“I wasn’t judging,” he said, leaning slightly closer. “I was just trying to decide if you’re decorating… or hiding.”
My stomach flipped. “I am absolutely not hiding.”
A slow smile. “You’re literally parked behind a van, so no one can spot your car from the street.”
“I like shade.”
“It’s fifty degrees.”
“Shade is a lifestyle.”
He crossed his arms. “So you’re not avoiding me.”
“No,” I said too quickly.
“So you’re definitely avoiding me.”
“Carson Reed,” I snapped, “I am not hiding from anything. Or anyone. I am simply… running errands.”
“Without going into the store connected to the parking lot you’re hiding behind?”
“I wasinthe store.”
“I know,” he said, amused. “I watched you crouch behind a shelf of ceramic frogs.”
Blood left my body. Fully evaporated into the atmosphere. “You saw that?”
“Mm-hmm.”
“Why didn’t you save me?”
“Because,” he said, “you looked adorable panicking behind amphibians.”
I put my head on the steering wheel. “Whose side are you on?”
He grinned, and my heart did gymnastics.
I forced myself upright. “Okay. Fine. Yes. I’m awkward. Happy now?”
He shook his head, that soft look in his eyes again. “I’m not making fun of you, Sienna.”
“Feels like you’re at least enjoying it a little.”
“A little,” he admitted.
I opened my mouth to reply or flirt or something, but what came out instead was…
“You should take the guided trip this weekend alone.”
The words hit the air like startled birds. Escaped. Irretrievable.
Carson blinked. “Alone?”
I swallowed. “Yes! I mean, no! I mean, yes. You should. I think you’re ready.”
“I noticed that on the board back at the lodge,” he said slowly, head tilting. “Why would I take it alone?”
Because I’m scared.
