“Careful not to accidentally finger-bang me?” she teased nervously.
Asher jerked his chin to her coffee. “Drink. You’re shivering.”
“I don’t like black coffee, remember?”
“Pretend it’s hot chocolate.”
“You’re bossy.”
“You probably haven’t minded anyone in your whole life.”
“I’m grown. Why would I need to mind anyone?” God, he was frustrating.
“If I gave you a warning…one that could save your life…would you mind me then?”
Well, that was different. “Maybe.”
Asher looked sick when he said, “Stay away from me.”
And then he stood and made his way inside, leaving her swaying on the swing in a baffled daze.
And there it was. Again.
Asher Striker had just run for the fourth time.
Chapter Six
“You’ve hardly touched any of your waffles,” Blaire pointed out.
Ashlyn dragged her attention from the snowy scenery outside and made a show of cutting off another piece.
“Are you okay?” Blaire asked.
The answer was hell no. She was confused out of her mind by Asher. And she’d just listened to a fifteen-minute laugh-fest between Blaire and Mila about a dozen inside jokes that Ashlyn could only guess at, and she felt like the odd woman out. Again. She couldn’t say that without turning the conversation weird, though, so instead she said, “It’s really beautiful out here.”
Mila cleared her throat delicately. “You should see it in the spring and summer. It’s stunning. So green you wouldn’t believe, and in the fall, we have some of the prettiest color changes in the leaves in the whole world. Tourists flock here just to see it.”
Ashlyn smiled politely at her replacement. “That sounds nice.”
Mila dipped her soft brown eyes to her plate. “I think I’m going to go to the bathroom. Give you two some time together.” She gave an empty smile and excused herself.
“Do you not like Mila?” Blaire asked quietly. “She’s trying.”
“I’m sure she’s fine, but you have to understand it from my perspective, Blaire. You just up and left me. Left. Me. You don’t call or answer my texts half the time.”
“Because there are things about my life you won’t understand now, and I don’t know how to talk to you.”
“Great. Shut me out then, Blaire. That makes this so much easier. And then I come here, and you’ve got a new best friend and this new life, and you’re so different.”
“Different how?”
Ashlyn wanted to pop off. She wanted to call her naïve, but that word wouldn’t feel right. Not since she’d noticed something else over breakfast, something that scared her even more. Something that made her think she really had lost her best friend. With a sigh, Ashlyn crossed her arms over her chest and murmured, “You seem happier. More self-assured. Less stressed. You even look refreshed. You smile a lot more, speak clearer, and I can tell the divorce is in your rearview mirror. I pushed for that for so long, but it took you coming here and meeting new friends to get to a good place. I guess I feel left behind.”
Blaire’s heart was in her eyes, and her bottom lip trembled like she was going to cry. Aw, crap. Ashlyn draped her arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. She rested her cheek on top of Blaire’s fiery hair and muttered, “This is the part where I’m supposed to bow out graciously, right? Where I’m supposed to be one hundred percent happy for you and pout quietly where you can’t see it, because you deserve this happiness, Blaire. You deserve to find a man who treats you like a queen, and it seems like Gentry does. I mean, it’s kind of gross how he called up here and paid for the breakfast, but it’s also pretty sweet, and they should put that shit in romantic movies. Springing for these terrible mimosas was a pretty slick move, too,” she said, gesturing to the mason jar of orange juice and cheap champagne, the best Jack’s had to offer. “I mean, Matt used to block us from having girl days, and Gentry seems to support you living your life, and—”
Blaire hugged her tight and nearly cut off her air. “He’s amazing, Ashlyn. You’ll see. Just stay a few days and really get to know the people here. You won’t worry for me anymore, and we can just go back to the way things were. I’ll do better about answering my phone, and everything will be okay. You’ll see. I’m sorry.”
And now Ashlyn was blinking back tears because Blaire’s apology meant the world. She was the best friend she’d ever had.
“Look, the grand opening for Winter’s Edge is happening in a week. Stay for that. Stay for the party! You can go back home after that, but maybe a week will give you enough time to get to know Gentry, Mila, and Roman.”
Ashlyn narrowed her eyes. “And Asher.”
“Eeeeee,” Blaire said, easing away from her. “Asher’s a good one to steer clear of.”
“Uuuh, why? Because I know you’re not just going to give me that little riddle and think I would leave it alone.”
“He’s just…” Blaire pursed her lips and rolled her eyes to the ceiling like she was searching for the right word. “Better when he’s alone.”
“Well, we fooled around this morning, so does that count as steering clear?”
“What?” Blaire barked out way too loud.