Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83992 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“Are you working this weekend? I’d assume you would be. What with the block party and the scavenger hunt.”
I turned and leaned against the railing. “God, I used to love doing the scavenger hunts. That and the apple festival were always two of my favorite things.”
Harper smiled as she tucked her legs up under her.
“Do they still do the dog parade?”
“For Halloween?” she asked. “Yep. And the Halloween Fright Fest. That was always my favorite.”
“Man,” I said, slowly shaking my head. “I didn’t realize how much I missed this place. I’ve got to be honest, it doesn’t feel like much has changed since I left.”
Watching me closely, Harper asked, “Is that a bad thing or a good thing?”
I thought about my answer. “It’s a good thing. I think. At least, that’s my answer right now. Ask me in about six months if it’s still the same.”
She chuckled.
We held a comfortable silence for a few minutes, until Harper cleared her throat, swung her legs out, and sat up straight. “Declan, I need to tell you something.”
Her voice was serious, and that worried me. Ever since the news of Hope Turner having cancer, I was a bit on edge. I didn’t even know the woman, but since learning she had a child under two and her chances of beating the cancer were pretty low, something had shifted inside me. Some of the things I used to think were important didn’t seem so vital anymore. And if I was truthful with myself, the thought of someone I loved getting cancer scared the living shit out of me.
“Is everything okay? Are you okay?”
Confused for a moment, Harper nodded. “Um, yeah. I’m fine. This is about Sean.”
My heart started to beat a bit faster. “What about him?”
She chewed nervously on her lower lip before finally blurting, “We’re not dating.”
The relief that coursed through my body was palpable. I just hoped it wasn’t showing on the outside.
“Sean came to me with this stupid idea of pretending to date again so that your mother would get off his back about Crystal. She wants them together.”
“That’s not new news.”
Harper shrugged. “Anyway, one of the reasons Sean broke up with me was because he was in love with someone else.”
That caused me to lean forward a bit, in anticipation of learning who this person was…though I was sure I already knew. “If it’s not Crystal, then…” My words trailed off, and Harper gave me a look before I said, “Caroline.”
Harper tapped her nose. “Yep. Except, she started dating someone. And your brilliant brother thought if we pretended to date, it would get both his mother off his back and possibly make Caroline jealous.”
“And you actually agreed to do this for him?”
A wicked smile crossed her face. “For season tickets to the Giants. Yes, I did.”
It took a second for her words to register—then I started to laugh. “You bribed him?”
“Hell yes, I did. If I was going to have to pretend to date his ass again, I wanted to be rewarded handsomely. I’m not exactly a fan of Sean’s anymore.”
“I noticed. Honestly, I knew something was off.”
She screwed up her face in the most adorable way. “Was it the trip?”
“That, and just the way you acted around him, in general. It seemed like he was constantly getting under your skin.”
“That’s because he does. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve wanted to bitch-slap him. I also think he’s a pussy—pardon my language—for not standing up to your mother.”
“No offense taken because you aren’t wrong. No one else knows?”
“Oh, I’ve told all my closest friends. And my family. There is no way they’d believe I was back with Sean, and I didn’t want them to.”
Then I remembered the day Mayor Browning came into the flower shop. “Now that day with your dad makes so much more sense.”
She let out a soft laugh, and I loved the sound. I wanted to hear more of it, and see more of that smile that seemed to light up the whole roof.
“I felt so terrible about lying to you.”
“Why?” I asked, genuinely curious.
Harper shrugged. “I don’t know. I’ve liked our time together, and it didn’t feel right to keep it from you.”
I winked. “I liked it too. And I hated the idea that you were dating my brother again.”
She leaned forward slightly. “Really?”
“Yes, really! I hated it the first time around, and this time was even worse.”
Harper blinked rapidly a few times and stood. “Wait—does that mean you liked me before you left for the Marines?”
I let out a humorless laugh as I shook my head. “Harper, I’ve liked you since you were about fourteen years old, and I was a senior in high school.”
Her eyes went wide. “But…but I was so overweight back then.”
“I thought you were perfect.”
Her eyes filled with tears, and she quickly blinked them back. “What?”