A Simple Wish About love - Karice Bolton Page 0,11
he smiled.
He was never a guy who cared if he grabbed a bite to eat by himself, but for some reason, he felt exposed sitting at this table alone.
As if it highlighted every past relationship issue he’d had to offer in one passing glance.
Erika graciously smiled back and walked over to two other tables before reaching his.
“Howdy, stranger.” She smiled and eyed his beer. “Rough day on the slopes?”
“I’m not as good as I thought this late in the season.”
She laughed. “That can happen this time of year.”
“I heard from Penny.” He internally cringed when he realized he’d just told her that.
Erika’s eyes widened, and she wiggled her brows. “That’s nervy.”
“I thought so.”
“What did she say?” She leaned against the table as if she were a reporter trying to get the latest scoop.
“She apologized and wanted to make it up to me.”
Erika shrugged. “Could be worth your while.”
“Doubtful. I don’t like to put myself in a position to get stood up once, let alone twice.”
“Good point.”
“I thought you weren’t working today?”
Erika cocked her head slightly. “Just didn’t work in the morning. Scott came home, and we hung out before bringing him and his friend to do some biking on the mountain while I work.”
“That’s handy.”
She smiled. “The North brothers have been more than kind to me. We have unlimited skiing, mountain biking, a huge food discount . . .” Her eyes softened as she listed all of the perks of working at Silver Ridge. “As a single mom, I couldn’t ask for anything better. What kid doesn’t want to spend a Saturday on the mountain? I’d never be able to afford that.”
“I bet he’s a pretty good skier.”
“Snowboarder, but yeah. He’s won a lot of competitions. Same with mountain biking.”
Slade was genuinely impressed. “And he’s how old?”
“Soon to hit the teenage years and never look back.” Erika laughed, and the sound was soothing.
“When do you get off tonight?” Slade asked.
Erika giggled and shook her head. “Way past your bedtime.”
Slade’s hands moved to his chest, and he clutched his heart. “I get the hint.”
Erika smiled and moved aside as the other bartender delivered Slade’s burger.
“No hint. Just a busy mom who works a lot.”
Slade smiled and nodded. “I hear ya.”
“But, I’d love to treat you to Silver Ridge’s famous brunch tomorrow.” She glanced around the room. “The bar completely transforms into an all-you-can-eat buffet. The chefs go all out. Eggs benedict, crepes, crab legs. You name it.”
Slade smiled. “I’m actually checking out tomorrow.”
Erika’s smile fell slightly, and her expression became unreadable. “That makes sense. Well, next time.”
Slade didn’t know what came over him, but he didn’t want this lunch to be the last time he saw Erika.
“Ah, I’ll change my plans. I’ve barely gotten to explore the town. We didn’t even make it to more than one pub on the crawl.”
Erika’s smile widened. “That’s because you tell very good stories.”
“Is that so?” The connection to Erika that Slade felt was something he couldn’t even describe. Of course, he wanted to sleep with her—any man probably would—but this was deeper. Simply being around her made him happy, lighter.
And he hadn’t been light for a very long time. Usually, his world felt heavy.
But not around her.
“Sounds like by tomorrow, you might have even more to tell me about the Penny saga.”
Slade laughed and shuddered. “I hope not.”
“I’ll let you get back to the burger, but we’ll see you here at ten o’clock. I’ll make reservations.” She smiled and spotted his empty glass. “Need another?”
“Nah. I’m good.” Slade smiled and relaxed in his chair as he took another bite of his burger.
He didn’t want it to look like he was staring at Erika, so he pulled out his phone and went over some work emails. Since he owned his own company, it didn’t matter if he delayed his return by a couple of days. His staff could take care of everything in his absence, always had. But the one thing he did have after his brother’s death was work. He’d buried himself in it.
They’d both owned a part of a firm that—ironically—specialized in social media. They were the cleanup guys when social media went wrong. It was actually his brother’s idea, and Slade just went along for the ride. It was lucrative, but he didn’t really have a passion for it, especially if a celebrity was involved.
Which made the Penny situation even worse. He knew all about catfishing, bullying, and the list went on when it came to social media ploys. Yet, he fell