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)
Harper Browning. The one woman who’d had a starring role in my dreams for as long as I could remember.
After taking a few deep breaths, I grabbed my bag and started for the back door when my phone went off. It was late, so I assumed it was a Marine Corps buddy of mine. I groaned when I took my cell out and saw it was Sean.
“Shit.”
I pulled up the text and read it.
Sean: I need to talk to you when you get a chance.
Staring at the message, I debated whether I wanted to text him or wait until tomorrow. I decided that whatever he had to say could wait. I had Harper waiting for me, and nothing would delay this a second longer.
Ignoring the text, I threw the bag over my shoulder, locked the door, and made my way to Harper’s.
The door was indeed unlocked. I found myself looking around—and had to laugh. Harper had me paranoid now. After getting inside, I locked the door and headed up the steps, stopping at the door that led to Harper’s place.
I knocked, and she opened the door. “That was fast!”
“Well, the idea of a sleepover with you has me feeling…”
She raised a brow. “Feeling?”
Laughing, I replied, “Excited.”
Harper laughed as I put my bag on the floor next to the sofa. “Sean sent me a text that he needed to talk to me, by the way.”
Harper was heading to the kitchen, and she glanced back at me. “Do you think your mother called him already?”
I shrugged. “I’m not sure. Knowing my mother, she probably stopped by his place and laid into him for lying to her.”
“Oh, he’s going to be so mad at me,” she stated, taking down two wine glasses. “I did warn him, though, so he has no one to blame but himself.”
“Yeah, well, he can wait until tomorrow to talk to me. Tonight is all about us.”
Harper grinned. “I like the sound of that. Red or white wine?”
“Do you have anything already open?”
She bent down and looked into her wine refrigerator. “I’ve got a bottle of Merlot open.” She held it up. “Just enough for a couple glasses, I think.”
“Sounds good to me. Are you feeling snacky?”
Harper was about to pour a glass when she paused and looked at me. “Snacky?”
“Yeah, that club sandwich I ate at the bar isn’t holding me over.” The idea of being with Harper tonight was making me feel like a teenage boy about to have sex for the first time. I was nervous as fuck, and when I was anxious, I got hungry.
“Um, I’ve got a bunch of stuff in the fridge. I can put together a little snack tray for us. Then we can take it up to the roof if you want.”
“I’ll help make something.”
“Great!” Harper said, as she opened the refrigerator and started taking items out. “In that bottom drawer, there are some trays. Will you please grab one? Also, in the pantry, there should be some nuts.”
After finding a tray, I headed to the pantry, where Harper had every kind of nut you could think of. I grabbed cashews, almonds, and pistachios. I loved pistachios.
When I walked back into the kitchen, Harper had a plethora of food on the table.
“Man, when you snack, you really snack!”
She chuckled. “I like a good snack tray. Oh, pistachios! Good choice. I love them.”
My heart did a little kick in my chest. “A girl after my own heart.”
As we worked side by side building our snack tray, we talked about the evening. As much as I’d hated leaving the Marines, life was really starting to look good back here in Moose Village. I was home with my family, Harper and I were…well…I wasn’t sure what we were doing, but I liked where it was going. I was enjoying my job, and it was really nice to have friends who knew nothing about my previous career. Life felt…normal. It was pretty great.
“You grab the tray, and I’ll get another bottle of wine and the glasses.”
I did as Harper asked and started for the steps to head to the rooftop. I felt my phone buzz in my back pocket but ignored it. It was eleven at night, and the only people who would even think of reaching out this late were my buddies from the Marines. Unless…
Once I got out onto the roof, I set the tray down on the coffee table and pulled out my phone.
Sean: Dude, where are you? I’m at your place and you’re not answering the door.
“Fuck.”
“What did I miss?” Harper asked as she set the wine bottle and glasses down.
“Sean is down at my door, wanting to know where I am.”
“This late at night?”
I looked at my phone and back to Harper. “I’m going to ignore him.”
She shook her head. “Call him, Declan. You think you can put it out of your mind, but you’ll be thinking about it, and I want you here with me a hundred percent.”