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“It doesn’t. You’re young and beautiful. You’re going to make all sorts of men do a whole lot of dumb things before you’re finished.”
I smiled. “But he came and apologized for it last night. And things between us actually felt kind of real? In the moment, I thought it was obvious that things were going to change now. Like today we’d be boyfriend and girlfriend because what else could we be? But he hasn’t even responded to my text, and the more time that passes, the more I feel like an idiot for falling straight back into that trap. Why can’t I just let it be casual? It’s like he’s telling me he doesn’t want my heart and I keep trying to lob it in his window when he’s not looking. And then I am dumb enough to get offended when he tosses it back out and says, ‘no thanks.’”
My mom smiled and hugged my head into her chest as she rubbed my hair. “You are not dumb. Any man who would throw your heart out the window is.”
I smiled at that. “I agree.”
“Also, he may still text you. He could be busy or his phone could be dead. There’s no use jumping to conclusions when you don’t know what’s going on, is there?”
I nodded. “What do you think about me working for him? I’ve only had to go over a couple times to help kind of lay the groundwork for the restaurant, but he said we have a launch date. Pretty soon I’ll be over there all the time and there won’t be any escape from him.”
My mom shrugged. “It sounds like a great way to figure out if he’s going to shit or get off the pot.”
I laughed. “I guess so. I just don’t even know how to feel. Like part of me hopes it blows up in our faces so I can just keep my head down and work. Then another part of me thinks I’d scrap the job in an instant if I knew he was the one.”
“You’ve wanted your own restaurant so badly, Harper. Don’t say that.”
I shrugged. “I’ve wanted my perfect little once upon a time even longer.”
Her eyes twinkled. “Oh my gosh. I still remember you talking about that.” She was smiling like I’d just made a joke, which only made me feel more embarrassed because I definitely wasn’t joking.
“If this job doesn’t work out it probably means I’d have to take a job outside Fairhope. Or maybe I’d even go back for another year in France. Or maybe Italy this time.”
I saw the pain in my mom’s face at that, but she covered it quickly with a smile. “Your father and I will support you wherever you go. But it would be nice if this job at the Ashford Inn works out.”
“Yeah,” I said, feeling even more confused than before.
I looked up hopefully when the bell over the door dinged.
29
GREYSON
I’d meant to surprise Harper shortly after I got her text. The plan was to swing by, get the kids, and barge into the bakery. I thought I could have it all done in less than half an hour, but Katie wasn’t having it. I spent twenty minutes calmly trying to convince her I just wanted to take the kids down the road for an hour or two, then I spent another twenty not calmly telling her to let me have the fucking kids.
Matt eventually came in with his sweater-vest and raised palms to diffuse the situation.
I stormed off and went to wait in my car. A few moments later, the back door opened and both kids slipped in. Billy raised a finger to his lips. “Don’t tell mom.”
I sighed. “Guys, I can’t kidnap you from your mother.”
“You can’t kidnap,” Molly said. “But you can oldnap.” She giggled and I couldn’t help grinning along with her.
“She won’t even know we’re gone,” Billy said. “We heard you arguing and we want to see Miss Harper too. That’s where you’re taking us, right?”
“I haven’t agreed to take you anywhere. But yes, that was the plan.”
“We both got in trouble this morning and mom told us to stay in our rooms until dinner. That’s like hours away. The windows to our rooms open easy. We could just climb back in the way we left. Bada-bing,” Billy added matter-of-factly.
I glared at the house. It fucking pissed me off that Katie was pulling this shit. It felt like some kind of power move–like she was just stubbornly trying to remind me that my own kids were only half mine. And then that sweater-vested asshole thinking he could just walk up and play peacekeeper.
I knew it was beyond bone-headed, but if I only kept them away for thirty minutes, what would the harm really be? And I missed them. My brief time alone with them got me used to having more time with them. Now this weekends only shit felt like getting scraps of food at the table.
