* * *
The next fewhours passed in a chaotic blur of children, games, cake, and presents. I had expected to feel out of place here, but the atmosphere was so welcoming.Harperwas so welcoming.
Even Dad had thawed a little, although a sense of unease still lingered. Mom, Dare, Evan, Harper’s parents, and I had remained to help clean up and restore the bookstore to proper order. Dad sat at a table in the café with Asher and the waitress’s son, Nik. They were putting together one of the LEGO kits Asher had gotten as a birthday gift.
With my father sufficiently distracted, I stole another glance at Dare. He was helping Calum take down the curtains over the Nether Portal. His shirt rode up, relieving a sliver of his stomach. I swear, my mouth watered at the sight. Looking away abruptly, I collected the rest of the green tablecloths, folding them and stacking them in a neat little pile on one of the tables. My gaze wandering over to Dare every so often.
My unexplained anger at him over the waitress and her child had dissipated. I’d come to realize I was being ridiculous, clinging to any fault, even imagined, to keep that line firmly drawn between us.
“Thank you so much for helping us clean up, Connor,” Harper said, coming up behind me and startling me. She looked past me for a moment, in the direction I’d been looking, her smile growing a little.
“Oh! No problem at all,” I assured her, smiling back, feeling awkward about being caught ogling my brother’s best friend. But who could blame me? “It was a great party!”
“Thank you, I think Asher enjoyed himself,” she said, turning her head to look in their direction. She watched the three of them for a moment, a troubled look crossing her face before she masked it.
“I think so too.” I laughed, noting the stack of presents the little boy had come away with.
Harper’s business partner, Ellery, approached with a stack of white bakery boxes in her hands. She looked a little frazzled, although she had been dealing with Evan an awful lot today. He had his sights set on her, so he’d spent most of the party following her around trying to hit on her.
“Please, take some baked goods home,” she said, offering one of the boxes to me.
“With pleasure. The cannoli we had the other day were incredible, a fight almost broke out over the last one,” I replied as I took the box, only half joking. A fight almost did break out over it, wherein Dad went to swipe the last one and Mom and I cornered him about how he’d eaten nearly all the others too.
Ellery let out a little laugh. “Well, I included a few cannoli in each box.”
“Thank you,” I said again. Ellery grinned and handed the rest of the boxes to Harper.
“Make sure everyone else gets one? I need to clean up the kitchen,” she said, and Harper nodded. Ellery looked back at me. “It was nice seeing you again, Connor.”
“You too,” I told her, watching as she disappeared into the kitchen. “I can’t believe how incredible this place is, Harper. Really. You guys have done a phenomenal job.”
Harper’s grin widened. “Aww, thanks, Connor. We’ve been working hard the last few years, and it’s finally starting to pay off. I love this place.” Harper looked around with pride, her eyes again landing on Asher at the table with my dad and Nik. “My only regret is…well. Not telling Cal sooner about Asher, obviously.”
“But who knows, maybe things wouldn’t have worked out for you quite like this if you had,” I pointed out. “Maybe your focus needed to be here, instead of chasing down Cal. He had to find his own way home.”
“You’re probably right.” Harper nodded, her gaze going to Cal. He was standing with Dare and Evan, joking around. All the curtains had been taken down and the signs had been collected and put away in large totes. The storefront had returned to normal, and all that was left to do now was move the tables back in place.
“Well, I’m going to go put these in the car. Anything else I can help with?”
“Nope, we’re pretty much set. Thanks again for everything, Connor,” Harper said, moving toward her parents. They had their coats on and were saying their goodbyes to Asher.
Harper’s dad, Jack, shook my dad’s hand firmly, though neither man spoke to the other.
I looked around, searching for my mom, but couldn’t see her. She was probably in the washroom. Since she had the keys, I’d have to wait to go anywhere. I stole another glance in Dare’s direction, catching him watching me.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to check. I had three new text messages from Dare.
Dare:Can I see you after?
Dare:Tell your parents you’re going out with a friend, then meet me. I want to spend some time with you before you head back to school.
Dare:Please?
I texted back, my thumbs moving quickly as I typed out my response. Before I could hit send, the bell over the door chimed and the waitress, Raina, walked in. Her expression was one of irritation and tension. She scanned the room, her lips pursing when she found her son sitting at the table with my father and Asher.
Nik looked over and saw her approaching. He collected his things: a book he’d won during the games, his treat bag, and a box of baked treats from Ellery. I couldn’t exactly hear what they were saying from my position across the room, but I could read Raina’s body language and she wasn’t happy or comfortable.
Raina took the box and book from Nik so he could put on his jacket. Then Nik said something to my dad and Raina stiffened completely. She’d avoided looking directly at my dad the entire time, which I thought was a little rude, and quite strange. Now that Nik had spoken to him, she had no choice but to meet his gaze. Even then, she didn’t say a word. Her coldness could be felt across the room, and all of it was directed at my father.
