Page 43 of Stuck With Mr. Frosty

Understanding dawns on his face. “Oh, so this is about Mia.”

“How are Cassie and the girls?” I drum my fingers on the table, glancing around the mess hall looking for them. They’re here for a couple more days, aren’t they?”

“Yeah, they are, but don’t think I don’t know what you’re trying to do by changing the subject.”

“Look. I don’t think it’s worth talking about right now. Mia and I have been fun. It’s been a good time, and I really do care about her.” I pause, my mouth going dry after saying those words for the first time. “But when the season comes to an end, we both have other plans. I’m not gonna be sticking around for anyone or anything. Not when there is my life waiting for me.”

It’s a lie. It tastes bitter on the tip of my tongue. I know what I want, and I know that it’s her, but it doesn’t seem like she’s factored me into her plans.

I’m spiraling. I still have to talk to her first. See what she’s actually planning on doing.

However, in the moment, it’s hard to see past the abandonment issues I’ve never quite been able to shake.

“I think the two of you could figure out a way to make it work.” Carter glances around, stretching up in his seat a little bit. “I don’t know where Cassie and the girls went. I think Cassie said she was going to take them out to make snow angels.”

“Well, you should be spending time with them outside instead of sitting here talking to me.”

“Not like you gave me much choice about talking to you.” His tone is teasing as he reaches for the roll on the side of his plate. “I was just sitting here, enjoying my lunch, when you came over and decided that we needed to have a talk about your love life. Which I think tells you that I’m the wrong person to be talking about your love life with at this point. You should be talking to Mia about whatever it is that’s bothering you.”

“There’s nothing bothering me.”

“Yeah, sure.” He scoffs as he breaks off a piece of his roll and pops it into his mouth, chewing and staring at me. “Who are you trying to convince, me or yourself?”

“Look, I just want one night where I don’t have to think about what comes next for the future. Because that seems to be all I’ve been doing for the last couple weeks.”

“Like I told you, things are going to change. She came into your life, and she’s changed everything you thought you knew — that you thought was going to happen. It’s understandable that you’re having cold feet right now. Chances are that she’s feeling the same way too, especially with the season end drawing closer.”

“I’m going to talk to her. We’re not kids in high school who can’t talk to each other about this kind of thing. I just need a couple more days.”

Carter makes a noise in the back of his throat like he doesn’t quite believe me. Not that I care. It’s the truth. I need a couple days to figure this out, and then everything will be fine. Mia andI can enjoy the rest of the time we have together, and at the end, we can go our separate ways.

Just like we were supposed to this entire time.

It was my fault that I thought this could be anything else. I know that hookups like ours rarely make it past the season. And even when they do, it’s only for a couple weeks, and then the people discover that it’s never going to work.

Maybe I should be thankful that Mia is forcing distance between us.

At least it will save us both heartbreak down the road.

CHAPTER 17

MIA

Aiden has done a spectacular job of avoiding me over the past twenty-four hours. He didn’t come to dinner last night, and when I got up this morning, he was already gone for work. And now that it’s nearing midnight and everyone else is finally in bed, he comes home.

I look over the back of the couch at him, trying to figure out what to say. Nothing comes to me. What do you say to somebody who’s avoiding you? I thought things were good between us. Sure, there’s the small matter of the letter, but that’s tucked away deep in my underwear drawer.

Aiden eyes me for a moment before going into the kitchen and opening the cupboard, pulling down a pudding cup. “I didn’t know you were gonna be up.”

“Well, I’ve been trying to figure out a time when we could talk, but you never seem to be around.”

“There’s a lot going on at the search and rescue station. With Carter on vacation, I’ve had to pick up a lot of the slack.”

“Sure, I understand that. What I don’t understand is why you’ve been avoiding me. We’ve been home for twenty-four hours, and you can’t even bother to answer a good morning message that I sent you this morning.”

“Didn’t know I had to respond to every message.”

I could scream. It’s not the point, and the guilty look in his eyes tells me that he knows that. He’s trying to be difficult and get under my skin, and it’s working.

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