“Damn.” Felix made a triumphant noise that rasped over my already raw nerves. “Okay, maybe that was fun.”
“Says the guy who won.” I was breathing hard and the game was only part of the reason. Our gazes met across the table, potent energy crackling between us. The girls had abandoned the game room, leaving only Felix and me and this almost unbearable tension.
If I leaned across the table, I could kiss him and I had a feeling he wouldn’t stop me. Maybe—
Ring. Felix’s phone rang from his pocket, killing whatever moment had passed there. Probably for the best, but my muscles sagged nonetheless.
“Surprised I got a signal.” Fishing his phone out, he paced away from the table. “And it’s my maintenance company.”
He answered the call, and judging by his ever-deepening frown, he didn’t like what he was hearing.
“Bad news?” I asked after he’d ended the call.
“Plow is likely tomorrow.” He didn’t drag out the update with a lot of preamble, which I appreciated. “Weather is finally expected to break overnight.”
“Crap.” My frown likely matched his. Somehow in the midst of all this playing I’d forgotten I was supposed to be leaving. I’d even forgotten about my sore ankle, which had started throbbing again the second Felix’s phone had rung.
“I guess you’re stuck with us.” Despite his grim expression, Felix didn’t sound too terribly put out, not like he had the day before.
“More rematch chances for me.” I couldn’t help my smile. I definitely should not be enjoying being trapped with Felix this much. And I absolutely should not be hoping for more of that delicious awareness that kept surging between us. But judging by my prickly neck, I totally was and that was a huge problem.
Chapter Eight
Felix
Another night snowed in with Calder had seemed inevitable from the moment I’d seen the extent of the snow that morning, but the confirmation that tomorrow was the soonest we could expect a plow still had me on edge. And not because I was miserable, but because I wasn’t. I wasn’t sure what this was—a genuine attraction or a sign of how hungry I was for adult conversation. My non-work social circle was a rather small dot at the present, but somehow I doubted that any reasonably pleasant person would be having the same effect on me.
And maybe it would be nice having any sort of helper to make lunch for the girls, but the fact that it was Calder, specifically, had me talking faster and moving more lightly, like I’d accidentally had a quad shot espresso. Something about him both lit me up and made me jittery.
“I like your grilled cheese.” Charlotte grinned over at Calder as we finished our lunch of sandwiches and tomato soup from a carton. “They’re more cheese-tastic than Uncle Felix’s.”
“Hey!” I faked outrage to make her giggle.
“Guess I’m good with things that require flipping.” Calder likely meant things like pancakes and sandwiches and burgers. But my suddenly rejuvenated libido helpfully supplied an image of Calder and all his ripped muscles flipping me around.
Gulp. I accidentally made a soft noise as I tried to get my brain to move on, and Calder shot me a questioning look.
“Don’t get too impressed. You’re getting my greatest hits cooking playlist here. My skills top out somewhere around spaghetti.”
“I eat spaghetti.” Charlotte gave a regal nod, the queen who might allow Calder the privilege of making her more food.
“Excellent. I’ll remember that.” Calder had another easy smile, like there might actually be spaghetti dinners in our future. However, the opportunity would likely not present itself, and that was a much-needed reminder of why I was selective about who I brought around the girls. Them ending up disappointed was way worse of a prospect than my own disappointment and loneliness.
“There was too much cheese.” Madeline scowled, far less impressed with Calder than Charlotte. I sympathized with her wariness, but I still couldn’t let her completely forget her manners.
“Madeline. Don’t be rude.”
“Sorry.” She didn’t sound particularly convincing, but it was better than nothing. “Can I be done?”
Nodding, I gestured toward the kitchen. “Put your plate in the sink, then yes.”
“I’m going to look at the bookshelf again.” Her expression remained a surly contrast to her earlier glee playing the game with Calder and Charlotte.
“You okay?” I asked. She was always moodier than her younger sister, but my shoulders still tightened.
“I’m fine. But bored. I miss TV. Snow is so boring.” She groaned like boredom might literally do her in. “Come on, Charlotte. Let’s see if there’s any good books.”
“They never read this much at home,” I remarked to Calder as they headed up the stairs. “We should go without Wi-Fi more often.”
“Maybe without the several feet of snow?” He pointed out the dining nook window at the snow-covered drive and yard. As much as I was conflicted about our unexpected guest, I couldn’t deny how compelling the white landscape was, the way the snow and ice brightened everything, including the gray skies.
“At least it’s pretty.”
“Yeah. It is.” Calder was looking at me, not the window, and my skin heated.
“Here. I’ll get the plates,” I mumbled as I collected our dishes and headed for the sink, but Calder was right behind me.
“I have an idea.” He was much too close, the already cramped kitchen seeming much more so with him near enough behind me to feel the warmth rolling off him. He smelled like a hazy memory—some basic soap or shampoo that I associated with my younger years.
“What?” My voice came out husky, my thoughts already turning inappropriately sexy.
“Let’s fix the pool table.”
“Oh. That.” Fool. Of course he didn’t share my problem of a wandering brain. But doing something, anything sounded better than more chances for my mind to get me in trouble. “Let’s do that.”
“I found a toolbox earlier. It has a level in it, so we should be able to fix the table by tightening the legs and adding a shim if necessary.”
“You’re a man of many talents.” I followed him back to the game room, stopping to collect the toolbox from the hall closet.
“I try.” Calder shrugged as he started examining the pool table this way and that. “With my dad at sea so much, Mom made sure that we all had basic fix-it skills.”
“Smart mom. I need to remember to show the girls things like screwdrivers and drills.” I wandered over to check the woodstove.