“I know Kenzie will lose interest in you when she realizes Harper doesn’t want you anymore. You’re just a pawn in this game.”
“You think Harper’s over me? What we had was deeper than anyone knows. She’s not just going to move on—especially with someone like you.”
“You dulled her shine and resented her success. The truth is, you have no ambition. You talk a big game about ‘branding’ and ‘user experience,’ but you’re nothing but a failure.”
Asher laughs and takes another swing, but he misses. “And you’re such a success? You’ve never left Frosthaven Falls, and you took over a company that was already started by someone else. Yeah, such a big man.”
“I don’t live at home with my mom using my ex’s money to pay for my wedding,” I retort.
“You’re going to regret burning this bridge when Harper realizes she’s not over me and only used you to move on.”
I believe Harper when she says she doesn’t want Asher anymore. I can still feel the imprint of her fingertips on my neck, the way her breath hitched when our lips met under the string lights in my kitchen. Last night, when she pressed against me on the couch, her sweater sliding off one shoulder, her eyes never once clouded with doubt or someone else’s memory. They stayed locked on mine, clear as winter sky and just as endless.
“She’s as over you as you are her, Asher.”
“Then she’s not over me because I’m not over her!”
His admission stuns me, and the crowd gasps. Asher looks around, suddenly aware of his words and the audience before storming off.
“He’s probably off to do damage control,” Betsy comments.
It’s likely true, but this changes everything. My stomach twists into a cold, tight knot as I watch Asher’s retreating figure disappear into the crowd, his confession hanging in the frosty air like unmelted snowflakes. If Asher isn’t really over Harper, will he try to win her back? I picture him showing up at her door with that practiced smile that dimples his right cheek, arms laden with white peonies—her favorites. Has he finally realized Kenzie is just a pale xerox of Harper, all the vibrancy washed out?
But worse—my heart hammers against my ribs at the thought—will Harper’s eyes light up the way they used to when she sees him? Will she think she can have everything she once dreamed of, circled in red pen, if golden-boy Asher wants her back?
Chapter 25
Alex
We struggle to contain our giggles as we step into the changing rooms, the satin curtains swishing closed behind us. The bridesmaid dresses hang there—that particular shade of bile-green that makes Kenzie’s nostrils flare whenever she sees it on anything. Ever since Asher confessed to Ford that he still wants Harper, Kenzie has been stomping around town with her French-tipped claws out, ready to scratch anyone who mentions it. This color swap will be like pouring gasoline on her already smoldering temper.
For someone with just two reluctant bridesmaids and no maid of honor, not even her cousin Bethany who she’s known since diapers, you’d think she’d tone down the attitude. Yet, she still prances through town in those ridiculous discount heels, chin tilted skyward, expecting red carpets to materialize beneath her feet.
I catch Tracy’s eye in the mirror and see my own uncertainty reflected. I wish we had planned our reaction. Are we going to feign innocence when she sees the dresses? Or just stand back and watch as her perfect porcelain facade cracks right here on the boutique’s cream carpet?
“I didn’t know you changed the dress color,” Tracy calls out. Oh, this is perfect.
“I didn’t,” Kenzie snaps back.
We step out of the changing room together, and Kenzie’s face shifts through shades until it resembles our dresses. She’s about thirty seconds away from a full-blown meltdown.
“What is this?” Her voice comes out through clenched teeth, and I have to stifle a laugh.
Darla, the attendant and a classmate a few years ahead of us, regards Kenzie with a bored expression. Even she seems over Kenzie’s antics. “Your dresses.”
“These are NOT my dresses!” Kenzie screams.
“You changed the color right after they were picked, before we ordered them.”
Her mouth flaps open and shut like a fish before she sputters, “I did not!”
With a sigh, Darla leans against the wall, examining her nails. “Yes, you did. The password was used. We can’t proceed with any changes or orders without it.”
Kenzie stands there, trembling, her left eye twitching uncontrollably.
“If you’re about to vomit, I’ll need you to step out of the store. Otherwise, you’ll be charged for everything you contaminate,” Darla says.
I can’t help but love her at this moment.
