Apparently reading his intent, she said, “We’re not going to make it if you keep that up.”
“But that’ll be cold. I’m sure it’s warm inside.” He jutted toward the door.
Calli rolled her eyes, shook her head, and released the embrace. “Let’s go. We can have some winter fun first.”
“First,” he repeated. “I’ll take that as a promise.”
Calli
How is this possible? Calli asked herself. I’ve been slogging through the days, reading nonstop, haven’t really seen daylight except for what squeezed around the blinds, and didn’t want to talk to anyone. She trailed behind Dom toward the idling SUV, his winter car, exhaust billowing from the tailpipe. Now, he shows up and I’m schoolgirl giddy? She watched him walk carefully to prevent slipping, still a graceful saunter. Calli couldn’t figure out what this amazing man really saw in her. Obviously, it wasn’t the past-her-prime woman, pathetic divorcée, and single mother of two that she saw in herself. She’d keep that to herself just a little longer too. She was beginning to feel like her old self when she was with this man, like the Calli who went away to college, knowing who she wanted to be and where she wanted to go, the pre-Bennett Calli. She hadn’t realized how much she had missed that Calli.
Inside the toasty car, the seat warmers cocooned her in more heat. The clouds cleared and the sun sparkled on fresh snow. Today was the epitome of the beauty that winter in Minnesota held. Their plans for the day would take full advantage of the unspoiled snow that had blanketed the ground overnight. Not more than three sets of tire tracks marred her street, and it wasn’t until they reached the highway that Dom could pick up any speed, then only to about forty. The normal ten- to fifteen-minute ride downtown took a half an hour, but Calli didn’t complain. She was happy just being there, beside Dom. When he wasn’t shifting, he’d drop his hand onto her knee or thigh and give a small satisfied smile. Maybe it was odd that they didn’t speak about how they were both alone over the holidays, but Calli wanted to steer clear of anything that involved her ex-husband or that she had children nearing college age. She wondered briefly if he had reasons similar to her own but quickly dismissed that notion given that she’d seen his home and there had been no evidence of children of any age. Not wanting to spoil their companionable silence, she took a deep, cleansing breath and put such thoughts out of her mind, actively deciding to live in the moment.
Dom pulled off the highway and navigated the city streets to a garage near the river. They walked through the River Center to the cobblestone street that ran along the Mississippi on the Minneapolis side. Outside, a coach drawn by two Clydesdales was waiting. Calli looked up at Dom, surprised that it wasn’t the standard white horses that littered the streets of downtown during the holiday season. The coach was a lacquered black sleigh with white furs piled on the benches.
“Where did you find this?” Calli asked, hugging closer to Dom’s arm.
“I’ll never give away my secrets. Come on.”
The driver held open the door with a white-gloved hand. Dom helped Calli inside, then settled beside her and pulled the furs over them both.
“Mr. Moretti,” the driver started, “there is an open bottle of champagne here, nicely chilled by Mother Nature.” He gave a wide smile as he uncovered the bin on the side. “And glasses are there. I’m Chris. Call my name if you need anything at all.” He closed the door.
The carriage lurched forward, jarring them both before smoothing out. They both laughed and readjusted in their seats. Dom angled his body, reached over, and pulled Calli’s legs across his lap, then wrapped both arms around her waist. Curling into his embrace, she removed her mitten and slid one hand into his coat and under his shirt, craving the skin-to-skin contact. He braced himself but then relaxed.
Calli giggled. “It’s not cold. I have hand warmers in my gloves.” She hesitated, then added quietly, “I just wanted to be closer.”
His arms flexed in response, hugging her tighter. In this carriage, beside the river, on a cold sleepy morning, warm under the covers and in the circle of Dom’s arms, Calli felt at peace for the first time in more than twenty years.
“It’s amazing how warm it is under the furs,” she said by way of making small talk.
Dom blew out his breath, making fog in the air, and eyed her sideways.
“Well, I guess my nose is a little cold.” She nuzzled it into his neck.
“Calli, tell me something about you that I don’t know,” he said.
Don’t tense—don’t tense—don’t tense. Again, the topics she wanted to avoid popped into her mind. “Let me think,” she said instead. Family was the obvious choice. “I grew up in the orchid business.”
“Huh?” Dom’s brow wrinkled.
“My father’s grandfatherdiscovered an orchid called the Dendrobium lindleyi. His name was Charles Lindley.”
“So, you’re named after a flower?”
“Technically, the flower is named after my family if you’re referring to Lindley. But I, along with my sister, am named after an orchid as well. Callista Linnea and Cattleya Linnea.”
“You have a sister? And you have the same middle name? That’s odd.”
She made a small, affirmative noise.
“I’m jealous.”
“A twin sister. Linnea means twin flower. My mother, though she married into the Lindley family, is a Southern belle and very obsessed.”
“Really?” Dom pulled back to look at her face. “I can’t imagine two of you in this world.”
“There were many times growing up that I couldn’t imagine it either. We were very close, and that has ups and downs. Sometimes, I think we’re too much alike, except that she can be really direct. It’s been hurtful in the past, but I’ve grown to accept it, even appreciate it at times . . . There was one time right after high school when we didn’t talk for over a year, but we’re better now.” She gave him a tentative look. “Okay, your turn. What don’t I know about the famous Dominic Moretti?”
“Hmm, that’s a tough one. Most of my life revolves around the restaurant and my business. You know most of that. You also know Joe—he’s really the only person I’d call a true friend in the world.”
“Come on . . . there has to be something.”
“I guess I come from a totally different background than you. I was an only child, and I often felt like I was a mistake in my parents’ eyes.” Dom rolled his lips between his teeth, biting, and looked down, then back. His eyes were glassy and bleak. “If I wanted to eat, I had to learn to cook early. I guess that’s what started it all.” He inhaled and pushed the air out, creating a cloud, then took her hand under the fur blanket. “They died in a car crash when I was only twelve. The police reports that I read many years later said they were both high at the time.”
Calli’s eyes burned and flooded. She gasped. “Oh, Dom, I’m so sorry.”
“No, don’t be.” He hugged her and laughed without mirth, then said, “I’ve never really talked to anyone about it. Joe may know, but I have never really discussed it with even him, and I’ve known him since he first started his practice. God, that’s been over twenty years.”