“You travel with an assistant, huh?” Claire asked him. “Fancy.”
“Assistant?” I said, feigning shock. “No, I meant to say bodyguard.”
Claire gave a musical laugh. “Aren’t you just too adorable?”
Adorable? Ugh. I wanted to be gorgeous, dammit. Not to her, though. I peered at Daniel from the corner of my eye and found him smiling at me before looking away. Did he think I was adorable too?
Not that it matters.
“I don’t think I ever introduced myself,” the red-haired guy said before shaking Daniel’s hand. “Josh Robinson.”
“Nice to meet you.” Daniel shook Josh’s hand before straightening back up and studying the room. “I didn’t know dinner was set up this way.”
“Yeah, we were surprised too on our first night,” Claire said, taking a seat. Josh sat beside her. “The owners like for the guests to eat like a big family, though other tables are set up over there”—she nodded to some against the wall—“for people who aren’t comfortable eating together. I love it, though. And just wait until you taste the food. It’s divine.”
Daniel pulled out a chair, and I took the one beside him. A tiny sizzle of electricity shot through my veins when our elbows touched, and my body heated when I caught a hint of his aftershave.
Stupid Monty. He had put the idea in my head to seduce my boss, and now it was all I could think about.
Once everyone was seated, Cole joined us and sat to my left. “Evening.”
“Evening,” I responded. “I like the setup.”
“Thanks.” Cole looked like a lovesick puppy as he stared at the only empty seat left at the table, the one right beside him. “Ian and I like it this way, but we understand not everyone does. So if you prefer to eat alone, we can accommodate you.”
“No, this is great. Is Ian going to eat with us?”
Not even a second after I asked the question, a door opened and Ian stepped out wearing an apron and carrying a big pot that he placed in the center of the table. Three people followed behind him with baskets of steaming rolls and butter.
“He cooks?”
“Yeah,” Cole answered. “He mostly bakes. That’s his passion.” That explained the baking supplies he’d picked up at the store. “He makes dessert each night, but he helps with dinner as well.”
Dinner consisted of pot roast with potatoes and carrots. The beef practically melted in my mouth, and the broth had a perfect balance of salt and other spices. I had a hard time suppressing a groan when I took that first bite. Daniel shifted in his seat.
“Are you okay?” I asked him.
“Yes.” He looked at me briefly, before saying something to Claire, who sat across from us. Turned out, she worked in advertising too, so they had a lot in common. Josh zoned out as they talked about sales and market trends.
“More wine?” Ian asked me. After bringing the food, he had taken off his apron and took the seat at the head of the table beside Cole.
“Yes, please.”
For dessert, we had chocolate cake that was so fucking good I had to force myself not to go back for a second slice. Add the three glasses of wine I’d had over dinner on top of that, and I was in a great mood when we exited the dining room and walked down the hall.
“You seem happy,” Daniel said, keeping pace beside me. Neither of us was in a hurry to get back to the room, so we took our time walking through the manor. Though Christmas was over, golden lights were strung around mini trees in the corners of the rooms we passed, giving the place a warm, inviting glow.
“I am.”
“We’re snowed in at a bed-and-breakfast for god only knows how long, and you’re happy.”
“Could be worse,” I said with a shrug. “We could—”
“Reed,” Daniel interjected in a warning tone, though his blue eyes remained playful. “Haven’t you cursed us enough?”
I snickered. “The blizzard wasn’t my fault.” When we reached the stairs, I grabbed the end of the railing and swung around to the first step. “It was a mere coincidence.”
“I don’t believe in coincidences. And be careful. You’ve had a bit too much to drink to be flailing around like that.”
“So, you think everything happens for a reason?” I asked, ignoring his statement about my level of intoxication. I was pretty buzzed—it didn’t take much to get me drunk—but I was able to walk just fine.
“Maybe.”
“Maybe?” I spun around to him. “What’s that supposed to mean? Either you believe in something or you don’t.”
“What do you believe in, Reed?” Daniel quickly put a hand to my back to help steady me when my foot hit the next step wrong, and I stumbled back against him. “Be careful.”
“Myself,” I answered, continuing up the stairs. Once on the second floor, we turned to go down the hall toward our room. “I learned from a young age I was the only person I could count on. That changed a little when I met Quinn. He taught me it was okay to lean on other people sometimes too, that not everyone would let me down. But at the end of the day, all I have is myself.”
“I can relate to that,” he responded, unlocking the door before pushing it open.
I entered the room and plopped down on the bed as I pulled off my shoes. I wasn’t drunk, but the wine had definitely loosened my tongue. “Did you fuck Vivian Parks?”
“Excuse me?” Daniel flipped around from where he’d taken off his own shoes and placed them against the wall beside the closet.
“When you two came out of the meeting, she was so close to you,” I said, falling backward on the bed and staring up at the ceiling. “She touched your arm and gave you that lustful smile. Client research is part of my job, remember? Well, I learned all kinds of things about her during that time, like how she’s gone through three husbands and is known to get around, mostly with younger men. Not that that should matter, but it just got me thinking after seeing you two together. I thought maybe you fucked her as a bribe or something.”
“We’re not having this discussion,” Daniel said in a hard tone.
I sat up, hands resting behind me on the mattress. “You didn’t answer the question.”
“Because it’s ridiculous,” he snapped, yanking at his tie. He’d worn yesterday’s clothes for his video meetings that day. “I’ll let it slide this time since you’re clearly not in your right mind and the past two days have been stressful on us both, but I suggest you not ever accuse me of something so unprofessional again. Am I clear?”
The tips of my ears got hot. “Yes, sir.”
“Go to bed.” He grabbed a shirt and sleep pants he’d bought earlier at the store and went into the bathroom, closing the door. He didn’t slam it, but he damn well could have with how the sound made me flinch.
Fuck.
Me and my stupid mouth.
I stripped down to my boxers before tugging on one of the oversized sweaters I’d bought and crawling under the covers. The cold sheets made my teeth chatter, and I wiggled my legs to warm them. Once I was settled, I stared at the tree outside the window. The branches creaked as the wind blew, and snow continued to fall, lighter now than earlier. I jumped when the bathroom door opened.