“The nerve,” Violet teased.
Fiona placed a hand over her heart. “The bare minimum. You’re doomed.”
Abby appeared with my latte. “Did someone say doomed? Because if we’re talking about that tall guide with the face and the voice and the shoulders—”
“No.” I slapped my hands over my ears. “We are not summoning Millie’s matchmaking demons today.”
Violet sipped her latte. “Sienna’s worried the entire family hired Carson just to marry her off. Like we’re staging some secret Harper Sister Matrimony Plot.”
“I hadn’t even thought about that, so…” My brows lifted.
Abby considered this deeply. “But you know… that actually sounds like something Millie would do.”
“I KNEW IT,” I shouted.
Violet waved a hand. “Calm down. We’re not that clever.”
“Speak for yourself,” Fiona whispered, then yelped when I kicked her under the table.
“Okay, listen,” I said, leaning in. “We have a major trip coming up. Mid-March. A honeymoon couple. Snow on the ground. Potential frostbite situations. I need to focus on logistics, not Carson’s flannel.”
Violet’s mouth twitched. “His what now?”
“His flannel,” I repeated. “It’s… a problem.”
“He does wear it well,” Fiona said thoughtfully.
“Stop affirming my suffering,” I snapped.
But they weren’t listening. They were in full Harper-sister observational mode, which meant they were about to psychoanalyze me to death over baked goods.
“So,” Fiona said, “what’s the snow situation for the first trip?”
“Oh my God, thank you,” I sighed. “A normal question.”
She nodded primly. “You’re welcome. Now answer.”
“There’s still snowpack on the trails north of Honey Leaf Ridge,” I said, finally grounded in something that wasn’t emotional chaos. “But we should get a thaw this week. If it melts enough, we can avoid the icy scramble.”
“And if it doesn’t?” Violet asked.
“Then I’m bringing serious heaters like portable, battery-powered, and hotspot-level heaters. Romance isn’t cute if your toes fall off.”
Fiona laughed. “Imagine cuddling on your honeymoon while your guide freezes into a Sienna-cicle in the background.”
“I’m not freezing,” I muttered. “I’m prepared.”
“You’re on fire,” Violet said.
“I’m not…”
“Your crush will probably defrost the campsite,” Fiona added helpfully. “Problem solved.”
I playfully shoved her shoulder. “Shut up.”
But even as they teased me, I felt a strange swirl of nerves and warmth and panic. Because they weren’t actually wrong.Something inside me was heating up whenever Carson was around. Something I didn’t trust. Something I absolutely did not subscribe to.
“I don’t believe in relationships,” I said firmly, gripping my latte like it was holy doctrine.
