Chapter Seven

Harper shifted from one foot to the other as she waited for whoever was on the other side of the door to let them out. She felt bad for being the reason Rafferty hadn’t slept and then frowned. When was the last time someone had looked out for her and not the other way around? From the time she was a child, she was the one making sure everything was taken care of, the bills paid, the house cleaned, the groceries bought. She’d been the one to take care of her younger cousin Shelly after her aunt became ill. Now she not only took care of her family but also looked out for almost fifty-something employees.

Rafferty had been strong for her. Not because she was weak but because he’d recognized her fear of being locked in and her weariness, and he’d stepped up, made himself be what she’d needed.

When someone began punching the code outside the supply room door, Harper could have wept in relief. It swung open to reveal Ivy standing there, wide-eyed and open-mouthed. Harper rushed to grab the door, holding onto it like it was a rescuer in shark-infested waters.

Rafferty came up beside her, his relief at their impending freedom evident. “I suggest you call the locksmith and have him fix this so it opens from the inside.”

“After last night, I already thought of that,” she said. Ignoring Ivy’s speculation, she added, “Thank you for staying awake for me.”

If her gratitude surprised him, he didn’t show it. He simply nodded and left. She watched him walk away and braced herself for Ivy’s barrage of what-the-hell-happened.

“Nothing,” she answered as she hurried toward the costume room to retrieve her purse. She bumped into Rafferty exiting the room carrying his cell phone. He put his hand on her arm to steady her but quickly dropped his hold.

“I’ll see you tonight.” He stepped around her and continued on his way.

When Harper turned around, Ivy was staring at her.

“Don’t tell me nothing happened. I can see the sparks flying.”

“Then you need glasses.” Harper picked up her purse. First thing on the agenda after the locksmith was going home, showering, and changing her clothes.

Ivy groaned. “You can’t spend a night locked in with Rafferty and not give me something.”

Harper thought about it. “We talked, and it’s clear that we are definitely opposites.”

“Uh-huh,” Ivy said, hot on her heels as Harper headed toward the main door. “Back to the nothing happened?”

“One kiss happened,” Harper admitted defensively, quickening her pace to escape the questions. “But that’s it.”

“And?”

Harper’s body flushed with remembered heat. “We were playing a game, and I was the one who initiated it because he dared me. I didn’t want to pay the ante. It was a mistake.”

“And?”

Harper threw her arms up in exasperation. “And it was amazing. The sweetest, sexiest kiss I’ve ever had.”

“I knew it!” Ivy crowed.

“Yes, but it’s over, and it’ll never be repeated. Because we’re friends again and that’s it.”

“Haven’t you been paying attention to his reputation?” Ivy gave her a pitying look. “A woman doesn’t simply kiss Rafferty once and not go back for seconds.”

“This woman does. Rafferty not only has a dangerous job, but he likes to live dangerously.” He was drawn to danger, and even if he ever fell in love, he’d never change that part of himself.

Harper reached the main door and stepped out into what promised to be a beautiful day. “Call the locksmith and get him out here today even if I have to pay a rush fee.”

Harper had almost made it to the parking lot when her cousin Shelly called her name. “I’m in a hurry, so walk with me if you want to talk.”

“Ivy mentioned that two more employees quit last night and went to work at Thrills & Chills. I came to see if there’s anything I can do to help out.”

Losing two more employees… Harper rubbed her forehead. “Um…yeah, thanks. Get with Ivy and see where we’re short-handed, and please tell her to place another ad on the job boards seeking employees. Thank you.” She reached the minivan and unlocked it.

“Before you go…”

Harper slid behind the wheel, started the van, and powered the windows down. Shelly leaned into the passenger side. “Is it true that you and Rafferty were stuck in the supply room and…you know?”

“No, I don’t know,” Harper said, hoping it wasn’t as bad as where her mind had immediately hopped to.

“Trixie Majors is telling everyone that you and Rafferty are sleeping together.”

Good grief. One night locked in a room with the man and before her morning cup of coffee she was having a fling. “We’re not.”

“Are you sure?”

“Am I…? For Pete’s sake, Shell! I was there. Trixie wasn’t.”

“Okay,” Shelly said, not looking fully convinced. “Well, if you want to talk about anything, call me.”

“Thanks.” Harper gave her a wave as she backed out and drove off. If the rumor mill said she’d slept with Rafferty, by nightfall the story would evolve into something much worse. She loved Morganville, she truly did, but what she hated was the way that everything was always blown out of proportion.

Keeping to the back roads, she arrived at the house she shared with her mom to find Rafferty’s mom and grandmother waiting for her. She sighed and stepped out of the van, knowing the reason they were both there.

Holding up her hand as they climbed out of Barbara’s car and greeted her, she said, “Before you ask, yes, it’s all true. Rafferty and I shared a crazy night, and now I’m pregnant. We’ve decided to move to the moon and live in a colony there.”

Jean laughed. “The rumor mill already got to you?”

“Oh yeah.” Harper unlocked the front door and invited the women in. Setting her purse on the sofa, she entered the kitchen. “You want some coffee?” She plugged up the machine and plucked a coffee pod from the carousel.

“No, hon, we can’t stay,” Barbara said. “When I heard the rumor, I wanted to come and check on you.”

“You were worried about me?”

“Worried about Rafferty,” Jean said with a snort of laughter. “You can hold your own.”

Harper smiled at that and sat on the arm of the recliner while she waited for the coffee to brew. “There’s nothing romantic between us and never will be.”

“We know,” Barbara said.

“He’s…” Harper decided not to share what she’d learned about him in case his family didn’t know the details. It had made her realize he wasn’t really the playboy type. He’d just been wounded and as a result lived his life in a way that he figured would protect him emotionally. “He’s too much,” she finally said.

“I understand,” Jean agreed quickly. “Stay away from him.”

Harper wagged a finger. “Reverse psychology won’t work on me.”

“Future great-grandkids are on the line. I had to give it my best,” Jean said, not repentant at all.

“Actually,” Barbara said with an exasperated glance at her mother, “I was concerned about you. When I learned you’d been locked in the supply room, I thought about the trunk incident and knew being trapped might be hard for you.”

“Thank you.” Harper had always loved Rafferty’s mom. The day they’d found out her father had died, Barbara had come over and taken care of her mom. She’d made sure there was food and handled all the details her mother hadn’t been able to cope with. For weeks afterward, she’d stopped by every day to simply sit and share a cup of coffee with her mom. Harper had come home from school two months after the funeral to find her mom sobbing in Barbara’s arms, worried about a greedy relative threatening to contest the will.

Barbara had promised nothing would come of it, and only when Harper was grown had her mother revealed that Barbara had let some of the men in town know what was going on, and the next thing she knew, the relative had quickly backed down.

“We won’t keep you, then,” Barbara said.

“Come over for dinner Sunday,” Jean urged.

“Rafferty already invited me,” Harper said, mentally kicking herself at the delight on Jean’s face.

“It’s not like that,” she warned.

Jean put a hand on her chest. “Hon, I’m not reading anything into it.”

“Sure you’re not, Pinocchio. I’ll go because it’ll be nice to be around others rather than spending Sunday alone.”

“Good. Bring a date if you want. I’m bringing someone.”

“Who?” Barbara demanded.

“Papa Ron.”

“You and Papa Ron are dating?” Harper asked, surprised to hear that. Papa Ron hadn’t said a word to her about it.

“Not dating exactly.” Jean pursed her lips and waggled her eyebrows. “We’re rocking headboards.”

Harper laughed and covered her mouth.

“Mother!” Barbara gasped. “I swear I can’t take you anywhere. Harper, we’ll see you Sunday.”

Jean hung back and after Barbara walked out said, “I’d like to come by the castle and talk to you about something. Just between us.”

“Sure. Anytime.”

Jean hugged her tightly. “Love you, gal.”

“Love you, too.”

Harper locked the door behind them and went to get in the shower. She had a full day’s worth of chores to get done at the castle, and she was already running behind thanks to the lock in. She wondered if Rafferty was sleeping already or if he’d taken the time to call the date he’d missed last night. She shook the thought out of her mind. It didn’t matter what he was doing.

…

After sleeping for a few hours, Rafferty woke up starving. He thought about taking the time to make something to eat but dismissed it. He could stop by his parents’ house and nab some leftovers, or he could go to the diner and eat there. Thinking over his options, he decided the diner was a safer bet.

He already figured the rumor mill was buzzing about Harper and him, but at least at the diner, he wouldn’t have to deal with his grandmother trying to prod him toward Harper.

His phone buzzed with a text message from Kerri hoping he’d change his mind about canceling their date and any future ones, but that wasn’t going to happen.

Since last night, he didn’t feel like the same guy. He dressed in a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, wishing he could stop thinking about Harper.

The one night and one kiss with her made him wonder about her. What she was doing…thinking…made him want to kiss her again, feel the shape of her under his hands. And that was seriously screwed up. Maybe losing sleep was messing with his mojo.

His phone buzzed again, this time a text from Grayson wanting to get together. Perfect. He could get a bite to eat with his brother and put Harper right out of his mind. Whistling, he responded to the text then grabbed a pair of sneakers and went outside to wait on the porch for his brother. He didn’t have to wait long before a silver sedan with obvious damage to the passenger side pulled into the driveway.

Rafferty opened the door and got in. “What happened to your car?”

Grayson turned down the radio as he waited for Rafferty to get settled. “Some guy backed into it at the hospital last night.”

“Still, you probably had a better night than I had,” Rafferty said.

Grayson slowed at the stop sign at the end of Rafferty’s street. “I heard about that.” He eased forward once the way was clear. “Please tell me you’re not guilty of going there with Harper.”

“I’m not.”

“Good. Trust me. Love isn’t worth it. You’d end up getting your heart stepped on.”

Rafferty knew that Grayson’s observation came from what he’d been through. “There’s zero chance of that.” He opened his mouth to say there wasn’t even a spark between him and Harper, but after the kiss, that didn’t ring true anymore. He closed his mouth without saying anything else.

“Good. It’s best to keep it that way,” Grayson said.

“I know. Hey—you passed the diner. Where are we going?”

“Steakhouse. I promised Grandma we’d buy her a late lunch.”

Rafferty groaned. “I was hoping to avoid her.”

“Yeah and I’d hoped for a life with Isabel. We don’t always get what we want.”

The mention of his brother’s cheating ex-girlfriend caught Rafferty’s attention. Grayson rarely talked about her. “Is she still texting you?”

“No. I blocked her number.” Grayson’s jaw tightened. “So she called from her new boyfriend’s phone.”

“That’s cold.” Rafferty had never liked Grayson’s ex. Not only had she flirted with him, but she’d also made a pass at Lincoln. They’d both shut that down, and he’d told Grayson. It’s why his brother had gone back to the apartment earlier than normal and had caught Isabel in the act.

“What bothers me about all that is she played me and I was clueless until you said something.” Grayson parked outside the steakhouse.

“Relationships are trouble. Now you know why I keep mine physical only,” Rafferty said. He stepped out of the car and was struck by the delicious scents coming from the restaurant.

“Exactly. I’m done even trying to go beyond casual.” Grayson locked the car and joined him on the sidewalk.

That didn’t surprise Rafferty. He’d seen how Isabel had destroyed his brother.

Grayson gave him a sly grin. “Since you made it clear you weren’t interested, I should ask Harper out.”

“Go ahead.” I can’t believe he’d even think that way. Rafferty’s heart rate picked up, and he clenched his fists.

“Harper’s beautiful. She has a great body. I could see having a casual thing with her.”

A shaft of irritation shot through Rafferty, and his jaw tightened. “She’s not looking for casual.”

“So? I’m sure I can persuade her to change her mind.”

Rafferty didn’t answer. Grayson wasn’t the kind of man who manipulated women, and it took Rafferty a few minutes to guess his brother was goading him, hoping for a reaction. He should have realized what Grayson was doing. His brother knew the odds of the two of them becoming a couple were as great as all of Morganville becoming anti–sweet tea.

“Ever notice Harper has mile-long legs? Everyone says she’s kind of prim, but I’ll bet I could—”

Rafferty couldn’t take it anymore. He swung around into his brother’s path, nose to nose with him. “Leave her alone.”

Grayson arched his eyebrows, an amused smile playing on his lips. “Is there a problem? I thought she wasn’t your type.”

“She’s not, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to let anyone hurt her.”

“I was only picking at you.”

“Why?” Rafferty asked, taking a step back but still irritated.

Grayson laughed and slapped him on the shoulder.

“I don’t know why you have to be such an a— Mom…I didn’t know you’d be here.” Rafferty gave his brother a dark look as their mom walked over, and he greeted her with a hug.

“Your grandmother invited me to tag along. We already have a table.” She led them through the middle of the restaurant, pausing every now and then to speak to someone.

By the time they reached the table where his grandmother waited, she was already in full-on matchmaker mode.

“You couldn’t do any better than Harper,” Jean said. “She’s as sweet as a Moon Pie, as honest as the day is long, and she’s as pretty as a sunset over the ocean.”

Rafferty sighed. “Yes, she is all that. Hang on a second.” He got up and went to a smaller table not far from theirs. Albert Hollings’s brother Howie had a stroke a while back and was having trouble cutting his steak.

Pulling a chair up beside the old man, Rafferty sat down. “Here. Let me help you.”

Howie gave him a thankful smile and passed the fork and knife over.

“Essie’s got me eating a plant-based diet. I told her that food was fit for the livestock, not a man. I finally put my foot down and refused to eat it.”

Rafferty wasn’t fooled. “Slipped out of the house when she went to get her hair done, did you?”

Howie looked sheepish. “Cut faster, son. I’d like to have dessert before she shows up breathing fire.”

Rafferty finished cutting Howie’s steak and then went back to his own table, hoping the conversation had turned to other topics besides Harper. He hoped in vain.

“You should at least go out with Harper once. I think—”

“Mom, Grandma.” He held their gaze steadily. “You know I love you and you know I mean this is the nicest way possible, but you both need to butt out. Harper isn’t interested in me.” At their calculating expressions, he hastily added, “And I’m not interested in her. Now can we order?”

Everyone reached for a menu, but he could feel his mom and grandmother darting glances at him, and it was like he could read their minds. Poor Rafferty. Finally met his match.

He called bull on that. It would take a lot more than the achingly beautiful Harper to drag him into a commitment. He’d closed himself off for a good reason, and he was standing by the decision. Long live the dating king.