Page 96 of Archer

There it was. Alexis had set things up as planned. Now, I just had to pull off the rest.

The ring light suddenly grew hotter. Sweat gathered at the base of my spine. To my left, Archer went still.

I smiled. Shook my head. “That didn’t work out.”

“Oh no. What happened?”

“We wanted different things.” I shrugged, the motion deliberate. Casual. “He was great. Really great. But I’m not in a place where I can commit to something serious right now. I’ve got too much going on and too many things to figure out.”

The lie tasted bitter.

“So you’re single?”

“Very single.” I faked another laugh. Lighter, feigning freedom. “Honestly, I’ve had some trouble in the love department lately, but I suppose that’s par for the course. We’re all searching for our perfect match, right?”

“I suppose we are.” David’s smile widened. “But you’re hopeful?”

“I am.” I tucked hair behind my ear, a nervous gesture I didn’t have to fake. “I’m kind of a mess right now. Still figuring out who I am and what I want. But I’m hopeful. My grandmother always said the right person finds you when you’re ready. So maybe I just need to be ready.”

“Think you’ll find your soul mate in North Carolina?”

The question hung in the air. Beyond the camera’s view, Archer stared at me. Expression unreadable.

“I’m certain of it,” I said softly. Letting myself look at Archer for just a heartbeat. “I’ll be on the lookout for love, and who knows? Maybe he’ll find me.”

Chapter 31

Archer

Harper was killing me.

Every word out of her mouth, every carefully constructed lie, every casual mention of being single, landed like a body shot.

I knew the plan. Hell, I’d helped design it. But watching her pretend we meant nothing to one another while sitting three feet away felt like drowning.

The interviewer, some guy with glasses and a fake-ass smile, asked about her music. Her plans and her grandmother. Harper answered with the kind of casual ease that came from years of being in the spotlight.

But I saw what the camera didn’t catch. The tension in her shoulders. The way her fingers pressed too hard against the table’s edge. The pulse jumping in her throat every time she lied about us.

“I’m kind of a mess right now,” she said, and something in my chest pulled tight. “Still figuring out who I am and what I want.”

She wasn’t a mess. She was strong and steadfast. She knew what she wanted, and she wasn’t afraid to ask for it.

“Think you’ll find your soul mate in North Carolina?” the interviewer asked.

Harper’s gaze cut to me. And in that brief flash, I saw a future with her in it, because she chose me to be in her life forever. Not just while she was in Carolina Bay.

“I’m certain of it,” she whispered.

The interview dragged on. Ten more minutes of questions about her record label, about touring, and about her next album. Harper answered each inquiry with the kind of honesty that skirted the truth without touching it.

When the screen finally went dark, she closed the laptop and slumped forward.

“Ugh.” She covered her head with her hands. “That was horrible.”

I moved around the table, careful to stay out of view from the rear windows. Then, I crouched beside her chair. I could see the strain around her eyes when she rolled her face in my direction. “You did great. Sounded completely natural. Said all the right things.”

“I just told the entire internet I’m single.”