Chapter 7
Chapter Seven
The next morning, he was up early and ready to get back to his usual routine.
Walking around the lake rather than hiking up a mountain.
“What the hell was I thinking?” he murmured.
The lake was calm in that early morning way Milo had come to depend on lately—mist hovering just above the surface, the air cool enough to clear his head.
He walked along the shoreline path at an easy pace, careful with his steps, aware of his body in a way he hadn’t been before.
Healing had made him patient, or maybe cautious.
More cautious than he usually was.
And that was saying something.
The low hum of a jet ski reached him before he turned and spotted her.
Nora eased toward the dock, cutting the engine and letting the craft drift. The sight of her did something unsettling to his chest, a quiet pull he hadn’t quite figured out how to name.
You said I drive you crazy. You said pretending you didn’t care sucked. That seeing me changes rooms. That I glow. And then you kissed me.
When she told him all of that, he wanted to deny it, like…vehemently deny it, but the logical side of him knew she wasn’t lying. All she was doing was repeating things he’d been thinking for a little while now.
Still, it stung that he’d said it and couldn’t remember it.
And he’d kissed her and couldn’t remember that either.
He’d had nightmares about it last night, that he’d kissed her like a drunken frat boy with no couth and she’d been thoroughly repulsed.
“Because that would be my luck.”
Unable to help himself, he waved and then inwardly groaned.
She’s right there, dummy. Why are you waving?
“Good morning,” she called from her perch.
He smiled, the kind he wasn’t going to try to rein in anymore. “Hey. Good morning. I was hoping that was you. For a second I thought Slater was terrorizing the lake again. I think he’s more aggressive out there than you.”
Ugh…why am I trying to pick a fight?
She snorted. “He’s banned until at least nine.”
“Good.” He stepped closer to the edge of the dock, hands shoved into his pockets. “You heading out?”
“Already was. I’m off today, but I enjoy starting my day on the water. What about you? Out for your morning walk?”
“Yeah,” he said, watching the way the light caught in her hair. “But I’m sticking to the boring route. No more adventures for me.”
“Anytime you want to try a hike, I’d gladly go with you. It’s a fairly strict rule that you should never hike alone.”
“I guess I learned that the hard way, huh?”
The silence that followed wasn’t uncomfortable, just careful. He could feel it stretching between them—something new and fragile and worth not rushing.
Gently, he cleared his throat. “Listen, I was wondering… would you like to have dinner with me tonight? You know, up at the lodge. The restaurant. Nothing fancy. Just dinner.”
Her eyebrows lifted ever so slightly.
“You’re asking me out,” she said, and he couldn’t tell if she was interested or not.
“I am,” he answered, meeting her gaze. “If that’s okay.”
Something softened in her expression. “It’s totally okay. I’d like that.”
The knot in his chest totally loosened.
“And,” she added, tilting her head, “if you’re up for it… there’s a moonlight paddle tonight. Very safe. No cliffs. No woods. Minimal chances of you knocking yourself unconscious.”
He laughed, the sound surprising him with how easy it felt. “You really know how to make it sound appealing.”
“I take your safety seriously now,” she said. “Plus, it’s a beautiful way to stargaze. Low pressure.”
He nodded. “Dinner first. Then a moonlight adventure with my favorite activity guide.”
Even from a few feet away, he could see her blush. “Favorite?”
“Well,” he said, smiling, “you’re the only one who’s ever hauled me out of the woods and still agreed to see me again.”
She rolled her eyes but was still smiling when she started the engine again.
“I’ll see you tonight,” he said.
“Yeah, you will,” she replied. “What time?”
“I’ll come pick you up around seven. Will that work?”
“Pick me up?” she repeated with amusement. “I’m only two cabins down. Plus, I can meet you up at the lodge. You don’t have to…”
“Do you seriously have to argue everything?” he interrupted, unable to contain a soft chuckle. “I’m asking you out on a date, Nora. And when I ask a woman out on a date, I always pick her up. That your cabin is thirty feet away means nothing, okay?”
She watched him, her expression thoughtful for a moment. “Okay. Then I’ll see you at seven.”
“Thank you.”
He watched her glide back out onto the lake, the jet ski cutting a clean line through the mist. The quiet settled around him again—but this time, it hummed with anticipation.
And for the first time since the accident, Milo wasn’t just moving carefully forward.
He was looking ahead.
It was almost lunchtime when he realized that he was in over his head.
It was one thing to ask Nora out on a date. It was another to actually go on the date. She already probably thought he was lame because of the whole rescue thing; the least he could do was try to plan an evening that didn’t border on boring.
“Dinner here at the lodge. What the hell was I thinking?” he muttered.
“Knock, knock!”
Looking up, he saw Lexi standing in the doorway. “Hey, Lex. What’s up?”
She smiled serenely at him, something she did a lot.
She was like the little mother hen of their social group, and he simply attributed it to the fact that she was a mother and had another baby on the way.
“I was coming to check on you. I know you got cleared by the doctors to come back to work, but I want to make sure you take a break once in a while.”
“Thanks. I appreciate that.”
When she continued to stand there, he figured she maybe had something more to say.
“Something on your mind?”
Now she stepped into his office. “Actually, yes. I heard that you made a reservation for two at the restaurant tonight.”
“You did?”
She nodded, sitting down in one of his chairs. “I did, and…”
“Am I late?”
Looking up again, he saw Maisie standing in the doorway now.
“No, you’re right on time,” Lexi assured her.
“On time for…?”
Once Maisie was seated, they both faced him. “I heard you’re having dinner with Nora,” Maisie said softly, almost whispering.
“Okay, how…?”
“It’s not important,” she said, waving him off. “The thing is, we want to make sure that you’re…um…” She paused. “That you maybe…”
“I’ve got this,” Lexi interrupted. “We wanted to see if you needed any help.”
“Help?”
They both nodded.
“We obviously don’t know what your social life is like back in Seattle, but there’s not a lot of privacy here at the resort.”
“Obviously,” he murmured. “Otherwise, how would you know that I asked Nora to dinner?”
“Um…”
“Never mind,” he said wearily. “You wanted to see if I needed help?”
“Yes,” Lexi said. “What would you think if we suggested a private dinner? In one of the cabins? Not either of yours because maybe that’s too personal, but someplace where everyone’s not looking and watching. Connor can prepare the menu and have it delivered, and then there’s less…pressure.”
It wasn’t the worst idea.
“I don’t know. With no distractions, that puts a lot of pressure on the two of us to carry the conversation, don’t you think?”
“Not at all!” Maisie said. “Plus, Nora’s a great conversationalist. She’s been a fun addition to girls’ night. We all adore her.”
He wasn’t sure what to say to that.
“And before you say anything,” Lexi went on. “It’s not like we’d be kicking anyone out of their cabin. I already called Kelsey and she said she wouldn’t mind you using hers and Jayce’s cabin. I can speak from experience that it’s lovely.”
“And I can set it up with some flowers and twinkly lights and soft music,” Maisie added. “I can make it a very romantic spot.”
“It’s a first date. Maybe it’ll be our only date. How romantic does it need to be?”
They exchanged glances before looking at him again.
“Do you date a lot, Milo?” Lexi asked. “You know, back in Seattle?”
“Um…”
“Because Evie says you don’t.”
“Evie? You reached out to my assistant?” he asked incredulously. “And asked her about my dating life?”
“Well…I reached out to her the day you got hurt on the mountain. You know, just to let your people know that something was going on, and then I called her today just to follow up and let her know how you were doing. She said she’d already talked to Slater, so…”
“And me! I called and told her how I was doing!”
She shifted primly in her chair. “Obviously I didn’t know that,” she said sweetly. “And while we were talking, I casually asked about your social life, and she said you rarely go out because you’re a workaholic. If you ask me, she’s kind of relieved that you’re going out on a date.”
“You told her I was going out on a date?” he asked loudly. “Lexi! What in the world?”
“Hey, you’re not yelling at my future wife, are you?” Connor asked firmly as he strolled into the office.
Great.
More witnesses.
“I wasn’t yelling at your future wife…”
“You were speaking in loud tones, and that’s not good for her or the baby,” Connor swiftly reminded him as he eased himself onto the corner of Milo’s desk.
“What are you even doing here?” he asked.
“Oh, Lexi said you needed a menu for your date tonight, so I worked up a few options for you to look at. Scott mentioned that he knows Nora is fond of the salmon, so maybe we'll do that as the main course.”
Milo pinched the bridge of his nose as he silently counted to ten.
“And how is all of this saving us from having everyone looking and watching us? It sounds like the whole damn staff knows about this date.” He groaned, leaning back in his chair.
“Maybe I should just cancel. This is getting out of hand.”
“NO!” they all shouted in unison.