Chapter Two
Mason
Four of the final five women had arrived, all somewhat dressed up but still in the final stages of dressing, their hair in curlers and their makeup half done. I gave them each a warm smile as I walked in, making sure I made eye contact with each one. Most of them had greeted Natalie cheerfully, but eyed me suspiciously. I had to stop myself from chuckling. No doubt they all wondered who I was.
My eyes scanned the small crowd as I set myself up behind the desk, laying my files on the flat surface. Avery hadn’t arrived yet. I wasn’t exactly surprised—Harper’s roommate seemed to have an agenda of her own most of the time.
The big oak door rapidly swung open as Avery rushed in. She gave Natalie a familiar smile and stood at the back of the room, taking everything in.
When Avery’s eyes caught mine, she waved and offered a similar smile. I nodded to her, watching as she leaned over to Natalie. “When is Asher going to arrive?” I heard her ask in a whisper.
I shot Natalie a warning look as she looked over at me, opening her mouth a little, as if she was about to say something. She closed her mouth instantly as she observed my expression, chewing on her lower lip. I could tell she was torn about what to do, but ultimately she knew who was in charge here. At least, I hoped she did.
She quickly looked back at Avery. “You’re late, Miss Gaines.” Her voice was smooth, completely at ease. “Would you care to take a seat with the other girls?”
Avery’s face fell as her eyes traveled to the ground. She obeyed Natalie instantly, looking around the big room. The other girls sized her up, flicking their eyes over to her as she sat, crossing her legs.
Her eyes met mine, her brow furrowing in confusion.
“Now that you’re all here, we can get started.” Natalie’s voice rang out in the room, and she instantly had the nervous women’s attention. “We’re going to walk you through the evening so you know exactly what’s going on.” She looked to me, her expression not betraying a single thing.
I nodded to her, feeling the eyes of our small audience on me now. I bent over, putting my hands flat on the desk and staring right back at them.
“Tonight, our bachelor Henry will be narrowing down his selection again. He has chosen each one of you to be here for this stage. The festivities for the evening are going to be pretty simple and should be very fun. You’ll get to really know Henry, and he’s going to get to know you.” I watched as the five women nervously stared at each other. “It’ll just be you five and Henry. Throughout the night, Henry will have fifteen minutes alone with each of you. By the end of the evening, we’ll have Henry narrow his selection down to two girls. The two finalists will get dates with Henry—real dates, away from here. We’ll give those two girls more instructions later on. But for now, all you have to do is be your charming selves and get ready to have a really fun time. You all know the drill. Any questions?”
I could see Avery shift a little in her seat, her eyes now taking me in suspiciously. She didn’t raise her hand, though, even as one of the other girls raised hers.
“Yes?”
The young woman, Katherine, a tall, athletic blonde, laughed easily. “Any rules for tonight?” The way she asked her question told me that she wasn’t particularly nervous at all.
Her question earned a few more, half-hearted giggles from the women.
I gave her a smile. “No. Tonight, you use your own judgment. You no longer have to impress us, you have to impress your date.”
Based on the expressions some of the women now had, I could sense that a few would likely take a more cut-throat approach to winning Henry[‘s attention. It wasn’t anything I hadn’t seen in the past, though it was a tactic that didn’t usually work out well.
I cleared my throat. “Good luck to all of you tonight, ladies. If you have any questions, Natalie, Hunter, and I will be here to help you. Hunter will now escort you back to your rooms so you can fully prepare for the night ahead.”
Katherine stood up first to leave, shooting me a sly, mischievous smile. Henry would certainly have a time with her and her bombshell attitude. She gave Hunter a similar look as he held the door open for her, grinning.
I looked away, thinking of Harper. Our afternoon had been one of the best dates I’d ever had. Seeing her dressed down in jeans and a plain shirt, her hair in a tangled mess after we had reached the vineyard—everything about her set my mind and body on fire. A slight smile of my own tugged at my lips as I thought about her giving that little twirl, taking in her surroundings with the curiosity of a young, innocent girl. Her lips on mine had been sweet, so sweet.
“Hi, Mason. Good to see you again.”
Avery stood in front of me now. I watched her, trying to figure out her expression. “Good to see you, too, Avery,” I replied, keeping my face unreadable. “Are you ready for tonight?”
She nodded, eyes still intently on me. “I am. I have to say, I was a little surprised that he picked me. He didn’t seem to like me all that much the first time we met.”
“Well, sometimes people remember things differently. Henry labored over his choices.”
She shrugged, crossing her arms. “It’ll be...interesting, to say the least. So, when do we get to meet Asher?” Avery looked around the room as if she expected him to bust through the door at any moment.
“In time.” I kept my tone neutral. “You had better go get ready. I know Harper is excited about helping you out.”
Avery gave me a cold smile. “Yeah, I know. Talk to you later, Mason.”
The second she left, Natalie strode over to me. “When the hell are you going to tell Harper, Asher? You can’t just string her along under false pretenses.”
Her eyes glimmered with frustration as she stared at me, probing for answers. I looked straight into her gaze.
“Tonight. I’m going to tell Harper the truth tonight.”
“Why do I get the feeling shit’s about to hit the fan?” She asked, just as Hunter entered the room, closing the door behind him.
“Because it is,” I finally replied. “I’m going to tell Harper the truth. I’m going to tell her everything.”
“Just remember,” Natalie chided, “we’re on a tight timeline tonight. You better be careful, Asher.”
I thought of Harper. She trusted me, looked up to me in a sense. I had no idea how she was going to react, but I knew that keeping everything from her had begun to take a toll on me. An overwhelming feeling of guilt weighed me down.
She had been hurt before, countless times, and I didn’t want to ever be the reason for that hurt. I had even told her that I wouldn’t be, and now I seemed to be in this over my head.