Page 31 of Broken on the Mountain
I look over and Linda has piled the counter with plush socks, blister balm, and a care kit that looks like it could survive the apocalypse.
"Now you have everything you need to go live your best mountain fantasy, sweetheart," she winks at me and I feel my cheeks heat.
I pull out my credit card, but Linda waves it away.
"Taken care of dear," Linda says, looking over my shoulder to Chase who's wearing a smug-as-hell grin.
I feel my throat tighten and my hard-earned independence at stake. But there's no point in fighting him.
Outside, I stomp happily in my new boots, feeling ridiculously proud of myself.
But then I remember.
I'm not about to test them on a hiking trail. I'm not about to see more of these beautiful mountains.
I'm going to the airport. To board my flight back to Chicago.
The moment dips like a stone dropping into still water.
We head back to Brooke's cabin, load my suitcase in Chase's truck and pile back in. The truck is quiet on the drive, but Chase's hand still finds mine on the console.
At the airport, he pulls up to departures and cuts the engine.
Neither of us moves.
"Piper—"
"Don't." I turn to face him, memorizing the way sunlight catches in his hair, the exact shade of his eyes, the small scar on his jaw I never asked about. "Don't make this harder. Let's just say… see you later. Just like our agreement."
"Okay then."
He clears his throat, opens my door, and helps me out with the gentleness of someone handling something precious, not someone who's a 'weekends-only' convenience.
"See you later?" he says.
My fingers fist in his flannel, pulling him close. "Yes. You will."
The kiss tastes like goodbye and when we finally break apart, I'm breathless and aching and completely wrecked.
"See you Friday?" I whisper hopefully.
"I'll be right here waiting."
One more kiss. Quick and desperate, but not nearly enough to get me through the week ahead.
But I have to leave.
Before I cry.
I grab my suitcase and his flannel that I'm absolutely stealing, then walk through those sliding doors without looking back.
Chapter Seven
Piper
The penthouse door closes behind me with a whisper. Silence wraps around me instantly, and I drop my bag.
I'm home.
