Page 44 of Broken-Hearted

“Love you too.” I hang up, tucking the cell phone in my pocket and closing the door behind me.

My gaze snags on the white boutique bag that Eden and Luka brought and left on the bed.

Curious about what Nathan got from the store, I empty the contents on top of a quilted comforter and I sigh.

“You truly are an asshole, Clara,” I mutter.

11

It’s late, and Ishouldbe getting ready to go to bed.

So what the hell am I doing leaving my cozy cabin in the woods behind me and trampling through a dark forest in the middle of the night?

“Because you’re crazy,” I mutter. “And you need to learn how to stop being so impulsive.”

I don’t make it to the Blackshaw farmhouse.

The sound of footsteps heading toward me makes me pause when I’m still closer to my cabin than the house.

Nathan suddenly comes into view, and he’s as wide awake as I am.

He’s also still wearing the same clothes as before. After I pushed him down a hill, he said he has a tendency to be impulsive. Is that what this is?

“You lost?” His expression is unreadable as he stops a foot away.

“I was going to ask you the same thing,” I say guardedly.

We look at each other.

I’ve hurt Nathan before by saying something I didn’t mean. I don’t want to do it again by assuming my words will bounce rightoff this easygoing, grinning guy who doesn’t seem the least bit hurtable. Because he is.

“Clara?”

Shit. I should probably say something instead of staring at him like an idiot.

“I wanted to thank you for the stuff you got me.” I gesture toward the cabin. “You didn’t have to, but I appreciate it.”

Unlike whoever furnished the motel room, Nathan didn’t cheap out at all when he hit that boutique on our way to Hardin. All the clothes he picked out in a record time shopping splurge were top quality.

In the bag I emptied onto my bed, I found three pairs of jeans, two tops, dresses, a sweater, and underwear.

I don’t know a lot about fashion, but I recognize quality. Paige denim jeans. Reformation tops and a couple of simple day dresses. Victoria’s Secret bra set and panties. J-Crew nightwear. And a pair of Chuck sneakers.

Everything is in neutral tones, so I can mix and match.

He did a better job of shopping than I ever did.

And the price must have left a big dent in his bank balance when one pair of jeans alone was three hundred dollars.

This feeling of being spoiled is new and strange. Nathan told me about the bag so offhand, like it wasn’t a big deal when it’s a massive deal to me. And he did it all after I wasn’t just a bitch to him. I was a downright asshole.

It doesn’t matter that I left all my clothes back in Dawley. I have everything I need, including a refrigerator full of food so I can eat in the cabin on my own if I want, or go to the house and eat with the Blackshaws.

He shrugs. “Figured you might need some stuff. If you need more, let me know.”

I won’t. Because while I was exploring my cabin, I found sweaters and comfy cozy sweatpants and T-shirts that Savannahmust have left in the dresser for me. She even filled the bathroom with toiletries, including a hairbrush and hair ties.

We stare at each other.

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