AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Come on,” I say. “Let me take care of that and I’ll grab you something to drink. Ella and Cole should be down soon.”
I lead the way toward the kitchen with Harlow following behind me. I take several deep breaths on the short walk through the house.Get your shit together,I tell myself.You invited her for dinner. Deal with it. Stop acting like a fucking idiot and channel your inner charm.
When we enter the kitchen, I head straight for the oven to silence the timer. I check on the pot pie and see that it needs maybe another 10 minutes. After resetting the timer, I head directly to the fridge.
“Iced tea? Wine? Water?” I say, giving her a smile.
“Wine, please,” she says, her words overlapping mine.
I laugh. “Excellent choice.”
I fill two glasses and hand one to Harlow. “I’m sorry if Ella put you on the spot with the dinner invitation today,” I say. “She can be impulsive sometimes.”
Harlow just smiles at me over the rim of her wineglass. “She’s eight. I’d be shocked if she weren’t impulsive. Besides.” She shrugs. “We can all be a little impulsive, right?”
I’m sure she didn’t mean for that to sound as flirty as it did. She’s not flirting with me, right? I mean, there have been times when I’ve thought she might be, but I feel like I’d know for sure if she were. Then again, I’m out of practice when it comes to being flirted with. I wish there was a way to know for certain without ruining the way things are now. Before I can think of a way to respond, I hear the stomping of feet on the stairs.
Smiling, I say, “Brace yourself.”
Harlow looks slightly concerned, but more amused than anything as Ella comes running into the kitchen and skids to a stop in front of her.
“You’re here!” she shouts.
“Inside voice, El,” I say.
She gives me a cursory glance before turning back to Harlow. “You’re here,” she says in a slightly lower octave.
Harlow nods. “Of course. I told you I was coming for dinner, right?”
Ella nods. “Right.”
“So, here I am.”
Ella’s practically vibrating with energy. I’m glad she already did her homework because getting her to settle long enough to focus on spelling words would probably be impossible tonight.
“Hey, El. Why don’t you set the table for four people?” I call out as I go to check on the food.
Ella nods, excited to be able to help. “Okay!”
Harlow watches as Ella races around the kitchen, gathering silverware and the plates I’d set out on the counter earlier.
“I think you made her week by agreeing to come to dinner,” I say, smiling.
Harlow smiles as she watches Ella move around the table. “I’m glad I came,” she says softly.
“Me too,” I say, ignoring the odd look she gives me as I do.
Instead, I turn back to the oven and make a show of checking on our dinner even though I just checked it 30 seconds ago. The truth is, admitting that I’m happy she came to dinner tonight feels a little too close to admitting how I feel about her. And since I’ve only recently figured that out for myself, I’m not quite ready to share the news yet. Before I can say anything too embarrassing, Cole walks into the kitchen, hair still damp from his shower. He ignores me and walks straight over to Harlow with a grin. What is he up to?
“Harlow,” he says in a warm voice. “It’s so good to see you.”
“Hey, Cole,” she says. “Not working tonight?”
He shakes his head. “Nope. So I get to hang out with you two tonight.” He smiles over at me. “Isn’t that fun?”
I glare at my brother, knowing he’s going to find some way to torture me tonight. When Harlow turns a confused look on me, I drop the scowl and smile at her.
“Can’t wait.” I make sure the sarcasm isn’t hidden in my words.
