Page 52 of A Merry Mountain Christmas

I take her hand and squeeze it, resisting the temptation to kiss it, to kiss her mouth one last time so I have some sweetness to carry away with me. Then Harry hugs her, and he and I both turn to leave, joining Holly at the door. Holly waves in at Kennedy, “Bye, Kennedy! Merry almost Christmas! Harry told me all about the Christmas tree outing.”

I scowl at Harry, who shrugs but looks a little shame-faced. “She needed to know for context. Since I was a first-hand witness of what happened with Jay.”

“I’m so glad you were there with them,” Holly says firmly to Kennedy. “These jackasses need all the help they can get.” Then she grabs the end of my towel and leads me along. After she and Harry get me to the back exit and we step out into the cold, she gives me a level look and says, “Lucy, you have some ’splainin’ to do.”

Do I ever.

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

KENNEDY

It’s Wednesday morning—three days since Rowan Mayberry made me come next to an empty swimming pool.

He hasn’t returned to see me. Nor has he visited the set. The only glimmer of him is in the little contraband Christmas tree that I take out of my closet every time I lock myself into my room. In fact, I’m looking at it now, remembering the slightly petulant expression on his face when he gave it to me—like he thought I might accuse him of sentimentality for doing something nice for me.

It’s ridiculous, but I miss him. I even miss the sight of him on the sidelines of the show, watching with a scowl or smirk.

There’s a knock on my door, and I jump out of bed to hide my Christmas tree, taking it down from the low bookshelf beneath the shuttered window and carefully tucking it into the closet, before calling out, “Who’s there?”

I already know it’s not Rowan. He’d come by at night, if he came at all, under cover of darkness—a thought that shivers through me. So I hope to God it’s Harry. Although I managed to put the horseback riding expedition off until today, every single guy in the house came to visit me again on Monday, and then for a third time on Tuesday. I know they’re getting bored becauseColton actually wrote a poem for me. He compared me to a profitable investment portfolio. I should be spending time with them, obviously, but the only man I’m thinking about is Rowan.

Also, it’s really hard to look Jonah in the eye after what I overheard in the pool room. Is he actually attracted to Nana…er, Maeve? Or is he just giving her favors in the hope of getting more screen time?

“It’s me,” Harry says, and relief flows over me.

“Come in.” When I open the door, I find him in a pair of brightly checkered pants, a white button down shirt, and his usual beanie. I beckon him over to the fainting couch arranged at the side of the room, and we both sit. “Do you have any news?”

He blushes. “How did you know?” He lifts a hand to his face. “Could you tell because I trimmed my nose hair? I wondered if it was overkill, but there was one really long one, and I didn’t want that to be the only thing he fixated on over dinner. It could really kill the atmosphere, you know?”

“You’re having dinner with Oliver after filming wraps today?” I deduce. The only things on the docket at the house are the horseback riding date, followed by a picnic with Jonah and Marcus, one-on-one interviews, and then quiet time.

“Yes,” he says, turning toward me. “We’re going to a place called Salt and Bone. I don’t want to order anything though. We already know I have an issue with dairy, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten a salad without getting something caught in my teeth. You know, I read a statistic that forty-one percent of respondents judge a first date by what they order.” He pulls off his beanie and worries it with his hands. “Would it be weird if I didn’t order anything?”

“Yes,” I say. “Besides, don’t you want to enjoy a nice dinner? Don’t worry what he thinks. He’s not much of a catch if he loses interest because you got something in your teeth.”

He sighs. “I really want this to go well.”

“So do I,” I say with a smile. My mind makes a leap to Rowan potentially giving Oliver a pep talk about the same date. He’s partially responsible for this happening. He engineered the whole Christmas tree outing, which only endears him to me more. “When I asked for news, though, I meant about the whole Jay thing.”

“Oh,” Harry says, his eyes widening. “Of course. Well, Jay’s still in the hospital, but it sounds like he’s going to be released soon. Their sister, Ivy, is in town.” His gaze narrows on me. “Are you ready to tell me what happened between you and Rowan the other night?”

He’s already told me that Rowan refused to say anything about it, other than that he’d come by to give me an update about Jay and we’d decided on a late-night swim. I know Rowan doesn’t see himself as Prince Charming. He’d probably claim not to have a noble bone in his body, yet here he is, trying to protect me. It’s enough to mess with a girl’s head.

I sigh, leaning further back on the couch. “It doesn’t matter,” I say, even though it feels like it really does. “We both know I shouldn’t be thinking about him.”

Harry sits up, slapping his hat down on the couch’s one and only arm. “Of course it matters. You’re my friend. He’s my friend. What kind of a matchmaker would I be if I ignored the sparks between you?”

I’m tempted to tell him that he’s not a matchmaker at all—that’s supposed to be Nana Mayberry’s schtick, but Harry’s earnest and sweet, and it’s honestly nice to have someone to talk to about this.

“I like him,” I admit. “But he seems pretty determined to stay away from me, and he’s right. Nothingelsecan happen between us. Even if I wasn’t on this show, I live in Chicago, and he lives here. Anything that happens would have to be temporary.”

Harry looks offended by the suggestion. “When I met Oliver for the first time, I lived in Asheville, and he lived in Highland Hills, and look—now we’re both here. You never know what’s going to happen in the future.”

My mouth lifts up slightly. “So I should start hoping they’re going to fire me from Leto’s Hands?”

He makes a face. “They should really reconsider that name.”

“So I’ve heard.”

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