Page 35 of The Billionaire Who Saved My Cat From The Mafia

Overexplaining is one of Harper’s tells.It means she’s not being completely truthful.Shocker.

“Welcome,” Dad says with even less enthusiasm.“Please join us for lunch.”

Aunt Phyllis goes inside to get another plate while all eyes are on Harper and then me and back to Harper again, like my ex and I are duking it out in a Wimbledon singles match.

After an initial awkwardness, Evander introduces Harper to all the new members of the family.There’s a wave of hellos around the table as I return my attention to the fascinating contents of my plate.

That is, until I hear her say, “It’s really good to see you, K.You look well.”

The sound of her voice is a stab to my gut.Anger rises up from the pit of my belly, spreads across my chest, and lodges in my throat.My eyeballs burn with it.

I want to flip the table, end over end, and send everything flying.

But instead, I take a step back in my mind and raise my eyes to her.Cool as a cucumber on the surface and seething with disgust underneath.

Aunt Phyllis brings out a plate, silverware, and a drinking glass for the unwelcome guest.Jasmine scoots her chair over so that Dad can pull up an extra seat.

It’s time to put an end to the charade.

I stand.“Don’t bother getting yourself too comfortable, Harper.Let’s take a walk.”

I circle around the table and start down the deck stairs.Once I hit the lane, I wait for her to follow, and when I’m sure she’s right behind me, I speed toward my place.I want to be out of earshot of the family when I say what needs to be said, so when we’re at a safe distance, I stop and turn to her.

Harper’s cheeks redden, and her eyes flash.It’s so strange to look into the eyes that once held so much love, only to find them empty.Maybe they were always empty, and I was just imagining they held love.

But my vision’s clear these days, and right now I see her for who she really is.

“Why are you here?”I demand.

“I… I thought maybe we could talk.”

Talk.After years of silence?

I don’t know what game she’s playing, but it’s irritating me to no end.How dare she invade my life like this?Hasn’t she done enough damage?

But bubbling up below my irritation is wariness.A lot of it.I get the distinct feeling that I need to be prepared to defend myself from whatever grenade she’s about to throw into my nice, peaceful existence.

“What do you want, Harper?Just spit it out so that you can go back the way you came.”

She blinks, as if she’s surprised that I’m not thrilled to see her.“I saw Evander in London and it brought back so many memories.”

“You already used that line.”

Her mouth falls open in shock.

I’ve never hit a woman and never will, but Harper’s testing the limits of my patience.Maybe that’s intentional, her reason for coming here.Perhaps she’s testing me, to see if I’ve turned over a new leaf or some damn thing.

Once I get her out of here, I’m going to need to hit the gym pretty hard.Maybe all this anger will allow me to hit a new personal record for bench press.Hey, at least something positive will come out of her visit.

“Memories of happier times,” she clarifies.

When Harper moves to touch me, I recoil, taking a big step backward.She gasps in response.

I look down at her face and try to read her.She’s a naval officer sworn to uphold a code of ethical conduct.She’s perfectly compliant where those rules and regulations are concerned, but following procedures will never fix someone as cold-blooded as Harper.The Navy is a powerful institution, but it can’t fix the fundamental nature of a person.

It can’t fix heartless.

“Please, let me explain—”