He was surprised all the needles were still attached to the Christmas tree.
Ethan tried to speak but had to clear his throat before any words would emerge.
“Okay, I’m impressed. Now move on to the provocative.”
She arched her back and did something with her body that made him want to strip her naked and take her right there and then. He would have done it if it weren’t for the kittens in his lap. They were definitely too young to witness what he had in mind.
“Enough.” He shifted on the sofa and she raised an eyebrow.
“Are those kittens making you uncomfortable?”
“Nothing to do with the kittens, sweetheart.” And then he saw the sparkle in her eyes and realized she knew exactly why he was feeling uncomfortable.
“I take it back. You’re a bad girl. Does your twin do yoga too?”
“No.” She stood up gracefully. “Yoga is too slow and calm for Fliss. She prefers kickboxing and karate.” She leaned forward to take the kittens from him and her hair brushed against his cheek.
For a moment he forgot how to breathe, but then she stepped back and placed the kittens in a basket.
“I forgot to tell you—” She straightened, her cheeks flushed. “Susan is spending Christmas with me.”
“You invited her? That was kind of you. Not working over Christmas would have been her kind of hell.” And the fact that she’d invited her confirmed what he already knew. That Harriet Knight was the kindest person he’d ever met. “It’s a tough time of year for her.”
“I did it for me too. I like her. I want my friends around me.”
It almost made him wish he wasn’t working at Christmas.
It was two days until his vacation. Two days. Usually by this stage he couldn’t wait. Usually there wasn’t one single thing about New York City that he’d miss. But this time—“What are you doing next week?”
“The usual. Walking dogs. Why?”
He wouldn’t see her for over a week and then it would be Christmas and he wouldn’t see her then, either. An emotion stirred to life inside him. An emotion he decided not to examine too closely.
“Come with me to Vermont. I’ll teach you to ski.” He knew that by inviting her he’d crossed an invisible line. A line neither of them talked about, but which both of them knew was there. Casual dating in New York City was one thing. Inviting her to share his vacation was something else entirely.
He knew it. She knew it. And it was difficult to know which of them was most surprised by the suggestion.
Her eyes widened. “Excuse me?”
Maybe she was the more surprised, given that she needed confirmation of his question.
“I’m asking you to join me. When did you last take a vacation?” As if that had any bearing at all on his reason for asking.
“I don’t know. It’s been a while. I had a few days in the Hamptons in the summer.”
“Staying with your grandmother. Checking on your sister.” She’d told him about the struggle she had persuading her twin to open up to her. “When did you last have a week that was all about you?”
“But this week is all about you. You’ve told me that.” She held his gaze. “You look forward to it all year. You catch up with friends—family—it’s your godmother’s wedding! You can’t invite me to your godmother’s wedding.”
“I can.” He decided not to tell her how pleased his friends and family would be if he showed up with Harriet as his guest. “My invitation says plus one. You’re my plus one. I’d love you to join me. Could you make some calls? Delegate some of your walks?”
“I’m not walking that many myself right now. Only Harvey, because I like to keep an eye on Glenys, but I can ask Judy to call in.”
“Good. Then that’s settled.”
“Wait! This is—are you sure?” She sounded breathless and flustered. “This is a ski vacation and I don’t know how to ski.”
“I’ll teach you.”