“That’s the spirit. First things first, flirting begins with the eyes. Watch.” He stared directly into her eyes for a shade longer than polite, then looked away. Then he did it again, talking her through. “Meet his gaze and hold it so there can be no mistake. He needs to know you are looking just at him. Then before it becomes impolite, shift your eyes elsewhere.”

“Won’t it bother him, thinking that I am staring at him?”

“No, and if it does, you certainly don’t want to marry him.”

“Good point.”

“Now you try.” He encouraged her with a flick of his fingers.

She focused on the wall, then exhaled and cleared her throat. Turning her head, she locked eyes with him for a long minute before looking away.

“Perfect,” he said. “Now, the next step is to angle your body in the direction of the person with whom you are flirting.”

“Like, move toward them?”

“No, not necessarily.” He shifted to the right and looked at her from over his shoulder. “Instead of staring like this, turn your body”—he slid until he directly faced her—“to give him every bit of your attention.”

She adjusted her limbs and angled closer to him.

“You may also lean in,” he said. “Ever so slightly. Like you want to get closer, but you don’t know if you should.”

She bent nearer and he caught a hint of vanilla and spice. Very nice. “Excellent. The last bit is a tad advanced, for when you know you have the right man in mind. Ready?”

She nodded. “Definitely.”

“Do everything I’ve mentioned and before you look away bite your lip.” He demonstrated once. “Now put it all together and show me.”

Taking a deep breath, she shook out her shoulders, like a prizefighter loosening up before a fight. She was adorable and he had to struggle to keep from smiling.

First, she angled toward him, then found his gaze and held it, luring him into the soft chestnut depths. He held perfectly still, not minding this experiment in the least. Had he ever noticed how unique her eyes were? Her irises were light and dark, greenish gold and brown, now shining in the midmorning light. She eased in a tiny bit closer and there was that scent again, as if she’d just come from baking in the kitchen. Was that a perfume? If so, he needed to purchase it for all his future mistresses.