He shook his head. “Okay, your rules.”
“Is it bingo?” Aurora asked hesitantly. Not that her answer really mattered. They would be going to lunch either way. Was this his way of asking her out on a real date? Or was that just wishful thinking? That last thought took her by surprise. Was she even ready for something like that? Her heart had certainly grown fond of Gage and seemed to be growing fonder by the minute.
“Cold.”
Gage’s response pulled Aurora from the tangled web of her post-engagement breakup thoughts. “Excuse me?”
“Cold,” he repeated. “Meaning your answer was nowhere near to being correct.”
Of course.Okay, she had to think. What did her mom like to play when entertaining? It came to her. “How about euchre?” A bit more confidently this time.
“Iceberg,” came Gage’s exaggerated response.
Aurora laughed. “Oh no. Can I try one more time?”
He shrugged. “It’s your rules, remember?”
In truth, there was no telling what Gage’s mother had planned for that afternoon. They played games every evening, and Aurora had enjoyed every one of them. “Hangman?”
“Antarctica,” he said, one side of his mouth pulling upward in humor. “You can’t get any colder than that. Looks like you’re taking me to lunch.”
She feigned a frustrated sigh. “If I have to.”
“A deal’s a deal,” he told her.
“So, what are we doing today?”
He smiled. “We’re going to be painting.”
She wouldn’t have guessed that as a possibility. “You know I’m a photographer, not an artist, right?”
He nodded. “You don’t have to worry about Reed making any of us look bad. I think he’s going to be instructing and giving help where help is needed.”
“Well, that’s a relief. I’d better grab my raincoat so we can get up to the lodge. I don’t want anyone having to wait because of me.”
“Before we go, you never did answer. Did you finish the work you needed to have done today?”
She couldn’t help but smile. Usually, it was her asking Gage that same question. “I did. I got up early and sent a few teaser shots to my editor.”
“I’ve seen your work,” Gage replied, “so there’s no need to ask if you’ve heard back and what his or her thoughts are on them.”
“His,” she clarified. “Eugene Watkins is the editorial manager atWorld Adventures Magazine, and my contact. He’s the one who hired me for this assignment.” She slipped her rain poncho on. “I’ve been trying to get in with this magazine for years. Thankfully, the stars finally aligned for me, and my dream has become a reality.”
“You deserve it,” Gage said sincerely. “I’ve seen you in action, and you live and breathe for the moment you get that perfect shot. Which pretty much describes all the photos you take, from what I observed online.”
“They weren’t always that good,” she told him. “And to answer your question, no, I haven’t heard back from Eugene yet. But I’m sure he has his hands full making sure everything is falling into place for next month’s issue.” Rain splattering harder against the cabin window drew her attention that way. “It’s a deluge out there,” she groaned.
“That’s September in Alaska for you,” Gage replied. “Pull on those boots I brought you. You’re going to be needing them for our walk up to the lodge.”
Aurora reached for the boots, which she hadn’t paid much attention to when Gage had pulled them from his coat. She’d been too distracted by his playful smile to notice. Lifting one of the very tall rubber boots, she held it up, dangling it in the air in front of her. “Are you serious? You expect me to wear these?”
His smile sagged ever so slightly. “That’s up to you,” he told her. “I’m just trying to keep your jeans and your nice hiking boots from becoming a wet, muddied mess. But I know Jess hated them, so you might too.”
“Jess was out of her element here,” Aurora told him, trying to be understanding of Jess’s reasons for acting the way she had when she’d been there, yet be supportive for Gage, who had been hurt by those actions. “I’m not.” Smiling, she grabbed the oversized boots and walked over to sit on the small sofa. “They just look so big.”
“Way off on the size?” he asked with a frown.
“No.” She stood with the boots on. “They actually don’t fit too bad where my foot is. They’re just really tall on me. They go up over my knees.”
