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“Thank you so much,” Harper gushed to a customer who bought her biggest canvas of the day. “Enjoy!”
“Oh, we will!” the older woman said with a smile. “It’ll look just perfect on the wall above our bed.”
Harper gave a little wave as the adorable couple walked away, the husband holding the wrapped artwork under his arm. She was always so grateful when people saw value in her work. It gave her hope that her plan to be full time might eventually come to fruition. With the launch of her online store last year, Harper had seen an increase in orders, but it still wasn’t enough to live on. Someday...
A loud cheer rang through the air and Harper couldn’t help but look over. She could hear the roar of the chainsaw as sawdust filled the air, but otherwise the only visible details of Mason’s demonstration were the crowds’ backs. Her mind went to their short conversation earlier that morning. She had nearly told him exactly how she felt about him, before managing to cover it with a lame excuse.
Harper rolled her eyes at herself. Luckily, Mason had bought it, or at least seemed to. As usual, however, he had barely spoken two words to her. She had tried to leave herself open for him to join her in unloading her paintings or coming to see her booth, but he hadn’t taken her up on any of it, just reaffirming the fact that her stupid crush was one sided.
She shook her head and turned back to her booth. She shouldn’t complain. She really had had a good day so far. It seemed other people were just as happy to see the winter end as she was.
Tilting her head to the side, Harper took a quiet moment to assess her booth. Some of the paintings were now gone, so she set about trying to move her inventory around until it looked more even. “There,” she murmured, squinting to make sure it all felt perfect.
“Looks good,” a gruff voice said from behind her.
Harper spun, a gasp escaping her lips. “Mason!” she scolded. She put a hand to her racing heart. “How in the world did you sneak up on me like that? I thought you were carving.”
Mason grinned. Pieces of sawdust were stuck to the front of his shirt as he shrugged his massive shoulders. “I wasn’t trying to be quiet. You were too caught up in making things pretty around here.”
“I guess so,” Harper murmured. She hoped the bright pink on her cheeks could be mistaken for time spent in the sun. She glanced up, but the sun was currently behind a cloud. Crud.
“I, uh, just wanted to...” Mason scratched the back of his head, looking decidedly uncomfortable.
Harper held back a sigh. Was she really that scary to talk to? She could tell Mason was trying to be nice, but really!
“How’s the selling been going?” he asked, his arms folding over his large chest.
Harper nodded politely, praying her face didn’t show her sadness. A pinching sensation sat in her sternum. Why did life have to be so hard? Why did the art world have to take all her time and concentration? Mason was such a good guy and it was so hard to let that go when she wasn’t sure she’d ever find someone like him again.
“Good,” she responded, forcing a bit of cheer into her tone. “I sold my biggest canvas just a few minutes ago, when you were still carving.” She furrowed her brow and leaned closer. “Hold on.” Without stopping to think of her actions, Harper stepped forward and reached up to grab a small piece of wood that had lodged itself in Mason’s beard.
His beard felt coarse, but was well groomed, she realized as she brushed her fingers along it to grab the piece. Holding it up triumphantly, she grinned. “Got it!” Her eyes went to the piece. “Hazard of the job, I suppose.” When she looked back at Mason, she froze. She hadn’t realized how close she had gotten in order to pick up the shaving.
His golden eyes bore into hers and for the first time, Harper didn’t feel like he was anxious to get away from her.
“Thank you,” he said in a gruff tone.
“You’re welcome,” she said, backing away quickly. Dang it. Why couldn’t she be better aware of others’ boundaries? People didn’t just go around plucking wood from handsome men’s beards.
She sucked in a deep breath, trying to cool her embarrassment, and noticed the enticing scent of freshly cut wood immediately, followed by a softer smell of fresh pine. It fit Mason. Even if he hadn’t been carving a log, the smell would have been perfect for him. There was something distinctly manly about the outdoor scents that only made Harper’s attraction grow even stronger.
“Miss?”
Harper blinked, her brain scrambling to catch up. “Y-yes?” she asked, forcing herself to look away from Mason. She smiled tightly when a middle aged woman glanced between her and Mason.
“Are you the artist?” the woman asked hesitantly, as if she knew she had interrupted something.
Harper nodded. “Yes!” She cleared her throat. “Would you like to look at anything in particular?”
“I...” The woman still hesitated.
“I’ll stop by later,” he said in a low tone. “We both need to eat, right?”
Harper’s heart fluttered. Dinner with Mason sounded great, but could her heart handle it? “That sounds wonderful,” she responded.
Mason’s smile was as charming as always and he nodded at the woman as he left.
Harper turned back and brought her mind back down to earth. “I’m sorry about that. Did you say if there was anything particular you wanted to see?”
The woman smiled understandingly. “More of that handsome young man would be fine.”
Harper laughed softly. “You and me both,” she admitted.
“Well, if that’s not on the menu, how about that picture with the seagull flying through the sunset?”
Harper nodded. “That I can do.” The next hour passed quickly as Harper chatted and made a few sales along the way. She was just finishing up talking to a little girl about her painting when she noticed someone come up to her side. “Aspen!” Harper cried. She held up a finger. “Hang on a sec.” After finishing with the child, Harper stood and hugged her friend. Aspen had been simply glowing ever since she and Austin had gotten married and it turned her already beautiful looks into something stunning. “I’m so glad you made it!”
“Me too,” Aspen agreed. She looked around. “It’s nice to see so many people getting outside.”
“Yeah...nothing like being stuck in the kitchen all day,” Harper teased.
Aspen laughed and set down the box she had brought with her. “Do you have time for a treat?”
“Actually...” Harper hedged. “I think I might save them for a little later.”
Aspen’s eyebrows shot up. “Is there something I should know?”
Harper snorted. “I wish.” She couldn’t seem to stop herself from thinking about sharing them with Mason. They were friends. Just friends. But a girl needed a dream, right? And if hers included a particularly handsome lumberjack who sent butterflies through her stomach, well...no one could blame her.
*****
MASON WASN’T SURE WHY he was bothering to bring Harper dinner. He was positive that at any moment, he was going to throw up and it didn’t make sense to be eating when his stomach was doing flip flops like an Olympic gymnast.
It was amazing to him how one tiny woman had the power to make him quake. It frustrated him and intrigued him all at the same time. But the fact that he didn’t have the freedom to pursue the feeling made it extra difficult.
Ever since his younger sister graduated from high school four years ago, Mason had been on a mission. Aimee had dropped off the radar within weeks and no one had found her since. Crew, Mason’s younger brother, had also been working to find their wayward sibling, but all roads had been dead ends.
Now he stayed glued to his phone, desperate for any news from the private investigator he’d hired. When his thoughts weren’t full of tempting blondes, Mason was online searching for his sister or trying to contact her friends to see if she’d made contact. He knew she was out there somewhere, and until he knew where, he just couldn’t let himself get distracted with anything else. Starting a relationship with Harper, no matter how exciting and good it might be, felt like a direct betrayal to his family.
But when Harper had stepped into his personal bubble to pull a sliver of wood from his beard, Mason was sure he’d died and gone to heaven. He hadn’t even touched her, but having her warmth close and the sweet smell of flowers wafting to his nose was enough to make him roll his eyes in contentment. And then her slim fingers had brushed his face and he’d had to clench his fists to keep from grabbing her and kissing the dickens out of her.
Dinner, he reminded himself. Dinner is the plan, not assaulting her.
He marched her way, trying to pretend he wasn’t shaking in his boots as he carried two plates with fish and chips in them. It was the essential food of a coastal town and he assumed it was a safe bet as to something Harper would eat. If he’d been thinking clearly earlier, he would have asked her what she wanted, but he didn’t want to come over empty handed and look like an idiot, only to have to leave again.
She spotted him as he drew closer and her smile grew wide. Anyone could see she looked happy to see him and his stomach did another little flip. Easy, man. Easy... Remember Aimee.
“I hope fish is okay,” Mason said, handing her the cardboard square.
“I love fish and chips,” Harper replied, her smile never wavering. She jutted her chin to a chair. “Aspen brought me leftover goodies from the bakery today, so I have dessert!”
“Sounds perfect.” He followed her to the side of her display where she had chairs and a small table set up. Water bottles were already waiting and Mason couldn’t stop his goofy smile at the evidence that she’d been waiting for him.
A quick blessing preceded them both biting into the crispy filets. “Mmm...” Harper moaned, closing her eyes for a moment. “There’s nothing like deep fried fish to really finish off a long day.”
Mason grinned. “Long day? Has it been a hard one?”
Harper shook her head and dipped her fish heavily into the tartar sauce, making Mason snort quietly in amusement. “It’s been a great first day. Lots of sales and lots of smiling faces.”
Mason nodded.
“How about you?” Harper finished chewing before continuing. “Did you sell the wolf?”
Mason’s eyebrows rose up. “You saw what I was carving?”
Harper’s cheeks turned pink and she dropped her eyes to her food. “Several people were talking about it, so I walked over for a few seconds between customers.” She looked up from under her lashes.
Mason swallowed hard. “Did you...did you like it?” Truth was, he had fashioned the wolf after one he’d seen in a painting she’d done last year. He had no idea if she would recognize it, nor was he sure how he’d feel if she did. He had assumed she would be too busy to see what he’d done, but he couldn’t deny that her good opinion sent a little thrill through him.
“It’s stunning,” Harper said easily. She shrugged. “Your work always is. I can’t imagine turning a log into something so realistic.”
Mason nodded to her pictures. “I can’t imagine taking a brush and something resembling toothpaste and turning it into that.” He pointed to a nearby canvas. “So I guess we’re even.”
Harper laughed before setting her food aside to jump up and help a customer.
Mason continued eating, but watched her interact with the people. Now that he was closer he could hear their conversations and understood even better why people were always smiling. Harper was amazing at making people feel special and worthwhile. No one arrived without receiving some kind of compliment and when she sold a painting, he realized the way she said thank you was so sincere that no one could mistake it for anything but truth.
Finally, she sat back down and grabbed her food. It had to be cold by now, but Harper didn’t complain at all.
With each piece of her he uncovered, Mason knew more and more that if he spent too much time around her, he wouldn’t be able to keep from making a move. She checked off every quality on his list of what he was looking for in a woman and there’d be no way to keep from pursuing his attraction if he stuck around too long. This little dinner would have to be it. When they ran into each other again, he’d have to make sure to keep some distance between them.
Guess that means I should make the most of tonight.
“So...” he started, then cleared his throat. “Tell me how you got started in painting.”
Harper laughed softly. “That’s funny. I was just going to ask you the same about carving.” She kicked at his foot playfully. “Painting is a common enough hobby, but wood carving? Particularly chainsaw wood carving?” She shook her head. “That’s definitely unusual.”
Mason shrugged. “What can I say? I like to work with my hands and my mom was desperate for something that kept me from breaking everything in the house.” His grin grew sheepish. “As you can imagine, I was a bit like a bull in a china shop as I grew up. Being outside and breaking down wood instead of my mom’s crystal was a good distraction.”
“Oh, come on,” Harper pressed. “There has to be more to it than that.”
Mason shook his head. He wasn’t keeping anything from her. It really had just been a weird thing that fell into his lap and he discovered he liked it and had a knack for it. “Honest. It was just one of those things I played around with and discovered it was fun.” He nodded toward the area he’d been working in today. “Enough hours later and it’s what I do in my spare time.”
“About that...” Harper leaned forward. “How is this a spare time thing? When we first met, you told me you work for a lumber mill.”
Mason nodded. “I do. I’m head of sales for one over in Eugene.”
“But you work here?”
“Yeah. It’s mostly a phone and desk job, so I’m able to live on the coast and work from home. I travel to Eugene about once a quarter to meet with the head honcho, but otherwise I just make sure I have a good internet connection.”
“Ah...” Harper nodded. “That makes sense.” She smiled. “And it’s really awesome that you can live wherever you want. I’d much prefer our quaint little Seagull Cove to a place like Eugene.”
“That makes two of us,” Mason agreed. “It’s peaceful and quiet, but if I want something bigger, it doesn’t take long in either direction to hit more elaborate entertainment options.”
Harper’s smile was wide. “You know, Mason, I’m starting to think you and I are two peas in a pod.”
Hope soared, followed quickly by dismay. And this is why I need to keep my distance. He was starting to realize the chemistry he was feeling wasn’t one sided, or at least he didn’t think so. It was hard to tell with someone who was so sweet to everyone they met, but Harper seemed a little more...eager with him than the others.
The pull he felt was strong and if Harper felt any of it, then he knew he’d fall hook, line and sinker.
The french fries turned to ash in his mouth, but he forced a tight smile and swallowed. This wasn’t actually a date, but in his memories, he would count it as their first...and also their last.