“Do you?” Her brown eyes looked as though she could see through to his soul.
He opened his mouth.
Nothing came out.
Silence? From the man who claimed to be an open book? No one had ever asked him anything serious before. Perhaps his thoughts on figs or rain or boot-polish. No one probed to get past the glib answer, the light repartee. He wasn’t sure he liked it. He didn’t know how to react.
Miss Parker returned her gaze to her chisel.
“You were right,” she said. “When you guessed I wanted to prove myself all by myself. My brother is a jeweler, too. He’s not allowed in my shop until it is my shop, and I can say, ‘Everything you see here is mine. I made it. I earned it. I’m successful.’” She glanced up, but her smile didn’t meet her eyes. “All that work has led to some very lonely moments.” She arched a brow. “I can admit it. Can you?”
He’d challenged himself to risk making a true connection.
“Life can be lonely,” he admitted. “Even when surrounded by new people to meet.” Perhaps especially then. “Calvin is the first partner I’ve ever had. It’s terrifying, and we’ve not even signed an agreement with the duke yet. It won’t change my life in any measurable way. It shouldn’t be frightening. I’ll still travel as much as I want, go wherever I wish. And yet, tying myself to him makes my success seem less mine. As though I haven’t earned it. As though it doesn’t count.”
“And the loneliness?” she prodded.
Ah. He’d skipped past that, hadn’t he.
“It’s the way it must be,” he said simply. “I’m never anywhere long enough to see the actual impact of the thing I’m selling, to hear what anyone actually thinks, to make friends or even meaningful connections. And yet, if I don’t keep moving, the project I’m trying to advertise will reach fewer people, will have less momentum, a lower chance of success. Calvin is the brains behind Fit for a Duke’s fashions. I’m the feet that brings them to the people.”
He felt like he was balancing on a precipice.
Or rather, not balancing. Windmilling his arms wildly, in a desperate attempt to stay upright long after gravity had begun to win the fight.
She nodded. “That’s how I felt when I told my family about the agreement I’d made. The terms felt like more than anyone had a right to ask of me, and at the same time, my only chance to use my potential. And once I set out on that path, I had to continue.”
He tilted his head. “You’re exceptional. Mr. Marlowe was clever enough to recognize a hidden gem when he saw it. Cressmouth is his crown, and you its diamond. Even if all he could have were seven years, I’d wager he’s been gloating over his good fortune every minute of it.”
“But am I self-made if someone else made it all possible?” Her eyes were haunted. “Or should I have stayed home with my family? Been the sort of daughter they had hoped for?”
“You’re the sort of woman anyone would hope for,” he said and meant it. “The question you’re asking happens to be my particular expertise. Someone investing in you doesn’t mean you have less worth, but more. It means faith. You should believe in yourself, too.”
Her hands were in his. Had she placed them there? Or had he reached for her, during his impassioned speech?
It didn’t matter. He pressed each soft knuckle to his lips just as he’d dreamt of doing, then placed her palms one atop the other over his heart. He had never kissed anyone with an oak counter standing between them, but this seemed a perfect moment to start.
His blood thrummed. He caressed her cheek, lightly, softly. Drawing her in, but only if she wanted to come.
She leaned forward, tilting her face into his hand, toward him.
He brushed his mouth over hers, once, twice, then kissed her fully. Completely. He, too, could spot a diamond. But he didn’t want to take anything from her. He wanted to give. All the kisses she could desire, all the massages, all the shared moments, from the silly to the serious and everything in between. He couldn’t stop kissing her. Not when she returned his kisses so sweetly.
But he had no right to such liberties. They had no agreement, no understanding, no future once the snow ceased to fall. A single kiss was one too many. A risk neither of them should have been foolish enough to take.
He pulled his mouth from hers whilst he still had the wherewithal to do so. He turned away before she noticed his discomfort. This was a lovely time to go and stand outside in the freezing weather. A perfect time. It was exactly what he was going to do.
“Biscuits,” he mumbled, because there was no possibility he was going to discuss the kisses they’d shared. “I’ll just pop across the street for some... biscuits.”
He was out through the door and out into the lightly falling snow before he realized he’d left behind his hat and scarf and coat. But if he couldn’t be trusted to keep his hands off Miss Parker, he deserved to freeze his fingers and everything else.
Thanks to his efforts along with the volunteer crew, now the pavements were tidy and the road clear from shovels and sleighs. One needn’t trudge through knee-high snow to cross the street... until morning, when the shoveling would begin anew.
“There he is!” Mr. Bauer chortled when Jonathan walked through the door. “We wondered what mischief you had got up to.”
“Look!” Stephen leaned against the windowsill and stuck out his leg, brandishing his foot this way and that. “I’m ready to go sledding again!”
“So you are,” Jonathan said. “Aim away from the trees.”
Mr. Bauer handed him two parcels. “There you are, then. The first one has extras of the biscuits you like best. The other has Miss Parker’s favorite pie.”
The parcel was in Jonathan’s hands before he realized
