Page 74 of Stay this Christmas
Dad patted Willa’s back, but her eyes were already drooping closed. “See you, Sam. Georgia. Harper, don’t be a stranger.”
They left, the door swinging shut behind them. I’d already needed to decompress after a day with the littles, but spending any time with Dad warranted a beer, at least. He had a way of dredging up my worst insecurities until I felt seventeen again, needing to escape. Seeing him dote on his new family only added an extra layer of awkwardness into the mix.
Georgia faced me, hands on her hips. “What offer did Dad make you?”
“Some admin thing in the office.” Being a financial planner had never appealed, and I couldn’t imagine being an underling for one would be any better. To be fair, I didn’t have any other offers on the table at the moment.
“Probably the same job he’s suggested for me. He’ll get over it.” She turned to Harper as if putting our dad behind her. “So, you got this Christmas Grinch to do the wagon ride? How’d you manage that?”
Harper’s little grin made me forget all about Dad.
“He’s surprisingly un-grinchy when he’s desperate.”
“Desperation’s a good look on him.”
“I’m discovering that, yes.”
“Okay, okay, we’re leaving.” I grabbed Harper’s hand and headed for the door. “Thanks for the push, Georgia.”
“Anytime,” she called. “I’ll text you about the book club, Harper.”
Harper turned and waved over her shoulder. “Definitely. See you later.”
Finally, we were out on the sidewalk, free of interfering sisters.
“Where did you park?”
“On Center,” she said. “In front of the pharmacy.”
I headed in that direction, hoping the cool evening air would focus my thoughts. Unlikely, since every last brain cell lasered in on the feel of Harper’s hand in mine and the nudge of her shoulder on my arm. We had a little time before I needed to get to Lotus Flower for tonight’s gentle yoga class. I would invite her to dinner—drinks, bare minimum. The wagon ride hadn’t nearly paid her back for helping me out with my little brother and sister.
“The company in Colorado is trying to get you to come back?”
My hopes for the evening shattered like glass. She’d focused on the one thing I wished Georgia hadn’t brought up.
“They are. I didn’t leave at the best time. I still feel guilty about that.”
Cutting out while Ian was still in the hospital and they were already running around trying to replace him had been a dick move on my part. Pierce and Steven had been good about it, but I still shouldn’t have done it. In the moment, though, driven by the fear of following too closely in Ian’s footsteps, I’d had to get back to Magnolia Ridge as quickly as I could.
“It sounds like a good opportunity.”
“It is. It’s a great business.”
“You said it was your favorite job. And they really want you back. It sounds better than stringing together a few yoga sessions here and there.”
I stopped beneath a lamp post and tugged her hand so she faced me. “Harps, hear me. I’m not going back there.”
“I know,” she said, even though she obviously didn’t. “But if you ever change your mind, if you realize Colorado is where you’re meant to be, it’s okay if you—”
I tugged her the rest of the way to me. She hit my chest with a softoomph, her eyes wide. I ran my hands into her hair, cupping the back of her head as I drew closer inch by inch. My eyes drifted over the little furrow in her forehead, the freckles dusting her nose and cheeks, her soft, full mouth.
“Harper,” I said so close, my lips brushed hers. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”
She made a little sound in her throat as I erased the last breath between us.
My mouth traced hers from one corner to the other, gentle caresses that lit me up with a slow-moving fire. Last night’s fervent kisses had been like a hurricane, powerful and all-consuming, but tonight was a gentle breeze. My mind whispered we were in public on a sidewalk in the middle of Magnolia Ridge, with no privacy and nothing between us and the grind of the gossip mill. But my lips on hers outweighed those concerns, and I pressed on, showing her in every touch what she wouldn’t hear in words.
I’m here.
