“Okay…” Her hesitance is palpable in her tone. “So is this an every man for themselves speech, or?”
“What? No!” I turn my signal on and slow down on the side of the road before I put it in park, spinning to face her. “I wanted you to know that I’m in your corner. I know how my sister can be, and I know whatever she tries to throw your way is with the purpose of bringing you down. I want to say it’s a defense mechanism, but honestly she’s just a self-centered bitch.”
A guffaw leaves her mouth at my bluntness.
“Her and I have never gotten along. I know there are some siblings that do, but we aren’t one of them.” I face the road again as a sigh leaves my lips. “I haven’t been to the lodge in a while myself. I wouldn’t be going if you weren’t coming, to be honest.” I look over at her, the green of her eyes are focused on me with such intensity. I offer a small shrug before I start to pull the truck back onto the road.
It’s quiet for a couple minutes. I think the conversation is over and I’m glad she knows I’ve got her back. I really do. I won’t let her take the words my sister might spew at her seriously. It wasn’t hard for me to figure out how deeply the actions of my sister and her new boy toy cut Harper and impacted her self-worth. I’ll be damned if they try to make her feel worse.
“You know I have your back too, right?” It’s a simple sentence, but the weight of it is heavy on my chest. I glance at her, nodding so she knows I heard her. I don’t think I’m able to respond otherwise.
Just then, the lodge comes into view, pulling Harper's focus as she takes it in. “Wow,” she whispers in awe “This place is fucking huge.”
Pulling up to the house, I press the door opener on my visor, glad I remembered to grab it before leaving. Moving forward to the first open spot, I throw the truck in park before sliding out. I snake around the front, opening Harper’s door. There’s a smirk on her face as she hops down, but she doesn’t argue with me. She won’t win that argument.
My hand intertwines with hers as we head toward the door that connects with the main lodge. “Wait. What about our bags?” Her steps falter as she looks back at the truck.
“Don’t worry about those. My parents have hired staff to grab the bags and take them to our room.”
A garbled squeak leaves Harper’s mouth. My arm that’s connected to her is jolted back. Turning, I see her wide emerald eyes connect with mine, shimmering with panic. “Our room? – like one room. One bed. You and me?”
My lips twitch as I try to hold back the amusement that washes over me. “Uh yes. Generally that’s what I mean by our room. It’s a California King bed though, Harper. We can take our respective sides when we go to sleep.” I say, stepping toward her, trailing my hands from her shoulders, down her arms before dropping them back to my side. “I can promise you this. I’m not expecting anything to happen behind closed doors.”Unless you tell me otherwise, which I really hope you do.
I keep that last part to myself though.
Her eyes flick between both of mine, and I briefly catch them jump to my lips. Raising my eyebrow at her, her cheeks bloom with heat. I don’t think I could get tired of making that color appear on her face.
“C’mon.” I encourage, nodding my head toward the door. “Let me show you around and where you can set up your office for the week.”
The next half hour is spent showing her where everything is. The kitchen, which Harper stated was a wet dream with all the industrial equipment and marble countertops, followed by the living area that leads to the back deck. There is a hot tub and a fire pit surrounded by big wooden chairs. I see the way her eyes light up at the hot tub. I make a note to take her out tomorrow, after we’ve had some time to settle in.
I show her the pool and sauna area that includes an indoor gym before taking her upstairs. Stopping briefly at the top of the stairs, Harper looks around before my hand tugs on hers insistently, leading her to my bedroom. It’s the opposite of where Chloe and my parents usually sleep. I like the silence and being in my own space, which I think Harper will appreciate too. You tend to learn what your Chloe limit is and crave that distance.
My room’s the third door to the left. Opening the door, I step back to let Harper take the first step into the room.
The room is nothing too crazy, covered in a grey color scheme. The California king bed is on a four poster canopy frame. Opposite the bed is a wall to wall bookcase. The shelves are lackluster, a few books here and there on the shelves. If I were to come up here more often, maybe the shelves would look a little fuller. Walking up to the floor to ceiling windows, I pull back the curtain, and the room is instantly bathed in amber hues from the sun. Sometimes, I just sit in the arm chair that’s right by the windows, close my eyes, and soak in the sun like a cat.
“Oh my God! This bookshelf is gorgeous!” I turn around and find Harper, running her hand along the length of the shelf as she surveys the minimal books I have on there.
“If you think that bookshelf is great, just wait until I show you your office for the week.” I start to walk toward her as she spins around to face me.
“You really didn’t have to set me up in a full office. I could have totally worked from the bedroom. I don’t want to inconvenience anyone.”
Shaking my head with a tsk, I close the distance between us. My height causes her head to tilt up, as I loom over her. There’s tension filling the room, but I’m unsure if it’s one sided.
“Absolutely not. You need to have separation from the place you sleep and where you’re going to work. Plus, there are eight rooms in this lodge, and we’re only using three. It’s not an inconvenience, okay?” My eyes bore into hers, waiting for her to argue with me.
I see the moment she realizes there’s no point in arguing. She grumbles and throws her hands up. “Ugh, fine. Show me the room, then.”
Chapter Seventeen
Harper
Thisofficespaceisheaven, and it has everything that I need. The room has matching floor to ceiling windows like Xaviers, my desk facing the view. Out the window is a clear view of the ski slopes. The powdery white mountain tops are dusted with the green of the forest. The movement of the chair lifts moving in a mesmerizing loop, standing there I watched its movements. Shaking myself out of the trance, I head toward the leather chair. Sitting down, I run my fingers over the cool leather, and the buttery soft material feels soothing on my skin. My body sinks further into the plush chair as I take in the rest of the room. The neutral beige and browns are balanced throughout the room, but there are slight pops of blues scattered throughout. There’s even a modern desk that is so gorgeous. A modern desk that looks brand new. Wait. I sit up straighter, turning my attention to Xavier, who has been standing in the doorway watching me this whole time.
“Did you buy this stuffjustfor me to work here for five days?”
Xavier just shrugs his shoulders, “I wanted you to have your own space to work.” He says with such nonchalance, I sit there with my mouth open.
