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I knew it was bullshit that I was mad. I’d broken up with him after all of three days, and so what if he’d replaced me within the hour? That was his choice. My anger was totally unjustified.
And yet, there it was.
Around ten, Harper appeared in the backyard with a journalist and photographer. They’d brought some clothes with them since they worked for a fashion magazine, and Harper looked ridiculously hot in a black-on-black suit, shirt, and tie. He posed with L.A.’s skyline in the background, and then they all disappeared for a while. When they returned, he was dressed all in white, including a crisp shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and his hair was slicked back. The photographer was trying to get creative, so he cleared all the inflatables out of the pool, then set Harper adrift on a floating lounger with a book and a pair of mirrored sunglasses.
It was all going great until Kel came home with the dogs. As soon as Buddy saw Harper in the pool, he took a flying leap at him, which capsized the lounger. Because I was a bad person, I chuckled delightedly as Harper popped up sputtering and looking considerably less suave than when he went under.
They went inside after that, and I got back to work. Finally, at about a quarter to twelve, I shut off the computer, gathered the bundle of scripts that were coming along to Hawaii, and left the office. After collecting my luggage and lining it up by the door, I went to see how close Harper was to finishing his interview.
It turned out the journalist and photographer had already left, and Harper was in the kitchen, laughing and joking with Tristan. When I asked if he was ready to go, Harper replied, “Almost. I just need to pack.” That made me completely twitchy.
He went upstairs, and I dropped onto one of the barstools along the kitchen island and took a deep breath. A few moments later, Tristan put a steaming cup of something in front of me, and when I glanced at him, he smiled and explained, “It’s herb tea. Great for soothing jangled nerves.”
“Thanks.” I took a sip of the slightly floral hot liquid, then looked around and asked, “Do you happen to know if Harper’s new…whatever left yet?” The thought of dropping him off somewhere on the way to the airport—or even better, taking him along to Hawaii—made me cringe.
“If you mean his new friend Dani, Harper sent him off with a car service about an hour ago, because he had to get to a photo shoot. Have you eaten anything today?” When I shook my head, he said, “That’s no good,” and pulled a glass container from the refrigerator. “Food is fuel, dude.”
“I know. I just got busy, and—what is that?”
He’d scooped something squishy and off-white into a ceramic bowl, and then he spooned some fresh berries over the top and added a generous sprinkling of granola. As he handed it to me with a spoon, he said, “Vegan yogurt. It’s a personal favorite of mine.”
I took a cautious bite and said, “Thanks, this is delicious.” It tasted like coconut and vanilla, and that was all I decided I really needed to know about it.
We spent some time chatting about Tristan’s plans to open a vegan bistro, until Harper finally reappeared with a single, designer tote bag. I asked him, “Is that all you’re taking for a week in Hawaii?”
“Yeah. I just need some comfortable clothes and swim trunks.” He’d changed into his favorite travel outfit, a name-brand track suit, T-shirt, and sneakers, in black and white this time.
“Are you planning to spend the entire week in those sneakers, and did you pack your toiletry kit?”
He frowned at me, but then he said, “I’ll be right back,” and hurried out of the kitchen.
While he went back upstairs for the items he forgot every time he traveled, I finished my meal, then rinsed my bowl and cup and loaded them in the dishwasher. When I turned to Tristan, he said, “I’m experimenting with a new chili recipe. Will you try this and tell me what you think?”
I took the spoon he offered me and stuck it in my mouth. Then I told him, “It’s great.”
“Don’t tell me what you think I want to hear. What’s your honest opinion?”
“This is just a personal preference thing, but I’d dial up the spiciness a bit.”
“See, I knew it was too bland,” he said, as he started rifling through a bunch of cellophane bags of spices on the counter. “Harper doesn’t like a lot of heat, but he won’t be eating this batch and I think Hudson and Kel like it spicier.” He held a bag of reddish-brown powder up to the light, then said, “I think this is the new chili powder I wanted to try. I forgot to label the bags when I was at the health food store, but it looks right.” He went to sprinkle in a little of the spice, but the entire contents slid into the pot. Tristan shrugged and said, “Well, chili powder’s not that spicy, so it should be okay.”
