Page 41 of Score to Settle
I smile, but then her next comment feels like a sucker punch even though I know it’s coming.
“But we can’t kiss again. We need to keep things?—”
“Professional,” I finish for her. “We’re on the same page, Cassidy. Relax. I have no intention of breaking my promise.”
Harper disappears into the bathroom and a moment later I hear the shower running. My mind reels as I get dressed. I think back to last night again. I’ve kissed a lot of women in my life, but none of them have ever made me feel the way Harper does. This is a problem…
I enjoy spending time with her. I love the way her mind works. The more time we spend together, the more layers it feels like I peel back from myself and from her, catching glimpses of the real Harper underneath—vulnerable and uncertain but also passionate and so smart it blows my mind. She’s the kind of girl a guy takes seriously if he knows what’s good for him. I want to know everything about her. I want to be the one she turns to, the one who makes her laugh, the one who holds her when she cries.
The realization hits me like a lightning bolt. I want Harper to like me. I care what she thinks about me. This is more than just finding her physically attractive. It’s more than my dick feeling deprived of attention. A lot more. But I just promised I wouldn’t kiss her again… and I know I have to stick to it.
NINETEEN
HARPER
MIA:Where are you?
HARPER:Jake’s just dropping me off. Be with you in a sec.
MIA:I’ve ordered you a cocktail.
HARPER:It’s barely lunchtime.
MIA:What’s your point?
Notes for feature: Jake Sullivan has spent his life wanting the approval of one man—his father. With Harry Sullivan’s tragic death when Jake was just ten years old, it seems as though Jake coped by deciding that without his father, he wouldn’t be seeking approval from anyone else. Jake will say he doesn’t care what anyone else thinks of him, and while a part of that is true, it’s important to recognize that not caring what people think isn’t the same as not caring, because Jake cares deeply about his family, football, and his friends.
The following Tuesday, we’re back in Jake’s truck as it rumbles down the dusty road away from the ranch, the midday sun streaking across the fields and hitting the dark crags of the hillsthat stretch toward the distant mountains. I catch a glimpse of the lake, just visible through the tall spruce trees, the water glistening in the sunlight. I’m going to miss this view when this assignment is over. I’m going to miss the ranch too, and Mama.
Jake’s got one hand draped over the steering wheel, the other resting on the open window frame. IknowI’m staring at his muscular forearm. It’s been five days since we kissed in Atlanta and I can’t stop thinking about the moment our lips touched and it felt like the entire world disappeared. Even if Jake has been true to his word and acting like he’s forgotten it ever happened. He’s been his usual easygoing self. A little bit cocky. A little bit flirty, but never taking it any further.
Last night, Mama cooked pot roast as a farewell dinner for her and Dylan. They left early this morning for LA and the specialist ACL treatment center, and I’m trying really hard not to think about the fact that Jake and I will be alone at the ranch for the next week.
“You gonna miss me tonight?” Jake asks as we hit the highway to the city.
I roll my eyes. “Please. I’m looking forward to a break from your ego.”
He chuckles, unfazed. “Ouch, Cassidy. You wound me.”
I can’t help but smile. His playful banter is growing on me, though I’d never admit it.
“So what’s the deal with Mia?” Jake asks.
I shoot him a questioning look. “What do you mean?”
“She used to do barrel racing in the rodeo and now she’s some corporate hotshot. That’s a hell of a change.”
“Yeah.” I remember the tears. The inconsolable sobs shuddering through my best friend’s body after another fight with her mom. The realization that no matter what she did, Arquette Media would be hers one day. “She felt she had a responsibility to carry on the family legacy, which meant goingto college and getting an education and starting on the bottom rung of the business. If things had been different, I think she’d have gone all in and dedicated her life to competing at the rodeo professionally. She loved horses.”
“She doesn’t ride anymore? Not even for fun?”
I shake my head, feeling a pang of sadness. “I think it was too painful for her. If she couldn’t have her dream, she wanted to forget it was there.”
Mia has a great apartment and a great job. She has Edward too, who treats her like a queen, even if he is the polar opposite of her first rodeo boyfriend, Cole. Not to mention she’ll be running a media empire one day. She’s happy, I think. It’s just not the same kind of happy I remember from when she was leaping onto a horse and entering an arena.
As we hit the outskirts of the city, my phone buzzes with a text from Mia. She’s at the restaurant already. I fire a reply before shooting another look to Jake. I’m not going to miss him, but there’s no denying it will be strange not to see him for twenty-four hours. After Jake drops me off for lunch with Mia, he’s going to Stormhawks Park—the training facility—and after lunch I’ll head to Mia’s apartment to get ready for Dad’s awards dinner. It’s being held in the top-floor banquet suite of the Arquette Media building, just around the corner from Mia’s. It makes sense for me to stay in the city tonight and meet Jake at practice tomorrow.
I thought I’d look forward to a night in the city and sleeping on Mia’s couch, but I miss the ranch already. The weeks I’ve spent there have made me realize I’m ready to find my own place. I can see now that sleeping on Mia’s couch has been a form of denial that my dreams of a New York life are over. I need to move on. Denver is my home now. It’s time I started acting like it.
