CHAPTER 4
Harper’s heart skippeda beat when she pulled into the cafe’s parking lot. There was an extra large truck parked in the back corner and she knew exactly whom it belonged to.
Pulling into a slot, she waited. Should she go inside? She loved this cafe and every year on her way to the farmer’s market in Florence she stopped to get herself something sweet to start the day. But Mason was here and they’d left things off rather awkwardly last week.
Her thumbs beat an unsteady rhythm against the steering wheel. Would he think she was following him? He was more than likely going to the same market–their schedules were nearly identical this time of year–and it had never been a problem before.
“So why is it now?” she asked her empty car. “We’re friends, right?” She pulled back on the key, shutting down the engine. “Friends can randomly run into each other without it being a big deal.”
She ignored the fact that one side of her brain was flashing a red flag and the other was screaming with excitement at seeing the handsome giant again. How he could create two such contrasting emotions was truly remarkable, but she’d been nursing a slightly bruised heart during the last several days and she wasn’t eager to go through it again.
Their uncomfortable walk down the boardwalk was purely her fault. She should have told him no. Should have said she had to get the paints home. Should have done something, other than agree to stroll with him. She knew she’d given him the wrong impression and from the silence that followed them and his retreating invitations, she also knew he understood her lack of interest.
She snorted. There was no such thing as a lack of interest on her part, but she had definitely had the body language of someone like that and Mason wasn’t stupid. He’d taken her back to her car within a couple minutes of starting to walk. He’d clearly gotten the message.
Guilt had taken a long ride on her shoulders, along with a sadness that she’d struggled to shake. She felt guilty for leading Mason on and sad that she couldn’t pursue whatever this thing was between them. Oh, how she wanted to explore it. Her week had been colorless and lonely, even with Aspen and Maeve showing up for a game night.
Their laughter and antics usually broke up the monotony of living alone, but this time it hadn’t helped at all. When the women had left, Harper had gone to bed feeling worse than she had before they’d arrived. Not that any of that was Aspen or Maeve’s fault. Harper was the sole person to blame here.
She stood next to her car, keys biting into her fist as she stared down the entrance. She could do this. She was an adult and ran her own business, even if family money helped keep her afloat. She had managed to get herself through art school and move to Oregon on her own. She could do this.
Harper thrust back her shoulders. No man was worth making her cower in the corner. Mason was wonderful, but she didn’t need him in order to live a good life. When she made it as an artist, then she could look at opening up her heart. But until then, she could be professional and a friend. Two things that should be easy.
She grabbed the door handle and firmly jerked it open, hiding a wince when it practically crashed into the side of the building. Perhaps a little less enthusiasm, she scolded herself.
Refusing to look around, she headed straight to the counter, feigning an all-consuming interest in the glass display case, even though she knew exactly what she was going to get.
“Hi! How can I help you today?” a middle aged woman asked, wiping her hands on her apron.
“A cup of milk lemon loaf, and a chocolate croissant, please,” Harper said politely. There was movement in her peripheral vision, but Harper studiously ignored it. Real professional, she thought wryly. Something red was headed her way and her heart began to beat in a crazy rhythm.
“We’ll have that right out for you,” the woman said, a teasing smile on her face as her eyes went over Harper’s shoulder. “But I think you have a welcoming committee.”
Harper finally turned, Mason’s presence at her shoulder too much to be ignored now. “Oh. Hey, Mason.” She ignored the quiet chuckle of the woman behind the counter. “Fancy meeting you here.”
Mason gave her a half grin, which amazingly enough was even more attractive than his usual smile. “Hey, yourself. You headed down to Florence today?”
Harper nodded. “Yep. I have a booth there.”
He nodded in return.
“Are you carving live? Or just selling?” she finally asked into the silence.
“I have a booth as well, but I’ll be doing some carving.” He shrugged. “They didn’t hire me for that, but I booked two spaces so I could. It seems to gather a crowd and it’s good for business.”
“Right.”
“Here you go.”
Harper turned to see the woman behind the counter smirking and pushing forward a to-go cup of tea along with her wrapped pastry. “Thanks,” Harper said softly. She could feel a blush creeping up her cheeks and quickly turned away, holding up her items as an excuse. “Looks like I’m all set.”
Mason glanced at his watch. “We’ve got a couple minutes. Might as well sit down and enjoy it.” He waved toward a table.
“Uh...” Red flags waved in her vision. She knew he was just being friendly, but this was exactly what had happened last week. She really needed to put some boundaries into place if she was ever going to get over this crush. “That’s really nice of you, but I need to get there early,” she said lamely. “It takes a bit to unload all the canvases and make the booth look pretty, you know?”
Mason rubbed the back of his neck. “Yep. I get it.” He stepped back. “I’ll see you there then.”
Harper nodded a little too eagerly. “Yep. I’ll see you there.” She turned and headed back to the door. Guilt churned her stomach and she knew she’d never manage to get the croissant down.
Dropping her food and drink into the allotted slots in the car, Harper blew out a breath and bit her lip to keep the tears at bay. She’d done it. She’d turned him down in a polite and professional way, keeping their relationship from resembling anything but friendship.
Then why does it hurt so much?
She put a hand against her chest, trying to ease the sharp pain there. Why? WHY? She wanted to scream at the heavens. This wasn’t fair. Why couldn’t she have met him in a few years? Why did he have to be so nice? Why couldn’t life be simple enough that she could have both at the same time?
The first time’s always the hardest.
The words helped her calm down slightly. The thought was true. Stepping away from Mason would get easier. She just had to hold on until that time, then the tension between them would fade out and they could go back to enjoying each other’s company in an easy, friendly way.
*****