Home for Love (An Adult Contemporary Romance) by Aneesa Price Page B

girlish
gift.
    “This definitely isn’t the Devil’s Peak
norm,” Bree stated, gaping after the waiter. “If this was any of the places in
town, we would’ve had the waiter sitting down with us and having honed the
craft of needling information out of people, you would’ve spilled on what was
inside that box.”
    “Come to think of it,” Bree continued,
“let’s go to one of them.”
    “Really?” Todd asked. “All the local
women love coming here on dates.”
    “Is that so?” Bree quirked a brow in
question. “Have you brought any local ladies here?”
    Cursing his slip, he scowled, “A few.”
    Bree laughed, “That’s okay. I was just
teasing you. I didn’t expect you to have lived like a monk these past seven
years, Todd.” The words felt right, but in reality, jealousy had snuck in, Bree
acknowledged. Which was ridiculous, because they weren’t an item.
    “So, have you seen other people?” Todd
ventured.
    “One or two,” Bree responded, “but
nothing serious. Being a single mom doesn’t lend itself to wild romances.”
    Todd leaned back, unable to keep a
satisfying smirk from showing. “I remember our romance as pretty wild.”
    “Yes, it was,” Bree smiled back. And
look where it got us.
    “Bree, Todd - welcome,” a strange
masculine voice interrupted and saved Bree from further questions about her
love life. “It’s great seeing you again.”
    Bree looked up at one of the hottest
guys she’d seen in a while. He was suave, oozing sophistication and dashingly
debonair in an expensive silk suit of grey, a midnight black shirt under it.
The guy had it going on - green eyes, dark brown hair, and a face chiseled by a
master.
    “I’m sorry,” Bree said to the stranger.
“I haven’t been back in a while, and so much has changed. How do we know each
other again?”
    “Much may have changed here,” his smiled
at her, dazzling with teeth so straight they must’ve been cosmetically attended
to, “but you’re still as beautiful as I remember, if not more so.”
    The line was so much like the one Todd
had delivered in the hardware store’s shed, Bree darted a glance at him. Todd
had his poker face on - not a good sign.
    “Bree, this is Jack, one of the town’s
new businessmen,” Todd interrupted the flirtatious glances; he’d had enough of
them. “We knew him in high school.”
    “Oh yes, Jack,” Bree responded, throwing
a smile at him. “You’ve grown up since I last saw you.”
    Jack’s smile slipped and Todd chuckled
softly. “Yes, well,” Jack responded, “seven years will do that to a person.
Thank you for coming to The Lodge. I’ll leave you to enjoy your dinner, but if
there’s anything you need, just let us know. Bree, lovely to see you again; we
should do brunch sometime - The Lodge is renowned for it.” He looked at Todd,
nodded by way of greeting, and smoothly glided away from them to the other
tables.
    “Brunch?” asked Bree. “Is he for real?
The only people that ‘do brunch’ are those who don’t live on a farm in Alaska
with a six year old kid.”
    Todd chuckled, “I guess he still
irritates you.” Something he was immensely relieved about. “You sure know how
to take a man down, Bree.”
    “Oh, he doesn’t irritate me,” Bree
stated artlessly. “He’s just changed that’s all and that caught me off guard.”
    “I noticed,” Todd replied. “Like what
you saw?”
    “Well, he’s certainly grown up. He’s not
the stick thin boy from high school. Why?” she asked. “Are you jealous?”
    “Of course,” replied Todd, searing her
with a possessive look. “I’m here with you.”
     Bree gulped, dismissing the tingles
that his look evoked - time to change the subject. “So tell me about this
brunch business? I’ve seen the improvements to town, but what else do I need to
know about?”
    In the end, they had a relaxed dinner
discussing old friends and new. Bree told him of her landlady and the people
she’d worked with in Columbus. Todd