Page 17 of Sugar and Spice (Glitter and Sparkle #3)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

“I don’t have my board,” I say to Riley, trying to get out of her outing. “And I don’t want to rent one. I’m going to head back to the kitchen to do some practice baking.”

My sister sets her hands on her hips, which looks a little awkward considering we’re squished around a table in the dining hall. Her elbow ends up jabbing Brandon in the side. “Don’t you think you’ve baked enough?”

Someone apparently doesn’t care about the competition now that she’s met Mason.

“I’m here to win, Riley.”

She rolls her eyes and gives me an exaggerated pout. “Come on—you love to snowboard. And we’re in Colorado. ”

Brandon clears his throat. “I brought your board, Harper.”

Every eye turns to him, including mine.

He won’t look at me. We’ve barely spoken since he left my room the other morning. “I picked it up from your house before I drove up here.”

Sadie watches him, her eyes unsure and her smile wavering.

“Great,” I answer, not liking the amount of attention on us. Cole and Jerome have joined us again, and they’re watching like we’re characters in a soap opera.

Still not looking at me, Brandon says, “Why don’t we drive to my hotel, and we’ll pick it up.” He turns to Linus and Riley. “We’ll meet you on the slope.”

Riley squirms in her seat, and her eyes sparkle. “Okay then. We’ll see you there.”

“Do you want me to drop you off at the shops?” Brandon asks Sadie, and it doesn’t escape my notice—or likely anyone else's—that he doesn’t quite look at her either.

Focusing on the table, intently studying her breakfast, Sadie nods.

I glance at Cole and Jerome, embarrassed that they’re here to witness the awkward exchange. Cole’s eyes are on Sadie, and concern is written all over his handsome face. Jerome catches me looking, and he gives me an understanding smile.

Thanks to Tammy and her lovely interview, there’s not one person here who doesn’t know of the catastrophe that is my relationship with Brandon and my baking partner.

The drive into town is quiet. We don’t bother with small talk—what’s the point, after all? It’s going to be uncomfortable no matter how we try to mask it.

“I’ll pick you up in a couple hours,” Brandon promises Sadie when he drops her off in the parking lot of the upscale outlet stores. “Call if you want to go back sooner.”

She waves her hand like she doesn’t want to be any trouble. “Quinn and Sarah talked about shopping today too. I’ll see if I can meet up with them.”

Brandon nods, his lips pressed into a thin line. “Okay.”

He looks like he wants to say more, but she heads toward the entrance of the closest store. We don’t talk until he pulls up in front of the hotel he’s staying at.

Instead of getting out, Brandon unfastens his belt and angles his body toward me. He studies me, and his forehead knits slightly.

“What?” I finally ask.

“I told her.”

It takes me several moments to realize what he means, and then I sit back, pressing my shoulders against the cold passenger door window. “You said we should wait.”

He rubs his hands over his face and slumps forward. “I know, but I couldn’t keep this up. The whole thing has become ridiculous.”

“What did she say?”

“Not much.” He still hasn’t looked my way.

Why won’t he look at me?

I study him for several moments, and my stomach knots. I have an epiphany, and it’s not pleasant.

“You like her,” I whisper. It comes out as an accusation.

Brandon drags his gaze over slowly, and he finally meets my eyes. “Yeah.”

I press the heel of my hand to my chest. I thought he was going to tell me we could finally be together, but that’s not the direction we’re headed at all. I’m the one he’s letting down gently.

I refuse to cry, so I blink quickly and turn to look out the windshield.

“Harper…”

Shaking my head, I close my eyes. “You kissed me, Brandon. You said…”

It doesn’t matter what he said.

“I love you, Harper,” he says quietly. “I’ve always loved you. But for some reason, we’ve never gotten together. I don’t know if our timing was off, or if it just wasn’t meant to be, but it’s never happened. I gave up. And at some point, I guess I let Sadie in.”

I want to press my hands to my ears, block out the words. Instead, I nod as if I understand, as if my heart isn’t breaking all over again.

“I’m so sorry,” he murmurs.

“Will you take me back to the lodge?” I ask. My voice wavers, but only slightly.

“Harper.”

“Please, Brandon.” The words are sharp, and I sound mad, but I can’t help it. Better mad than devastated.

“Okay.”

He pulls in front of the lodge, and I hurry from the truck.

“Harper, wait,” he says before I’m out of the seat.

And though I want nothing more than to slam the door and stalk off, I turn back to him.

“Are we okay?” He fidgets with the gear shift as he waits for my answer.

I stare at him, wondering how he can ask me that. Finally, I nod and close the door softly behind me.

Thirty minutes later, I sit on the bed in my room, watching dark clouds roll in from the west, blocking the bright blue sky. Tears run down my face, but I don’t care. I’m alone, and there’s no one here to witness my weakness.

So alone.

Brandon’s probably with Sadie right now, telling her the deed is done. Either that or he’s facing Riley, admitting to my sister why I’m back at the lodge.

There’s a knock at the door, and I go still. Surely she couldn’t have made it back this quickly.

“Harper,” Mason calls from the hall, “open up.”

I turn back to the window, determined to ignore him.

“Come on, Harper. I know you’re in there. I’ll stay here all afternoon if I have to, and we’ll both get kicked off the show because someone is bound to see me.”

Growling under my breath, I swing my legs off the bed and stalk to the entry.

“What?” I demand as soon as I open the door.

Mason’s face goes soft when he sees my blotchy cheeks and watery eyes. Oddly, I don’t care that he knows I’ve been crying. Because I haven’t known him my whole life, I don’t feel I have to live up to expectations. I don’t have to be strong or calm or in control.

I’m just me, and “just me” has hit rock bottom.

Most guys hate tears, and I fully expect him to make a hasty retreat. Instead, he asks, “Can I come in?”

Shrugging, I step aside.

He walks to the window. “I think it’s going to snow again.”

Despite the darkening sky, the meager sunlight reflects off the snow-covered landscape and does a fair job of brightening the room.

It’s all wrong for my mood. It should be gloomy.

The promise of fresh snow just makes the lodge feel more festive, and festive is the last thing I want to feel right now.

“What are you doing here?” I finally ask.

He turns to face me. “Your friend tracked me down, said you probably wouldn’t want to be alone this afternoon. He also said you wouldn’t admit it, so I should come to you.”

I narrow my eyes. “Brandon?”

Mason nods and waits for me to make the next move.

“So, you got roped into babysitting,” I scoff.

“Better—Harpersitting.” He flashes me a smile. “And I am the coolest Harpersitter in the world because I have a craft project planned.”

And though my heart is broken, I almost smile. “Does it involve puffy paints and poster board?”

He fakes surprise. “How did you guess?”

I give him a one-shouldered shrug. “I’m smart like that.”

“Let’s go snowshoeing.”

Startled by the abrupt change of subject, I blink at him. “Snowshoeing?”

Mason grins. “Yeah, you know—we’ll strap tennis rackets to our feet and traipse about in the snow.”

“Are you serious? Are you even allowed to leave the lodge?”

He gives me a wry look. “Of course I’m allowed to leave. The show isn’t holding me hostage.”

“But what about your adoring fans?”

Shrugging, Mason flashes me a nonchalant look. “Please, they don’t intimidate me.”

I cock my head to the side, staring him down.

He takes me by the shoulders, bending his knees slightly so he can look me in the eyes. “Besides, I’ll be in snow gear. Incognito.”

After several minutes, I finally give in. “Fine. Let’s go snowshoeing.”

“You’re a bit of a show-off,” Mason pants from behind me.

I look over my shoulder, grinning. “Why do you say that?”

He hurries to catch up with me, his arms moving awkwardly with his poles as he attempts to walk through the fluffy snow. The hill I just climbed isn’t steep, but Mason keeps slipping nevertheless.

“You have to really dig your snowshoe in,” I remind him. “Don’t forget to ‘Engage with the snow.’ ”

That’s what the man at the rental shop said. Several times.

Mason rolls his eyes as he struggles with the hill. His skin is flushed from the cold air, and he looks beyond scrumptious in his snow gear. It’s a weird thought to have considering Brandon just shattered my heart, but it’s there, and I’m afraid I must acknowledge it.

“Engage with the snow,” Mason mutters as he attempts to tromp harder. Unfortunately, that just digs him in deeper.

“Let me help,” I say, turning around. I feel like a giant rabbit with the snowshoes attached to my boots.

“No, stay there,” Mason says, stubborn. “I got this.”

Ignoring him, I start down the hill. I stumble just a bit and throw out my hands and poles to steady myself.

All right, I will admit it; going down is a little more difficult than going up. Just when I’ve almost reached him, I slide again. This time, however, I don’t regain my balance.

Shrieking, I plow right into Mason. He tries to catch me, but my momentum gets the best of him, and we fall down the gentle hill, poles flying and feet flailing in the most uncoordinated way.

I fall next to him, getting a mouth full of snow. I try to push myself up only to have my hands sink deeper. Mason laughs next to me, not even trying to right himself yet. He landed in the soft bank back-first, and if you didn’t know better, you’d think he stopped to make a snow angel.

I’m laughing too hard to stand up, so I flop to my side and take in a deep, gasping breath.