Page 38 of Tanner

Tanner rises first and then gives me a hand to lift me up. “Are these friends of yours?”

I laugh. “Yes, they’re Friends,” I joke.

He’s looking at me like I have ten heads.

I brush him off. “Anyway, I guess we should get out of here.”

“Lead the way.”

9

TANNER

I’ve never read with a girl. When I think about it, I don’t even know if the girls I dated before even read. Reading and art have always been my things. They’re a way for me to escape, clear my mind, and regroup.

To my surprise, she read the biography of Jackson Pollock. It was the sexiest thing a woman had ever done. I’ve always been a fan of his, whereas many people look at his pieces as simply slinging paint with no technique at all. For her to get inside his head and teach me things I hadn’t even known about him was astonishing to me. Just the fact that she cared to learn more about him made me even fonder of her.

We step down the stairs toward Fifth Avenue, and I notice she’s gnawing at the inside of her cheek. I’m starting to realize this is what she does when she’s conflicted.

When we get to the sidewalk, she’s pulling on the edge of her coat sleeve as she looks at her phone again. I’m pretty sure the time hasn’t changed that much since five minutes ago. She’s nervous, and it’s fucking adorable.

“Are you going to turn into a pumpkin?” I ask.

“I have to get up early to teach tomorrow, but …” She hesitates and then blurts out, “I don’t want the night to end.”

A genuine smile graces my lips. “That’s what I was hoping you’d say.”

“Do you, um … will you walk me home?”

“Show me the way.”

Being with Harper is amazingly comfortable as we head toward the east side of town.

“Tell me more about your art,” she asks. “Would you ever want things hanging in a gallery or in more subdued places?”

“Subdued places?” I question.

“You know, not where people would normally find art. I mean, like on the side of a building or something.”

I try to hide my grin. I know she saw the door I’d painted near her school. She hinted at it earlier, but I let it go. When I’d created it, I’d wanted her to see it. Now that I know she has, I have a better understanding as to why she was in the bar today.

Her phone rings, and when she sees April flashing across the screen, she apologizes to me and answers. There’s a brief pause before she says, “I’m out, too.”

I can’t hear what’s being said on the other end, but by the way Harper is trying to hide her cute giggle, I know she’s saying something about me.

“Okay,” she says into the phone. “Thanks for letting me know. I hope it’s not too late of a night.”

After she hangs up, I nudge her shoulder. “What was that about?”

“April, my roommate, has a work crisis, so she was letting me know she’s not going to be home until really late.”

I smile but don’t respond.

We turn the corner, and she stops, taking a breath while looking at me, then to the building, and back to me. “Do you want to come up?”

“I’d love to.”

She nods, still looking unsure of her choice. “Oh, um, okay. So, yeah, my keys …” She’s stuttering, and it’s so adorable that I want to wrap my arms around her and hug her tightly.