“I wasn’t talking to Chas the whole time. I encountered a moose the size of a house.”
“Seriously?” Kayla put her glass down. “Because if that’s the truth, I want to know exactly where so I don’t walk that way.”
“The moose would be more scared of you than you would be of him.” Jackson reached across the table for the salt. “You’ve lived here a year. You know that.”
“I do not know that. The only moose I feel safe with is the chocolate variety Élise serves in the restaurant.”
Jess giggled. “That’s a different spelling. Was there really a moose?”
“Sure.” Tyler never missed an opportunity to tease Kayla. “It was hoping for an encounter wi
th a city-loving Brit so I gave it directions to Kayla’s barn. It should be snuggled up waiting for her when she gets home. I might have mentioned that Jackson wants antlers for the wall. He looked pretty annoyed.”
“You’re not funny. Carry on like that and I’ll move back to New York.” Kayla glowered at him, and Jackson curved his arm round her shoulders in a protective gesture.
“I’ve got your back, sweetheart.”
“What about the rest of me?”
Jackson dropped his eyes, and a smile flickered in the corner of his mouth. “I’ve got that, too. I promise to come between you and the moose from this day forward, for better for worse...”
“Stop it! You’re freaking me out.” But Kayla leaned across to kiss him, and Tyler shuddered.
“You’re freaking me out, too. I can only take so much romance on an empty stomach and anyway, we have children present. Keep it clean, people.”
Jess straightened defensively. “I’m not a child.”
“I know, but I’m using you as an excuse to stop this disgusting public display of affection, so if you could look shocked, that would be great.”
Jess helped herself to potatoes. “I’m not shocked. They’re always kissing. You should be used to it by now.”
“I’ll never get used to it. I’d rather watch ice dancing on TV.”
“You hate watching ice dancing. Dad, can I have new skis?”
He opened his mouth, caught his mother’s eye and remembered that he had to suppress the overwhelming urge to overcompensate for a less than perfect childhood and give Jess everything she wanted. “You already have skis.”
“One pair.”
“So? You have one pair of legs.”
“How many pairs of skis did you have when you were racing?”
“Sixty.”
“Sixty?” Jess’s eyes were round. “No wonder you needed Chas.”
His mother shook her head. “I remember days when I couldn’t move around this place for skis. Between your father and you three boys, we could have supplied the whole village.”
The conversation turned to skiing as it so often did, and from skiing it moved on to the business.
“Brenna should have joined us tonight. That girl is working too hard.” Elizabeth O’Neil checked that everyone’s plates were full. “I hate to think of her all alone in that cabin. You should have invited her.”
“I saw you talking to her.” Across the table, Kayla sent him a look. “Did she mention my idea for offering a master class?”
“She might have done.”
“Great. So will you do it?”