Riley shoots me a sympathetic look, and then she ushers me to her boyfriend’s truck.
***
“They aren’t dating?” Riley exclaims in a voice that’s far louder than I would like.
I immediately shush her.
“Riley!” I snarl at a whisper. “She’s literally in the room next door!”
We sit cross-legged on the bed, and there are so many junk food wrappers spread out on the comforter between us, we resemble two sugar-hoarding raccoons.
Riley looks appropriately chagrined, and she glances at the wall that separates Sadie’s room from mine. “Sorry…but what do you mean they weren’t ever together?”
As I explain, she pinches the bridge of her nose as if she’s trying to fend off a headache. “That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. If Brandon’s not with Sadie, then why the heck are you pretending that he is?”
“It’s complicated,” I growl.
“It’s stupid.” She shakes her head. “You two are insane—you’ve been insane for years. This is very simple—he’s single; you’re single. You like each other…make it official. No more messing around.”
“But it will hurt Sadie.”
“Since when do you care?” Riley’s obviously exasperated.
I wrinkle my nose, hating what I’m about to say. “She’s nice.”
My sister’s jaw drops. “You’ve gone and made friends with the enemy!”
“She’s not the enemy.” I roll my eyes.
“She’s faux-dating the boy you’ve loved since kindergarten!”
“I have not—”
She holds up a hand, cutting me off. “Kindergarten, Harper.”
Has Riley always been this obnoxious? I’ve been at college for several years, so it’s possible I forgot how difficult she can be.
“There’s something else.” I take a sip from a can of ginger ale. I can’t quite look at her—already, I feel my cheeks getting hot.
Riley waits, scowling.
“Mason’s…not what I thought he would be.”
And just like that, her eyes widen to the size of dinner plates, and her entire “tough love” shtick is forgotten. “Please tell me you’ve kissed him. Oh, it would make you such a trollop to kiss two boys in less than a week, but I could totally forgive that if you actually kissed Mason Knight.”
“Did you just call me a trollop?” I demand, almost amused.
She shrugs. “Well?”
I shake my head. “No, I haven’t.”
Riley scoots forward on the bed, walking on her knees. “When you do, you have to catalog every single moment, so you can tell me about it later.”
“Uh, Riley…Linus?”
“I don’t want to kiss him.” She waves her hand. “I want you to kiss him. You know, for prosperity.”
“I should kiss Mason…for prosperity? Do you mean posterity?”
Grinning like a pixie, she does a bobblehead nod. “Absolutely.”
“Riley, that doesn’t even make sense.”
She’s about to answer when a quiet knock sounds at the door. Her face goes pale, and she leans in. “Is that him?”
It’s late, after eleven. I don’t know who else would come knocking. “It might be.”
Her hands fly to her hair, which she yanked up in a messy ponytail over an hour ago. “I look awful.”
“You look fine.” I shoot her a look as I scoot off the bed. “If it is him, please act like a normal human being.”
“As opposed to what?” she demands.
“Your regular self.”
I look out the peephole, not sure who to expect. I can’t imagine it’s Brandon. He left for the hotel right after he brought Sadie back.
Sure enough, Mason stands on the other side, his eyes fixed down the hall.
Quickly, I open the door and usher him inside. “What are you doing here? You’re going to get us in trouble.”
He relaxes as soon as the door is shut behind us and flashes me his signature grin. “It’s half the fun, right?”
Is it?
Mason’s eyes drift to the bed, and he goes still. “Hey, Harper. You have a stowaway.” He stops and narrows his eyes at Riley and then at me. “One who looks a lot like you.”
Riley blinks, struck mute—probably for the first time in her life.
“Mason, this is my sister. Riley, this is Mason.” I widen my eyes as I look at her, reminding her to keep her cool.
She opens her mouth only to close it again.
“Hey, Riley,” Mason says, stepping over to the bed and extending his hand. “Nice to meet you.”
Her gaze moves from his face to his hand. Visibly shaking herself out of her stupor, she presses her palm to his. “Me too. I mean you.” The color that was just coming back to her cheeks drains away. “I mean, I am so happy to meet you. Of course, I kind of know you. But you don’t know me. Is that weird? That people feel like they know you, but you don’t know them at all? Did you know your eyes are actually gray? To be honest, I thought that was tweaked in your photos. I mean—gray eyes? Who has those. Except you, of course. Because yours are—”
“Riley,” I hiss under my breath.
She looks at me, grateful I cut her off.
Mason raises an eyebrow. “I’m going to go out on a limb and say you’re the sister with my posters in her room.”
“Posters. Yes. I had posters.” Riley flushes. “And I have a boyfriend, whom I am going to call. Right now.”
Without another word, she nods to Mason, then me, and hurries into the hall, letting the heavy door slowly swing shut behind her.
Mason doesn’t say a word until the automatic lock clicks in place, but when he turns to me, he wears a rotten grin. “She’s the reason you don’t want to like me.”
I shake my head, trying and failing to hide a smile. “I like you.”
His lips twitch, and he takes a purposeful step closer. “Do you now?”
Holding out my hand, I stop his advance. “Not that much.”
“Because of Brandon?”
Just the words make me feel ill.
Mason nods, looking resigned. “Because of Brandon.”
This time, it’s not a question.
“He’s not dating Sadie,” I blurt out.
Making himself at home, Mason sits on the edge of the bed. “They broke up?”
I shake my head. “Apparently they weren’t ever dating. He brought her to Thanksgiving because he said he couldn’t face me anymore. And they’re friends, so she came to spend time with him.”
“Face you?” Mason scowls.
“He thought I didn’t like him, but I never admitted how I felt because I didn’t know how he felt. And now we can’t be together because Sadie cares for him. And she still doesn’t know that I know that they were never together.”
“I feel like we’ve just gone back to middle school.” Mason grins to soften the words.
I toss my hands in the air frustrated. “Believe me, I know.”
He frowns, probably trying to wrap his head around all that. “Are you secretly together now?”
“I won’t do that to Sadie—not behind her back like that.”
“So, you’re not together.” He slowly stands.
“Well…no, but…” I’m not sure how I planned to finish that sentence.
Smiling, he stalks toward me. “That’s all you had to say.”
I eye him nervously, not entirely sure I like his predatory smirk. I stop him from getting any closer by placing a hand on his arm. “Mason…”
“It’s okay.” He stays put, doesn’t even attempt to move in. “I know what you’re going to say.”
“You do?” Skeptical, I raise an eyebrow.
“You’re going to tell me that your life is complicated right now—that you don’t want to muddy it up more than it already is. You like me a lot, and because you value our growing friendship, you don’t want to do anything to put it in jeopardy.”
I press my lips together, trying
not to smile. “And how would you respond?”
His hand drifts to a strand of hair by my face, and he gently runs his fingers down it. The gentle tug sends shivers up my back. “I’d say that you’re easy to talk to. That I like it when you accidentally drop the controlled mask you wear and reveal the bright, beautiful, free girl underneath.”
Somehow, he’s closer, and I’m not sure when that happened.
“I’d tell you that seeing you makes me wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t been discovered at fourteen—if I had stayed in Montana, met you at a football game, kissed you for the first time in front of a bonfire. Maybe I would have taken you to prom, posed with you as your parents took our pictures at your graduation, gone away to college with you.”
I’m fully in his spell, lost in his gray gaze.
“That’s what I would tell you,” he says, his breath on my lips.
“I kissed Brandon on Tuesday,” I admit, desperately wanting him to move away before I do something stupid.
“I don’t care.”
Unable to stop myself, I let out a breathy laugh. “Riley says if I kiss both of you in the same week, I’m a trollop.”
He backs up just enough to meet my eyes. His eyebrow quirks in the most playful way. “You were talking about kissing me?”
“Mason…”
“I like you, Harper.” His lips tease against mine, and I close my eyes, feeling horribly guilty. “A lot.”
“I’m not strong enough to say no, so please…don’t do this,” I murmur.
Immediately, Mason backs up with a sigh, giving me room to breathe.
I wrap my arms around myself. I feel a thousand different things all at once, and it’s exhausting.
I almost kissed Mason.
Why did I stop him?
How could I do that to Brandon?
I can’t believe I care.
“Friends, huh?” Mason says, smiling through his disappointment.
Not trusting myself to speak, I nod.
“All right,” he finally agrees as he heads to the door to let himself out. Before he steps into the hall, he looks back. “For now.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“I don’t have my board,” I say to Riley, trying to get out of her outing. “And I don’t want to rent one. I’m going to head back to the kitchen to do some practice baking.”
My sister sets her hands on her hips, which looks a little awkward considering we’re squished around a table in the dining hall. Her elbow ends up jabbing Brandon in the side. “Don’t you think you’ve baked enough?”
Someone apparently doesn’t care about the competition now that she’s met Mason.
“I’m here to win, Riley.”
She rolls her eyes and gives me an exaggerated pout. “Come on—you love to snowboard. And we’re in Colorado.”
Brandon clears his throat. “I brought your board, Harper.”
Every eye turns to him, including mine.
He won’t look at me. We’ve barely spoken since he left my room the other morning. “I picked it up from your house before I drove up here.”
Sadie watches him, her eyes unsure and her smile wavering.
“Great,” I answer, not liking the amount of attention on us. Cole and Jerome have joined us again, and they’re watching like we’re characters in a soap opera.
Still not looking at me, Brandon says, “Why don’t we drive to my hotel, and we’ll pick it up.” He turns to Linus and Riley. “We’ll meet you on the slope.”
Riley squirms in her seat, and her eyes sparkle. “Okay then. We’ll see you there.”
“Do you want me to drop you off at the shops?” Brandon asks Sadie, and it doesn’t escape my notice—or likely anyone else's—that he doesn’t quite look at her either.
Focusing on the table, intently studying her breakfast, Sadie nods.
I glance at Cole and Jerome, embarrassed that they’re here to witness the awkward exchange. Cole’s eyes are on Sadie, and concern is written all over his handsome face. Jerome catches me looking, and he gives me an understanding smile.
Thanks to Tammy and her lovely interview, there’s not one person here who doesn’t know of the catastrophe that is my relationship with Brandon and my baking partner.
The drive into town is quiet. We don’t bother with small talk—what’s the point, after all? It’s going to be uncomfortable no matter how we try to mask it.
“I’ll pick you up in a couple hours,” Brandon promises Sadie when he drops her off in the parking lot of the upscale outlet stores. “Call if you want to go back sooner.”
She waves her hand like she doesn’t want to be any trouble. “Quinn and Sarah talked about shopping today too. I’ll see if I can meet up with them.”
Brandon nods, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Okay.”
He looks like he wants to say more, but she heads toward the entrance of the closest store. We don’t talk until he pulls up in front of the hotel he’s staying at.
Instead of getting out, Brandon unfastens his belt and angles his body toward me. He studies me, and his forehead knits slightly.
“What?” I finally ask.
“I told her.”
It takes me several moments to realize what he means, and then I sit back, pressing my shoulders against the cold passenger door window. “You said we should wait.”
He rubs his hands over his face and slumps forward. “I know, but I couldn’t keep this up. The whole thing has become ridiculous.”
“What did she say?”
“Not much.” He still hasn’t looked my way.
Why won’t he look at me?
I study him for several moments, and my stomach knots. I have an epiphany, and it’s not pleasant.
“You like her,” I whisper. It comes out as an accusation.
Brandon drags his gaze over slowly, and he finally meets my eyes. “Yeah.”
I press the heel of my hand to my chest. I thought he was going to tell me we could finally be together, but that’s not the direction we’re headed at all. I’m the one he’s letting down gently.
I refuse to cry, so I blink quickly and turn to look out the windshield.
“Harper…”
Shaking my head, I close my eyes. “You kissed me, Brandon. You said…”
It doesn’t matter what he said.
“I love you, Harper,” he says quietly. “I’ve always loved you. But for some reason, we’ve never gotten together. I don’t know if our timing was off, or if it just wasn’t meant to be, but it’s never happened. I gave up. And at some point, I guess I let Sadie in.”
I want to press my hands to my ears, block out the words. Instead, I nod as if I understand, as if my heart isn’t breaking all over again.
“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs.
“Will you take me back to the lodge?” I ask. My voice wavers, but only slightly.
“Harper.”
“Please, Brandon.” The words are sharp, and I sound mad, but I can’t help it. Better mad than devastated.
“Okay.”
He pulls in front of the lodge, and I hurry from the truck.
“Harper, wait,” he says before I’m out of the seat.
And though I want nothing more than to slam the door and stalk off, I turn back to him.
“Are we okay?” He fidgets with the gear shift as he waits for my answer.
I stare at him, wondering how he can ask me that. Finally, I nod and close the door softly behind me.
Thirty minutes later, I sit on the bed in my room, watching dark clouds roll in from the west, blocking the bright blue sky. Tears run down my face, but I don’t care. I’m alone, and there’s no one here to witness my weakness.
So alone.
Brandon’s probably with Sadie right now, telling her the deed is done. Either that or he’s facing Riley, admitting to my sister why I’m back at the lodge.
There’s a knock at the door, and I go still. Surely she couldn’t have made it back this quickly.
/>
“Harper,” Mason calls from the hall, “open up.”
I turn back to the window, determined to ignore him.
“Come on, Harper. I know you’re in there. I’ll stay here all afternoon if I have to, and we’ll both get kicked off the show because someone is bound to see me.”
Growling under my breath, I swing my legs off the bed and stalk to the entry.
“What?” I demand as soon as I open the door.
Mason’s face goes soft when he sees my blotchy cheeks and watery eyes. Oddly, I don’t care that he knows I’ve been crying. Because I haven’t known him my whole life, I don’t feel I have to live up to expectations. I don’t have to be strong or calm or in control.
I’m just me, and “just me” has hit rock bottom.
Most guys hate tears, and I fully expect him to make a hasty retreat. Instead, he asks, “Can I come in?”
Shrugging, I step aside.
He walks to the window. “I think it’s going to snow again.”
Despite the darkening sky, the meager sunlight reflects off the snow-covered landscape and does a fair job of brightening the room. It’s all wrong for my mood. It should be gloomy. The promise of fresh snow just makes the lodge feel more festive, and festive is the last thing I want to feel right now.
“What are you doing here?” I finally ask.
He turns to face me. “Your friend tracked me down, said you probably wouldn’t want to be alone this afternoon. He also said you wouldn’t admit it, so I should come to you.”
I narrow my eyes. “Brandon?”
Mason nods and waits for me to make the next move.
“So, you got roped into babysitting,” I scoff.
“Better—Harpersitting.” He flashes me a smile. “And I am the coolest Harpersitter in the world because I have a craft project planned.”
And though my heart is broken, I almost smile. “Let me guess, it involves puffy paints and poster board?”
He fakes surprise. “How did you guess?”
I give him a one-shouldered shrug. “I’m smart like that.”
“Let’s go snowshoeing.”
Startled by the abrupt change of subject, I blink at him. “Snowshoeing?”
Mason grins. “Yeah, you know—we’ll strap tennis rackets to our feet and traipse about in the snow.”
Sugar and Spice (The Glitter and Sparkle Series Book 3) Page 10