“Don’t be too hard on yourself, Harper.You’ve made some huge physical changes.You left your home in who-knows-where.You settled here.You found a job with an amazeballs coworker.You’re taking steps to erase the physical signs of what happened.You’re just catching up on the emotional ones is all.”
Harper took a deep breath.Drea was right.The emotional swings were giving her whiplash.Maybe it was simply time to just give it a shot.
***
“You are not going to believe the hot chicks that just arrived for a walk-in.”Cujo burst into the kitchen where Trent was grabbing a coffee.“Seriously man, fucking tens.”
Trent took a gulp and laughed at Cujo, who was practically bouncing on the balls of his feet.Tattooing hot chicks while listening to death metal was his definition of “job satisfaction.”
“How many?”
“Three.And they are all fully locked and loaded.One for you, one for me, and one for Eric.”Trent checked the time on his phone, performing some quick math in his head.
“Is Lia busy right now?I’m thinking of cutting loose.”He desperately wanted to get home and shower before picking Harper up for drinks.He was hoping to get there early enough to coax her into dinner.
“What the fuck, dude?What part of hot, young, loaded, semi naked girls did you not get?”Cujo dragged his hand over the top of his head; the look of pure exasperation on his face was laughable.
“Lia’s client this morning was a no-show, so she can take this instead.And try to be professional.At least wait until after you’ve finished her tattoo to invite her back to your place.”
“Your loss, dude.Wait.”Cujo stopped and turned on his way back out of the kitchen.“Why are you cutting out?”
“Places to go, Cuj.People to see.You know how it is.”
Cujo’s eyes screwed up at the corners as he scrutinized Trent’s face.“You never pass on hot chicks.”
“So?”
“You’re seeing Harper tonight.That’s it, isn’t it?You’re hooking up with her.”
“Would that be a problem if I was?”
Cujo raised his hands in front of him, taking a step back.“No, dude.No insult intended, man.I like her.Whatever shit she’s got going on is bizarre, but I like her.Hey Harper’s bizarre… like that chick mag.Get it?”
“Got it,” Trent replied, closing his eyes briefly and praying for the patience to not clock Cujo.“Not discussing it with you dude because: a) We don’t have vaginas, and b) You’re a dumb-ass.”
“Okay.Gotta go.Got a sexy ass to decorate with… and I quote… ‘the most sparkly butterfly EVER.’Good luck tonight, bro.Got to believe it ain’t going to be an easy path.”
“Cheers, Cuj.”Trent turned to rinse his coffee mug and put it in the sink.It might not be an easy path, but it was the one he was on and he could only hope there’d be signposts.
He fired Harper a quick text to let her know he’d finished early and to ask her to join him for dinner.Her response, a curt “sure,” didn’t inspire confidence—something he couldn’t stop worrying about as he rushed home, showered, and then drove to her place.
Harper’s four-story building, styled in the classic art deco that Miami was known for, had seen better days.The city had done an incredible job of preserving so many of the historic buildings, but some, like hers, had fallen through the cracks.The shade of pink paint that his mom always referred to as “flamingo” was faded and chipped, and what must have once been white was now yellowy-gray, patched over in places with gray plaster that someone hadn’t gotten around to painting.The front door was a strange blue that looked totally out of place.He found her buzzer and gave it a quick press.
“Trent?”He heard her, but not through the intercom.Taking a couple of steps back down the stairs, he shielded his eyes and looked up.Harper was leaning out of a third-floor window.
“I’ll be down in a second.”While he waited, he fired off a quick text to Pixie about the new batch of green ink he’d used today.The color wasn’t as vibrant as usual.He pressed send, just as the door swung open.Phone forgotten, he took a moment to take her in.
She wore a fitted cream sundress with red roses on it, cinched at the waist with a red belt.Her hair was down and perfectly straight, reflecting the last of the early evening sunshine.But it was the shoes that really got him.He’d only ever seen her in flip-flops or flats, but these… these were fuck-me shoes.Thanks to his sister, Kit, he happened to know the dark red patent leather shoes were Mary Janes.Their spectacular heels did exactly what they meant to—showed off the shape of her exquisite calves.
“You look incredible,” he said, grinning.“Like, seriously hot.”He swirled his finger, silently instructing her to twirl.
Smiling shyly, she did exactly as instructed.Wow, she really was rocking a hot little body.
“Thank you.I think.I borrowed the dress from Joanie at work.You look great too,” she said quietly.Thankfully, he’d thrown on a collared shirt and worn dark jeans, or else she would have seriously outdressed him.
He held out his hand to her as they walked to the car, but she didn’t take it.Maybe he should offer to hold her cardigan for her or something so she could?
“Those are some killer shoes.”
