Change My Mind

by Ali Parker

  I had no right to ask him to ruin what he had going with her. I knew it but that desperate man inside me was not concerned. “Please do what you can. I need to find her.”

  “I get it. I’ll ask her tonight.”

  I grimaced at the thought of having to wait but I already asked too much of him. “Thanks.”

  I left his office, my knuckles practically scraping across the sidewalk as I dragged myself back to my suite. I could feel her loss in my very soul. I knew it was bad. Before, she’d left me a resignation letter. This time, she escaped without a word. This time, she was serious about leaving me.

  I called every hotel in the city trying to find out if she was there. As expected, no one was giving out that kind of information. I pulled the few strings I had and came up empty. It was like she vanished in the night. I tried to go to sleep that night, but it was impossible.

  I had been so close to having her back. She was within reach. One dinner and I knew I could have secured the deal. I wanted to call and rage at Angela for spilling the story too soon. I knew she wouldn’t care. It wasn’t her life that just imploded. She got her story and I would get my free publicity all at the expense of my future happiness. The cost was too high. I didn’t want it.

  When I awoke the next morning after sleeping for a few restless hours, I felt like hell. I felt like I had a hangover with zero alcohol intake. It was Christmas Eve, a day I planned to spend with Harper, and now she was gone. I managed to find the energy to shower and dress for the day. I didn’t leave my suite all day. I didn’t want to face the day knowing she was gone from my life.

  I picked up my phone to call her again in the hopes she would have cooled down by now. She didn’t answer. In fact, it went straight to voicemail. I put the phone down and made myself some coffee with the afternoon slump pulling me down. When I heard it beep with a text, I nearly vaulted over the back of the couch to reach it. I snatched the phone and read the message.

  “Yes!” I exclaimed when I read the message from Jake.

  Parker told him where she was. A picture was included with his message. Harper was at a small cabin outside of the city. I could be there in two hours if I hurried. I grabbed a few things, tossing them into an overnight bag with the hopes she would give me another chance. I quickly texted Jake to let him know how thankful I was and that I owed him big time.

  I was going to do something I rarely did and drive myself. I called Dwayne and found out where the keys were to my own SUV, which was only a little strange. I quickly found them and hit the road. Snow began to fall as soon as I hit the highway. Thankfully, there was very little traffic. Most people were already settled in their hotels and homes for the holiday.

  I took it easy, not wanting to get into an accident before I could tell her how sorry I was and it was being taken out of context. I followed the GPS, pulling off the highway and down a bumpy road. The cabin came into view. I could see a trail of smoke rising from the chimney and knew I had the right place. There wasn’t a car in the driveway, but I didn’t expect there to be.

  I could see a warm glow behind the curtains. The cabin was small and had a very cozy view from the outside. I hoped the inside was just as cozy and not icy cold.

  I walked up the stoop and knocked. There was a sick feeling in my gut.

  I hoped she would give me a chance to explain.

  Chapter 50

  Harper

  I pulled the coffee pot from the woodstove. I was thankful for my dad’s love of camping and making percolated coffee on the woodstove at our house. I knew just how to use the one I found in the tiny kitchen of the cabin.

  I understood why the cabin was vacant when the cab pulled to a stop in front. It was very tiny and very off the beaten path. The cabbie thought I was crazy going out to a deserted cabin in the woods all by myself, but I was in no mood to explain myself.

  There was a woodstove on one end with the bed close by. A small sofa was positioned in front of the stove. The little kitchen was nothing more than a small fridge, a two-burner gas stove, and a single counterspace with a sink. The bathroom was about a foot bigger than one would expect to find in a camper. It was definitely a lot smaller in person than the fisheye lens the photographer used in the photographs posted online.

  I sat down on the couch and sipped the coffee, looking around the dreary room. It was certainly rustic. It wasn’t exactly how I planned on spending my Christmas Eve, but it was what it was. The last few weeks had been a dream. Me falling for Chase all over again, knowing it was risky, and then having it all blow up in my face felt like a nightmare.

  I thought he’d changed. I thought he was this new man. I thought he truly wanted to be with me. I was such a fool. All my talk about being over him and never falling for his bullshit was a lie. I wasn’t strong enough to resist him. He wielded a power over me I couldn’t explain. It wasn’t natural.

  Now, I was nursing my wounds all alone in a dreary cabin. The hurt was much worse than the first time around. It was a fresh betrayal that left me shattered. He used me. He saw the chance to make a little extra money and used me to get it. He didn’t care about me. I was such a gullible idiot I offered him sex with no strings attached.

  What man would have rejected the offer? I gave him everything he wanted. Sex, power, and a boost in sales. “Congratulations, Harper, you are officially the world’s biggest fool.”

  I imagined I would be beating myself over this mistake for a long time. I promised myself I wouldn’t do it forever, but for the immediate future, I was going to wallow. I was going to throw myself the best pity party ever and hide away from the entire world. It was the only way I knew how to get over him.

  A cold breeze raked over me, telling me I needed to stoke the fire. The woodstove was the only source of heat in the place. When I woke this morning, the fire had gone out in the middle of the night and I swore there were icicles hanging from my nose. It had taken me all day to get the room warm and I wasn’t about to let it get cold now. I added a couple logs to the fire and watched them burning, staring at the dancing flames.

  I barely heard the knock on the door. In fact, I realized I heard the knocking long before I actually heard the knocking. I was in a trance and blocked out everything. I walked to the door, expecting it to be Parker. She was worried about me. I hated that she gave up her Christmas Eve to come out here to be with me, but I was secretly thrilled I wouldn’t have to be all alone.

  I slid the massive lock to the side and pulled open the heavy wooden door. I stared at him, shock turning to anger. I immediately slammed the door shut and slid the lock into place again.

  “Harper,” he called. “Please let me in. It’s freezing.”

  I rolled my eyes, unlocking the door again and opening it a few inches. “Why are you here?”

  He was shivering. The man wasn’t wearing a coat. He never wore a coat. The heavy snow falling over the area already covered the black SUV he obviously came in. “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “Is Dwayne in the car?”

  “No. I came by myself.”

  “How did you know where to find me?”

  I already knew. There was only one person on the planet who knew where I was. Betrayed again. I would have a very strong word with her when I got cell service again. Instead of answering my question, he asked one of his own. “Can I please come in? It’s freezing, and the roads are shit.”

  I didn’t want a frozen Chase on my doorstep. “Fine,” I snapped and yanked open the door.

  “Thank you,” he murmured and immediately went to the woodstove, holding his hands out. “I didn’t think you were going to answer.”

  “I wasn’t going to,” I told him, not admitting I had been so lost in thoughts about him I didn’t hear the damn knocking.

  “I want to explain,” he said.

  “I’m not interested. I only let you in so you don’t freeze. Warm up and get out.”

  “Harper, the road up here is nearly impassable.”

  “Well, I hope
you have a full tank because you’re sleeping in that vehicle tonight.”

  He turned to look at me, the light of the fire behind him. The room was cast in a soft orange glow. He looked so handsome. I hated it. I hated that the lighting softened him. He wasn’t soft. He was cold and calculating and I didn’t like him, I reminded myself.

  “Please let me try and explain. It’s not what you think.”

  “There’s the beauty of the written word. I don’t have to think. I only had to read to see what a slimy, conniving snake you are.”

  “I didn’t connive anything.”

  “Maybe you don’t know this because you’re not in the marketing world, but generally, when you are going to use someone’s name or image to promote your product, you need to get consent first. You did not ask for my consent before you blasted my name in your little publicity stunt.”

  “It wasn’t a publicity stunt.”

  “My reading comprehension is pretty good. I know a push piece when I see one. Her email said it all. She found her hook. You gave her that hook. You gave her quotes and pictures to promote that hook. It was absolutely a publicity stunt. If I wasn’t involved, I probably would have suggested the same thing. Appeal to the hearts of the readers, right? Is that how she sold you on it?”

  He looked ashamed. “Yes.”

  “You sold me to promote yourself. That’s unforgiveable.”

  “I didn’t sell you!”

  I shook my head with disgust. I told myself I wasn’t going to waste my breath talking to him. I didn’t want him to know how badly he hurt me. I wanted to pretend I was unaffected. I didn’t want to give him the satisfaction of fucking me over again. Yet, here I was, unable to keep my hurt to myself.

  “You tried to convince me you were interested in me. You were very good at the ruse. Very good. I guess after all those years chasing women, it became pretty easy for you to take someone to bed without thinking about feelings. I offered you every man’s dream, sex without obligation.”

  “I want the obligation,” he protested.

  I smirked. “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe anything that comes out of your mouth. You made up an entire story and fed it to a reporter who bought it hook, line, and sinker. Don’t try to tell me she came up with that garbage on her own. I read the quotes. You gave it to her. You conjured up some fake relationship to get a little publicity.”

  “It wasn’t like that. I—”

  “I don’t want to hear it. Your excuses are just that. You don’t care that you lied. You care that you got caught. I don’t have to sit here and listen to you try and come up with more lies to make it better. You can’t. You broke this for good. I quit. I quit the job and I quit you. I want you to leave. I left the hotel so I don’t have to see you anymore. I didn’t tell you where I was because I don’t want to see you. I haven’t answered my phone or even bothered to read the texts you sent because I don’t want to hear it. I want you to go. I want you out of my life.”

  The hurt on his face actually made me feel a little guilty. I didn’t like hurting anyone, even the man that crushed my soul twice. I was not a mean person. More than once, I had been told I was too nice. This is what happened when you were too nice. People walked all over you.

  They used you and hurt you and tossed you to the side until they needed you again. He needed me to let him stay in my cabin because Mother Nature was throwing a hell of a tantrum. He wasn’t staying because he really wanted to try and make it right. It was a necessity. Once the storm cleared, he would be gone and never look back.

  Until he needed me again.

  “I don’t want to leave,” he said in a soft voice.

  “I don’t care what you want. You sealed that fate when you used me.”

  “I didn’t use you.”

  “Leave!” I shouted and walked to the door. I jerked it open only to let in a gust of wind carrying a blur of snow. I gasped as the icy-cold air wrapped around me like a hand squeezing me. A loud crash was followed by the cabin being plunged into total darkness. The only light in the room was from the small window in the woodstove. My heart was pounding, more wind and snow blowing inside.

  “What was that?” I whispered, too stunned to move.

  “That was probably a tree falling. It likely took out the powerlines. It is snowing pretty heavy out there.”

  “Oh,” I squeaked and pushed the door closed.

  “I can’t leave in this mess,” he said in a quiet voice. “Look at the snow coming down out there. It’s a blizzard. I can’t even see the SUV.”

  “You can’t stay.”

  “Harper, I cannot leave. The weather is horrible. The roads are probably closed. I know you’re pissed at me, but you can’t make me leave right now. We’re snowed in.”

  I stared at him, horrified at the thought. I could not be snowed in with him on Christmas Eve. Fate could not be that cruel. I wouldn’t put it past him to have conjured up the damn storm. He was trying to force me to listen to him.

  “Chase, no,” I whispered.

  This was my worst nightmare coming true. I could not be trapped in a small one-room cabin with the man that broke my heart. I was in no condition to deal with anyone, definitely not him. There was a single bed. The couch was barely a real couch and the floor was hard as hell. What the hell did he think was going to happen?

  “I’m sorry, but you cannot throw me out. You might hate me, but I know you are not that cruel.”

  I glared at him. “You have no idea what cruel feels like.”

  He hung his head down. The silence in the room made the crackling fire sound like drums. The howling wind outside was eerie. He was right. I was not cruel. I could not send him to his death in the middle of a blizzard.

  I was stuck. Stuck with the man I was trying to run away from.

  Sometimes, I really felt like fate had it out for me. I was destined to have a miserable life with Chase as the antagonist. No matter what I did or where I went, there he was.

  Just like a bad rash.

  Chapter 51

  Harper

  This could not be happening. This wasn’t fair. Why was life being so cruel?

  I was supposed to be holing up and licking my wounds. This was supposed to be my time. I was going to have a nice bottle of wine, drink, cry, and get angry about what Chase Adams did to me. I wanted to get super sad and then super pissed at the man that broke my heart, not once but twice.

  I wanted to rail at him for making me fall for him a second time, even when I knew it was bad news. I was an idiot for believing he could want me. The man was a gorgeous, successful billionaire. He used me to make his resort grand opening spectacular and then used me a little more to get a little free publicity by making up some bullshit star-crossed lover story.

  “Do you have any candles?” the man asked.

  I shot him a glare. Not that he could see it due to the little one-room cabin being plunged into darkness by the power outage. The damn snowstorm. Fate was intervening and making sure I was well and truly miserable by trapping the man that tore out my heart in the same place with me.

  I wanted to kick him out. I wanted to make him leave, but I wasn’t that cruel. The blizzard warring outside made the roads impassable. There was likely a tree down somewhere which took out the power.

  “I don’t actually live here,” I snapped. “I don’t know if there are candles.”

  He held up his hands. “I come in peace.”

  “Not funny.”

  “How much wood do you have stocked up?”

  I waved my hand at the pile in the log holder. “That. I wasn’t planning on turning into a lumberjack when I came up here. I came here to get away from you.”

  “I think we have enough for the night,” he replied, completely ignoring my irritation. “Is there a wood shed on the property?”

  I wanted to tell him to kiss my ass but there was something in the back of my mind that recognized the seriousness of the situation. I grew up in Colorado. I knew what a really
bad storm could do. I could find myself stuck up here with Chase in this small cabin for several days without power. We needed the stove for heat, which meant we needed wood. I wasn’t interested in swinging an ax or bringing the wood from the shed into the house.

  “Yes,” I finally answered.

  “I’ll get the wood restocked in the morning if the snow hasn’t let up.”

  “Don’t get too comfortable. I don’t want you here.”

  “I heard you the first ten times.”

  I watched him walk toward the little kitchen and start opening drawers. “What are you doing?” I snapped.

  “I’m looking for candles or a flashlight. I’m sure a place like this will have that stuff on hand.”

  I walked to the bench at the foot of the bed and opened it. I grabbed one of the fluffy throw blankets and carried it to the couch. I couldn’t explain why, but I was cold. Not really cold but more like I wanted the blanket as a source of security. I wanted to protect myself from him.

  “Got two!” he said loudly.

  “Congratulations,” I muttered.

  “Only two. We’ll save these for the bathroom. The woodstove will give us some light.”

  I couldn’t believe he was acting like this situation was okay. It wasn’t. I couldn’t decide if his company was worse than being alone in the dark, cut off from the world. I was leaning toward worse.

  He took the candles into the bathroom and returned a few seconds later. I watched as he squatted in front of the stove and stabbed at the log with the poker before adding another log. It was kind of strange to see him doing something so normal. Over the last month, I had gotten to know him as the billionaire owner of a hotel. People waited on him and he always dressed in a suit.

  I hated to admit it, but I kind of liked this side of him better. No, scratch that. I didn’t like him at all. He was bad. That was how he was. He seemed all nice and sweet, but it was all a lie. He made me want him again. He made me fall for him and I was stupid enough to think I could be involved with a no-strings thing. I wasn’t like that.