“You’re such a hater,” he quipped.
“Yes. Yes, I am a hater. A hater of love, because I know the truth. It’s not real. I’ve had this trip planned for eleven months and twelve days, and then I show up here to see the same dang stuff I see at home.” She gestured to the happy couple.
“Are you jealous?”
“Of a hamster shifter? As if.”
He snorted. “So, what’s the plan for the rest of your UnValentine’s Day?”
“Oh, I have big plans.”
“I bet. What are they.”
“Plans that would blow your mind.”
“Mmm hmm.”
“How about you go first,” she said and he could tell she was stalling.
“I have two ATV tours after this one, and then tonight I’m going to watch my nephew play ice hockey in town, and then I’m meeting a couple of buddies at the bar to ignore this horrid holiday. Now you.”
She rolled her eyes. “That actually sounds not terrible. I bought copious amounts of snacks and am going to lock myself in my cabin and wear humongous pajamas and do my skincare routine and eat an entire forty pack of pizza rolls all by myself for dinner and remain unbothered by anyone. I have three horror movies I want to watch in front of the cozy fire. It is an un-celebration for me, myself, and I.”
“I’m down with the forty-pizza rolls. What time do you want me to come over?”
She huffed a laugh, but he wasn’t kidding. She seemed to figure it out because she frowned over at him. “You aren’t invited.”
He shrugged. “You can come to my nephew’s hockey game with me if you want. My sister’s a battle-axe, but you’re downright mean and you two would probably get along.”
Her lips parted like she wanted to say something, but she couldn’t seem to find the words. “What about me telling you about my self-care day makes you think you would be welcome to be a part of my UnValentine’s Day.”
“Um, because I’m a safe bet. You could hang out with me all day and there is zero chance I would grow an attachment to you. You could insult me to your heart’s delight. It doesn’t hurt my feelings.”
“I…” Her frown deepened. “I want to be alone.”
He shrugged again. “I like horror movies.”
“Look, I’m not some booty call.”
He snorted and stood, dusting the snow off the seat of his pants. “I’m not asking for that. You can hear the truth in my voice. I won’t push. You’re interesting, little cat. And mean. And kind of fun. I hate Valentine’s Day too. We could hate it together, and tomorrow, you can go back to your life and never talk to me again. I can be a memory.”
“Like a vacation fling?” she asked.
“Like whatever you want it to be. How about this. I’ll drop by the Woodpecker Inn at six on my way into town to go see my nephew’s game. If you aren’t waiting outside, I’ll just keep driving. No harm, no foul.”
“No harm, no foul,” Moira murmured. “And no strings attached.”
“I don’t get attached in the first place, and you don’t owe me anything.”
“Why? Why would you want to hang out with me?”
“I don’t know,” he said flippantly. “Your insults make me feel alive. Time to load up. Back on the trail. I’m assuming it’s a no for today, but the offer is there.” He grabbed the bottle and food container and made his way down the trail toward the ATVs. On purpose, he didn’t look back, though he really wanted to. He wanted to see if she was watching him. He wanted toknow if she was actually considering his wild offer. He never did this. Never. If he picked up a girl, it was for a fun night and then it was done. He’d never even brought anyone near his sister and nephew since Sarah, and here he was, offering to spend a Valentine’s Day with a strange beauty with a mountain of obvious issues.
He couldn’t help himself.
He really, really wanted her to say yes, but he was learning her. She had to process his question and come up with an answer on her own.
“Hey Cam?” she called.
