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She laughs and shakes her head, touching my chest for a second. “I’m not mad at you, and I don’t hate you. I would like to wring the necks of everyone else, though. Especially that nosy son of a bitch reporter.”
Her cursing shocks me to the extent that I burst out laughing.
“I’m glad I’m not him,” I announce.
Harper sighs. “My mom is going to leave a thousand missed calls when she finds out, and my dad might hunt you down, so I’ll try to buy you some time to run if I find out he’s on your tail.”
Goosebumps run down my arms at the thought of Harper’s angry dad chasing me, demanding to know why I am engaged to his daughter.
“He’s not going to harm you physically,” she assures me, “but I can see the fear on your face. My father can be intimidating.”
“Ah,” I nod. “Okay. So, no cowering, right?”
“That is not going to save you. Your best bet is to run, fast.”
Then she pats my shoulder, and I hold myself back from taking her hand and kissing it. While Harper and I have not defined what is happening between us, things are different now, and I need to know the rules.
“I have work to do,” she says. “I’ll see you later.”
Later, I ponder as the door closes, and I head back to my seat. Does that mean she wants to see me? Not because of work or the fake engagement plan, but because she wants to see me.
“Why do things have to be complicated?” I mutter, dragging my hand roughly down my face to express my frustration.
***
“I didn’t think you were going to get engaged before I did,” Caleb says jokingly when we meet at a bar later that evening. “But congratulations, my man.”
I take a shot and relish the slight burn as the liquid slides down my throat. “Congratulations? Did you hear a word I just said?”
He nods. “Yup, I did. Loud and clear. To avoid a scandal that you didn’t tell me about, even though I am your right-hand man, you are now in an official relationship with Harper. Your neighbor and the woman you are in love with.”
I groan. “I am not—”
“You’re going to say you’re not falling in love with her?” Caleb does not hesitate to call me out. “Come on, I’ve seen the two of you. The double date we were supposed to go on was a chance for you two…to bond or something.”
“Mira wasn’t sick?” I ask.
He shakes his head, grinning slyly. “Nope, she wasn’t. It was her idea to give you guys an opportunity to go on a date because you were too chicken to ask Harper out, and Harper has no idea how you feel even though she feels the same way.”
I snort out a laugh. “She’s falling in love with me? That’s not possible.”
The bartender refills Caleb’s glass and pours me another shot. I thank him with a half-nod.
“What is funny about that?” Caleb asks. “You think she can’t be in love with you?”
I stroke my chin, trying to see if there might be any truth in his words. Granted, Harper is not as cold as she was with me from the beginning, but I also know that she’s holding back in some ways, like how she has never let me into her apartment and the times I catch the gears in her brain turning.
“She’s not in love with me.”
Caleb makes a hmm sound. “I find it fascinating that a woman who doesn’t love you would go to such great lengths to help you out.”
Then I tell him what Harper said and how she considers the project a big deal. He nods when I’m done, taking a sip from his glass.
“I guess I was wrong, then. But it doesn’t change the fact that there is something between you two. I’m not saying take the opportunity and make her fall for you but…”
I feel helpless. “What do I do, then? You’re right,” I confess, “I am falling in love with her.”
Caleb pats my shoulder. “You’ll figure it out. I know you will. Just don’t force it.”
