Cooking Up Trouble (20 page)

“Nope, I'm enjoying myself. Just show up on time for supper.” She raised an eyebrow at Brody. “You'll have to pry her fingers off her keyboard.”

“Got it.” He held out Harmony's coat for her, then shrugged into his own. When they stepped outside, a wind hit them, blasting off the lake. It picked up snow and pelted it at them.

“Damn, it's cold!” Harmony hustled for the SUV. She hopped inside and slammed the door before she remembered Brody's rules. The man didn't get to do door duty this time, but he looked mighty relieved when he slid behind the steering wheel. The warmth of the SUV thawed her on the short drive back. He pulled close to the doors of the resort and started to get out, but she was too quick. She dashed out of the car and into the lobby before he could stop her.

She could get used to having a man deliver her almost to the front door, but she'd better not get too comfortable with it. It wouldn't happen at home. She waited inside the lobby for him. He looked surprised to see her when he stepped into the foyer. “I thought you'd zip up to your room.”

She grimaced. “I might not be traditional, but I have some manners. Thanks for the ride.”

He frowned at her. “Ian told me your favorite color is apricot.”

She blinked. Where the hell had that come from? How did this man keep throwing her off balance? “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“That's so feminine. You're . . .” He hesitated.

She gave his arm a playful punch. “No worries. I get it. I'm not.”

They said their goodnights and went their separate ways. Once in her room, Harmony went to the window to watch white flurries swirl outside. A storm was blowing toward them, intense enough that she couldn't see to the other side of the lake. She closed the blinds and changed into her pajamas. Then she crawled into bed and dragged her laptop with her. She balanced it on the bedspread and finished the rewrites of the chapters she'd been working on, but her thoughts kept drifting to Brody. Had he been hopeful, madly in love when he married his Cecily? And what had she done to him? A reason, Harmony reminded herself, she avoided happily ever after. Because it was a crapshoot whether or not it would work.