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“I’m positive,” I said firmly.
I was enjoying having Harper around me in a way I never had before, but I wanted Evie to sleep in her bed tonight. “You already worked a full day with Happily Ever Afters. Take a load off.”
Harper finally nodded and untied her apron, tossing it into the laundry basket we kept by the kitchen.
“Thanks for coming in.”
“Anytime,” Harper said with a tired smile, and I watched her as she walked away. Then I got back to work. By the time the restaurant was shut down, I’d remembered my promise to check on Harper and Evie.
I had a good excuse because Evie left a couple of crayons in my office. They must have rolled off my desk, and she didn’t see them.
Other than my promise, there was no reason why I should check on them. I never had before. I hadn’t seen the inside of this apartment since I was a kid. We always kept it for cousins or relatives who needed a cheap place to stay, but Harper had been living here since she graduated from high school and wanted to move out of her mother’s place.
I didn’t know how much she paid for it, if anything, since it was always used for family. It wasn’t an investment rental. When the last of my employees left for the night, I turned off the lights, grabbed the crayons, and took the back steps up to her apartment. There was an interior and an exterior entrance to her apartment. The latter was really a fire escape.
Not hearing the drone of a TV, I knocked softly on the door. Maybe I shouldn’t be here so late at night. What if she was sleeping?
The door swung open a few seconds later. Harper stood in the doorway in a tank top and tiny shorts set that left nothing to the imagination.
I could make out her nipples under the soft top, and there was so much skin on display, I wasn’t sure where to look.
Her face. That’s where I should be looking. When I finally lifted my gaze, her forehead was wrinkled in confusion. “What are you doing here?”
“I said I would check in on you, and Evie left these in my office.” I held up the crayons and felt a little ridiculous. She hadn’t expected me to check on her. That was clear by her expression and her pajamas. She hadn’t expected me or anyone. At least I hoped she hadn’t. I had no idea if she was dating someone and knew I shouldn’t care.
Harper was Gia’s best friend. I just needed to keep telling myself that so I wouldn’t ogle her.
She took the offered crayons and stepped back so I could come inside. “How was the rest of the night?”
“Quiet. Thanks for pitching in.”
She crossed her arms over her chest as if she was trying to block her nipples, but it was too late. That vision was embedded in my brain, and I was positive I’d pull the image out later when I was alone. There was nothing that said I couldn’t jerk off to the vision of her in my head.
There was a small kitchen open to a living room. A TV mounted on the wall played some show, but the volume was turned down low.
“Is Evie asleep?” I asked, not sure what I was doing here or what to talk about.
“As soon as you let me off, she wanted to go to bed. She’s always tired on Fridays after a week of kindergarten.”
“I bet.”
An awkward silence fell.
I cleared my throat, seriously questioning what I was doing here. “Well, I just wanted to see if you were okay. I should get going.”
“Thanks for stopping by,” Harper said, and I wondered if anyone had before. We were friends with Harper and helped her out when she needed it, but she was alone in all other respects.
“Do you see your mother?” Then I winced. Her relationship with her family was none of my business.
I’d always taken Harper’s presence for granted. I didn’t ask questions about Evie’s father or ask about Harper’s family. I just assumed she’d always be there. I knew next to nothing about her as a person, other than surface-level things.
“We aren’t close,” Harper said, her words clipped.
Of course, they weren’t. She spent more time at our house than at her own growing up. “She doesn’t see Evie?”
“She’s not that interested in having a grandchild. I think it makes her feel old. Telling prospective boyfriends she’s a grandmother isn’t that attractive.” Harper rolled her eyes.
“She’s missing out.” I couldn’t imagine anyone not loving that child.
