Page 114 of Seeing Harper

Her eyes lit up. “Dessert? I forgot about that!”

“I’ll pack you some of that, too.”

“You’re awesome!”

He grinned at her. “Sometimes. Just don’t expect it often.”

Erica laughed as Richie went back to the kitchen. Three minutes later another male, tall, dark, gorgeous, was standing at her table. “Hi. Richie said to bring you a double helping of our peach cobbler. I wasn’t sure if you wanted ice cream on it, so I brought you two scoops in a separate bowl.”

“I’m going to have to be wheeled out of here.”

“Yeah, it’s good, right?”

“So, good. So, who are you? Are you one of the waiters here?”

“When needed. I’m Remi. I’m a chef here. My wife is the owner’s daughter.”

“Oh, okay. I see, a family kind of business.”

“Yes, ma’am. All the recipes, the techniques, learned at home and offered to our customers.”

“Well, it’s successful. I can tell you that I’ll be looking for a reason to come back to Missouri so I can eat here again. Often,” she said.

“We’ll be glad to see you.”

“Thank you,” she said, picking up a dessert spoon and scooping out a couple of spoonfuls of vanilla ice cream and placing them on top of her cobbler.

“Oh, and Richie said not to worry. If Clay doesn’t show up to drive you to your car when you’re ready, he’ll get you there.”

“No worries. My car’s outside. I followed Clay. And I’m in no rush at the moment. Once I’m done eating, I’m heading home.”

“I’ll let him know, and I hope you enjoy your dessert,” Remi said, smiling as he turned to go back into the kitchen.

“Oh, no doubt!” Erica answered.

~~~

Summer was leaning against her car relaxedly eating her late lunch with a plastic fork as she waited for something to happen. She knew that Harper was well on her way to where she was going — most likely her horses. True she took Maia’s truck, and she was wearing one of Maia’s hoodies, but no way in hell did that fool Summer. She’d have known it was Harper even if she hadn’t known in advance that Harper was at Maia’s. She just rolled her eyes and chuckled as she watched Harper drive away. It was at that point that Summer decided there was no reason she should be hungry. The food was right there, and though she had to remain where she was and pretend she didn’t know where Harper was, it didn’t mean she couldn’t eat. So, she was eating, grinning at the thought of Clay searching the six hundred acres across the road for any trace of Harper. Then she’d chuckle to herself and keep grinning because if the bastard could make sure she never had a date in high school, she could make sure he searched Riley’s other six hundred acres until next week for all she cared.

Just about the time she’d finished her meal and started on her peach cobbler, she noticed a car slowing down at the front gate of Maia and Riley’s driveway. It only took a second to figure out that it was Aunt Libby. She watched as Libby keyed in the code, then slowly drove up to the house and parked. Libby got out of her car, and flashed a wave at Summer before she went into the house. “Maia must have called her,” Summer said to herself and took another bite of her dessert.

Ten minutes later Travis’s old beat up truck tore into the parking lot. He brought it to a stop, brakes squealing, gravel flying and slammed it into park right where he was, in the middle of everything and left it as he got out. “Libby?! Harper?!” he bellowed, walking a few feet toward the road, then stalking back toward the restaurant. He spied Summer and made a direct path toward her. “What happened, Summer? Where is everybody? Libby is supposed to be here looking for Harper! Why are you just standing here eating?”

Summer raised one eyebrow and pointed at Maia and Riley’s with her plastic fork.

Travis looked to where her fork pointed and saw Libby’s car parked at Maia’s.

“Is Harper there, too? Did you find her?”

“She was, but she left. She’s okay. Maia will tell you.”

“Why are you standing over here alone, eating?”

“I was hungry. And somebody has to keep Clay searching over there,” she said, aiming her fork at the property across the street.

“He still doesn’t know she’s okay?”

Summer looked down at her dessert and placed another bite in her mouth. She took the time to chew and swallow before she looked up at Travis again. “Nope.”