*Add her bill to mine, will you, Caro?*
He didn’t wait for Caro’s response. Lainie was struggling with her coat and he leapt up to help her into it.
By the time he realized his mistake, it was too late. He was already standing behind her, the soft wool of her coat in his hands and the scent of her body in his nostrils. She was wearing a floral perfume, but he could just smell the real her underneath the artificial scent.
Harrison closed his eyes, biting back a groan. Steeling himself, he quickly slipped the coat over Lainie’s shoulders and stepped back.
“Thanks,” said Lainie.
Was it his imagination, or did she sound slightly breathless?
CHAPTER FIVE
LAINIE
Lainie caught her breath. She could still feel the memory of Harrison’s hands on her shoulders. They had only rested there for a split second, but that had been enough to set her heart pounding. She looked back at him over her shoulder as she did up the buttons of her coat.
“Thanks,” she said. Harrison gave her a brief smile, pushing his hands into his pockets. “Do you have a coat?”
He laughed softly. “I don’t feel the cold. Shirtsleeves unless it’s snowing, that’s me.”
Lainie shivered at the thought. “Does it snow here?” she asked as they walked to the door. She could still feel eyes on her back, and a knot of worry formed in her stomach. Is walking out of here with a guy I just met really the best way to prevent people gossiping about me?
Well, it was too late to back out now. And besides, she didn’t want to back out. She couldn’t remember the last time a guy had shown any interest in her, let alone been so obvious about it. And gentlemanly.
Maybe I don’t have to make every decision based on what I think other people think I should do, she thought firmly.
Another thought struck her as Harrison held the door open.
“Oh—what about your dog?”
Harrison slapped his hand to his forehead and looked back to where his dog was sitting patiently by their table. The dog stared back.
“Uh, he’ll be fine here. Caro will look after him.”
“Oh.” The knot in Lainie’s stomach grew a few extra tangles. “Are you and Caro…?” And if you are, have I just totally got the wrong signals off you right now?
/> “Me and—? Oh, no. I mean, the dog isn’t really my dog. He’s sort of the town stray. We all look after him. And I know he’d prefer snoozing in front of the fire in here tonight over curling up under my workbench back home.”
Well, that sounds at least somewhat believable. She took one last look at the dog sitting forlornly by their table. Except he wasn’t sitting forlornly anymore. He’d made his way to the next table, and was enduring a head-scratch from a screeching toddler in exchange for the kid’s leftovers.
Beside her, Harrison snorted. “Scrounger.”
Lainie laughed. She hadn’t noticed before, but the dog wasn’t wearing a collar. That, along with its generally bedraggled appearance, and the way it didn’t seem to even notice Harrison was leaving, were enough proof for her that Harrison wasn’t trying to pull the wool over her eyes.
“So, where to first?” she asked, stepping out into the brisk night air.
Dusk had been falling when Lainie arrived at the restaurant, and by now, night had truly fallen. The streets were empty.
Everyone must be either at home, or behind us in the restaurant, Lainie thought.
Lainie pushed her hands into her coat pockets. The breeze coming off the water was chillier than she had expected when she packed for her overnight trip.
But it wasn’t like I was expecting to go on a moonlit walk along the waterfront when I was picking out clothes, she thought, suddenly giddy. She looked up at the night sky. No moon stared back. Well. A starlit walk, at least.
“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Harrison stepped up beside her on the sidewalk. “You wouldn’t believe we had a massive storm only a few days ago.”
“Really?” Lainie asked. “I haven’t seen a cloud in the sky all day.”