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"I hate the thought of leaving you when you're like this," she says, resting her fingers on the table.
I sit back against my chair and shrug. "That's okay. That's life." Although I say that, I don't want it to be true.
"I know it's life, but what are friends for if they can't be there when you need them? The last time you were feeling low and I wasn't around was when you were eight. Your hamster died just before Christmas, and my family went to Spain. You were so crushed, and I felt bad I couldn’t be there to cheer you up.”
I chuckle at the memory, which seems so silly now. “I grieved for Mr. Poppins for way too long.”Mr. Poppins.I was such a zany kid who adored Mary Poppins. I’d name everything I could after the movie.
“It doesn’t matter. I knew you needed me. Since then, we’ve always tried to be there for each other in those desperate times.”
“Youdefinitely have. I’ve had more bad things happen to me, and you’ve always been there to support me.”
“You’ve been there for me, too,” she insists.
I’m glad she feels that way, but I’m right. Harper has been there for me during the times in my life when the world felt like it was ending. She was there when Mom died. She was there when Dad married Melissa. Harper was there when my heart was broken after finding out about Jared. Then she was there when Avery died, too. She helped me to walk again after the accident and find life again.
“Sometimes, just being around is enough if that’s what a person needs,” she adds. A sheen of gratitude lights up her eyes, and I can tell she means what she’s saying. “We’ve definitely been the type of ride-or-die friends most people dream of having and never get. Of course, Avery is included in that statement. I’ve been lucky enough to have not just one best friend but two.”
“Me too, and thank you.”
“So, this guy thing.” She flicks her palms over and gives me a piercing stare. “Answer me truthfully. Is this one of those desperate times when you need me? I could head to Australia next week.”
I gasp. “Absolutely not. There’s no way I’m going to let you do that.”
“Well, technically, I could. The next few days are just about settling in, and I was only planning to flirt my ass off with the guy in charge of our team.” She winks and giggles.
I laugh, too. It wouldn’t be like her to not have some eye candy to flirt with, no matter who he is. "I'll be okay," I assure her. "It's just a guy."
"Oh, please. This is the first guy you've liked in a long time, so it's a big deal."
"I know, but it’s not big enough to reschedule a whole work trip. I just have to forget about him. Right? What else can I do?" It’s that simple, but it’s also that hard.
"I suppose so.” She sighs with exasperation, knitting her brows. “I just think it’s odd. Why would he show such interest in you, then not? What was that about? What was it for?”
"Your guess is as good as mine. Maybe he was just curious." Maybe that's what it was, but everything about the end was just weird.
"Maybe.”
"Ugh, men suck."
"I know." I nod, vehemently agreeing. "They do. That's why we have our careers, right?"
“Amen, sister.” Harper raises her wine glass.
I smile back at her and force the craziness out of my mind so I can focus. If ever I needed to focus, it’s now, because I still have enough chaos and conflict to deal with from Dad trying to marry me off.
So, no, Dante couldn’t have been watching me. The idea of that is ludicrous.
Thinking so was just my mind playing tricks on me and trying to hold on to something because it won’t accept the warning he gave me to stay away.
It’s completely silly to push against the truth to form my own reality.
What good is that when all it will do is hurt me? God knows I'm already hurt enough. I don't need to go and make my life any harder than it already is.
A message comes through on my phone sitting on the table. When I glance at the screen and see it's from Dad, I frown.
"What's wrong?" Harper asks, noticing my reaction.
"It's my father."
