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“I know, but still. You could just drop by.” She gives me a hopeful look.
I bite the inside of my lips when my mind starts conjuring up images of my handsome stranger’s gorgeous face.
“It’s not like you didn’t like him, right?”
“No.” My voice sounds sheepish.
“Then put it on your to-do list. It hasn’t escaped me that you’ve practically stopped dating altogether. I know last night was awful, but I refuse to allow you to give up on men so early in life.”
I sigh and my shoulders slump. “I'm not giving up on men. I just, as you said, haven’t dated in a while, and it’s not a priority right now.” Except, a sneaky part of my mind tells me I might make exceptions for a certain guy, aka my dark knight.
Damn. I don’t even know his name.
“There’s no way in hell you’re going to be able to forget Mr. Handsome anytime soon,” she says in a matter-of-fact tone.
I absolutely agree with her, and I don't know anybody who could forget a man like that. I dare not say that, though, or she'll continue talking about him. Besides, even though I can't get him out of my head, I’m not sure he's an idea I should entertain.
My father would have a heart attack if I ever chose to be with a guy like that. The tattoos alone would be a big no-no. Dad hates tattoos of any kind.
Then there was the air of danger I sensed. Dad has only been governor for six months. Before he was elected into office, he was over-the-top careful about anything that would ruin the clean-cut image he portrays to the world. Now he’s even worse.
Never give them anything to talk about, even after victory.
That’s my father’s one rule to rule them all.
It’s all wise words, but right now, they have very little power over my mind in regard to my handsome stranger.
I wonder what his name is.And was he as interested as he looked in me?
Harper’s smile turns up a notch when she notices I’m in deep contemplation. “Can I take your silence for added interest?” she asks.
I sigh, setting my elbows on the table. “I don’t know. To be honest, I should probably be focusing on living through the rest of this week.”
"What's happening this week?" She bites her lip again.
I groan. "Dinner with the family."
Enough said. Instantly, her smile falls, and she gives me a look of pity.
"Oh God, my condolences. I’ll be on speed dial if you need me. Are you going to tell your father what happened?"
"Hell, no. I don't want him freaking out and breathing down my neck."
She nods, understanding. "Or wanting you to move back in with him and Melissa."
"Exactly." There's no way I will ever let that happen again.
It was bad enough to stay with them after the accident. Melissa, my gold-digging stepmom, drove me crazy because she hates me. Then there was Natalie, who equally hates my guts. At the time, she was staying with our parents because she was on leave from work and wasn’t engaged yet.
Natalie wouldn’t be a problem now because she’s already playing house with her fiancé, but I couldn’t bear Melissa. To her, people like me are mere objects floating around in her solar system of which she is the sun. I also couldn’t bear being around Dad too long. I know he's worried about me. It was only eight months ago that I started walking properly again. It’s nice to know he cares, but my father and I have problems that run deep, which include the accident because of the publicity it garnered right in the middle of his campaign.
"Is this some special dinner?" Harper bites the inside of her lip.
"It's like an engagement dinner for Natalie. Dad also dropped the comment that it would be nice for me to think about marriage soon.”
Harper’s eyes snap wide. "Oh. My. God. No way. I mean, sure, getting married is great, but knowing your father, that’s a heads-up. I hope he won’t try to set you up with someone."
“That’s exactly what I was worried about.” And I’ve been trying my hardest not to think about it since he first dropped the comment. It was last week when he helped me move in my stuff.
