“Dan Mitchum. Pleased to meet you.” Dan shook her hand. “And I hear congratulations are in order.”
Courtney blushed, touching her stomach without thinking. “Thank you.”
“I told him about your pregnancy. I hope that’s okay. Sometimes they serve things you’re not supposed to eat,” Logan told her.
“Don’t worry, there’s no shellfish or soft cheese tonight,” Dan said. “And no alcohol, of course. Speaking of which, here are your cocktails.” He walked over to the bar and picked up two long stemmed glasses filled with a bubbling pink liquid. Passing them to Logan and Courtney, he nodded at the door. “I’m heading to the kitchen. You two sit in here and enjoy your drinks. We’ll call you when we’re ready.”
“Is anybody else joining us?” Logan asked.
“We have a group of eight in the dining room, so we’ve put you in the conservatory,” Dan said. “The best seats in the house.” He smiled at Courtney. “The conservatory is Ellie’s baby. She designed it, then helped build it. We don’t let just anybody sit out there. But Logan’s family. He always gets a pass.”
There was something so warm in the way he was smiling at Logan. She realized with a shock that it was the first time she’d seen him interacting with a friend. All the other times they’d been together they’d either been alone – and mostly in bed – or at her appointments.
It was like seeing a whole new side to him. He was liked by his friends. Loved, even. And it made her heart skip a beat.
Because she liked him, too. A lot.
“Come on, let’s sit down,” Logan murmured, pressing his hand into the small of her back again. She felt his thumb rubbing a circle into her skin through the jersey of her dress, and it sent a shiver down her spine.
Was it her, or was it getting warm in here?
“How do you know Ellie and Dan?” she asked Logan as they ate their final dish. This one was a traditional British Christmas pudding, full of fruit and spices, with a side of whipped cream. They’d eaten five courses in total. An amuse-bouche of creamed cauliflower with shaved truffle that sounded mundane, but made her tongue sing with delight. Then a starter of pumpkin and chili soup with parmesan croutons that made her groan out loud. By the time their main course of beef wellington with sautéed potatoes and honeyed carrots came out, her stomach was already full. Yet she’d still managed to finish that – and the lemon sorbet they’d sent out as a palette cleanser.
But this pudding was getting the better of her. She admitted defeat, putting her spoon down in the half-eaten bowl.
“I’ve known Dan for years. He had a place in Maple Cross before he met Ellie. I used to eat there whenever I came home. He visited Boston a few times as well, and we’d exchange ideas.” Logan shrugged. “He sold his restaurant when Ellie inherited this place. It was a gamble, but as you can see, it’s paid off.”
“They must have to charge a lot if they only feed ten people a night.”
“Yeah, but it’s worth every cent,” Logan told her, finishing his dessert. “You don’t get food like this without being willing to pay top dollar for it.”
“Have you always loved food?”
He grinned. “Who doesn’t?”
“Did you always want to be in the restaurant business?” she persisted. This was a whole other side to him. One she wanted to know more about.
For the baby. Of course. He or she would be part of Logan’s world, after all.
“I thought I was gonna be a football star like Cam,” he admitted. “Until my knee got blown at the age of sixteen.”
Courtney’s brows lifted. He’d told her a little about his twin and his career, but she had no idea Logan had played football, too. “That must have been hard.”
“It killed me,” he admitted, looking at her through his thick lashes. “For the first year or two it felt like grief. We’d always done every
thing together. And while he was still flying high on the football field, I felt like nothing.”
Her heart contracted. It was hard to imagine this confident, strong man as a teenager. His future being ripped from under his feet. “Is it still hard watching him play?”
He shook his head. “I enjoy watching him. But I don’t miss playing. Not anymore. Sometimes I feel like I dodged a bullet thanks to that injury. Cam’s career is hard on his body. And on his time. He never has much left for himself.”
“Nor do you from what I can see.”
He leaned forward. “I’m here, aren’t I?”
“Yes you are.” Her voice was soft. Every time he looked at her it made her chest tight. Like the air was being squeezed out of her. “And thank you for bringing me here. It’s amazing. Dan and Ellie have done a wonderful job.”
They’d been wonderful hosts, too. Ellie had chatted with them between courses. And after he served the sorbet, Dan had pulled up a chair for five minutes and asked Courtney about the farm and her chickens. He’d even asked if she’d consider supplying the restaurant with eggs. They’d agreed he’d visit the farm and check out the samples. She couldn’t wait to tell Ellis she might have found a new customer.