Closing the door, Van led me back inside and scanned my clothes. “Go upstairs and dress in your warmest clothes. Layers are recommended.”

“I’ve heard that.”

“And your boots, coat, and I have some better gloves and a hat for you.”

“Don’t tell me it’s the orange one.”

“Orange is on purpose.”

“It doesn’t match my coat.”

Pressing his firm lips together, Van shook his head. “Ten minutes.”

“What? No. I can’t be ready that fast.” I started up the stairs with the plan to thwart a rebuttal to my next sentence. “Give me half an hour.”

Van looked down at his watch. “Clock is ticking.”

I hurried up the staircase, excited about the unknown. I left my soft leggings on and pulled my blue jeans on over them. Two pairs of socks and a sweater over my shirt completed my layers. When I’d packed for this interview, I didn’t plan on survival 101.

With five minutes to spare, I found Van in his office, behind his computer, with a cool cup of coffee. As I stepped in, my heart sank. The table behind him was completely empty. All the pictures were gone.

At the sound of my entrance, Van looked up from the screen and a smile bloomed, softening his expression. “You’re beautiful.”

“I look like I’m twenty pounds heavier with all these clothes.”

He pushed his chair back from the desk. His earlier suit was replaced by his mountain-man clothes. As his boots clipped across the wood floor, he stalked my way and a devilish grin came to life. “I can’t help that my thoughts are going to undressing you.” He pulled my hips to his. “Better than unwrapping any gift you could buy.”

I pulled on the collar of my second sweater. “It’s getting warm in here.”

“Then let’s get out of here.”

“Where are we going?”

“Do you trust me?” he asked.

“I do.”

He reached for my hand and let out a long sigh. “I want that, Julia. I’ll do my best not to spoil that trust.”

I took a step back. “What’s happening with Wade?”

“You haven’t checked?”

“I tried. I don’t have any new emails from Dad or anyone else at Wade. When I woke, I saw the article about our engagement. It was pretty basic.”

“Would you rather it was detailed? I don’t as a rule share private information with my PR people or the public.”

I shrugged. “Honestly, it was good and to the point. I appreciated that it didn’t mention my recent broken engagement.”

“What you read was issued through Sherman and Madison media. The broader media has already spun it.”

“Spun it how?”

He squeezed my hand. “No one else matters.”

“Wade?”

“The statement has stilled the devaluation. I kept my word.”

I let out a breath. “That makes me feel better.”