Chapter 23

Over lamb with mint sauce, candied carrots, cheesy mashed potatoes, and an endive salad, Ben makes eye contact with me across the table. His stare says I love both of you. Don’t make me choose.

I try to ignore him by talking about an early winter storm approaching Vanmer, which is supposed to dump seven inches of snow on the ground by dawn.

Zoe disagrees. “The local meteorologists are just trying to scare us. We’ll wake up tomorrow morning and there’ll be two inches on the ground, which is nothing to tackle in this town.”

Snow tales begin at the table among the guests, which grants me enough time to escape the dinner gathering and head upstairs to use the bathroom.

* * * *

In the upstairs hallway, after carrying out my business, Ben finds me and presses me against the plaster wall. He almost touches my lips with his lips, meets my eyes with his own, and mumbles, “I’m in love with you. Don’t forget that.”