His blue eyes twinkled in the dim lighting. “Whatdoyou need?”
That was a good question. Not much. “A smile in the morning. Someone who sees me as an equal. And a surprise cupcake here and there wouldn’t be terrible.”
“I’ll buy you all the cupcakes in the world if it makes you smile.”
She grinned. “That would be very dangerous.” But hell, she wouldn’t say no.
“Did your previous partners see you as an equal?”
Her brows shot up at his question. She hadn’t been expecting it. “I don’t think so. They weren’t the best boyfriends.”Understatement of the century. “I’ve been cheated on. I’ve been broken up with via text. One guy told me that he might stay if I got some work done. I think he was referencing my breasts.”
Cody’s brows flickered. “You have beautiful breasts, Harper. And I think that every man who came before me was crazy.”
“Is that right?”
“Well, they’d have to be to not have realized what they had when you were together. To not care if they lost you.”
“You’re a bit of a charmer, Cody Walker.”
“Either that or honest.”
She shook her head, a smile she couldn’t stop spreading across her lips.
He leaned forward. “So…can I ask you something?”
“Why do I feel nervous about that?”
“Why didn’t you put more distance between you and your family earlier? They’re awful people. And the guys you dated were dicks.”
“I should have.” She fiddled with the napkin in front of her. “While I was in high school, a friend’s mother got me an after-school job. Then, when I graduated, I had to move out as soon as possible because I couldn’t stand living in the same house as Mom and Ross. I got the cheapest apartment the farthest I could get from my family, while still close enough to my job. I cleaned offices until an assistant job came up in the building, then a couple years later, I worked my way up to executive assistant.”
She lifted a shoulder. “I guess I got comfortable. I felt lucky to have the job. I was able to save money. Dreamed about the day I’d have enough to buy the house I wanted, far away from my family. I think I got so caught up in the dream that I didn’t realize I should have left a long time ago.”
“Your story kind of reminds me of my mother’s. She came to Misty Peak after leaving a family that didn’t treat her right. Met my dad, and the rest was history.”
Harper tilted her head. “I wish I could have met her.”
“She would have loved you. Losing her was the hardest thing I’d experienced up to that point. They didn’t find the breast cancer until it was too late, and we didn’t get nearly enough time to say goodbye.”
She reached across the table and weaved her fingers through his. “It must have been so hard.”
“It was. My dad though…he fought the lymphoma for years. Gave it hell. Best decision I ever made was leaving the service before he passed so I could spend those last few months with him.”
“What was your best memory of him?”
He laughed. “I have so many. He had the best sense of humor, and he just doted on us kids, especially Nylah. He was also our greatest protector.”
“Ah, so that’s where you get it from.”
“That’s where we all get it from. All my brothers are the same.”
When their drinks were set in front of them, she didn’t miss how the server’s gaze lingered on Cody a beat too long. She couldn’t blame the woman. He always looked good, but tonight he was on a different level. A can’t-take-her-eyes-off-him level.
“So,” she started softly as she lifted her drink to her lips. “Tell me the truth, am I your best hire at the bar?”
One side of his mouth twitched. “You sweep the floor with the other four.”
Her brows rose. “Four? So Travis, Dayne, the guy you hired who never showed up, and…?”
