tell us that cutting in line was bad?”
“I’m not rushing. I’m anticipating.” The older woman rubbed her hands together. “Like Christmas.”
“Christmas is eleven months away,” Alex said dryly.
“Yes, but I’m already looking forward to it.”
Matt took her arm. Grimaced his apologies over the top of her head. “We’re here to celebrate your birthday, not freak out Alex and Sydney. Let’s head back to our table. Everyone’s waiting for you to order dessert.”
“You mean you didn’t get me a surprise dessert with a candle and all the waitstaff to sing to me?”
“Of course I did. But I also know you like to graze between two desserts.”
“No wonder they put you in charge, Chief.”
The moment their backs were turned, Sydney took two long gulps of beer. “Sorry about that.”
“What? She’s adorable. And after all, I’m not the one who’d lose the ability to see their ankles by the eighth month of pregnancy.”
“Oh, you’re hilarious.” Sydney shook her head. “You don’t understand yet how this all works. By this time tomorrow, she’ll have told two dozen people that she talked to us about being pregnant. Some will start suspecting a shotgun wedding.”
“You’re exaggerating.”
Maybe a little. “Okay, it’ll take forty-eight hours.”
Alex dug into his coleslaw. “The food’s good. I’m meeting new people. And my non-date is delightful. I’ve got no complaints, no matter how hard you try.”
She caught movement out of the corner of her eye. “Just wait. You won’t be able to get three bites in.”
“Before what?”
“Sydney! I hear you’re engaged!” A man who could be a dead ringer for Ichabod Crane waved his long arms in the air. “Don’t tell me it’s to this scrumptious man?”
Alex’s eyelids flared wide. Surprise, mostly, but she’d bet there was a touch of WTH scrambling through his brain. That was the reaction most people had to the director of the County Historical Association.
“Are you still with your partner, Mr. Lyndon?”
“Not only with him, but legal. We got married two years ago.”
“Congratulations. And with you off the market, then, yes, Alex is stuck with me.”
“Aren’t you sweet?” He thrust out his hand. “Dr. Lyndon Calvert. It’s a genuine pleasure to meet the man who is giving the Three Oaks Inn the respect she deserves.”
Alex shook. “It’s a team effort.”
“Then I can’t wait to meet the rest of the team.”
Alex’s smile stiffened. She’d already picked up on the fact that he wanted to eat, sleep and breathe the renovation, interruption-free. After tonight there’d be a non-stop conga line of visitors to peek at the inn and all four of its new owners. But…Alex was doing her an immense favor.
So she held her tongue. Took a bite of fish.
And noticed three more people blatantly in line to stop at their table. He’d be lucky to snag two more bites in the next twenty minutes. Even though he’d asked her to smooth the way with the locals, it seemed like his wish had been more along the lines of her waving a magic wand and telling people he could be trusted. He wouldn’t appreciate pop-ins interrupting his work on a daily basis.
Which would, technically, all be her fault.
Guilt niggled at Sydney’s brain.
Just not enough to stop her from popping in a few fries…
*
Sydney breathed deeply in the crisp January air, so different from the stuffy restaurant. It helped clear her head. Which brought back a thought that had poked at her at least six times during the course of their extended dinner. “I couldn’t find the right time to ask this inside because—”
“Because your hometown is chock full of very, very, very nosy people?”
“That about sums it up.” His arm was casually draped around her shoulders. When was the last time she’d walked like that under the stars? And how was a walk across an icy parking lot suddenly romantic just from the weight of his arm and the pine scent that clung to his coat? “I know you put your charm into overdrive, too, instead of showing how much it annoyed you. Thanks for that effort.”
“Sydney, my charm takes no effort. Just like my great hair and my ability to see through any poker bluff. Tonight was great. Killed two birds with one stone.”
Why did he have to be so funny? And fun? “What second bird were you trying to knock out besides selling our engagement?”
He gave her a squeeze. “Everybody already heard the story of the outsiders who won the hotel lottery. Now they got to meet one of us. Curiosity thus assuaged. Hopefully, it’ll stop them from