I whirled to face her. "So what? There's no law against looking."
She looked from me to the window. "It's not the 'looking' that bothers me."
"So what does?"
"I don't know, but you're hiding something." Her eyes narrowed. "And it involveshim."She said "him" like he was a patch of yellow snow.
I couldn't exactly blame her. She was only acting this way because someone – yeah, I meant me – had spent months telling her that Cole was a monster.
But in my own defense, hehadbeen a monster. Maybe he still was. Even now, I couldn't quite believe that I was actually going out with him.
Who knows, maybe this wasn't a date at all. Maybe it was just, I dunno, a sledding appointment or part of some research project on former employees.
Hey, it wasn'ttotallyimpossible.
Deliberately, I changed the subject. "Where's Gwen?"
"My guess?" Harper grimaced. "Dealing with mama drama."
I shook my head. "Again?"
"Not again.Always. You know how she is."
Harper was referring, of course, to Gwen's mom, whose life was a bucking bronco of ups and down, usually related to men. "So, what now?" I asked.
Harper rolled her eyes. "Don't ask."
Iwantedto ask, but it seemed like a risky prospect, demanding to know what Gwen was doing when I was heading out on a secret mission of my own.
Already, I'd smuggled my warmest winter coat out to my car, along with my mittens and snow boots. That way, when I finally left my aunt's place, I wouldn't arouse further suspicion.
After all, who needed grief when this was probably just a one-time thing?
Notme, that's for sure.
Chapter 12
Lexie
When I pulled into the parking lot, I spotted Cole Henster right away. He was standing near the rear of his black SUV, wearing jeans and the same red ski jacket that he'd been wearing this afternoon. The SUV's hatch was open, and Cole was reaching into the cargo area as if preparing to pull something out.
I was pretty sure I knew what that was something was, but I didn't linger long enough to see for sure. Instead, I turned my car in the opposite direction and selected a parking spot several rows away, making sure to park behind a big utility truck so Cole wouldn't see what I was driving.
It wasn't because my car was old, even though it was. It was because at some time or another, he would almost surely spot my car in the neighborhood, assuming he hadn't already.
If he didn't know who the car belonged to, it could remain incognito – well, as much as possible for a vehicle like mine.
My car was bright yellow with a big black racing stripe down the middle, which was pretty hilarious considering that the vehicle wasn't even fast. It didn't evenlookfast. But it did look cute, and it had front-wheel drive, which meant that it handled snowy roads surprisingly well.
Considering that snow had been falling all day, this was a very good thing. For sledding, the conditions were ideal. But for driving, not so much.
Happily, I was already here, so I quickly threw on my hat and mittens and left my vehicle. As I walked toward Cole's parking spot, I glanced up at the nearby hill and grinned at the sight of at least two dozen other sledders – kids mostly – either riding down the hill on their sleds or scampering upward, dragging their sleds behind them.
When Cole spotted me, he smiled and called out, "There you are."
I picked up the pace and joined him near the rear of his vehicle. "Sorry I’m late. I got a little hung up."
With an easy shrug, he replied, "That's alright. I just got here myself."
