Frankie’s brows went up. “I’m too old to sleep on a pullout couch.”
“Hey, now. I’m two years older than you.”
Frankie snorted. “Um, it’s more like three years older, so you should know what I’m talking about. I’ll take a guest room upstairs, thank you.”
“Two and a half,” Harper corrected her. “Let’s take the elevator, since there’s luggage.”
They did, and Frankie picked the room that had its own bathroom, which was exactly the one Harper would have picked, too.
Frankie stood by the sliding doors after putting her suitcase in the room. “The view is just amazing.”
“It is. I could look at it all day. Tomorrow morning, come downstairs when you get up and we’ll sit outside on the covered deck and have our coffee.”
“I can’t wait.” She looked at Harper. “So book club sounds fun, but I haven’t read the book. Obviously.”
“No, but you’ve probably heard of it.The Last of the Wildflowers.”
“Oh, hang on,” Frankie said. “I actually have read it. Wasn’t the ending crazy? I mean, the fact that she—”
Harper plugged her fingers into her ears and sang, “La-la-la.” She pulled them out once her sister had stopped talking. “Don’t tell me anything about it. I only just started reading it today.”
Frankie laughed. “Okay, not another word. But once you’ve finished it, we’re discussing.”
“I’m sure the ending will get ruined for me tonight but, oh, well. Better to be social, don’t you think?”
“Absolutely.”
“Get yourself unpacked, then come downstairs. I’ll be out on the deck. Reading.”
“See you in a few.”
Harper headed down and went right back to the book. Archie joined her on the couch again. Eventually, she’d put a towel on the cushions out here for him, but the outside furniture was upholstered with much more durable fabric and she wasn’t that worried about a little dog hair. Plus, she was too lazy to do it now.
The late afternoon sun wasn’t nearly as intense as the morning sun. The temperature and breeze on the deck made her want to lay down and nap.
The book was too good, though, and she wanted to get as far ahead as she could before the meeting tonight, so she read on.
The sliders opened and Frankie stuck her head out. “I’m going to put the stuff in the cooler away. Do you mind if I help myself to something to eat? I’m kind of starving.”
Harper got up. “I’m sorry, I should have offered to make you something. Whatever you want. Or I could make us an early dinner?”
“What were you planning?”
Harper ran through the groceries she’d bought in her head, coming up with something that would be quick. “How about something easy like pasta with peas and chicken? I could do a light lemon and white wine sauce with that. I can probably have it done in about fifteen or twenty minutes. If you can wait.”
“I can wait. That sounds amazing.”
Harper tucked her phone into her back pocket. “Then I’ll get started. You sit and relax.”
“Even better.”
Harper went inside, Archie with her. She got a pot of salted water going for the pasta. After that, she started pulling ingredients. She got out the rest of the precooked chicken, a bag of frozen peas, and a few slices of the bacon she’d bought for breakfast.
The bacon got chopped and put into a medium sauté pan to render. With that working, she grabbed a bottle of white wine from the wine cooler under the counter, and a lemon from the fruit bowl by the toaster.
“I can open that bottle for you,” Frankie offered.
“That would be great. You can pour us each a glass, too. Not too much for me, though. I’m sure there will be wine at book club, and I don’t want to overindulge.”
