Chapter Thirteen

Two days before the show opened and everything that could go wrong had. With a groan, Harper banged her forehead against her desk. The wicked stepmother quit last night to take a theater role in Atlanta, and there wasn’t time to find, hire, and train a replacement.

One of the stepsisters decided that if she couldn’t have a bigger role, she wasn’t going on at all, and the fairy godmother had laryngitis.

When someone knocked on her office door, Harper raised her head, peeled off a piece of paper stuck to her forehead, and called out, “Come in.”

Jean walked in and planted herself in one of the chairs. “I’ll be the wickedest mother in all the land.”

“Step-mother,” Harper corrected.

“Whatever you need.”

“Thank you, Jean, but there’s no way—”

“Hush. I don’t believe in impossibilities. Especially not from my future granddaughter-in-law.”

Harper sighed, choosing to ignore the matchmaking dig. “Even if you take one of the roles, I’m still short with—”

“Zip it.” Jean wagged her cell phone. “I raised the alarm. Barbara is on her way to pick up a script. Let her play the goody two shoes fairy godmother. Josie’s on the way to be the stepsister.” She leaned forward. “Did you honestly think your friends would leave you hanging once word got out?”

Used to being the one who helped others rather than the one who received help, Harper sniffed back tears, touched by the thoughtfulness of her friends. “No, but I can’t ask—”

“You didn’t.”

“It’s going to be a lot of hard work and—”

“Which no one ever had an allergic reaction to.” Jean rubbed her hands together. “We’ll load up on caffeine and work twenty-four seven rehearsing. The show must go on.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“There’s nothing to say. This is what people who love each other do. Now, off your rump.”

Harper rose. “Jean, if there’s anything I can do in return…other than marrying Rafferty,” she hastily amended, “just name it.”

“You don’t have to marry my grandson. You can shack up with him. Just as long as you give me great-grandkids, that’s okay in my book.”

“I tried,” Harper said then kicked herself for revealing that.

Delight creased Jean’s face. “You and Rafferty?”

“Well, no. We didn’t, but I…um…sort of offered.”

“Sort of?” Jean frowned. “It’s not rocket science, you know. Drape yourself in lingerie or sports logos and you’ve got a man’s immediate attention.”

“I was fresh out of footballs,” Harper joked. “I did have nice lingerie on under my clothes.”

“Then strip faster, gal.”

“It didn’t get that far. I invited Rafferty in, and he turned me down.”

Jean pursed her lips. “I see.” She tipped her head to one side and smiled. “You’re not the type to invite a man in unless you care. A lot.”

“That’s irrelevant.” Harper waved a hand dismissively. “He’s not interested. Obviously.” She felt the heat rise in her face at the remembered embarrassment of putting herself out there and getting turned down. She was probably the only single woman in Morganville he’d ever said no to, and she told Jean as much.

Jean laughed. “Oh, honey. If Rafferty didn’t give two figs about you, he wouldn’t have said no, and he wouldn’t be spending time with you.”

“I honestly think you’re barking up the wrong tree. Rafferty is a die-hard bachelor.”

Jean snorted. “Every man’s a bachelor until he comes to his senses.”

The office door swung open, and Ivy walked in with Barbara and Josie.

“The cavalry is here,” Josie announced. “Put us in the ’biz.”

Barbara walked across the office to hug Harper and whisper everything would be okay. “Now,” the older woman stepped back, “let’s get to work.”

…

Harper closed off the auditorium while the women practiced with the rest of the cast minus Rafferty. She hadn’t called him even though Jean had nagged for her to do that. The less distractions, the better. Besides, she didn’t trust that Jean didn’t have a matchmaking ace up her sleeve, and while she now wouldn’t mind being matched with Rafferty, she didn’t want to practically have to hog-tie him to make that happen.

“I can play the prince as well,” Harper said when it came time for Rafferty’s first part. “That way, you’ll know where your lines come in after his.”

“Nonsense, I can be his stand-in,” Jean said. She marched forward, demanding everyone’s attention, then waved and pointed her finger dramatically toward Harper. “Who’s the toots at the top of the stairs? I gotta get me a dance with her. Or something like that.”

Everyone laughed, including Harper.

Josie looked at the script. “After Rafferty puts the shoe on, the only thing left is the wedding, which we’re not in anyway, right?”

“Right,” Harper confirmed.

Barbara put her wand on top of a fake rock and took off her gossamer fairy wings. “Then we’re done for tonight and we can pick up again tomorrow.”

“Celebration time.” Jean clapped her hands. “We need pizzas and wine. I’m buying. You,” she called to the actor playing the king, “fetch the chariot and take me to get food for the masses.”

Harper sat on the stage with everyone else and talked until Jean returned, king in tow, who carried several pizza boxes. Jean paused in front of Harper and handed her a bottle of wine. “This one is special for you.”

Harper took the bottle. The plain white label had the words for the woman who loves my grandson scribbled across it. Harper held it aloft. “Replacing the original label with one of your own doesn’t make the words true.”

“Denying it doesn’t make it untrue,” Jean countered, swatting the back of her hand against Harper’s leg. “Scooch over.” She sat and crossed her legs at the ankles. “I see the way you look at Rafferty when his attention’s elsewhere.”

Not bothering to use one of the plastic cups Jean brought back, Harper took a swig of the wine, careful not to get any on her dress. She wiped her mouth with her hand. “He’s good looking, that’s all.”

“Uh huh.” Jean leaned back and latched onto the pant leg of an employee playing one of the castle guards. “Bring us some of that pizza, will you?” She turned back to Harper. “Do you remember that photo that spilled out of my purse in your office?”

Harper nodded.

“The love of my life. He married some old fishwife, moved away, and that was that.” Jean paused to take two slices of pizza on a napkin from the employee and passed one to Harper.

Harper juggled the hot pizza from one hand to the other, blowing on it to try and cool it.

“I don’t regret marrying the men I did end up with because I had wonderful children from those unions. But I regret not even taking a chance when I should have. All I’m left with is what could have been. The what ifs of life are what will haunt you.”

“Sure, Jean. I’ll tell Rafferty that I’m beginning to have feelings for him and then you talk about awkward?”

“Yeah, that’d be as pleasant as getting a sunburn in unmentionable places, I know.”

“Exactly.” Harper finished off the slice of pizza and shook her head when Jean urged her to have some wine. She had a slight buzz going and didn’t want to cross over into full-on drunk. Then she’d do something stupid like drunk text Rafferty.

“You’re one of the strongest women I know,” Jean said quietly. “Life kicked you good and square in the shorts, and you got back up. Don’t slink off the field now because what if has you by the seat of the pants.”

Pushing to her feet, Harper turned to face Jean after first checking to make sure no one was close enough to overhear. “I need some time to think.”

Jean stared at her for a second. “Did I ever tell you about my friend Doris?”

“No.”

“She was head over heels for a mutual friend of ours. Man named Kenneth Norman. Like my boyfriend at the time, he was an Air Force pilot. Got his wings not long after the war going on at that time ended.” She stared off into the distance.

“What happened?” Harper asked.

“Good old Doris spent a helluva lot of time thinking over how she felt about him, and a couple of months went by while she weighed all the ifs-ands-buts of a possible relationship.”

“And?”

“By then, he was dating someone else. A woman with a set like a brass monkey who wasn’t about to let Doris hone in.”

“That’s…um…not helpful.”

Jean half shrugged. “Move it or lose it, sister.”

“Hmmm,” Harper murmured, not wanting to think about the picture Jean had painted. “I’m going to find Barbara and ask her to give me a ride home, since she didn’t have any wine.”

“You go on. I’m going to wait for Ron.”

“The two of you seem to get along well.” Harper studied the older woman. “Almost like you’ve known him for a long time instead of a few days.”

“What can I say? We clicked,” Jean said, two spots of color appearing on her cheeks.

“Wait a second…the night Rafferty and I were locked in the supply room…I remember seeing the two of you right before that.” Harper gasped when Jean wouldn’t look her in the eye. “It was you, wasn’t it? You shut the door on us!”

“I tripped as we were leaving, and my hand landed on the door—”

“Bull.”

“I was trying to—”

“Sure you were. I can’t believe you locked us in.”

Jean sighed. “I didn’t realize that I couldn’t open the door without a code.”

“Right, because you thought the keypad was just there for decoration, right?”

Jean put her hands up to her face and pushed her cheeks to make her lips pucker. “Look at this wrinkled face. Don’t I look like one of those Shar Pei pups? How can you stay mad?”

“Jean…you are…”

“Someone who loves you and Rafferty and wants to see the two of you happy.”

“I’m happy.” Harper faked a broad smile.

“You’re scaring the children.”

Harper laughed then groaned. “I’m going home.”

“Tell Rafferty,” Jean said as Harper walked away.

Harper waved a hand good-bye and didn’t answer. Tell Rafferty I think about him more often than I should? Right, and see him pull the world’s fastest disappearing act.

…

The night of the show, Rafferty stood behind the curtain at the back of the stage away from the swarming activity as everyone else chatted amongst themselves. There was an air of nervous excitement as the minutes ticked down to the start of the show.

Papa Ron and another employee walked past him, but neither spoke beyond a quick greeting before they returned to their conversation.

Rafferty felt a cross between edgy and drained. Right about now, Doug was in a meeting with the chief, and he was here dressed in a prince’s costume—but he wasn’t sorry for his decision. When he’d thought it all over, he’d realized he couldn’t hurt Harper. There would be other promotions for him in the future and a membership opening in the adventure club eventually, hopefully, but if the show tanked, it could ruin her financially. He’d rather take it on the chin than have life kick her again.

The middle-aged prompter rushed into the middle of the waiting employees and tapped the face of her watch. “Places in four minutes,” she warned, leaving as quickly as she’d appeared.

Rafferty stood and stretched then searched the faces in the crowd. He hadn’t seen or talked to Harper since she’d invited him to stay the night. It wasn’t awkwardness making him want to avoid her. It was what was going on in his own head. He’d wanted to stay, and that didn’t bode well for either of them. The woman who believed a fairy tale love could really happen and a man who knew he was no longer capable of being that vulnerable would never be a good match.

Rafferty was still deep in thought when Papa Ron clapped him on the shoulder.

“Wait. You have a loose button.” He whipped a needle and thread from a pouch at his waist. “One second.” His fingers busy moving the needle nimbly in and out of the buttonhole, he said, “You are a prince among men.”

“It’s the costume,” Rafferty joked. “It fools everyone.”

“No.” Papa Ron shook his head. “I heard through Mac that you gave up the meeting that could have helped you get the promotion. It’s a prince of a man who chooses to give up something he desperately wants to protect the heart of another.”

“Thirty seconds,” the prompter said in a fierce whisper.

Papa Ron stepped off to the side of the stage as the curtain went up.

Rafferty was on stage first, his character speaking with the king, telling him he hadn’t yet found a bride as the king had insisted was necessary.

“Then we shall hold a ball inviting all the maidens of the land, and from them, you shall choose a wife.”

The scene segued into another with Rafferty arguing he wasn’t in love and had no desire to marry.

“Love, boy, is something that happens when you least expect it.” The king smacked his fist on the arm of the throne then, lowering his voice, added, “Or when you come to your senses.”

Rafferty frowned, not sure what his response line was to that, since the king had gone off script. “Perhaps,” he ad-libbed.

“You shall discover love if you stop being so stubborn. I’m certain of it.”

Rafferty glanced out into the audience in time to catch his grandmother mouthing the same words the king was saying. Taking a step to put his back to the audience, Rafferty said for the king’s ears only, “Whatever you’re up to with my grandmother, knock it off.” Then he turned, stepped back onto his mark, said, “Of course, Father,” and bowed before exiting the stage.

As soon as Harper’s scene was over and the stepmother and stepsisters were center stage, she came to find Rafferty where he waited until it was time for him to make another appearance.

“You saw that, huh?” Harper put her hands on her hips.

“I did. How’d she convince your employee to go along with her?”

Harper took a folding chair and popped it open then sat and huffed out a breath. “I’m beginning to think she’s the fairy godmother of matchmaking, but I did try and dissuade her last night.”

“I’m sorry about that. I keep telling her there’s nothing between the two of us and that we don’t feel that way about each other.”

Harper straightened in the seat. “Actually—” She broke off when Ivy rushed up to her and whispered something in her ear. “I’ll be right back.”

Rafferty watched Harper, dressed in a dirty rag dress with her hair pulled back, leave with her assistant.

The king sidled up to Rafferty, his face clearly red beneath his beard and mustache. “You recovered nicely out there.”

“You shouldn’t listen to my grandmother,” Rafferty scolded.

The king frowned. “What does your grandmother have to do with that?”

Misgivings crawled up Rafferty’s spine. “She didn’t put you up to that?”

“No.”

“Then who?” Rafferty demanded.

“It was Papa Ron, but he may have done it on Jean’s behalf.”

That didn’t make sense to Rafferty. “Why would Ron do that?”

“Why?” The king laughed. “He loves her. From what I understand, the two of them go way back. She’s the reason he came to Morganville. Jean called him, said she needed his help with a project.”

Rafferty choked off the word he’d started to utter. He could just imagine what that “project” was: getting him together with Harper.

“Well, that’s my cue.” The man adjusted his crown. “I have to leave as soon as my parts are over, but I’ll be glad to tell you what else I know tomorrow at the barbecue festival. Will you be there?”

“I plan to be.” Rafferty wasn’t sure what else he needed to know. Jean had proved once again that she was willing to take her matchmaking to any level. He was going to make sure she and Papa Ron both knew there was absolutely no chance—Harper walked back toward him, eyes sparkling, a smile on her lips—that he would ever—she tucked a strand of hair behind her ear—her eyes met his, and he plucked at the suddenly too tight collar of his costume—ever, fall in love—he drew in a long breath as the truth descended on him.

The dating king had fallen at the feet of Harper Bailey.

He shook his head as if he could shake away the realization. His heart raced, and he felt a strong urge to get into his car and take off.

“Are you okay?” She put a hand on the sleeve of his shirt. “It’s the heat, isn’t it?” She nodded even though he hadn’t spoken. “I know. I feel it, too. As soon as the show is over, I’m taking a long, cool bath. Rafferty?”

“Me…I…fine.” Feeling like a tongue-tied idiot, he looked away, trying to convince his heart to return to its normal beat. No. It wasn’t possible. He couldn’t…

He looked at her, drinking in every little detail as if seeing her for the first time.

“Show time,” Harper said, giving him a smile and stepping out onto the stage.

Rafferty waited until it was his turn to make an appearance for the ball scene and he danced with Harper. At the rehearsal, the dance scene was over in minutes. Tonight, it seemed to last for hours. He quickly let her go while she fled the castle set and left a shoe on the stairs.

He picked up the slipper and stared after the fleeing princess. Nothing had changed other than him realizing he didn’t want anyone but Harper. No good would come from telling her what he felt, because despite all the risks he was willing to take, committing to her meant he’d become vulnerable. He remembered that broken place he’d once been in all too well to ever want that again.

Even with all the turmoil running rampant through his mind, Rafferty managed to seamlessly perform his parts until it was time for the happily ever after.

The stage was lined with actors as well wishers while Rafferty and Harper stood under a flower-covered wedding arch, both of them wearing fairy tale smiles, on the brink of a final kiss.

He meant to kiss her softly, quickly, but the second his lips touched hers, he lost the will to pull away, to take a bow and smile while the curtain drew together.

He kissed her deeply, infusing the kiss with everything he wished he could give her and everything his heart felt for her. She put her hand on the back of his neck and angled her mouth, tentatively tangling her tongue with his.

Rafferty groaned and forced himself to lift his head. In her eyes, he saw the same need running through his body. He registered two things at the same time: the thundering applause from the standing ovation and the misty-eyed, love-drenched expression on Harper’s face.

“No,” he croaked out. He had to get out of here. He had to save her from him.

“I love you,” she whispered, her breathing fast and shallow as hope made an appearance in her tone.

The curtain dropped, and Rafferty stepped back, turning away.

“What are you doing?”

“What I always do, Harper. Walking away.”

She zipped around in front of him, blocking his path. “I know you feel something for me. It’s in your eyes, and it was in your kiss. I think just like I have…you’ve always cared, from the time we were children, but you just can’t admit it to yourself.”

“Harper—”

“I think that you’ve probably loved me for years just like I have you, but for some reason you can’t say the words. Your actions, though, they speak volumes. I realized that I pushed you away because I was afraid. But I’m more afraid of not taking a chance on what we could be.”

“Harper—” he tried again.

She rushed on, speaking over him. “You love me. That’s why you took the part of the prince. You knew I needed someone, and you stepped in to help and—”

“I took the part to prove I could keep a commitment. It was because of…of a bet and because I want a promotion so I can join the adventure club. N-Nothing more. You don’t mean anything other than a friend to me,” he lied.

His own words cut him to the bone. But he had to do this. What kind of man would he be to stick around knowing he had damaged pieces that might hurt her? He couldn’t do that to her.

She blinked, and her lips drew into a thin line. “Oh. You…you lied to me from the start.”

“No, I didn’t. I just didn’t tell you everything.”

Rafferty hated the hurt emanating from her, but it was better to remove the stars from her eyes now than let her think they could be together. It was better to rip his own heart out than let things escalate and have her discover that he was too damaged, too fearful of the pain of loving someone and then losing them.

“I see. Well…then there’s nothing else to say.” She faked a smile. “Please tell your mom I’ll be over in the morning to help her take the stuff to the barbecue festival like I promised.”

“Harper—”

She held up a hand. “Don’t. Please.”

He’d done the right thing. She’d see that eventually. It was best for both of them. Then why did he feel like he’d ripped his heart out of his chest and stabbed it?

He left the castle without speaking to anyone else and drove himself to Lincoln’s to wait for his brother.

He sat on the front porch steps, head in his hands, heart aching so badly he was sure if he could see it, there would be jagged slices through it. The pain was what he deserved and what he’d accept as his due for making sure he protected Harper.

She’d been right, and that had shocked the hell out of him. He had loved her since they were kids, but he hadn’t recognized the wake-up call his heart had tried to give him over the years. Every time he saw her, every time he’d spoken to her, he’d wanted more of her.

It had always been Harper, and he’d been too blinded by the need to punish himself over what happened to Jill. His three-date rule, his reputation as the dating king, had all been created in an attempt to keep himself from happiness because he hadn’t felt as if he deserved it. And maybe he didn’t.

He loved Harper, but he’d love her from a distance. It was for the best.

A car turned into the driveway, and Rafferty stood, but it was Grayson who stepped out instead of Lincoln.

His brother walked over and waited for a heartbeat before he said, “Grandma called me.”

“That didn’t take long. I just left.”

“Granny’s a quick draw.” Grayson’s grin flashed.

“Did you come to tell me I made a mistake?”

Grayson’s grin disappeared, and he cleared his throat. “No. I was the one who made the mistake. I let my bitterness over what happened between me and Isabel taint the advice I gave you about Harper. I shouldn’t have done that. She’s not Isabel.”

“I know that.” Rafferty crossed his arms, as if by pressing them against his body, he could somehow ease the ache in his heart. “But I can’t be with her. What if I screw up and break her heart? She’s been through enough. I can’t be one more disappointment to her. One more guy who falls short.”

“You’re not that kind of man, and we both know it. Are you a pain to be around? Yeah. Are you a slob? Oh, yeah. Are you—”

“If this is your idea of being encouraging, keep your day job.”

Grayson laughed. “I’m trying to tell you that, from what Granny says, Harper loves the entire screwed-up version of you.” He was quiet for a moment then said softly, “This isn’t all about you being afraid of hurting her, is it?”

Rafferty swallowed hard and forced the words out. “What if I lose her like I did Jill?”

Grayson nodded his understanding. “Life doesn’t come with guarantees. But is the life that you could have with her worth that risk to you?”

He thought of what his life would be like in the future if he never risked being with Harper. He imagined all the what ifs, the loneliness, and the regret. A mountain of regret. “I can’t imagine my life without her,” he said.

Loving her was worth the risk. Any risk. How could he not have seen that?

His heart had been trying to open to her, and like an idiot, he’d continued to close it. But he wanted to change that. He wanted to love without holding back, and the only woman he wanted that with was Harper.

Would she give him a second chance?

“We should be together,” he said out loud.

“Then there you go,” Grayson said.

“I’ll go tell her I messed up.” Rafferty started toward his car.

Grayson stopped him. “Whoa…I’m gonna go out on a limb here and say she knows you messed up.”

“You’re right. I need to show her. And if she doesn’t want anything to do with me still, then I’ll be there for her, whatever she needs, and just hope that someday she changes her mind and gives me a chance.” Rafferty rushed to leave then paused. “Thanks, man. You’re not a half-bad brother.”

“I know. You’re lucky I’m around.”

“I feel like I need to do something for you,” Rafferty said.

“I’ll take some playoff tickets this year.”

Rafferty laughed. “I’m thinking something better. More lasting.” He got into his car and lowered his window. “Like thanking Granny for her matchmaking efforts and telling her how much you could use the effort.”

“We’re not brothers anymore. We’re not even friends,” Grayson yelled as Rafferty drove off.