I forced myself to think of Dallas and the dark lashes that rimmed his green eyes. I wondered if he would kiss me good night at the door, or hope for an invitation inside. The latter definitely wouldn’t happen—I hadn’t dated him long enough to let him see my living space.
The doorbell rang. I swept my papers into a pile and grabbed my purse. When I opened the door, I had to command myself not to grin like an idiot. Dallas definitely looked kissable. He wore a dark-blue dress shirt and khakis, and I loved the way he spiked the front of his black hair. “You look pretty, Adri.”
“Thank you.” Excitement thrummed in my chest. “You look nice too.”
He held his hand out just as I swung the door shut behind me. Before I could take it, his nerves got the better of him, and he shoved it into his pocket. “The weather’s perfect.”
My eyes lifted to the cloudless sky above us. “It is. I bet the stars will be bright later on.”
“Maybe we’ll have a few minutes to stargaze after the show.”
I thought of linking my arm through his as we strolled to the car, but my own courage was faltering for some reason. He held my door for me, and his eyes lingered on my legs as I tucked them in. As Dallas shut my door and walked around to the driver’s side, I thought about the night we had met less than two weeks before.
A vendor from my preferred list had given me a gift certificate to the Roosevelt Grille. It was a place where I had always wanted to dine, but the thirty-dollar-a-plate price tag was outside my budget. Lorea and I used the gift certificate to celebrate our fourth month in business and our two major clients—Sylvia and Natalie. Our waiter was Dallas Reynolds, and in what I could tell was a bold move for him, he asked for my number when he left the bill.
Dallas cleared his throat, interrupting my thoughts. “I hope you’re in the mood for Italian because I wanted to take you to Rico’s.”
“I love that place.” A lot had changed in the Ketchum–Sun Valley area since my teenage years, so I’d enjoyed walking up and down the streets and getting to know the merchants. Six months of living here had given me a taste for fine cuisine, as well as fried pickles, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to confide that guilty secret to Dallas yet. As I watched him, something passed over his face. He clenched and unclenched the steering wheel as if trying to remind himself to relax. I had never struggled with shyness, but I could see that Dallas was definitely out of his element.
“So, you mentioned that you’re hoping your second job will take off this summer?” I ventured—maybe talking about his new job as a realtor would help him relax.
“Yes, the housing economy is still down, but the agency I’m with is projecting a strong season. I’m scheduled to show quite a few homes next week, and tomorrow I’m helping with an open house on a mansion that went into foreclosure.” His face lit up as he spoke, all nervousness seeming to dissipate.
“Sounds great. That’s how I came by my condo. It was a short sale.”
“Looks like you chose wisely. I bet it’s nice being so close to your shop.”
I nodded. “It does help to be close to Sun Valley. I never dreamed I could afford a place here—then I found my house.” Ketchum and Sun Valley were interlaced. The resort hugged the Ketchum streets, and the businesses all catered to the tourists who traveled to the area year round. And I did feel fortunate that things had fallen into place so nicely, as if I was meant to start over in Sun Valley.
Dallas and I talked easily through a dinner of linguine with prosciutto and sun-dried tomatoes. Rico’s signature toasted breadsticks tasted delicious. There were a few moments where I could see Dallas’s nerves return, and I did my best to steer the conversation to light topics to ease the tension.
He unfolded his napkin, and I noticed the ring finger on his left hand. When we’d first met, I’d checked to see if he wore a ring—he didn’t, but what surprised me was that his ring finger was just a nub.
“I’m sure you’ve noticed.” Dallas held up his hand.
I nodded.
“I appreciate that you didn’t ask, although I’m certain you were curious.”
I shrugged. “I thought you’d tell me if you wanted me to know.” I was curious. I’m observant, and I’ve always felt like you can tell a lot about people from the details—especially the little ones they don’t think you notice.
“Well, it was an accident in wood shop class in high school,” Dallas explained as he showed me the stub of finger on his left hand. “Nothing really exciting, and most of the time I forget until I see someone staring at my hand.”
“Maybe they’re just checking to see if you’re available.” I winked and then laughed when I saw a bit of color creep up his neck.
“We have time to walk around the lodge before the show if you’d like.”
“Yes, that’d be fun. Thanks for dinner, Dallas.”
I drank the last of my ice water while he paid the bill and noticed the nice tip he left for the waitress. I wondered if he felt nervous socializing with someone he’d waited on. He seemed more at ease as we drove to the ice show. We parked, and when Dallas started to reach for my hand, I grasped his before he
