“No shit.”
Daisy was silent for a few moments and then extricated herself from his arm. “You know what they call her, right?”
He shook his head.
“Ice queen.”
“Why?” He was curious. He didn’t remember her that way.
Daisy shrugged. “She has a rep as cold as the north. Never lets anyone in. And as far as I know, she doesn’t date.”
“Huh.”
“There’s even a rumor that she’s not into guys, if you know what I mean.”
Somehow, that didn’t jive for Wyatt, but he remained silent.
“So.” Daisy smiled and then nodded toward the bar. “Drink?”
“Rain check? I’m kind of
tired.” His excuse was lame, and he knew it. One look at Daisy told him she did too.
Daisy took a step back and glanced in the direction Carly and Regan had gone. “You’re wasting your time with Regan Thorne.”
Wyatt didn’t answer her, because he thought that she just might be right. And yet…
Daisy stared at him a few beats longer and then shrugged without elaborating. “Call me when it doesn’t work out.”
Wyatt watched Daisy melt into the crowd and felt like a shit for lying. But he wasn’t into games, and leading a woman on wasn’t his style. After the crash a few weeks earlier, he’d come back to Crystal Lake instead of staying in Daytona or Miami for a lot of reasons. The press alone would have driven him bat-shit crazy.
But this town wasn’t exactly his favorite place either, though suddenly, things were looking up. Suddenly, he had a distraction, if you will. Something to keep his mind off the horrific images that haunted him at night and walked beside him every day.
Wyatt smiled to himself as he contemplated his next move, because he needed to get this right.
Regan Thorne was five feet six inches of ice. He might be an arrogant son of a bitch to even think what he was thinking, but he was going to enjoy the hell out of melting it.
Chapter 4
It had been snowing since the previous evening, and with clouds of the thick white stuff still falling outside her office window, Regan had a feeling it wasn’t letting up anytime soon. She sat back and took a moment to enjoy the winter wonderland that stretched out before her. The parking lot had been plowed at least three times, but they couldn’t keep up, and massive piles ringed the perimeter. The evergreens that surrounded the building were snow laden, branches heavy and hanging low, and the mountains that rose in the distance were no better. In fact, you couldn’t see the top of the peak, so thick were the flakes.
A small smile touched her face as she thought back to her childhood. In many ways, small-town Michigan in the winter was straight out of a Rockwell painting. Snow forts, toboggans, and skates. Red cheeks, frozen toes, and hot chocolate by the fire. Snowball fights that lasted the afternoon and pond hockey until it was too dark to see.
Crystal Lake was an amazing place to grow up. She glanced out the window once more and giggled. If you liked snow, that was.
“Auntie Regan, when are we going to Nana’s?”
She tossed her pen onto the desk and swivelled her chair around. Her brother’s twins sat on the floor, Harriet with sheets of paper and crayons, Jordan with his dinosaurs. Her heart melted a little as she gazed at them, each so different from the other.
Harriet was the outgoing twin. Exuberant. Loud. Boisterous. Not to mention mischievous. She never stood still, was constantly in motion, and even now as she sat, her foot tapped impatiently on the carpeted floor. With delicate features and large expressive eyes, she was dark like her father, her long hair pulled back into a messy ponytail.
Jordan, on the other hand, was quiet. He was an observer. The kind of child who was hesitant at first, but once won over, gave his all. He wasn’t into sports, instead preferred to spend his time with Lego or his beloved dinosaurs. There was something about him that tugged at Regan’s heart. She had a soft spot for Jordan, most likely because she saw herself in him.
“Auntie Regan?” Jordan asked, pushing up his glasses and angling his chin to look at her. His copper hair couldn’t be tamed, and he tugged on the cowlick near his forehead and tried to smooth his hair back.
“I’m not sure, pumpkin.” Regan moved around her desk, a small frown darting across her face when she glanced back outside. Her brother had left Monday for business out of state, and Violet had decided to go with him. It had been last minute, so the kids had stayed with Regan, though they’d been due to go to her mother’s tonight.
However, the weather wasn’t cooperating. School had been canceled because of the snow. Regan wasn’t so sure she’d make it out to her parents’ place. They’d moved out of town the previous summer and had bought one of the new condos on the other side of the lake.