of his gaze as it wandered over her face, intent and searching.
“You’re welcome.” She swallowed the last bit of pastry. “Have you decided when and where you’ll go for work next?”
“Karina and I are still in research mode. We like to focus on a granular perspective, but it’s almost impossible to suss out a unique story from here.”
“I’d rather not know too many details because I’ll worry the whole time you’re away. If you’re gone a few weeks, I’ll empty the grocery aisles from all the stress eating.”
“Thanks for caring . . .” He shifted, crossing his feet at the ankles, and tossed back a healthy swallow of wine, his eyes still fixed on her face. A tremor shook her while she waited for him to finish his thought. “Let’s assume today is the start of a new trend in which you gradually get more comfortable going farther distances from Sanctuary Sound. What’s your dream trip? Where would you go, and why?”
She scraped her dish in a desperate bid to get all the hot fudge off the bottom. “I don’t know.”
“Come on, you must have some idea.” He sipped more wine.
She shook her head. “I don’t. I never let myself think about it, I guess. Makes it easier to be happy at home. Where would you suggest I go?”
“Everywhere! A ride down the canals of Venice followed by a private concert by Andrea Bocelli. A trip to Jerusalem to visit the Western Wall and Temple Mount. The bamboo forests of Kyoto. The deltas of Botswana. The lavender fields of France.” He leaned forward while her mind drifted along the river of those ideas. “Or perhaps you’d prefer to visit major cities like Copenhagen, London, and Paris on a massive decor shopping spree.”
Claire smiled. “Is that a hint? Do you want special pieces from those places for your apartment?”
“Not necessarily. I’m just making an observation.” He reached his hand across the table but stopped short of clasping hers. “Although those are all great cities. We could take a business trip.”
We. When he’d said that word, her heart practically flew out of her chest. But then the words “business trip” knocked it back into its cage behind her ribs.
“You make it all sound very tempting. I just . . .” She shook her head, frustrated with herself for how deeply she’d buried any impulse for adventure.
“Come on, just tell me which appeals most.” He studied her closely now.
“All those places sound amazing, but if I were to venture far, I’d choose someplace remote, calm, and relaxing, like the Seychelles.” Her whole body flared with heat when she pictured herself sunbathing on the sugar-sand beaches in a cove of cerulean water, surrounded by palm trees and lush mountains, sipping a pretty cocktail and holding hands with Logan. She skimmed the last bit of whipped cream from her bowl with her finger and sucked on it hard.
He flashed a sly grin. “A romantic.”
Embarrassed, she shook her head. “Just practical. Fewer people, less danger.”
“You can’t fool me. Remember the flowers at the Duvall shoot?” He cocked one brow. “You picked a honeymoon location because you’re a romantic, not because you’re afraid.”
The waiter set the check on the table, giving her a break from this conversation. Claire grabbed for her purse, but Logan waved her off.
“My treat. I insist.”
“Thank you.” She kept her purse clutched against her abdomen while thinking of talk of romance and honeymoons. Was she a romantic? Since Todd, she’d seen love only as another enemy that could hurt her.
After Logan signed the receipt, he slipped his credit card back into his wallet and polished off the final drops of muscadet. With a quick glance toward the front door, he turned to her wearing a concerned expression. “You ready?”
She braced for the buzz of traffic and the multitudes of people ambling around in long winter coats that could conceal all kinds of weapons. With Rosie in one hand, she slid out of the booth. “Let’s go.”
When they reached the front of the restaurant, heavy sleet greeted them.
“We’re going to get soaked.” Logan looked at Claire, then tugged at the top of her coat, adjusting her scarf to cover her head and hug her neck. “Better.”
He raised the collar of his coat and opened the door. “After you.”
She stepped into the weather, almost grateful that it had thinned the pedestrian traffic, although cars now sloshed through icy puddles, spraying gritty water onto the sidewalk.
“Any chance you can jog?” Logan asked as he wrapped one