“I don’t think anything of the kind, Harp. I just know how much it hurt you when Darius left and then married Angela. I don’t want to see you hurt again.”
My lip curls and I twist them to stall the angry words. “I’m sorry, Fee. But we have history and I can’t believe how bad he sounded when he called to ask about the flowers for the funeral.”
My fingers shake, my lips quivering.
Fee sighs. “I know. He looks completely different from the boy that left. He looks…well, he looks wrecked.”
“So, he needs something to take his mind off of everything that’s happened. This could help him.”
Fee studies me and I drop my eyes to keep her from seeing the hope in my eyes. I know he’s too newly grief-stricken to even think about falling in love again.
But there’s nothing that says a friend can’t help a friend.
She sighs. “Fine. We’ll call and have him come in. If he wants it, he can do the reno.”
I launch myself at my cousin who’s several inches shorter than me. She chuckles but then her smile fades. “Just be careful, honey. He’s so broken right now and I don’t want you to thinkthat you can take on all his troubles and that he’ll fall in love with you and just forget all about what’s happened.”
Huffing, I pull away. “I’m not thinking anything like that. I just want to help him recover.”
“I’m not sure that a job is going to help him forget that his wife and daughter died but I’m willing to help him because I know he’s done a lot for you over the years. Including beating that little piss-ant that thought he could cut your braid off.”
I smile. “Yeah. He beat the hell out of him. He wouldn’t even look at me for the rest of the school year.” I giggle. “I shouldn’t find that funny but I kinda do.”
Fee grins. “Yeah. You always were a little psycho, my friend.”
I can’t really argue that.
CHAPTER 2
Darius
There’s only so much bad that the heart can take and I think I’ve reached my limit for one lifetime.
Grumbling under my breath, I slowly, achingly slowly, pull my tired body up off the mattress. It’s one of the best on the market and yet I might as well have curled up on a board with spikes for all the sleep I got.
I groan when my phone rings and I reach out to pick it up.
“Jesus, Darius. I’ve been trying to reach you for hours. What time do you get up?”
That soft, pretty voice that used to thrill me when I was a young boy gently finds its way into my ear and I close my eyes, feeling my heart race just like it used to every time I headed out to my best friend’s house to pick her up.
“Angel…” I whisper. She chuckles and the warm, husky sound makes me ache for the way we used to be. Two young, innocent kids who just liked to spend every day together.
I miss those days. Miss my friend.
“I don’t know why you always called me that, Armstrong. I’m the furthest thing from an angel that there is.”
“It’s because your cousin called you Harp for short. Like an angel plays a harp,” I laugh softly. It hurts my damn throat. It feels like forever since I’ve had any damn thing to laugh about.
Almost immediately guilt drags angry claws through my insides and I grit my teeth to keep the aching pain out of my voice.
“That’s…” Her voice stops and then she laughs. “That’s actually not bad. I can’t believe I was too stupid to figure that one out.”
“You aren’t stupid, angel.”
“You know what I meant, Armstrong.”
“You know you can call me Darius, Harper.”
