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I point her out, and he follows my gesture. "She's adorable. Where's her mom?"
"That," I sigh, "is a long story for another time. She's, uh, out of the picture. It’s just Sasha and me."
"Understood," he nods, seeming to search for a new subject. When he finds one, he flashes me a mischievous smile. "How does Harper like having you poking around her workplace? That resort has become her baby, you know."
"Yeah, I've figured that out the hard way." I rub my neck. "I may have made matters worse than they had to be when I first got here. I came in a little hot and kicked up our old rivalry, so things got off to a bumpy start."
"Hey, everyone already knows that the two of you were always butting heads. None of us believed for a second that you would suddenly bury the hatchet if you came back home."
"Tell me about it," I say and let out a quick, dry laugh. "We seemed to have turned it around, though, I'm enjoying her company…" I can't help the smile that creeps onto my face.
"Oh, really?" Kip raises an eyebrow. "That's a shocking turn of events." He turns to point to the field. "Well, that's the thingabout life, you never know where it's going to take you. If Johnny can do the impossible, transforming from a troublemaker to a role model for these kids, there's no reason you and Harper can't transform your relationship too."
"Yeah, thanks, you're right. You never know. At the moment, I'm trying to keep things as professional as I can so it doesn't get messy. It's not easy."
Kip chuckles. "I bet. She's always been a beauty, no doubt about it."
There's never been a more accurate statement. We watch the kids take batting practice for a few minutes in silence.
"Do you see Harper around much?"
"Not a lot, and if I do, she's always with that Bella girl."
"Bella Wilson?" I repeat. "Are they still friends?"
"Those two are as thick as thieves. If Harper's not at home or work, there's a good chance Bella's with her. There was a point after her folks died that Harper sort of vanished from the world around here. Every once in a while, when she'd show up in town, it was always with Bella. She was her rock. I don't know the details, but that girl took a hard hit. Rumor is Bella saved her from herself. Well, Bella and your folks."
I swallow hard. When I heard about Harper's parents' accident at the end of senior year, I really didn't know how to react. We weren't close, and I didn't think there was anyway I could help her. By the time I came home for the summer after my freshman at college, Harper was already working for my family full-time.
Now that I think about it, I don't think I ever saw her grieve, so I just assumed she was okay or already had all the support she needed. It seems I was way off base.
Kip goes on to talk about life in Greenwood, and the entire time we chat, I consider how self-involved I must've been back then to miss how deeply the death of Harper's parents really hurt her.
If I'd have known I might have... done what, exactly? Been a shoulder to cry on? Checked in on her? She probably wouldn’t have wanted anything to do with me then either. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have tried. She deserved at least that much from me.
Chapter fifteen
HARPER
"And then Daddy and I went to the park and I got to meet his friend Kip, who teaches all the kids how to play baseball," Sasha gushes as she twirls in my office chair.
School is closed for professional workday, and as soon as Deacon brought her into the building Sasha made a B-line for my office. Truth be told, I'm ecstatic that she wanted to see me again so soon. This little girl is growing on me like a climbing ivy plant. So, she and I are passing the time playing office games and chatting all about her first couple of weeks in Greenwood.
"We were going to get barbecue after, but that place wasn't open yet, so we went to try food from the pizza shop, and I got to learn what pineapple on a pizza tastes like." Sasha plants her hands firmly on the chair's arm rests, leaning back dramatically and exclaiming. "And I did not like it one bit!"
"Neither do I!" I match her volume. "I don't get how people enjoy that."
"I know," she shakes her head, face scrunched in disgust. "Gross." We laugh together until there's a knock at my door.
Deacon’s tall, muscular frame fills the doorway. He leans against the jamb, arms crossed, with one ankle folded over the other, a wry smirk adorning his sharp features. "Pineapple on pizza is the best and you know it, princess."
She folds her arms and shakes her head.
"It's an act of treason," I join her in rebellion. "A crime against this town, and even against nature. And it's a taste I don't care to repeat, thank you very much."
His smirk widens into a smile. "Noted."
A small crease wrinkles Sasha's brows as she looks from her dad to me. "I don't get it," she admits.
