“My niece is visiting. That’s who opened the door. Trust me, if she’d known who you were, she wouldn’t have let you leave.” Harper shook her head in amusement. “She loves your series on Netflix. I keep trying to get her to read the books, but she’s working on her doctorate and says she doesn’t have time to read for pleasure. Also, one of my sister’s friends came over to help me come up with a statement to release about this whole thing. Thanks for understanding. I honestly thought you’d never want to see me again.”
That sounded like a very bad idea for his career, but he wasn’t going to tell her that. Not yet anyway. “Whenever you’re ready to talk, you know where we are.”
“I do. Thanks. This means a lot to me.”
“No problem. Have a good night.”
“You, too. Tell Joyce I said hi, okay?”
“Will do.”
She turned to go, and he stood there, watching her for a second. He should have done more to comfort her, he realized, something to make her feel better. But that had never been his skillset.
Then something else struck him. She was working on a statement. And thatwashis skillset. “Hey.”
She turned. “Yes?”
“You’re going to release a statement?”
She nodded. “I need to do something.”
He took a few steps toward her property. “I agree. Do you want some more help with that?” He stuck his hands in his pockets. “I’m pretty good at putting words together.”
She grinned. “Yes, you are. Maybe we should include Joyce, too. Better than feeling left out, don’t you think?”
He backstepped toward his house. Even when she was down, Harper thought about others. He needed to be more like that. “I’ll get her and be right there.”
ChapterFifty
Frankie leaned in toward Harper and whispered, “You’re seeing this, right? Mitchell Ripley and Lucas Prime are sitting in your living room working on a press release. For you. How is this even reality?”
Harper stirred the pitcher of lemonade she’d just made. Willa was sitting near the two men, just watching them as they worked on Mitch’s laptop. Joyce had taken Archie and Scout down to the yard for a potty break.
The lemonade was to go with the cookies Joyce had brought over. Oatmeal scotchies.
“Just rememberwhythey’re working on a press release,” Harper said. “So, yes, it’s reality, but it’s a reality in which I’ve been vilified online.”
“Right. True.” Frankie put her arm around Harper’s shoulders. “But you have to admit this is pretty cool. Talk about a support network.”
Harper smiled, and it came easy, because Frankie was right. This was not how she’d expected things to go when she’d first seen the devastating headlines. Those had been like a punch to the gut. To say she was already feeling better was an understatement. Which wasn’t to say she was a hundred percent, but she was no longer wondering if witness protection was an option.
She carried the lemonade and a stack of hard plastic cups to the coffee table. Frankie brought the plate of cookies and a bunch of fancy paper napkins from the pantry. Harper set the cups and pitcher down on the table then sat by Mitch. “How’s it going?”
Mitch didn’t take his eyes from the computer screen, which he was frowning at. Seemed more a look of concentration than of being upset. “We’re getting there.”
Lucas set out a few cups and filled them. “The man’s a real wordsmith. Good call on bringing him in.”
“He offered,” Harper said.
Joyce returned with Archie and Scout. Both dogs looked thrilled with all the attention they were getting. Or maybe it was because they were hanging out together. Hard to tell. Joyce gave them each a cookie from the basket of treats Mitch had sent.
Mitch tapped away at the keyboard, brow furrowed from the effort. “Okay, I think I have a decent first draft.”
Lucas grabbed a cookie to go with his lemonade and sat back. “Read when ready.”
Everyone got quiet.
Mitch cleared his throat softly. “My name is Harper Calhoun and I want to tell you the truth. I didn’t go to college to become a therapist or a grief counselor. That much is true. What’s also true is that I never told anyone, my clients included, that I was trained in either of those fields. Despite the reading and studying I’ve done on a variety of subjects, the only thing I’ve trained in is life. I am a practitioner of common sense and logical thinking.”
