“Harper.”
“Please, Brandon.” The words are sharp, and I sound mad, but I can’t help it. Better mad than devastated.
“Okay.”
He pulls in front of the lodge, and I hurry from the truck.
“Harper, wait,” he says before I’m out of the seat.
And though I want nothing more than to slam the door and stalk off, I turn back to him.
“Are we okay?” He fidgets with the gear shift as he waits for my answer.
I stare at him, wondering how he can ask me that. Finally, I nod and close the door softly behind me.
Thirty minutes later, I sit on the bed in my room, watching dark clouds roll in from the west, blocking the bright blue sky. Tears run down my face, but I don’t care. I’m alone, and there’s no one here to witness my weakness.
So alone.
Brandon’s probably with Sadie right now, telling her the deed is done. Either that or he’s facing Riley, admitting to my sister why I’m back at the lodge.
There’s a knock at the door, and I go still. Surely she couldn’t have made it back this quickly.
“Harper,” Mason calls from the hall, “open up.”
I turn back to the window, determined to ignore him.
“Come on, Harper. I know you’re in there. I’ll stay here all afternoon if I have to, and we’ll both get kicked off the show because someone is bound to see me.”
Growling under my breath, I swing my legs off the bed and stalk to the entry.
“What?” I demand as soon as I open the door.
Mason’s face goes soft when he sees my blotchy cheeks and watery eyes. Oddly, I don’t care that he knows I’ve been crying. Because I haven’t known him my whole life, I don’t feel I have to live up to expectations. I don’t have to be strong or calm or in control.
I’m just me, and “just me” has hit rock bottom.
Most guys hate tears, and I fully expect him to make a hasty retreat. Instead, he asks, “Can I come in?”
Shrugging, I step aside.
He walks to the window. “I think it’s going to snow again.”
Despite the darkening sky, the meager sunlight reflects off the snow-covered landscape and does a fair job of brightening the room. It’s all wrong for my mood. It should be gloomy. The promise of fresh snow just makes the lodge feel more festive, and festive is the last thing I want to feel right now.
“What are you doing here?” I finally ask.
He turns to face me. “Your friend tracked me down, said you probably wouldn’t want to be alone this afternoon. He also said you wouldn’t admit it, so I should come to you.”
I narrow my eyes. “Brandon?”
Mason nods and waits for me to make the next move.
“So, you got roped into babysitting,” I scoff.
“Better—Harpersitting.” He flashes me a smile. “And I am the coolest Harpersitter in the world because I have a craft project planned.”
And though my heart is broken, I almost smile. “Does it involve puffy paints and poster board?”
