Page 22 of The Truth of Us

Her eyes narrowed slightly. “Are you really ready for my professional opinion?”

“I paid for the gala. Feels fair.” I said, emptying the glass… fuck, maybe I should have grabbed the bottle.

“You didn’t pay for the gala.” She gave me a quick retort that had me reaching to refill my glass.

“I paid for something there. Probably several things.” I shrugged.

She shook her head as if I had exhausted her already. Why did I find that cute?

Harper crossed one ankle over the other and considered me for a moment before speaking.

“Rowan is sleeping with someone he works with.”

I blinked; that is not what I expected her to say. “Excuse me?”

“He’s either emotionally attached to Sofia Cruz, or sexually. Possibly both.”

I stared at her, mouth open, before I remembered to close it and ask, “How the fuck would you know that?”

“Because every time another woman touched him, he looked mildly murderous.”

“That’s not evidence.” I replied, still trying to play catch-up in a game I was not familiar with.

“It is when he only became fully alert anytime his phone buzzed.”

Huh.

“And I’ve noticed the women he brings to events…” she continued. “He barely looks at them. They aren’t dates. They were placeholders, shields. And add to it how they both behaved when I met ‌Rowan the other day…”

“That feels harsh.” I retorted, feeling defensive‌.

She didn’t reply, just looked at me with a look that said, seriously?

I rubbed a hand over my jaw, suddenly wanting to interrogate Rowan immediately for entertainment.

Harper kept going. “Caleb looks like a wounded puppy.”

I laughed. “Wow, what did he do to you?”

“It’s true. Are you going to get your panties in a bunch every time I give you my professional opinion?”

“No, it’s just unexpected.” I replied, wanting her to both continue and stop.

“There’s someone,” she said thoughtfully. “Someone who hurt him or someone he left behind.”

My chest tightened unexpectedly.

“Does he date?” she asked.

“Not really.” I replied, thinking about the past few years.

“That’s a shame.”

I looked at her sharply. “Why?”

She shrugged lightly. “I bet he’d make a lovely husband.”

Something ugly and irrational tugged low in my chest. I didn’t like it.