Page 45 of Capture The Moment

Harper zoned out as the dishes were passed, and she placed small helpings of everything on her plate. She’d hoped nobody would notice, but Trish, the consummate mother who enjoyed feeding people, did.

“Don’t tell me you’re on a diet, Harper. You hardly have anything on your plate.”

Harper gave her a thin smile. “I’m not dieting. I just want to make sure there’s enough for everyone else.” It was a lame excuse, but it was the first thing she thought of.

“She means me,” Finn said with a wink at Trish. “You all know how much I can eat!”

Everyone laughed, and Harper was grateful for the save. He might not have done it on purpose, but it had taken the focus off her, and she was glad.

“How’s business, son?” Tim asked.

Son? Really? She knew how close they’d been to Finn, but to hear Tim call him “son” startled her.

But Finn didn’t miss a beat as he began talking about his thriving business.

Harper forced herself to eat everything on her plate while she listened in. Maybe it wasn’t so bad that Finn was there after all. He was keeping her from having to make small talk, when what she really wanted to do was go home, curl up under a blanket, and read a book. It was difficult to sit there playing the part of a grieving widow when, a week ago, she’d been kissing her husband’s best friend.

“And what about you, Harper? Anything new?” Tim asked.

Four sets of eyes bored into her, and she squirmed uncomfortably as she tried to come up with a response. Just as she’d opened her mouth, Nina interjected.

“Why don’t you tell them about your new friend? Will, isn’t it?” Nina said.

Harper’s brain went into shutdown mode, and she looked to Finn for help, but he’d picked up his water glass and was taking a long drink. She was on her own.

“Yes. Will is Julia’s cousin. You know my assistant, Julia? Anyway, she insisted that I meet him, and…”

“And we all met up for dinner together. Me, Connor, Julia, Will, and Harper. Seems like a really nice guy,” Finn said.

Poor Trish was wringing her napkin as Tim sat there thoughtfully, his hands clasped in front of him, while Nina calmly ate a bite of mashed potatoes like she hadn’t a care in the world. Harper concentrated on keeping her expression neutral, and she sat on her hands lest she be tempted to reach across the table and smack Nina. Damn her for being so insensitive. Especially here, today, when they were supposed to be talking about Blake, not Will, or Finn, or any other man.

Clearing her throat, Trish looked at Harper and said, “Well, I suppose you have to move on sometime, dear. And if Finn says Will’s a good man, then he must be.”

“She’s right,” Tim said, clapping Finn on the shoulder. “We trust this guy as much as we trusted our own son. He’s a good man to have looking out for you.”

Unbelievable! Harper felt like she’d fallen down a hole onto a stage and was acting in a bad screenplay. Tim and Trish were giving her their approval to date Will based on Finn’s recommendation? Little did they know that it was Finn they should be worried about. She shot him a look across the table, but he’d obviously already picked up on the irony of the situation.

“Thanks, guys, but Harper’s a good judge of character too, and Blake’s a pretty tough act to follow.”

Ok, that’s it! She’d been sitting there quietly, listening to everyone talk about her like she wasn’t even there. Besides, none of them knew what they were talking about! Nina started to open her mouth again, but Harper cut her off.

Directing her attention toward Tim and Trish, Harper said firmly, “Will is just a friend. We’ve seen each other a couple of times, but it’s nothing serious. It’s just nice to have companionship occasionally, that’s all.” Her voice cracked on the last sentence, and she inwardly cursed. She already felt vulnerable enough in this situation, and now she’d just made it worse.

“Of course, Harper. We understand,” Trish said, laying a hand on Harper’s arm.

Tim nodded. “Everyone deserves love in their life. I’m just sorry my son isn’t still here to be the one… Excuse me,” he said and then stood up and hurriedly left the room. Nina threw her napkin down and followed, leaving Trish there looking forlorn.

“I’m so sorry,” Trish said. “This is a difficult day for everyone. Excuse me.” And then she left the room too.

Finn started to speak, but Harper pushed back her chair and stood. “I’m going home,” she said, but as she turned to leave, Finn was right there, gripping her arm and holding her in place.

“Don’t go,” he said.

“Why not? This is a complete disaster!” She was close to tears at that point, but she was determined to hold them back until she was alone.

“I’m sorry,” he said quietly.

“You should be,” she hissed and tried to jerk out of his grip.