“Please...” He looked at Harper and held up his hands. “Open the door, Harper. I’ll explain everything.”
Her gaze darted between her desperate father and her furious mother. Suddenly she was transported to her childhood, reliving all the tugs-of-war between her parents at warp speed. Don’s apologies for coming home late again from an out-of-town trip, Madge’s passive-aggressive response, always using Harper as a shield:“You missed your daughter’s science fair / ballet recital / homecoming / prom... high school graduation.”Tears stung her eyes. She was well into adulthood, but being sandwiched between her mother and father made her feel like that child all over again.
“Harper, open the door.” Don’s voice turned razor sharp.
“Don’t you dare,” Madge snapped.
Her mother’s order brought Harper back to reality. “This is ridiculous.” She unlocked the door and threw it open.
Don blew by her and went straight to Madge. “You hung up on me last week, and now you won’t answer my calls anymore.”
Madge lifted her chin. “That’s my prerogative.”
He spread out his arms, his face full of frustration. “Why are you being so unreasonable?”
“Me?” Madge pressed her hand to her chest. “You’re the one who’sfollowingme.”
“Because you refuse to talk!”
For a moment Harper thought her mother was going to explode, something she’d never done before.
But Madge straightened her shoulders. “All further discussion will be through my attorney tomorrow morning. Nine a.m. sharp.” She breezed past him and walked out the door without giving Harper a second glance.
Don ran his fingers through his still thick hair that had turned gray a few years ago. “She’s impossible,” he muttered, starting to pace. “And stubborn. And nonsensical.”
“Dad,” Harper said.
He stopped pacing and shot a look at her. “What?”
“Is this why you called me the other day? To tell me...” She swallowed the lump at the base of her throat. “You and Mom are divorcing?”
“I called to ask you to talk some sense into her.”
She almost laughed at that. She’d never been able to talk her mother into, or out of, anything. Madge wanted her daughter to go to private school? Harper went to private school. She wanted her daughter to have straight As? Harper had straight As. She wanted her daughter to be successful? Harper was always working on that too. She didn’t want to disappoint either one of them. How ironic. Her mother was constantly disappointed, and her father was still in his own world.
Don went to her. “You’ve got to help me, Harper. I don’t want a divorce. I love your mother. She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
“Then why is she angry with you?”
Don’s handsome face buckled. “That’s between the two of us.”
Harper crossed her arms over her chest. “But you want me to get into the middle of this.”
“I don’t want you to. I have no choice.”
The phone on Sharon’s desk started to ring. Harper’s temples throbbed. “Dad, I—”
“Can’t even help your old man?”
The ringing sound of the phone echoed in the small office as Harper composed herself. She was being manipulated... again. Both of her parents were masters at it. Unfortunately, she wasn’t immune, not after getting hit with the news of their split. “I’ll see what I can do,” she said quietly.
“You’re the best.” Her father leaned over and kissed her on the cheek before dashing out of the office.
Harper let the phone go to voice mail and plopped down in one of the plush, faded-rose-colored chairs in the waiting room that she’d paid more than a pretty penny for. She rubbed her forehead.Divorce.The shock was starting to wear off. If her mother had told her this two years ago, she wouldn’t have been surprised. But lately she’d thought they were reconnecting. Maybe that had been the plan. If it was, it had evidently fallen through. How could Harper be so out of touch that she had no idea they were still at odds? Her mother had pointed out Harper’s busyness, but it wasn’t like her parents had been available either.
Be strong. I have to be strong.
How many times during her childhood years had she told herself those words? And they were always true. Shecouldn’t fall apart when her parents were disintegrating. And in the past, whenever they were angry with each other, they always made up. Surely they would this time too. Maybe she was a little less sure than usual, considering they actually had lawyers involved, but that didn’t mean they weren’t going to reconcile. Either way, she didn’t want to be part of their drama. Like her dad said, this was between him and her mother. She didn’t like going back on her word, but she refused to stand in the middle of their fight this time.
