All I Ever Wanted(81)

“No, no. You can’t be any heavier than the DeCarlos’ bull mastiff, and I have to lift him up all the time.” His grin widened.

“Ian, stop. I’m blushing.”

He looked at me. At my mouth. And so here it came. That moment where we’d actually have to discuss going to his room. Or mine. If we were going to do something about that kiss in the car. As the good Lord knew, I sure as heck wanted to. And as of tonight, the feelings finally seemed mutual.

“Callie?”

My head whipped around, my mouth fell open.

It was Charles deVeers. Muriel’s father.

“Mr. deVeers!” I blurted.

“Now, now, you said you’d call me Charles,” he said, coming over and giving me a bear hug. “What are you doing here, sweetheart? Did Muriel call you?”

My mouth opened and closed a few times before actual words emerged. “I…I—uh, Charles, this is Ian McFarland. We were at a wedding.”

The men shook hands. “We’ve met before, haven’t we?” Charles asked. “On the hike. You’re Callie’s boyfriend, right?”

Ian looked at me. Didn’t say anything.

“Uh…no,” I stammered. “We’re…we’re just friends.”

Though Ian had been calling me that all night—and though being his friend was something of an honor—the word suddenly seemed very…meager. Ian’s gaze shifted away from me.

“So…um, what are you doing here, Charles?” I asked.

“Well, this is the best hotel around, according to your boss. I stayed here last time, too.”

“It’s a great hotel,” I said faintly. “Definitely. We did an ad campaign a few…” My voice trailed off.

Now, granted, Vermont is a tiny state with very few people, and cities—real cities, with things like hotels—are few and far between. Georgebury only boasted a couple of bed-and-breakfast places, so it wasn’t exactly shocking to learn that Charles deVeers, multimillionaire businessman, might choose this hotel if he was visiting the state. Especially if Mark had recommended it.

But it was shocking anyway.

“Daddy? Where are you?” Muriel came out of the bar. At the sight of me, her face tightened. Then she smiled an alligator’s grin, all teeth and carnivorous intent. “Callie. What are you doing here? Are you stalking us?”

I attempted a laugh. “Ian and I were at a wedding, actually.” I paused, wondering if I could take Ian’s hand. I didn’t. “You remember him from the hike, right?”

“Oh, right. Fleur’s friend,” Muriel said, smirking. “Hi, there.”

“Hello,” Ian said.

And then, of course, Mark emerged from the bar as well. At the sight of me, he jerked to a stop. “Callie!” His face flushed. “Uh…wow. Hi! Oh, and…Ian, is it?”

“Right,” Ian confirmed.

“Nice to see you again,” Mark said. “Small world.” He glanced at me, looking guilty as a shoplifting teenager.

“This is silly,” Charles boomed. “You two should join us! We were just having a little celebratory drink. Come in, come in!”

Mark’s gaze bounced between Muriel and me. He swallowed.

“They were at a wedding,” Muriel said. “And, not to blow the big surprise, but…well, you’ll be going to another one pretty soon.” She smiled broadly, then put her hand on Mark’s chest.

On her fourth finger was a solitaire diamond big enough to choke my dog. I felt the blood drain from my face. Blinked. Nope, it was still there.

“Congratulations,” Ian said.

“Come have some champagne with us,” Charles said. “It’s such a happy occasion!”

My eyes slid from the rock to Mark. Though he was smiling, he didn’t meet my eyes for more than a drive-by.

Mark was getting married. To Muriel. She’d be here forever now. He was getting married to that unhelpful, uncheerful, unfriendly…

Realizing that I hadn’t inhaled in some time, I sucked in some air. I tried to say something, but my vocal cords seemed to be frozen.

“We’re actually pretty soaked,” Ian said, and at the sound of his voice, I closed my mouth. “But thank you,” he added.

“Congratulations,” I said finally, though my voice sounded strange. “Best wishes. Um…well, I guess I’ll see you Monday.”

“Another time, then, kids. You have a great night.” Mr. deVeers, all charm and conviviality, waved us off.

Ian steered me to the elevators, his hand warm on my arm. The minute we got there, he let go, making me realize how cold I was. He pushed the button, then shoved his hands into his pockets.

I took a deep breath, my mind still reeling. “That was…wow. Small world. Small state.” I glanced at my companion, trying to recover. He didn’t look at me, and our kiss seemed like a year ago.

“Ian?” I asked.

“Yes?”

“Um…I’m sorry about that. The interruption.” Shit. I sure as heck was. Just when you think you’re getting somewhere, a huge sinkhole opens up in the damn road and breaks your axle.

The elevator arrived with a ding. “After you,” was all he said.

Our rooms were on the fourth floor, right across from each other. I opened my evening bag and withdrew my key card. He pulled his out from his jacket pocket. The mood from the car was as dead as roadside possum.