“I’ll be right back,” he says after we order our dinner. He pushes back from the table and grabs the waitress as he stands. “I have to run out for a minute, but don’t let her leave, okay?”
I laugh. “I’m not allowed to leave?”
He grins. “That’s right.” His eyes slowly sweep down my body. “For tonight, you’re mine.” He turns to the waitress. “Give her anything she wants. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”
“You’ve got it,” she says. She smiles at Ethan as he rushes out the front. “Where on earth is he going? The snow’s really starting to come down out there.”
I turn up my palms and shake my head. “I have no idea.”
She studies me for a beat. “You’re the nanny?” The question doesn’t bother me this time because her eyes are kind.
“I am for now. I leave in February.” And it’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.
“He lights up around you. It’s nice to see life in his eyes again.”
Jake said something similar the day I had lunch in his bar, and I’m not sure how to respond. “I think he’s a good guy. He’s definitely an amazing dad.”
She beams at me, then gives a slow shake of her head. “The Lord works in mysterious ways.” She winks and then walks away.
It feels like forever before Ethan returns, but when he takes his seat across from me, his cheeks are pink and he’s smiling. He pulls a box out of his pocket and puts it in front of me. “Happy birthday.”
“What’s this?”
His dark hair is sprinkled with fresh snow, and he drags a hand through it. “It’s your birthday present. Open it.”
“Okay, but you really didn’t have to do that.”
“I wanted to.”
I open the small box, and the necklace inside makes my throat go too thick for words. It’s a tiny lighthouse on a chain with diamond accents. I’m afraid to look at him because he’ll see the tears in my eyes, but the joy blossoming in my chest insists on my turning to him like a flower to the sun.
“I can’t take total credit for it,” he says softly. “Lilly told me how much you like the lighthouse and that sometimes you drive the long way home from school just to look at it. So, consider it a gift from her, too.”
I run my finger over the charm. “I love it.”
Ethan
As we walk back to our cars after dinner, Nic looks up at the sky and sighs. “Is it always this beautiful here?”
I follow her gaze to the dark sky and the cloud-obscured moon. How long has it been since I looked at the sky without Lilly by my side? “Yes.” I swallow. Tonight’s been bittersweet. On one hand, I’ve gotten to be close to Nic, and I wouldn’t have let myself if she was staying on as my employee for the long-term. On the other hand, I don’t like thinking about her leaving. “Jackson Harbor is always beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For saving the day. This birthday could have been a total bust, but you swooped in with your good looks and excellent taste in restaurants and made it one worth remembering.” She shakes her head. “I always do this. I build up my birthday in my mind. I expect it to be full of all these incredibly special moments where everything is perfect, and then when it’s not, I’m disappointed. I need to stop doing that.”
“I’m hurt.” I press a hand to my chest. “This night isn’t perfect for you?”
She laughs. “Are you saying it’s perfect for you?”
It’s pretty damn close, but I don’t want to reveal how much her company means to me.
I step forward because I want to be closer. Her gaze moves to my mouth and mine goes to hers. Her lips are pink and swollen from being tortured by her teeth. My gut knots. The night is silent around us, as if winter is holding everything still so we won’t be disturbed in this moment.
“Ride home with me,” I say. “We can get your car in the morning. I’m not ready to let you leave my sight just yet.”
If she thinks it’s an odd request, she doesn’t say so. She nods and lets me open her door and help her into my SUV. I climb in my side and start the car. When I pull onto the main road and reach for her hand, she laces her fingers through mine.
I can’t decide if I want the ride to go quickly or slowly. I’m afraid the spell will be broken when we walk in the door. She’ll go back to being the dutiful employee, and I won’t get to find out how my favorite wine tastes on her lips. I consider pulling over so we can neck in the car like a couple of teenagers, but I want more than frenzied kisses and greedy hands. She deserves more.