I smile to myself, because he’s right. Even though she’s been busier lately, I’ve enjoyed getting to spend time with her. Things feel different between us over here, and I’m sad at the thought of going home without her.
“And, you know,” he murmurs from beside me, slipping his hand into mine, “Alex isn’t the only one who might like you to stick around.” I turn and meet his gaze—tentative, searching, hopeful—and my heart trips and stumbles. When he breathes a tiny self-conscious laugh and looks down at his feet, I have to bite back a grin wider than the East River.
Is he forreal? Is he seriously suggesting he wants me to move to New York, and that he and I could—
“So, what do you think?” Isaac’s voice makes me jump and I drop Luke’s hand.
He laughs, turning to Isaac with an easy smile. “She’ll take some more convincing, I think.”
“Fair enough.” Isaac hands me his business card. “Call me if you change your mind.”
I take the card and turn it over in my hand. They head out onto the street, chatting and laughing, and I stand there staring after them, my mind racing.
29
“Okay… nude, I guess.”
Alex gives me a strange look. “Are you sure you don’t want to go for something more exciting?”
I shake my head, and the manicurist reaches for the nude polish. I’ve already had these ridiculous gel things put on my nails, making them twice as long as they should be. It’s bad enough I won’t be able to use my hands for anything now; the last thing I need is for them to be bright orange or something. Even Harriet 2.0 has her limits.
I relax back against my seat as the manicurist sets about painting my nails. It’s been a busy few days and it’s nice to unwind and be pampered a little.
“You know,” Geoff chimes in from where he’s getting his feet scrubbed, “you could argue that going nudeisthe most exciting option.” He tosses us a cheeky grin and we all laugh.
“So, are you feeling ready for the big day?” Cat asks Alex, blowing on her scarlet nails.
“Mostly.” A smile brushes Alex’s lips. “Once I get this draft to my editor tonight, I’ll feel better. The only reason I’m not totally stressed is because Harri and Luke have worked so hard to get the wedding sorted. I don’t know where I’d be without them.”
My body tenses ever so slightly and I steal a quick glance at Alex. After our minor detour into New York real estate three days ago, Luke and I have spent a lot of time together. We haven’t spoken about the cafe again, or Luke’s suggestion that I move to New York, and I’m glad that he’s given me some time to process it.
Instead, we’ve spent our time in bed, under the pretense of completing wedding tasks. We actually managed to finish the wedding stuff in one day, and I’ve been terrified that Alex would figure it out. Every night I’ve come home from Luke’s, anxious that her and Michael would be suspicious, but they’ve both been so distracted by their work they haven’t noticed a thing.
“And is Mel still coming?” Cat asks.
“Ugh, yes.” Alex makes a face and Cat glances at me.
“She’s told you about Mel, right?”
“Yes. I’m on it. My job on the day is to make sure she doesn’t do anything.”
Geoff snorts. “Good luck.”
My eyes dart between the three of them. “You don’t really think she will pull something, do you?”
“I don’t know.” Alex’s brow knits. “I wouldn’t put it past her. I’d hate for Henry to get caught up in something, and I want Michael to be able to relax.”
Right. I need to absolutely stay on top of the Mel situation. It doesn’t matter what’s going on with Luke, or Dena, or anything else—Mel needs to be kept in line so Alex and Michael can enjoy their wedding.
“Don’t worry about it,” I assure Alex. “You can count on me.”
“Thanks, Harri. Are you still okay to go up to Indian Lake early?”
“Uh-huh.” I focus on my nails, careful to suppress the excited smile I feel forming on my lips.
As nice as it’s been spending the past few days with Luke, every evening I’ve had to come home. But Luke had a great idea; the wedding and reception are taking place at some lodge at Indian Lake, a town in the Adirondacks where his family has had a cabin for years, and he thought we could go up to the lodge a day early to “get everything ready” (read: spend a whole night alone together in the cabin). I was nervous when I floated the idea to Alex, expecting a raised eyebrow at least. Instead, she was overcome with relief and thanked me for being “so thoughtful,” then turned back to her laptop without a second thought. I couldn’t believe it.
But the fact that she doesn’t suspect anything—that she trusts me so implicitly—has made the guilt I feel about lying to her so much worse. It’s not just that, though. Growing up, Alex and I never talked about boys or that kind of stuff. I finally have something so juicy to share, and I can’t. I’ve never wanted so badly to tell my sister something, and it’s killing me.
