. Or get a car.”

“That’s pathetic.”

“Maybe. But it’s true.” I studied her face, trying to read what was really going on behind those blue eyes. This wasn’t just about preferring warm weather. There was something else. “Talk to me. What’s the real issue?”

She was quiet for a moment, her fingers fidgeting with the edge of her laptop. I’d never seen Lucy fidget before. That was my thing.

“When I was eight, my parents took me on a vacation. The only vacation we ever took somewhere cold. Some ski resort in Colorado.” She paused, her jaw tightening. “I slipped on the ice the second day. Broke my leg.”

“Shit.”

“Yeah.” She laughed, but there was no humor in it.

I tried to picture it. Eight-year-old Lucy still trying to manage everyone around her even then. Probably apologizing for inconveniencing people while she was the one hurt. That tracked.

“Ouch.”

“Spent the rest of the trip trying to navigate on crutches. On ice. Do you know how hard it is to use crutches on ice? It’s impossible. I fell about a hundred more times.”

“You were a kid,” I said.

“All I wanted was to build a snowman.” Her voice went soft, almost wistful. “Like the kids on TV. That’s all I wanted. Just one stupid snowman. But I couldn’t because I was stuck in the lodge with my leg in a cast, watching other kids play in the snow through the window.” She shook her head. “I just have a lot of bad memories associated with snow and cold. It’s not rational, but there it is.”

I sat with that for a second. Lucy didn’t share stuff like this often. The fact that she was telling me meant it really bothered her.

“You know,” I said slowly, “I’ve never built a snowman either.”

She looked up at me, surprised. “Really?”

“Really. LA kid, remember? Snow wasn’t exactly a regular occurrence. We did the Aspen and Swiss Alps stuff, but you’re not there to build snowmen.” I leaned back in my chair, trying to look casual even though my brain was already working overtime. “If you come with me to Alaska, we can cross that off the list together. Your first successful snowman. My first snowman, period.”

“Jeremy, snow is cold.”

“Well, yeah. If snow was hot, it’d be water.”

“Jeremy, I’m too old to build a snowman. The time has passed.”

“You’re never too old to build a snowman. We’ll find the perfect spot, build the most ridiculous snowman anyone’s ever seen, and you can finally have that experience you missed out on.”

She stared at me like I’d grown a second head. “You want to build a snowman with me.”

“I want to build a snowman with you.” I held her gaze, letting her see I meant it. “Come on, Lucy. It’ll be fun. An adventure.”

“I don’t even have winter clothes,” she said, but her resistance was weakening. I could hear it in her voice. “I have comfy sweaters meant to look pretty but they don’t protect against the cold. Not really.”

“That’s no problem.” I waved my hand dismissively. “I’ll take you shopping.”

“Shopping.”

“Shopping. My treat. We’ll get you the warmest, most stylish winter wardrobe money can buy. You’ll be so bundled up you won’t feel a single snowflake.”

She narrowed her eyes at me. “You hate shopping.”

I reached across the table and patted her hand before she could pull away. She hated me touching her. Never understood why. “Please, Lucy. I really don’t want to do this without you. I’m a mess. Look what happened today. I would have missed my call time and Sebastian would have fired my ass.”

She looked down at our hands, then back up at my face. I could practically see the war happening behind her eyes. The part of her that wanted to stay safe and warm fighting against the part that never let me down.

“Fine,” she said finally, pulling her hand back. “But if I slip on the ice and break another leg, I’m going to break yours.”