"Or something," I reply, and he tips his head to the side with interest.
"Oh, yeah?" he presses.
I nod. "There’s a girl staying up there this week," I explain.
"What’s her name?" he asks. He knows pretty much everything about everyone around these parts, and I know if anyone is going to be able to get me an in with her, it’s him.
"Harper," I reply. "Harper Higgins."
He nearly spits out the mouthful of his beer that he just took a sip of.
"Harper Higgins!” he exclaims, loudly enough that a couple of people look around to see what the commotion is.
"Yeah, what about her?"
"She’s a preacher’s daughter, Cliff,” he replies, shaking his head, a grin passing up and over his face. "You – she's really staying up there this week?”
"Yeah, that’s her name," I reply. I can’t help but feel a little defensive. I don’t know what I wanted him to say, but I had hoped for something a little more impressive than this.
"You’re crushing on her, aren’t you?” he asks.
I shake my head. "Just wondering who she is–"
"So many people have come and gone up there since you started working there, and I think you’ve asked me about three of them," he remarks. "You like her, don’t you? You think she’s cute?"
"So what if I do?”
He chuckles, shakes his head. "Look, buddy, not to take the wind out of your sails or anything," he explains, "but she’s a preacher’s daughter. Very definition of a good girl. I don’t think that she’s going to be in all that much of a rush to come running up to the mountains to live with you."
"I guess," I mutter, and I pick up my drink and take a long sip, trying not to let that thought get under my skin.
We chat a little more, about what’s been going on at Goldie’s theater and his auto shop, before we call it a night. On my drive home, I find my mind drifting back to Harper, over and over again.
She’s sweet, that’s for sure – there's something about her that interests me, intrigues me, even though I know that I should be a little more careful about who I let get under my skin. I just – there's just something about her that excites me. And right now, I could use a little excitement in my life.
Chapter Four
Harper
I flop back on the bed, let out an irritated grunt, and toss the vibrator onto the bedside table.
Is that thing broken or something? Because I’m sure that I’m meant to have been able to get off by now. I feel like I’ve been trying it out for hours, flipping this way and that, lying on my back, my front, trying to get off. Trying to feel something other than this slightly irritating grumble between my legs.
I look over at the thing sitting on the table beside me and silently curse it inside my head. Why can’t I just... come? I have been trying for hours. At this point I’m not sure what it’s going to take.
Maybe I just need to get out of bed and stop putting so much pressure on myself. This is meant to be fun, after all, and I am making it feel like a chore. Maybe I need a warm shower. I’ve been travelling all day and my hair could use washing. It might be easier to get off if I’m freshly scrubbed.
I head through to the bathroom, and catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. There is a furrow in my brow and my cheeks are flushed, and I can’t help but wonder how long I am going to have to wait to make this trip worthwhile. I have been trying so hard, so darn hard, to get where I need to go, but it still eludes me.
I would be lying to myself if I said that there weren’t some other things on my mind when I was masturbating, too. Cliff, to be precise.
I know that I shouldn’t even be thinking of him like that, but it’s hard when he looked at me the way that he did, when he smiled with that crooked grin. I wonder if he has been thinking about me since he left – or if he has been going about his day like normal. Instead of spending it in this horny fugue state.
I strip down and go to turn on the shower – only to realize that this particular bathroom only has a toilet and a sink. Well, they did say it was rustic. I didn’t even think to check that. I grab the paper map from the coffee table and look it over. The showers are back near the main building – communal ones for all the guests. Not exactly what I fantasized about for my sexy weekend break, but I’ll take what I can get right now.