She uses her pointer finger to trace a X on her chest. “Cross my heart.” She then turns, and practically skips into the store. I shake my head as I follow her.
Here’s the thing: I’m not much of a lingerie wearer. I find it too revealing, and I become self conscious of all my lumps and rolls. Where other women find confidence in them, I don’t. Any woman who feels confident and sexy in these pieces, no matter what size, more power to them. I, on the other hand, only see my physical negatives when I wear something like that.
I stroll through all the sections of the store. My eye catches on a few items that I love, but would never buy for myself. When I finally make it to the swimsuit section, I find a simple, black one piece. The way the straps are designed is what attracted my attention. It comes with a front crossstructure that I’m just obsessed with, and it allows for enough coverage that makes me feel comfortable with showing a little skin. I don’t need to look at any other suits. I grab my size, holding it up against my body to ensure that it will fit. Moving toward the register, I keep an eye out for my best friend. Evie has been bopping around the store, and I catch her just finishing up at the register.
“You found some stuff for yourself?”
She whips around to face me as she snatches the bag from the counter and holds the handles out in front of her. “Well, of course. I can’t let you have all the fun with buying new things.” She gives me a wink before moving to the side for me to buy my suit.
Minutes later, we make a couple more stops before I have everything I need. We pop into Ruthie’s for a hot drink before heading back to my house. Evie and I haul everything I bought into the living room, and I don’t unpack it because that’s a later-Harper problem. We take advantage of the nice fall day and I start a fire.
We play fetch with Winnie for a bit before taking a break. He was not a fan of stopping, so in pure Winnie fashion, he sits there with a grumpy look on his face while the balls lays at his feet. When he realizes that we truly are done, he picks up his ball and goes and lays down in the middle of the yard. Evie snorts. “Wow, he really hates when we stop playing, eh?”
I smirk at her before looking over my shoulder to the furball laying in the yard. His head down is in his paws and he’s looking over in our direction.Poor baby.A huff leaves his mouth before he begins to close his eyes. Evie and I settle back into our chairs around the firepit.
We finish our drinks while the sun begins its descent over the horizon. We barbecued some burgers for supper, and decided Evie was going to spend the night again as she didn’t work until the evening tomorrow. I still have to work bright and early, but Evie being here while I work has never been an issue. She lets me be while I work, and I seek her out when I need a break.
“I’m not looking forward to packing.” I put my elbow on the arm rest and place my cheek on my fist. I look over at Evie, who has curled herselfup on the chair. Somehow, she has fallen asleep. Her hands are tucked under the side of her head, blonde hair in a messy bun on the top of her head. There’s one of my plaid fleece blankets thrown over her body. A quick snort comes from her body as she begins to mumble. My lips press in a line to try and hold in any laughter. “But why does the bunny need a pocket watch? He’s still going to end up late, he can’t tell time.” Turning my face to bury it in my shoulder, I snicker over Evie’s latest sleeping rants.
I stare into the fire, entranced by the way the flames shape-shift as it crackles around the burning embers. The colors of orange and white cascade, and the heat from the fire envelopes my body as the evening starts to grow colder. Winnie had come closer to the fire as the sun set, curled up at my feet.
I start to think about how the next couple of weeks are going to go for this trip. The unknown of what to be expected of this trip is weighing on my nerves. I glance at Evie, and see that she’s still out cold. I make note to wake her up soon so we can head into the house. I grab my phone from my pocket and open it up. Before I can think otherwise, I text Xavier.
Harper: I’m getting nervous about this trip.
Xavier: I was just thinking about you. What’s going on? Why are you nervous?
My stomach does a little flip at the thought of him thinking of me. Before I read too much into it, I answer him.
Harper: I’m just getting nervous about what this week is going to entail. If I packed enough clothing and supplies. What if we get snowed in? What if everyone decides after spending a couple days with me that they hate me?
The message is marked as read, and three dots appear then disappear a few times. The bubbles repeat as he types something and then deletes it. In the next moment, my screen changes to show an incoming call from Xavier. I take a deep breath before swiping and accepting the call.
“Hello?”
“Talk to me,” Xavier murmurs, his voice low and husky on the other side of the phone.
“ I am talking to you, aren’t I?”
A deep chuckle rumbles through the line, the sound sending a shiver down my spine. It causes a low heat to unfurl low in my belly, the sensation melting down in my core. I press my thighs together, trying to ease the feeling that I shouldnotbe entertaining right now.
“Okay, smartass. You know what I mean– but to answer your questions. While I can’t confirm we won’t get snowed in, I can guarantee that we are well equipped to handle a potential snow-in.”
“That’s reassuring.” I grumble, picking at a loose string on my shirt.
“I’m just being honest with you. Our place isn’t anywhere close that would be affected by an avalanche or anything. But if we get a good amount of snow, and the roads are closed, the lodge is built to handle an extended period of time while we wait to be cleared out.”
“I guess as long as everything is well stocked.”
I swear I hear the smile on his face as he continues, “As for hating you, that’s impossible. They’d be crazy not to like you.”
The heat creeping up my neck has little to do with the fire in front of me, and everything to do with the words coming from the man on the phone.
“Well, you’re not too bad yourself.” A yawn escapes my mouth before I’m able to catch it.
“You should get some sleep. If you ever want to talk about what it’s like out at the lodge, let me know. We can go have lunch one day this week before we leave, and I can come with the floor plans and everything so you’re well prepared.” The teasing tone becomes strong as he finishes his sentence.
“Okay, okay,” I chuckle, but pause before I continue, debating if I should finish my thoughts. Eh, fuck it. “But yes please, to lunch and the floor plans.”
