Isaac nods, like my logic is equally sound. “That’s right. Well, if we only have two weeks, and a clear time limit, would it even qualify as dating?”
I start to smile. “No.”
“My thoughts exactly,” he says.
“Great minds think alike.”
“So it seems,” he says, and then he smiles too. “You look beautiful today.”
“Thank you.”
“Does that skirt come with built-in shorts as well?”
I laugh. “No, it definitely doesn’t.”
“Interesting,” he says, voice warm. “Come to Connecticut with me this weekend.”
“Connecticut?”
“We won that spa and hotel night.”
“You won it,” I correct softly. My mind is wheeling at the idea of slipping away from the city and everyone who knows us, from our everyday life with Exciteur and the Winter hotel…
“Come with me,” he says again. “One night, two days.”
It’s a possibility that shouldn’t even exist, but now just might, a brief window into what life might have looked like if things were different. I look at the man across from me. The man who’s looking back at me, with tension in his shoulders, waiting for my decision. Caring about what I decide.
“Okay,” I say. “Let’s do it.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up on Saturday,” he says, and then he smiles, a wide grin spreading across a face that seems unused to it. “They have a tennis court at the hotel.”
“They do?”
“Yes. Bring your racket.”
He stands and extends a hand across the table. I take it, warm fingers closing around mine. “What’s this?”
His eyes are alight with humor. “Always a pleasure working with you, Miss Bishop,” he says.
“Likewise, Mr. Winter.”
“It’s rare to find someone who appreciates such… clear communication.”
“Definitely. Not to mention someone who plans ahead.”
He lifts my hand and presses a kiss to the inside of my wrist, warm and brief. The gesture catches me off guard. “I’ll plan ahead for this weekend,” he murmurs.
A shiver sends goose bumps along my arms. “Good,” I whisper. “Would hate for you to end up… unsatisfied again.”
He smiles, and drops my hand. “Until Saturday, then.”
“Until Saturday,” I say.
17
ISAAC
The drive takes us away from high-rises and industrial buildings and into dark green forests. September is upon us and leaves have just started to hint at a shift, not yet committing to the brighter colors. But the air has lost all the intense August heat and Sophia has rolled down her window a few inches, her face turned toward the landscape passing outside the car.