My Wildest Dreams

Chapter Twelve

Harper's POV:

By the end of the work day, I was dead on my feet and my mind was exhausted. It hadn't taken long for word of Blake's appearance at the shop to spread around town; Almost every client that came in had questions, wanting to know if I was considering starting something with him again, giving their opinions how he was the smarter option between he and Dawson since Blake had a secure job running an insurance agency. Don't get me wrong, I knew where they were coming from but they didn't know Blake the way I did. They saw the charismatic man that he wanted them to see, not the douche canoe that thought he was God's gift to women.

Then of course there were the ones that brought up the whole "Dawson got a call from the Braves" thing and wanted to know if I was going to follow him to Atlanta. And I'd be lying if I had there wasn't a part of me that didn't drop everything for Dawson, uproot my life just so I could feel as happy as I have felt the past couple of days –last night obviously not part of the equation here– but even as that part of me was screaming for me to do just that, the other part of me was reminded of high school and how I;d been faced with this very decision before.

Back then, I'd chosen to stay here, to make a life here because Woodington was what made me who I am today. It had always been home. I had a life here. My family was here. Some people might think that my reasons for wanting to stay were just excuses, thinking that I wanted to stay because I was scared to move away from what I am comfortable with but I honestly can't see myself living anywhere else.

But I also can't really see a life without Dawson in it.

With a frustrated sigh, I grabbed my purse and locked up the shop.When I climbed into my Jeep and eased out of the parking lot, I didn't have a destination in mind. Deep down, I wanted to be alone but at the same time I wanted to bounce my thoughts off someone too. My heart wanted that person to be Dawson but since he had been radio silent all day, I didn't know if he even wanted to be the person for me. I knew I could go to mom because she always seemed to have the answers on everything, but the problem with that was that her and Mrs. Daphne were so close that they talked about everything. I loved my mom but the woman couldn't keep anything to herself; especially anything to do with Dawson and I –that was a lesson that I learned a long time ago.

That left Erin and Avery. And given how the three of us had acted the last time we were together, I didn't know if my liver could stand hanging out with either one of them right now.

But before I even realized where I was going, I found myself pulling into the long gravel path that led up to the farm shop that Mr. Kenny owned. When Dawson and I had dated in high school, I'd spent countless hours here, sitting on work benches or using bales of hay as a desk to do homework on just so that I was close to Dawson while he worked. And then there were the times that we would spend all afternoon on the tractor while he turned the dirt ot planted, just happy to be able to spend time with one another. To say this place was special to me would be an understatement. So really, it's not any wonder that my mind brought me here when i didnt even know its what i really wanted.

Easing my Jeep alongside his, I switched off the engine and walked into the shop. Based on the lack of noise, I knew instantly that I was alone. I took the opportunity to look around, to see what had changed after all these years –and what hadn't.

Tools were still scattered around, something I had learned the hard way to deal with even if it did trigger my OCD. The refrigerator in the corner hummed softly. But it was the smell of being here, the smell of hydraulic fluid, dirt, and generations of past Harris' that had tears pooling in my eyes. All these memories, the emotions I was feeling, was the main reason that I hadn't been out here since Dawson and I broke up all those years ago. And being here now, feeling like I was dealing with the same thing I had been back then, I couldn't help but giggle manicily since after all these years, I was dealing with the possibility of Dawson leaving once again.