AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Seriously, Harlow,” she says. “Why can’t you understand that you’re a fucking catch? Just because those other losers didn’t recognize it doesn’t make it less true. So, stop doubting that someone like Linc would want you. He’d be lucky to have you.”
“Damned right, he would,” Layna says.
I laugh. “You two are ridiculous.”
“But you love us,” Piper says.
I nod. “I do. Thank you for hyping me up. I’m not sure how much good it will do. I’m still too chicken shit to make a move on him.”
“Why?” Layna asks.
I shrug. “I just wish I knew whether or not he was interested in me.”
Piper rolls her eyes. “There’s only one way to know for sure. Either ask him or make a move.”
“Shit, or get off the toilet,” Layna says, making me laugh.
“I hate that expression,” I say, tossing a chip at her.
Laughing, she catches it and tosses it onto the table. “I stand by it.”
I shake my head. “Enough about me and my problems. What about you, Layna? Any luck on the job front?”
She shrugs. “I’ve sent my resume to a few places. I haven’t heard back yet. I’m not desperate yet. I still have some savings. And I close on the sale of the condo next week, so that will give me more of a cushion. The right job will come along. I just need to be patient.”
Piper shakes her head. “I can’t believe you’re the same person who freaked out when I quit my job to come to Peach Tree and run a coffee shop. Didn’t you say that it’s important to always have a backup plan?”
Layna shrugs. “Plans change. And backup plans can too. Life is short and you can’t sit back wondering what might have been. Sometimes you need to take a chance on something new.”
I find myself agreeing with the sentiment, even if I can’t quite find it in me to take a chance of my own when it comes to Linc. Piper looks like she wants to make another comment, but the server arrives with our meals. For the next half hour, we’re all too distracted by delicious food to talk about anything more important than whether we should order fried ice cream for dessert. But when we’re leaving the restaurant, Piper stops me with a hand on my arm.
“You should think about what I said, Harlow,” she says. “You deserve to be happy. Don’t be afraid to go for what you want.”
I smile, knowing she means well even if she doesn’t understand. I know I’ve come a long way from the girl I was in high school, but that doesn’t mean that people in this town see me that way. And part of me will always be that poor kid with the absent parent who dreamed of being cool enough, rich enough, pretty enough, to be noticed by someone like Linc. But I don’t say any of that. Instead, I just smile.
“Thanks, Piper,” I say. “I’ll think about it.”
Chapter 13
Linc
“When we get there, you have to be really good, okay?” I say, glancing at Ella in the rearview mirror.
“I know,” she says, making it clear that this isn’t the first time she’s heard me say this.
“I know you know,” I say, smiling. “But I’m really close to finishing up at Harlow’s salon and I don’t want it to take even longer. So, I’m going to set you up a place to work on your homework while Miss Harlow and I finish up some work, okay?”
“Okay,” she says, clearly finished with this conversation.
I hadn’t planned on bringing her with me today, but Cole had something come up at work and my parents are unavailable on Thursdays, so it was either this or cancel for the day. I’d considered it, but when I’d called Harlow to tell her she’d insisted that Ella was welcome to come hang out while we work. I’d been relieved, not only because I want to finish the repairs on Harlow’s salon, but also because I’ve gotten used to seeing Harlow each evening after work. I’ve started looking forward to it.
That’s because you like her, idiot.I shake my head as I park my truck in front of the salon. I’ve been trying not to think about Harlow that way, even though I can’t help but acknowledge how attractive I find her. That’s not weird. I’m a single man. It’s totally normal to notice a pretty woman, right? Of course, it is. It’s nothing more than that.
Ella and I climb out of the truck and I reach in to grab her backpack. Harlow greets us at the front door with a smile for Ella that hits me like a punch to the gut. Had I thought she was pretty? She’s fucking gorgeous. That smile lights up her face and makes me wish it was directed at me.
“Hey, Ella,” she says. “Come on in.”
Ella smiles up at Harlow and I can see that same curiosity in her gaze that I’d seen the last time she was here in the salon. Since that day, she mentions Harlow constantly and talks about her hair and all the ways she wants to style it. Not that I understand a lot of what she’s saying. But I’ve been writing down the things she says so I can ask Harlow about them when I see her. She’s been amazing at explaining things to me and even sending me hair videos online so I can learn. I’ve mostly been practicing on my own hair, but that’s a pain in the ass. I want to surprise Ella with one of the fancy French braids she’s been wanting to wear. I still need some more practice before I’m ready.
