That wasn’t what I had expected.
“Harper is… an old friend,” I said, and even as the words left my mouth, I heard the lie in them. “Actually, he’s an oldboyfriend. An ex-boyfriend.”
I hadn’t told him about Harper before. Over the past few weeks, when Caleb had come over for dinner, we had talked for hours—about books, music, his work at headquarters, and his family. Aside from Lucas and a few close friends, he knew almost nothing about my past. I had kept it that way.
“Ex-boyfriend,” he said slowly. “I see.” He let the silence stretch. “And he’s inviting you to lunch. You think he’s still holding a candle?”
I shook my head without looking up. “He’s been seeing somebody. Or so I’ve heard.”
“Oh…” It sounded like the air had been knocked from his lungs. “So…you’restill holding the candle?”
“What?” I looked up and met his eyes. “No. I moved on,” I said firmly. “A long time ago.” Harper’s betrayal flashed before my eyes. “I’m just catching up with him. Is there anything you need before I go downstairs to meet him?”
“Nothing,” he said. “I just came to see whether you had time to goover the Pallonji proposal. It can wait until you get back… or are you planning to go home straight afterwards?”
I saw his jaw flex and heard the dissatisfaction he didn’t bother to hide.
“No,” I said. “I should be back by two. We can go over it then, if that’s okay?”
He nodded once, briefly, and left without another word.
I stared after him.
What’s wrong with him? Why did he change all of a sudden? He was fine before the phone call. Could it be because of Harper? But why would he care? Unless…
24
NYAH
Igot waylaid three separate times by hotel colleagues on my way to the restaurant and ended up five minutes late instead of the two minutes early I had planned. Normally, punctuality mattered to me, but today my focus was scattered, my nerves stretched thin. By the time I reached the dining room, my pulse was already racing.
Inside, I spotted Harper.Wow. He looks exactly the same.He was seated at the table by the window—my usual table. Francois had undoubtedly arranged it the moment he saw the reservation come through.
Harper was as polished as ever, clean-shaven and dressed in an immaculately tailored suit, his shoes gleaming as if they had been buffed moments before. Seeing him like that—so familiar, so unchanged—made my heart beat faster despite my efforts to stay calm.
I tried to walk toward him casually, but my legs betrayed me, wobbling slightly beneath me.I shouldn’t have worn these heels today.
He stood as soon as he saw me, his tall frame rising easily, and for a moment we just looked at each other. Seconds stretched, thick with memory, before we stepped forward and embraced. The scent ofBleude Chanel—the cologne, the one I had bought for him years ago—wrapped around me instantly. It was strange how a smell could pull the past so sharply into the present.
Still the perfect gentleman, he pulled out my chair. A glass of Cabernet Sauvignon was already waiting for me, along with a Johnnie Walker Blue on the rocks for him. I took a sip of the wine almost immediately. God knew I needed it. As I leaned back, I felt some of the tension ease from my shoulders.
“So…” I began.
“I’m getting married.”
The words hit me harder than anything Alex had said earlier that day. My jaw might actually have dropped open. For a moment, it felt as though the entire restaurant had frozen around us, sound dimming, movement blurring at the edges.I had come prepared to deflect, to defend, to politely but firmly prove that I had moved on. I had not been prepared forthis.
“Her name is Daria,” Harper continued, watching me closely. “She moved to New York six months after I did. We worked a few cases together, fell in love…” He shrugged, almost sheepish. “I proposed three months ago, and we’re getting married in Bodega in November.”
The words hung in the air between us. Something inside my chest constricted, but I forced myself to keep my expression calm. I had known this moment might come one day—I just hadn’t thought I’d hear it from him like this.
“Congratulations,” I finally managed, my voice thin but firm enough. “I wish you both all the happiness in the world. You deserve it.”
The ease with which he had found the one weak point in myI’m okayarmour left me completely unstrung. I lifted my glass again and took another sip, fighting the sudden, overwhelming urge to be alone.
“Nyah, I’d love for you to be there,” he said, sliding a bone-coloured envelope across the table. My name was written on the front in elegant calligraphy. “It’s a plus-two invitation. There’ll be other kids there, so we didn’t want you to have to choose between Lucas and your current partner.”
Partner? Oh boy!Harper had really outdone himself. How would it look if I showed up with just Lucas? First Jeremy, then this. It felt like bad news was lining up, one hit after another. My stomach clenched as unresolved feelings stirred despite my best efforts. We had broken up two years ago, and it had been my decision, but seeing him again had cracked something open that I hadn’t realized was still there.
