Page 64 of Riding the Curve
A heavy sigh drifts into the speaker. “You’ve always been stubborn, you know?”
“It’s one of my best qualities,” I snort.
“Fine. But you aren’t working your usual shifts. Just come in on Friday and Saturday. That’s when I need the most help.”
“Thank you, Harper. For everything. You’ve always been such an amazing friend, and I’m so thankful to finally be in the same time zone with you again.”
“Me too, love. Now get some sleep. Sounds like you have a busy day ahead of you tomorrow. You’ll need all your strength for the amount of ogling you’ll be doing.”
Laughter streams through, filling the quiet spaces of my tiny cabin.
“I’m glad you find this so amusing. I’ll be sure to call you out the next time I find you ogling someone.”
“Ha! Good luck with that. I don’t see that happening anytime soon.”
My eyebrows shoot up at her blatant fib, and I’m thankful she can’t see me. I wonder when she’s ever going to confess to her crush on my brother.
A yawn breaks free, exhaustion finally settling inside my body. “Alright, bestie. I really do need to head to bed.”
“Night, night. You better keep me updated on this week. Don’t leave me hanging.”
“Yes, ma’am,” I snicker into the phone. “See you Friday.”
Turning off the bedside lamp, I snuggle deeper into the hunter green sheets.
Emerson’s offered me a chance at a future that I’ve always dreamt of. Nerves prickle inside my stomach. Could this be the time when it finally all works out? Could this be the time when it finally all works out?
CHAPTER 25
Henley
Sage paint flows like a waterfall into the trays spread out on the floor as I sit quietly across the room, completely captivated by the man pouring it.
From the moment he knocked on my door this morning with a coffee and pastries in hand, I’ve been unable to draw my eyes away from him. There’s this sudden lightness about him, one that I’ve only caught glimpses of since we’ve been home. As if yesterday’s conversation with his father has shifted his whole demeanor.
We spent most of the morning taping off areas we didn’t want painted and laying out drop cloths in each of the cabins. Mostly just chatting about what needed to be accomplished today, and making plans for the rest of the furniture being delivered. Completely avoiding the conversation that we needed to have.
Before we started painting, I sat down to take a break and indulge in a few bites of the cinnamon roll that Em brought earlier. But I’ve unconsciously been spending my time devouring the sight before me rather than my breakfast.
“You going to keep staring, Trouble? Or are you going to get over here and help me paint these walls?” he jests.
“I-I wasn’t staring,” I stutter, dropping the forkful of cinnamon roll into the container, scrambling off the stool toward him. Satisfaction is written all over his face, stoking flames that redden my cheeks with each step I take. Trying to ignore his gaze, I reach for the paint roller in his grasp.
“Hold on,” he says softly, pushing my hand down.
“There’s a little bit of icing, right—”
Before I can reach up to fix it myself, his thumb swipes across my upper lip. Rendered speechless, my lip tingles as my gaze trails his thumb all the way up to his mouth. Entranced, I watch it slip between his lips with a satisfied growl that rumbles deep within his chest. “Mmm, delicious.”
Damn this man. I’m hanging by a thread. A very frayed thread.
“Everything alright?” A dark chuckle slips free from Em.
“Fabulous,” I grumble, swiping the roller from his arm and dipping it into the paint.
Shaking his head, he grabs the other paint brush and begins working on the wall beside me. Shifting to the farthest side of the wall, I shove myself into the distraction of work. Before I know it, we finish the entire room without even uttering a word to each other.
With a heavy sigh, I pick up my tray and a brush and carry it into the bathroom. Pulling out my phone, I scroll through my playlist. If we aren’t going to talk, at least I can listen to music. Once I find what I want, I pull out my earbuds and shove them into my ears.
