Match Made In Paradise by Barbara Dunlop (black female authors TXT) 📕

polar route,” Silas said, giving her an odd look. He opened the front door and looked around the parking lot before walking outside.

“I guess there would be some of that.” She hadn’t thought of the polar route. “But they’d be at a way higher altitude.”

“They would. Exactly how much did you read while I was gone?”

“The radio manual. I found it on the shelf.” That was another thing that she’d found interesting. Talking and listening were straightforward, but she had no idea what kinds of information Shannon would share with the pilots or what they shared with her.

“The whole thing?” he asked.

“You were gone for an entire hour.”

“Did you miss me?” His cajoling tone and the twinkle in his eye made her smile.

“I didn’t have time to miss you.”

“Ouch.” He nudged her with his shoulder, pressing against her.

Her mood shifted, her tone going soft and intimate, unable to pretend. “I didn’t think I was allowed to miss you.”

He paused at the door to the parking lot, turning to face her.

She looked at him, desire blooming anew inside her chest. She’d missed him every minute since Wildflower Lake. She’d been holding down her emotions these past days through sheer force of will.

“Tell me you felt it too.” His tone was husky.

She tried to stall, tried to pretend it wasn’t happening. “Felt what?”

He touched the bottom of her chin, his eyes softening. “You know what.”

“Do you want me to say I’m attracted to you? Do I really have to say that after everything we did?” If she could have what she wanted, they’d be together. But reality was still reality.

She didn’t want to sneak around on Raven or compromise Silas’s relationship with Brodie.

“Nothing’s changed,” she forced herself to say.

He slowly dropped his hand to his side. “And here we are.”

“Here we are.”

They gazed at each other for another drawn-out moment.

He wrapped his hand around the back of his neck. “This is tougher than I expected.”

It was tougher than Mia had expected too.

*   *   *

Breena showed up at Raven’s that evening, excited to talk about the Paradise matchmaking project.

“It’s too hot to make a big dinner,” Raven said as Mia set three wineglasses out on the counter. “Let’s do some loaded nachos.”

The wine box was all but empty, giving Mia an excuse to open one of the more expensive bottles she’d picked up at the Co-op Grocery. She happily pulled a couple of her purchases out of a lower cupboard.

“Are we going with the good stuff?” Breena asked, coming over to take a look at the labels.

“Best I could find,” Mia said. One was from a vineyard she recognized, although the bottle wasn’t one of their premium labels. With the other, she’d based her decision on region, vintage and price, hoping for the best.

“She’s a culinary princess,” Raven said good-naturedly as she dumped a layer of tortilla chips onto a pan.

“I love drinking wine with culinary princesses,” Breena said. “In fact, I prefer it. What can I do?” she asked Raven.

“Grate the cheese. It’s in the bin in the fridge door.”

Mia twisted the corkscrew. At home, the chef had usually opened the wine. Alastair did it on occasion if it was just the two of them. Mia had tried on her own a few times and broken the corks, but she was mastering new things every day here in Alaska.

She twisted the corkscrew in, and the cork popped out cleanly.

“Grater?” Breena asked.

“Bottom cupboard beside the oven,” Raven answered as she pulled peppers and onions from the crisper drawer.

“This has nice legs,” Mia said, swirling the first glass of wine before inhaling the aroma.

“Speaking of legs, we can’t focus on supermodels,” Breena said. “Most women with your . . . uh, refined lifestyle aren’t going to like Alaska very much.”

“My friends aren’t supermodels,” Mia said. “Okay, some of them are supermodels. But the models are only the public face of a fashion enterprise. Ninety percent of the people are behind the scenes, and they’re mostly the ones I’m friends with. They’re quite down-to-earth.” She took a sip of the Cabernet Sauvignon and was impressed. “Nice. Smooth tannins, robust and fruit forward. Plum, I’d say and cherry, a hint of licorice, low on pepper. This should be good with the nachos.”

Breena laughed at the grandiose description. “So, down-to-earth like you are?”

Raven laughed too. “Let’s hope they’re not all wine snobs.”

“Damn. I still come off as snooty, don’t I? I’ve been trying to work on that.” The wine description had been out of long habit with Alastair.

“You’re getting better,” Raven said. “Maybe don’t describe bottles of wine anymore.”

“I can do that. And I can chop something, maybe the peppers.” Mia stepped up to pitch in.

“I’ve only got one cutting board,” Raven said.

“We’re only teasing you,” Breena said. “And you’re doing great with the wine. Pouring it would be a good next step. I’m thirsty.”

“On it,” Mia said.

“I don’t want you to change too much,” Raven said as she chopped her way through the vegetables.

“We like you the way you are,” Breena said with a teasing grin. “You know, mini loader–driving mishaps aside.”

“I wish I had more useful skills.” Mia sighed as she poured.

“I’m sure you have loads of talents.”

“They don’t appreciate her at Lafayette Fashion, and she’s practically been running the place,” Raven said with a wave of her chopping knife.

“I wouldn’t go that far.” Mia didn’t want to take anything away from Alastair. He’d worked hard right up to the end. Then again, she could be fair to herself too.

She set a glass of wine in front of Raven and one in front of Breena. “I happen to have a good eye for predicting color palettes. You have to look nearly two years ahead to order the fabric, so if you guess wrong, you’re in big, expensive trouble. It’s super competitive, so the weaves and weights, color and patterns are closely guarded secrets. I talk to sources all over the world.”

“You said you travel a lot?” Breena asked.

Mia nodded. “Less so as Alastair’s health went downhill, but I’ve