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I look down from the scene in the valley and rifle the fingers of my free hand through the pages in my notepad. I stop on the pencil sketch that I secretly did of Mitch when I first got here and I think about how neurotic I’d felt during that first week, still distressed from what had happened at home but with a spark of inspiration flickering to light as soon as I saw Mitch’s icy blue eyes.
“So, now that they’re finished, are you going to tell me?” my mom asks, snapping me out of my musing.
I close the notepad and blink blankly down at the cabins.
“Tell you what?” I ask, confused.
“Which of the men you were interested in,” she says like it’s obvious.
Oh jeez. I blow out an exasperated breath and look warily down at Mitch’s office. If I stare for long enough I can catch a glimpse of him walking past the side window, retrieving another finalisation document before he returns to his desk. He’s spent pretty much the whole of the last two days in there, preparing for his departure.
I picture my mom’s expectant expression, a youthful shimmer in her eyes as she waits for me to spill the juicy gossip, and I can’t help but feel the need to indulge her.
“It was the Team Lead,” I say, a hot sensation clutching at my heart when I see him walk absentmindedly past the window, unaware of my stalking. “Mitchell Coleson. The guy running the operation.”
I hear chair springs creak as my mom reclines in her seat. “Fascinating,” she says, and in my head she’s twirling her finger between an invisible phone cord. “An outstanding choice, by the way,” she adds on. “Not at all like the last one.”
I narrow my eyes and concur, “Definitely not at all like the last one.”
“Did anything come of it?” my mom continues, and this time I picture her villainously stroking a fluffy white cat.
She reads my silence like a billboard.
She changes the subject.
“Which night of the press tour are you going to? The whole crew have bitten their fingers raw waiting for information about your disappearance to get leaked. And, before you ask, I of course will not be sharing anything.” She pauses and then mutters, “Holly on the other hand…”
I roll my eyes. I don’t even want to hear her name. Her annoyingly lovely name.
“Probably the final night,” I say. And then, just before I hang up, I decide to give a little fuel to my mom’s fire. My eyes lock in on the portacabin and a sense of strength spreads through my chest. “And I’m bringing a date.”
*
I wade through the snow all the way down to Mitch’s office and then I huddle against the side of the open doorframe and knock on the panel.
He looks up from his stack of paperwork and as soon as he realises that it’s me he shoves his chair backwards, jerking his chin at me to get inside, and he walks across the room to meet me.
“Hey,” he murmurs when we reach each other, wrapping one hand around the back of my neck as he leans down to give me a kiss.
“Hey,” I say, smiling up at him. I rub my hands up over his pecs and he briefly closes his eyes, savouring the feeling. “I know you already emailed the office your progress report but I just called my mom so that I could tell her direct about you completing the project so ahead of schedule. They’re organising you a bonus.”
He watches me intently as I speak, frowning, then raising his eyebrows. Then he sighs and gives me another kiss.
“You’re too sweet,” he says, rubbing his warm palms over my shoulders. “And that reminds me – I want you to know that when the cheque comes in… I’m gonna split it all between the guys. After what’s been going on here between us, I’m not taking any money for this job. Wouldn’t feel right.”
Now I’m the one frowning, shaking my head adamantly up at him.
“Mitch, no, don’t be silly. It’s not likeI’mthe one giving you the money. It’s Ray Corp’s money. It’s the money of a multi-million dollar property business, not the money of the woman you’ve been getting to know.”
He shrugs like he’s already decided. “I’m hoping that Jace and I are gonna be working with Ray Corp a lot in the coming years but on this specific project I just…” He shakes his head and then gently cups my cheek. “No part of this felt like work to me. This whole Fall has been a dream.”
“But… but–” He kisses me again, and my body melts against him. I run my palms up his stubble and he makes a pleasured grumble in his chest.
“Don’t worry about the money,” he murmurs, pressing us forehead to forehead. “Trust me, I’m–” He almost chuckles, his mouth curling with amusement. He shakes his head and simply finishes with, “Money isn’t a problem, baby.”
I frown up at him and this time he pulls away laughing.
“Harper, I’m serious. In fact–” He turns slightly and pulls his whirring laptop closer to us. Leans down a little so that he can open up a new tab and then after hitting a few keys he jerks over to the screen with his thumb.
