“He’s not though, not really. I mean half of us on Main are mad about the parking lot, yes, but the other half can’t wait for hisresort to save us all. Plus, between now and July he’s really been trying to help.”
“He can help by not tearing the shop down!”
I sigh, “That’s what I said. But he said it can’t be changed. Optimizing the slope of the mountain and so on and so far.”
“Forth,” she corrects with a slurp of her noodles. She lifts a shoulder and says, “Okay, so I guess it was the same as the birthday parties you threw for Steven or Uncle Tyrone.”
I frown at her, “I…didn’t throw a birthday party for Steven or Tyrone.”
She turns on the camera and screeches, “Exactly! Youlikehim!”
“No I don’t!” I yell back, “He’s all alone here and he was coming in for coffee anyway.”
“Harper.”
“I don’t!”
“HARPER.”
I shake my head, “I don’t. He’s just become a friend.”
“A hot friend who bought you your dream car?”
I groan, “Ugh. Like I texted you the other day, I’m not keeping it. I can use that money when I sell it. But I still want to ask him how he knew that was my dream car.”
“Agree about the money though I’m sad for you that there’s no other way. When you ask him, time it during one of his shirtless workouts,” she murmurs.
I point to the camera this time, “You think he’s so hot, you come and date him!”
“Any heterosexual woman with fully functioning eyeballs thinks he’s hot, Harp.”
I roll my eyes, “Hot is overrated.”
“True,” she says, looking longingly into her ramen. I study her for a minute, sensing again that something is off.
“Lily are you…are you in pajamas?”
She nods, “Took a sick day. But that just means working from home, you know me. So I better get back at it.”
“Okay, love you.”
“Love you too. And hey, turning the side of Aunt Kim’s old barn into a drive-in theater is yet another great idea. I hope you make a killing.”
“Thanks Lil. Bye,” I say, letting her go because that’s what she obviously wants, not because I believe her little fib about working from home.
Plus, I need to get ready. Igetto get ready. I have a whole afternoon to pamper myself. The shop was slower after Aiden’s mini-party so I got a head start and Madison is covering the rest of the prep for the new popcorn balls DJ will sell tonight.
Now I can actually shower and wear something other than a bakery shirt. I am putting actual product in my hair. I might even paint my nails!
I laugh at myself.
Nah, I probably won’t. It will chip at 4:30 in the morning when I grab a tray of muffins and that’ll be that. I am going to look cute though. For me. Not for any other reason or person or anything.
Not because I keep reliving how a certain someone gripped me to his chest this morning like I was his sole light force.Life force.Like he’d fight to the death, Bridgerton style, just to protect me. Like he was about to pull back and kiss me senseless and then, I don’t know…maybe lift me up onto my little office desk and have his wicked way with me?
I sigh.
Get real, Harper! You told him to get lost!
