HARPER
Ihad so much on my mind as I drove to school. I cannot believe it was Halloween already. In sixty-one days, it would be the new year. I was looking forward to the party tonight that Wren and I were going to. It had been a while since it was just us, and I could definitely use some girl time.
The first time I had slept with Tucker and Cam was two weeks ago, and I swear I am just now able to walk comfortably. That night, Cam fucked me while Tucker used my mouth. They took me together, and then Tucker fucked me again in the shower. I was used up and exhausted by the time we changed the sheets on Cameron’s bed. I collapsed between the two of them and slept so well.
It was weird how fast time was passing between the days. While they worked, I was at school. We would sometimes hang out at Cam’s house together for dinner, and then Tuck would head home because he had an early morning for work. Sometimes they would “Take me to Paris,” as Tucker had put it. But most of the time, we were all so exhausted and would just pile up on the couch for a movie.
We weren’t dating per se, but we were absolutely gettingcloser. Learning more about Tucker was a lot of fun. He was from Juniper Ridge, Wyoming, where his adoptive uncle, Rhett, owned a large ranch called Wayward Pines Ranch. He loved to ride horses, even though the reason for his chipped tooth was that his aunt’s horse, Pear, threw him off.
Tucker moved to Michigan to take care of his biological grandma, who recently moved from her house to a nursing home. He visited her often and was in the process of fixing up her house to sell it. We had a small party at Cameron’s for Tuck’s thirty-eighth birthday. He was born on October twentieth, making him a Libra.
He was interested in something more with both of us, but didn’t want to rush Cam. There was still so much to learn about each other, and we all had other priorities we were balancing. My house was paid for, thanks to Cameron, but it had a long way to go. I started looking for a job which wasn’t part of the plan or even dire, but I wanted to anyway. As much as I wanted to work from home, gaining clients would take time and a portfolio. It was smarter in the long run to work for someone else to establish my client list, even though now I wasn’t a hundred percent sure I wanted to go through with running a home business.
As I pulled into the parking lot, almost an hour early, I decided to video call Lena.
God, I missed her.
She picked up groggy as hell. I looked at the clock; it was close to eleven in the morning here, but not even eight in the morning there. Lena gave me a big smile, quickly repositioning herself where she sat. Her crimson hair, now all one color, sat on top of her head in a messy bun. She clearly slept with makeup on. It gave her the illusion of raccoon eyes. Despite the dark eye makeup surrounding her eyes, she looked so happy and rested. She sipped her coffee, then spoke.
“My baby. How are you doing, Harpoone?” Her voice was laced with sleep.
“Little Lena Ivy, I could ask you the same thing. I’m,” I could feel my cheeks begin to burn, “really good, honestly. I miss you, though! How are you? Tell me everything.”
Her eyebrow shot up. “I’m not ignoring the fact that you're blushing, but I do have things to tell you.”
I waited patiently for her to continue. She sipped her coffee again. “So, I love it here. Like, really love it. Definitely more than I thought I would. I love my job and my coworkers, but I know it’s early and things can change. Doing makeup on a movie set is honestly so hectic and insane, but it suits me. For the past few weeks, I have been settling in and getting to know Oregon. It’s so different from home, but not in a bad way, ya know?” Her smile was soft, but didn’t meet her eyes.
“I’m so happy to hear you’re doing so well, Le. Hearing you love so much over there is warming my heart. I was worried about you, and I know we don’t talk as much because we both are so busy, but I want you to know I am and have always been rooting for you.” We both smiled at each other. “I know it’s a big difference from Sawyer’s Cove, but it can still be home.” She’s just as sensitive as she was a few weeks ago, and a tear rolled down her face.
“I’m trying, but you make it sound easier than it was. Sawyers Cove will always be home. You guys are there.” She sighs. “Dax is there.” Another tear rolled down her face. “I won’t be back for a while, Harper. I’m worried I won’t last here.”
“Of course it’ll always be your home, honey, and if you want to come home, do it. Once my house is fixed up, you are more than welcome to stay with me. How long is a while, though? I thought the gig was for six months?” When we talked about her moving, the job she secured was for six months. It was for a movie, but we knew she would be back sometime next year, even if it wasn’t exactly after six months.
More tears ran down her face. “Two years.” She practically whispered.
My heart dropped straight to my ass, and I had the sudden urge to throw up. Two years.Two fucking years.So much could happen in two years. She was going to miss so much here. I missed her already, and what would two years do to our friendship? Of course, there would be visits, but what am I to do here without her for years?Don’t panic, Shortcake. Everything will be okay.I could practically hear Cam’s voice in my head.
A tear rolled down my face, but I managed to give a soft smile. “A lot of beautiful things can happen in two years, Le. I’ll visit when I can and as much as I can, okay? We can call and text whenever you are available. I won’t leave you alone, Lena. Distance doesn’t mean shit. You are my family.”
She covered her mouth, trying to conceal her sobs. I let a few tears roll down my face as she explained how much she missed Dax. They went from talking every day after the breakup to once a day to her not hearing from him for a few days.
“I’m not handling it well at all, and I have a feeling he isn’t either.”
“You both will be okay. Who knows if you plan on moving back here, maybe things will work out for you guys.”
She gave a small smile. “God, I hope.”
She dried her tears and took a big swig of her coffee. “So, my cousin and your contractor, huh?”
I dried my tears and smiled so big I probably looked like a love-sick idiot. “Yup.”
She scoffed. “Girl, that’s it? Tell me everything!”
And I did. I told her about Cam paying for my house. I told her how good they both were in bed. I told her how much they care for me, even though I probably don’t deserve it.
“You deserve to be happy, Harp. And I am so fucking happy for you.” Lena’s smile was bright and genuine.
“Thank you so much, Le. Sorry to cut this short, I have to head to class. I’ll text you, okay?”
