“I’ll stay here,” she murmured. “It’s strange, but it already feels sort of like home.”
“It’s not strange. I’ve heard a lot of things about this place. Ten-ten is magic. It’s a safe haven.”
She opened her eyes just as the first snowflakes of an early winter storm began to fall outside. And she believed him. Even if she left tomorrow, she’d never forget this feeling, standing here with Jason as they danced for the first time. As her heart decided he was hers, no matter how broken he was. This moment, in this place, would be a comfort for the rest of her life, no matter what tomorrow would bring.
“I have more to show you.”
She looked up into Jason’s dark eyes. “Are we having our first date?”
Jason leaned down and kissed her softly, then eased back and pressed his forehead against hers. “Yeah.”
“Show me.”
With a smile, he bent down and pulled her jacket from the floor, then zipped her into it. He didn’t bother to put on a coat as he took her hand and led her out the front door. His stride was strong and powerful, and his back was straight again, as if she’d recharged him with her touch. She waved to Willa, who was leaning against the brick ledge of the fire pit, watching them tromp toward the woods.
Willa gave her a knowing smile and lifted her fingers in response.
Jason looked back at her. The excitement in his eyes made him look even more handsome somehow. He laughed and pulled her along faster.
With a grin, she ran to keep up with him. Fat snowflakes fell all around them, but he didn’t seem to notice the cold. His attention was only for her.
Her long curls bounced around her shoulders as she ran with him. She hadn’t had this much fun just running freely since she was a child. Weaving through the pines, Jason slowed the farther they got from the trailer park.
“There,” he said, pointing up in the trees.
A treehouse had been built between four towering pines. The storm clouds above cast everything in gray shadows, but a flickering, warm glow filtered through the warped window panes of the house above them.
Jason climbed the ladder, waiting in the middle for her to follow. Breathlessly, she scrambled up behind him. The porch was sturdy and well-built, and a sign over the top of the front door read Willamena Junior or Darth Vader.
“Don’t ask,” Jason said as he twitched his head in an invitation.
When Jason held open the front door for her, she hesitated in the entryway. A two-seat table sat in the middle of the single room. In the center of it was an old fashioned lantern that was the source of the warm glow. Two plates were covered with checkered napkins and two beers sat side by side, condensation dripping down the glass bottles and staining the wood underneath darker. Strands of lights had been hung like gentle rolling waves from the rafters above.
“Did you cook for me?” She had to force the words through her thickening throat.
“It was that or take you into Saratoga. The drive is brutal, though. Maybe we can do that for our second date.”
“Already planning a second date, and you don’t even know if you’ll like me after our first.”
Jason’s smile lifted the corners of his lips, then faded as he brushed her hair behind her ear. “I like you fine.”
She cupped his hand to keep his touch on her cheek. “This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled with his grin. “Good.”
Jason helped her out of her jacket. The treehouse was warm, so she kicked out of her boots while she was at it. Sitting in a chair, she curled her legs under her and lifted the napkin off the plate. Thick, dark broth with lumps of succulent crawfish meat steamed in the shallow bowl of the plate. It was laid over a bed of dirty rice, and on the side was a thick piece of buttered bread. It smelled spicy and divine.
“You cooked this?” She didn’t mean to sound so surprised, but wow. She’d been living off canned stew and chili heated over an open fire for the past week. “What’s it called?”
“I’m from Louisiana, so it felt right making you food I grew up on. This is Crawfish Étouffée. It’s my mom’s recipe.”
She took a bite and rolled her eyes closed at the rich flavor that exploded across her tongue. “Jason, this is amazing.”
He sighed and huffed a laugh as if relieved, which was silly because really, the man had some serious game. If he was trying to woo her, well…she was wooed.
“How did you end up here, Georgia?” Jason asked. He leaned over his plate and nearer to her, as if his food held no interest.
“Well, I was hired by a dragon to hunt poachers and drove here in my Jeep, which was stolen the day I was sort of kidnapped by a Gray Back.”