Page 49 of Capture The Moment

As Harper drove home, she felt almost buoyant. How was it that being with a group of women she didn’t even know had done that for her? Had she restricted her contact with the outside world so much that she’d forgotten how important friendships could be? Sure, she had Julia, and her family, and Finn…

And as if she’d conjured him up, there he was, sitting in his oversized white pick-up truck in her driveway. He’d obviously grown tired of waiting for her to return his calls. She wondered how long he’d been waiting in her driveway, and she tried to psych herself up for whatever came next. Clinging to the good mood she’d acquired at the bookstore, she got out of the car at the same time he hopped down from the truck.

They stood and stared at each other for a moment before Harper said, “Come on inside.”

A flicker of surprise crossed Finn’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a tentative smile.

The poor guy probably had no idea what to expect after how crazy she’d been acting lately, and she was determined not to behave the same way tonight. Stay calm, she reminded herself as she unlocked the door and led him inside.

“Out shopping?” Finn asked as he followed her into the kitchen, where she set down her bookstore bag and purse.

“I was at a book club meeting,” she said. “Drink?”

“Sure. A beer if you’ve got one.”

Harper extracted two beers from the fridge and handed him one. They unscrewed the tops, and each took a long slug, as if they both needed the liquid courage to handle whatever came next.

“Do you want to sit down?” Harper asked, hating the stiffness between them. In the past, Finn’s visits were welcome, and he’d always managed to make them light and carefree. Tonight, they tiptoed around each other as if land mines surrounded them.

Instead of going into the living room, where they usually sat, she pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and sank into it. Finn eyed the three remaining chairs and opted for the one next to her. Brave man.

“So.”

“So.”

Finn twisted his beer bottle around in his hand, an indication that he was nervous, while Harper took another long drink. Since she was the one who’d been behaving so erratically, she decided to go first.

“I’m sorry for the way I reacted after…”

“The kiss?”

“I think you just like saying it,” she accused, her lips curving up slightly.

He shrugged. “It was a good kiss.”

“As I recall, there was more than one.”

“True.”

“I won’t deny that I enjoyed it,” she admitted.

“I think we both did.”

“But…”

Finn held up his hand, palm out. “But you’re right. It can’t happen again.”

Stunned, Harper stared at him, wondering if she’d heard him correctly.

“I gave it a lot of thought over these past two weeks, and I agree. It’s too weird. You’re much better off dating someone like Will. Someone who doesn’t have any connection to Blake. I suffered a moment of weakness, but it won’t happen again. I promise.”

Is he joking? But there wasn’t a hint of a smile on his ruggedly handsome face. He just sat there, looking at her as if he’d just given her the best news and he was waiting for her to agree. She should have felt relieved, but she didn’t. She just felt—empty.

After her talk with Mrs. Simmons, she’d felt brave enough to give things a chance with Finn, but now here he was saying that he didn’t want to. Didn’t want her. And she deflated like an old balloon.

“Harper? Are you ok?”

She shook her head to clear it, but he thought she was saying no.