Chapter 11
Focusing her attention on the road, Angelica did her best to ignore her passenger. He was charming, witty, and sexy as hell. She didn’t need his attention any more than he’d needed to make friends, but she wasn’t going to tell this to him, at least not now.
“So why aren’t you on the slopes?” Parker questioned. “I figured you’d be up with the chickens.”
She laughed. She hadn’t heard anyone use that expression since she was a kid in Texas. “My stomach is telling me it has issues to deal with. Like starvation.” Suddenly, her stomach growled, and she busted out laughing. She couldn’t help herself.
“I wish I would’ve known. I made pancakes, eggs, and sausage this morning. Had a ton of leftovers, too. Left a plate out for Leon, but he hadn’t touched it when I left. He’s peculiar.”
Was he trying to tell her something? That he’d cooked too much or that someone had cooked for him? Or was he simply making small talk? She wasn’t about to ask but hoped it wasn’t the latter—yet didn’t know why it would even matter to her as he was practically a stranger. But for some unknown reason, it did matter.
“Max filled the refrigerator with every kind of food imaginable. It’s been a while since I cooked a meal for myself. It’s harder to cook for one person than a crowd, don’t you agree?”
Again, Angelica wondered if there was an underlying meaning to his question. Was he asking her in a roundabout way if she was involved, or committed? Or was he simply making small talk until they reached the bottom of the mountain? It didn’t matter either way, she thought as she stepped hard on the brake, finding that the road practically nosedived for a few feet before leveling out. She was no more in the market for a relationship than he was. He could be married with ten children for all she knew.
“I don’t cook much. The theater usually orders takeout, so there’s really no need,” she explained.
“So you really are that actress from New York?”
Has he actually seen me in a play? Or maybe he recognized me as that piece of dirt in that floor-cleaning commercial currently airing!
“After you left the registration office last night, Nicholas—Mr. Star—told me you were an actress.”
He’d answered her question, and she hadn’t even had to ask. What a relief! It suddenly occurred to her that she’d felt a bit embarrassed when he’d asked her if she was an actress! Her entire career suddenly had the power to make her feel nothing but . . . shame? Did Meryl Streep and the late Elizabeth Taylor feel shame at their chosen careers? She doubted it. They were two of the greatest actresses of all time, in her opinion. She’d aspired for so many years to be just like them. Stage, film, television, she wanted it all, yet when a stranger asked her about her career, she found that she didn’t want to discuss her profession. As though she’d been struck by a bolt of lightning, Angelica had just answered the question she’d mentally asked, but she pushed it aside. It wasn’t the time to make a career choice or change. She was driving in snow and ice, and was just distracted.
“An actress with nothing to say,” Parker added. “That seems a bit unusual.”
“Like you, I’m not here to make friends or discuss my career.” She knew that she sounded terribly juvenile, but she didn’t care. She’d just had an epiphany and did not want to deal with the significance behind it, or at least not with a stranger in the car. This trip down the mountain was becoming way more than a quick trip to the market.
“I guess I deserved that,” he said, turning away.
Lucky for her, she spied the turnoff for the registration building just then. She assumed that was where he wanted to be dropped off, so she found an empty spot close to the entrance and parked. Part of her felt a tiny bit of sadness and a sense of loss. She had never had these kinds of feelings about a stranger, and it bothered her. She wasn’t sure if it was a good thing or not. Most likely not.
She turned to face him. “So,” she said, struggling to fight her sudden confusion, “I guess you can use the phone in the office if you can’t get a signal on yours.” Angelica said the words quickly as she tried to still her rapidly beating heart.
Lame, lame, lame, she thought as she felt an unwanted warmth flow through her. This is not happening! What is wrong with me?
“I’m sure of it,” he agreed. Then he continued, “Are you going to be on the slopes later? Maybe we can meet at the lift.”
Unexpectedly, Angelica didn’t know what to say. One minute, he was telling her he wasn’t there to make friends; the next, he alluded to a possible relationship with someone—well, not really, but she wasn’t going to assume anything where this man was concerned—and now, he was asking her to meet him. Confused, and surprised at his change of heart, all she could manage was a quick nod.
“I take it that’s a yes,” Parker stated.
Again, she’d made an idiot out of herself. “I’d planned to ski all day anyway. If we see each other at the lifts, then sure, I can ride up with you, race you downhill.” She didn’t want to appear too anxious, but she didn’t want to brush him off, either. She kinda liked this guy she’d known for less than twenty-four hours.
What does this mean? she wondered.
Is this love at first sight?