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Her mind was skittering in all directions.
What was wrong with her? Who was she? She didn’t do anxiety over a man. Hadn’t she decided that men were a bad idea right now, anyway? Why was she smiling at this one?
Okay, if the guys in her circles looked like him, she might not have been able to convince herself to swear off men.
Whoever Harper was, he looked and acted like he’d stepped out of a Hallmark Christmas movie. The neatly trimmed hair, the rugged yet casual look, the sturdy build, coming to her rescue, and finally bird watching? Was he real? Or was this a joke?
“Want to smile for the camera?” he asked, grin widening.
She glanced at the lens then him, her eyes widening. Here? Now? When she looked like this?
“You’ve got to be joking.” She reached up and smoothed a hand over her hair. There were bits of things from when she’d had to drag one of the fluff-butts out from under the hedges.
She was a mess.
These were yesterday’s workout clothes.
She hadn’t showered.
Not to mention she’d only slathered a little sunscreen on her face before leaving the house.
“I’ll never joke about documenting beautiful things,” Harper said.
Her jaw dropped.
This was completely unreal.
And yet a little part of her swooned inside. It felt like ages since anyone had noticed her, much less called her beautiful. In her parent’s world, she was merely a daughter. Second best. Nothing worth noticing.
She needed to get out more.
“Who are you and what cheesy movie set did you walk off?” she asked.
Harper tossed his head back and laughed. It was the kind of laugh that invited you to join in on it. She couldn’t help it. And damn it felt good to laugh. She’d been a bundle of stress and anxiety for days now. This moment did more for her soul than anything else she’d tried.
The man deserved more than just dinner.
“Do lines like that normally work?” she worked.
He shrugged. “I guess not.”
She wasn’t convinced. His warm brown eyes glittered with good humor. He probably had a lot of one-liners. Still, she was enjoying the attention. Most days it seemed like hardly anyone spoke to her. It was frustrating given that she’d stepped back from working on her own career to help out the family. Of course, she had her own motives for that move.
Robin’s phone chimed, cutting her thoughts short.
She dug in her pocket and pulled out her phone, only to groan.
“Everything okay?” Harper asked.
“Yes.” She sighed and unlocked the phone. “Just my step-mom wanting an update about her precious babies. I swear these dogs are more important than I am.”
Crap.
Was she letting her frustration show?
Robin and Saaina didn’t have the best relationship. They’d never really been given the chance to get off on the right foot, not with everything that happened after Mom died. Back then Robin had been too young, too hurt. Now, it was history wedging them apart. Which was a shame. They shouldn’t be picking at each other like they did.
Saaina did love the dogs more than Robin.
