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Fuck. Why was I planning anything when it came to Harper? She wasn’t a potential love interest. She was Gia’s best friend, and she practically lived with us when she was a kid. And now, my parents watched her daughter. This was messed up on so many levels.
I liked her. I admired her as a mom and a person. I loved her daughter. She was hardworking and sweet. She was the perfect woman for me. And it didn’t hurt that I was seriously attracted to her. How had I never noticed it before, or had I pushed it down deep so I didn’t have to look too closely at it?
What mattered was, what was I going to do about it? Now that I saw her differently, it would be impossible to see her in any other light.
* * *
Friday night was one of our busiest nights of the week, but with the rain coming down outside in slanted sheets, we were swamped. The dining room was full, the waiting area standing room only, and the carryout orders were piling up.
On top of that, a waitress called out sick. Mom and Dad were taking a much-needed day off work, and I refused to bother them. I wanted to prove that I could handle things without their presence.
Carlo handled the accounting side of the business and rarely stepped in to help with the running of the dining room or the kitchen. Now that Gia had her own business, she adamantly refused to work at the restaurant. I think she wanted Papà to see her in a different light.
I’d messaged Harper an hour ago, begging her to come in and give me a hand. She wasn’t on the schedule regularly but filled in when needed.
The kitchen was working smoothly and didn’t need me hovering, so I filled in for the waitress who’d called out. I took orders, ran food out, and cleared tables. Over the years, I’d worked every position in the restaurant, and I wasn’t above doing them.
Every time the door opened, I looked up, hoping it was Harper. When she finally came in, her hair was wet, but she had a big smile on her face as she talked to Evie at her side.
“How’s my favorite girl?” I asked Evie, who wore a green rain jacket and held a ladybug-patterned umbrella.
“Can I play in the puddles?” Evie asked me.
Her expression was so earnest, I almost said yes, before I remembered that this was Harper’s call.
“No.” Harper gave me a look as she squeezed water out of her hair.
“Why don’t you come back to my office? I have a towel you can use,” I offered.
Harper’s eyes widened as she took in the crowd. “Is everyone in town here?”
“I think so,” I murmured as I touched her elbow and guided her through the maze of tables to the hallway that led to the offices and storage room. Evie trailed behind, chattering excitedly about the rain.
When we were alone in my office, I grabbed a towel from the adjoining bathroom and draped it over Harper’s shoulders. “Where’s your jacket and umbrella?”
Harper’s shoulders lowered, and for the first time, I noticed how exhausted she looked. Her eyes were red rimmed with dark circles underneath. “I got Evie ready and thought we’d make it before the rain started up again. But we didn’t. This is just from the walk from the car.”
I was sure she had to park at the back of the parking lot due to the number of people inside. “You don’t have to work tonight. I shouldn’t have called you in.”
She offered me a tired smile, dabbing her hair with the towel. “No. It’s fine. I don’t have anything else going on. I hope you don’t mind that Evie is here.”
Evie threw her jacket on the floor, propped her umbrella against a chair, and sat down, pulling coloring books and crayons out of her book bag. “I brought coloring books!”
“I see that.”
Harper’s forehead wrinkled. “Is it okay if she colors back here? I’ll keep an eye on her.”
“Of course. You know she’s always welcome here.” I’d practically grown up in the restaurant, doing homework and coloring in that same spot.
“Why don’t you sit at my desk?” I asked Evie.
Her eyes widened. “Really?”
“You’ll be more comfortable,” I said as I cleared a spot for her.
“We’d better get out there before the customers get upset,” Harper said, grabbing an apron from my closet, a pen, and a pad. She kissed Evie on her cheek and asked, “Are you going to be okay?”
Evie rolled her eyes in response.
