“I need a shower, makeup, and different clothes.” She gestured at her sweats, then pushed up her glasses. “I can’t go anywhere looking like this.”
“Why not?”
“Because... because I never have.” Not until today. She tugged on one of the wayward strands of hair that had fallen from her messy bun.
He moved closer to her. “Harper, you look fine.”
“Fine isn’t good enough.”
His head tilted to the side, and he didn’t say anything for a long moment. Then he nodded. “All right. I’ll take you home.”
Relief flooded through her. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been while he was so quiet. If they were going somewhere other than a fishing hole, she needed to look put together. What if they ran into one of her clients or another agent? That was a valid concern.
But deep down it was also an excuse. She’d always loved fashion, but was she hiding behind it too? The expensive designer clothes, the high heels that more often than not made her feet hurt, the makeup and hair that always had to be perfect.
“Harper?”
She turned to see he’d already picked up the poles and folded the camping chairs. Quickly she slid the chairs into their covers and hoisted them over her shoulders. When they got into his truck, he turned on the radio, and they headed to her house. She barely heard the music, still thinking about her inability to let the world see her without the extra trappings.
When he pulled into her driveway, she set aside her thoughts. This afternoon was about Rusty, not her. “Thanks,” she said, opening the door. “I’ll pick you up around two thirty. Does that sound okay?”
“Sure.”
He still didn’t sound too enthused, but she would change that. By the end of today, he would look like a new man—and hopefully have some added confidence too.
***
It was closer to three thirty when Harper turned into Rusty’s driveway. The moment she’d walked in her own front door, she’d checked her phone, despite her promise not to. Good thing she did, because she had three voice mails from potential clients—one she’d cold-called three weeks ago and had given up ever hearing from, one who was planning to move from California to Hot Springs, and another one who wanted to list their house. By the time she’d scheduled everyone, it was already almost two thirty. She showered, dressed, and put on her makeup as fast as she could, then called Rusty to tell him she was on her way to his house. Surprisingly, it went to voice mail.
As she got out of her Mercedes, she couldn’t stop from visually evaluating the exterior of his home now that she saw it in the daylight.Wow.Considering how well he kept up Rusty’s Garage, she was shocked at the state of the property. Thick bushes covered up almost three quarters of the picture window. The red brick was chipped in some places, and the sidewalk from the driveway to the front stoop was cracked. The screen door hung crookedly, and the roof needed repair. His house didn’t look like a dump, but it was definitely neglected.
She stepped around another large crack in the cement driveway, walked to the front door, and rang the doorbell. Silence. Okay, the bell was broken. Add that to the list of repairs. She opened the screen door and knocked on the solid wood door, then peeked into one of the three thin,rectangular windows set at an angle but couldn’t see anything inside. Then the door opened.
“Hello, there, MissHarper,” Senior said, giving her a charming smile. “Rusty told me you were comin’ over. He’s upstairs gettin’ a shower. Gave me instructions to keep you company until he finished sprucin’ himself up, so come on in. I’ve got some fresh sweet tea ready for ya.”
“Thank you.” She followed him inside. Why was Rusty just now taking a shower?
Her mind shifted to the house again. Minus the hole in the floor, the living room didn’t look to be in horrendous shape—on the surface, anyway. It definitely needed a lot of updating.
“Mind your step,” he said, pointing to a dark-green carpet that had been pulled back to reveal an opening at least a foot in diameter. “Rusty had a little mishap the other day.”
“I heard.” She stepped over the hole and followed Senior into a kitchen that looked straight out of the fifties, right down to the muddy brown linoleum and ice-green walls. A small table was situated in the middle of the dining space, and a plain glass pitcher with amber liquid and floating ice cubes sat in the center. Three glasses with roosters etched on the sides stood next to the pitcher, along with a glass plate filled with Oreos. Double-stuffed, she noticed. Three small glass plates decorated with the same roosters sat next to the Oreos.
“Have a seat.” Senior pulled out one of the chairs from the table. “Would you like some tea?”
“Yes, please.” She smiled and sat down, setting her handbag on the linoleum floor.
He poured a glass and set it down in front of her, then picked up the plate. “Can I interest you in an Oreo?”
“I’d love one.”
“Don’t be shy. You can have more than one.”
“All right, I’ll take two.” She put both Oreos on her plate as he sat down.
“Funny how we haven’t exchanged pleasantries before,” Senior said, sitting down next to her. “I thought I knew everyone in Maple Falls.”
“I didn’t grow up here.” She explained how she’d gone to private schools her whole childhood and didn’t start getting engaged with the community until after getting her real-estate license. “My parents don’t technically live in Maple Falls, but my mother made some friends here several years ago.” Harper wondered if the BBs knew about the divorce. Surely Madge wouldn’t have told any of them before telling her own daughter.
