Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 482(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
I headed back to my office, determined to focus on actual work instead of viral videos and meddling townspeople. The bills wouldn’t pay themselves, no matter how many views Adrian’s post got.
My hand brushed against something soft as I reached for the paperwork—Dad’s old Nordique sweater, carefully folded in the corner of the drawer. I consistently forgot I’d stashed it there after finding it draped over Dad’s office chair in the weeks after his death, and every time I “found” it again was a bittersweet reminder. The wool was still impossibly soft, the cable-knit pattern intricate and beautiful despite its age.
“Your grandfather gave me this the day I took over the store,” Dad had told me once. “Said a Sullivan man needed a proper sweater for Montana winters.”
I ran my fingers over the soft knit, remembering Adrian’s genuine surprise when I’d touched his sweater yesterday. The way his blue eyes had widened, how his practiced smile had softened, that crooked canine had emerged, and it had turned into something real.
My phone buzzed again in my pocket.
Adrian
Not to push, but the tree farm would be perfect for showing off Nordique’s new winter collection. And since you already know the equipment…
My hands shook with nerves that I would cave and agree to anything he asked. It was tempting to take everyone’s advice. To live a little. But I knew myself better than they did.
I didn’t do casual very well. Especially not with someone who… sparked… with me the way Adrian did.
Just find another date! I thought you had your Grindr app primed for this.
Adrian
I’m trying! But someone told me not to bother finding my own dates, remember? Wasn’t that Rule 1? And you have to admit we had good chemistry.
I stared at his message, fingers hovering over the screen. Because he wasn’t wrong—we did have chemistry. The kind that made my chest tight and my skin warm. The kind that was hazardous for someone who couldn’t afford distractions.
The kind that made me want things I couldn’t have.
I shoved the phone back in my pocket without responding, but the damage was done. Now, all I could think about was Adrian Hayes in a pine forest, snowflakes catching in his perfect hair, that genuine laugh echoing between the trees…
“Fuck,” I muttered, dropping into my chair. “Get it together, Sullivan.”
But even as I tried to focus on the invoices, I couldn’t shake the feeling that somehow, in less than forty-eight hours, Adrian Hayes had managed to get under my skin in a way no one had in years.
A soft knock interrupted my brooding. Maya stood in the doorway, her expression unusually serious.
“Before you yell at me,” she said, holding up her hands, “I came to apologize. I shouldn’t have teased you about Adrian. I know how hard you work to keep everything going here, and I wasn’t being fair.”
I deflated slightly. “Come here, squirt.”
I stood up as she stepped into my open arms, squeezing me just as tightly as I did her. “Thank you,” I murmured into her hair.
She pulled back and perched on the edge of my desk, idly picking up a scattered paperclip from the desk as I took my seat again. “I just… I see how tired you are sometimes. How much you gave up to take care of me and the store. And when I saw you actually laughing with him yesterday—”
“Maya—”
“No, let me finish.” She met my eyes. “You deserve good things, Maddie. Even temporary ones. Even if they’re wearing stupid-expensive sweaters and have too many Instagram followers.”
I reached for Dad’s sweater, running my thumb over the worn wool. “Life isn’t about what we deserve. It’s about what we can handle. And I can’t handle—” I gestured vaguely, encompassing Adrian, the viral video, the whole mess. “All of that.”
“Can’t? Or won’t?” She held up her phone with one of the reels playing on a loop.
For a moment, I let myself imagine what it would be like to capture Adrian’s laugh again. To be the reason for it.
“It doesn’t matter,” I said firmly. “Two and a half more weeks and he’s gone. Better to keep things professional.”
Maya hopped off the desk with an exaggerated sigh. “Fine. Be stubborn. But when he shows up with some random date who acts like a doofus and looks like shit on your camera, don’t come crying to me.”
I swiveled my chair back to face the invoices. “I won’t. Because I’m calling Fannin Linwood. He owes me a favor. And he’s amazing in front of the lens.”
She rolled her eyes and sighed. “Never mind, then. Those two will for sure hook up, and then your window of opportunity will close forever.”
As she headed back out to the front of the store, I stared after her. She was right. Fannin was known for enjoying time with pretty men. He’d gotten a reputation on the snowboard circuit as a total player. He’d seduce Adrian in a hot minute, and Adrian would probably thank him for the opportunity.