“The best thing you can do is talk to him,” Eiley added. “You’re driving yourself mad, but he’s a good man. He’ll help you figure it out. He wouldwantto figure it out. I know he would.”
Harper looked down, playing with the wooden button on her coat sleeve. Her fingers were cold. Her coffee would be, too. “It’s more than just choosing him or my job. It’s the writing, too. For once in my life, I’ve been doing something I really love,something I’m learning not to need immediate validation for, all on my own.”
“It sounds like maybe you’ve already made your decision, then,” Cam replied.
Harper took a deep breath and closed her eyes. She wished it was that simple.
28
Half of Fraser’s stock was gone by the end of the day, and almost all of his business cards. Fairies that had spent years in his shed now belonged to people who would hopefully care for them a little better. A warmth settled in his chest as he packed up his stall. Thank goodness Harper had pushed him to do this. Being praised for his work all day had left him overwhelmed with pride. He hadn’t quite realised how great an impact the fairies had made on the locals, how much they’d been enjoyed on the trail.
His gaze fell to Harper. She’d been quiet this afternoon, but he hadn’t had time to ask why. She looked gorgeous in the amber light of the setting sun, her nose pink from the cold as she carefully wrapped up his unsold pieces and placed each one back in the crate. Her teeth chattered, lips pale.
Without thinking, he pulled off his red tartan scarf and wound it around her neck, causing her to startle. “I know it doesn’t match your outfit, but…”
She soon melted into a smile, burying her chin into the wool. “Thanks.”
“Fancy a drink after this?” He nodded across the road to the Turloch Corner Tavern, which was already piled full of people. Despite the chill in the air, patrons were eating and drinking outside, the atmosphere loud and bubbly after such a cheerful day. “I think Mum’s already inside with Cam.”
Harper hesitated. Just for a second, but he saw it. Something in her eyes was dark and lifeless, like he was looking at her through tinted windows. “Sure. Sounds good.”
“We don’t have to, if you’re tired,” he said. Maybe he’d relied on her too much today. Drained her. The thought made him uneasy.
She shook her head. Went back to tidying. “I’m sure I can manage a pint.”
Whatever it was, she was trying to hide it, and some part of him didn’t want to push – afraid if he did, it might break the spell of the day’s festivities.
“Thank you for everything today, Harp.” His voice was delicate, barely concealing a plea – for what, he didn’t quite know. Perhaps he just wanted her to look at him. Perhaps he just wanted to be sure that everything was okay.
“Of course. It was good fun.”
He placed the lid on the box of figurines then slapped his hands together. “All done.”
Harper said nothing, still searching for more things to clean or put away. But there was nothing left on the table, and the silence between them was laid bare too.
He couldn’t not ask. “Is something wrong, sunshine?”
She shook her head, playing with the frayed tassels of his scarf nervously.
So somethingwaswrong, then, and she was doing a terrible job of denying it.
Anxiety bounced like springs inside him. He took her hand carefully and waited.
She traced the rough callouses on his fingers. “I don’t want to do this. I don’t want to ruin the day.”
Oh, god.She was going to break it off with him. A lump built in his throat, and he worked hard to gulp it down, but that only served to make it worse. “Do what?” he croaked.
“I…” She sighed, finally meeting his eyes. Hers were glossy, and her lip quivered. His insecurity quickly turned to concern. Was it something else? “I got an email from my old boss the other day. He wants me to interview with him again.”
Fraser narrowed his eyes. “The same boss who made you redundant?”
A nod. “But not the same role, otherwise I wouldn’t even be considering it, trust me. He wants me to step in as the director of the marketing team.”
“Wow...” He dropped her hand without realising it, trying to comprehend what that meant.Director.
It was a good opportunity. One she was “considering”.
She’d proven herself to be a skilled marketer, not just to him, but to Andy and everybody else who had benefitted from her ideas.
