Chapter 27 Arthur
Arthur
Five days later
Beth pushes a piece of rigatoni from one side of the bowl to the other and then does it again. She's done this long enough that I've finished my plate before she's had a third of hers.
"What's going on, Beth?" I ask.
Beth looks up. "I think Harper's mad at me."
"What makes you think that?" Knox asks.
She sets her fork down carefully. "I told her about the buyout offer for my shop during her bachelorette."
The table goes quiet. This topic's the reason for the wall that's been slowly building between us over the last few weeks. We've been trying to give her space so we don't accidentally drive her away, but hearing her actually bring it up makes the air in the kitchen suddenly feel thicker.
Mason shifts in his seat, his jaw tightening. "I'm guessing she didn't take it well," he says, clearly speaking from experience.
"She said she needed the night to process it." Beth says, looking down. "That was five days ago."
Knox puts his hand on her back. "Well, Ben didn't mention anything to us. And Harper loves you."
"Loving someone and being mad at them aren't mutually exclusive.
" She picks up her fork, then immediately sets it back down.
"I keep drafting texts and deleting them.
I've tried to get her to grab coffee or come by the apartment twice this week, and both times she hit me with an excuse about being too busy prepping for the wedding rehearsal. "
She lets out a shaky breath. "I mean, yes, the rehearsal is literally five days away and the wedding is ten. But this is Harper. She's been done with pretty much everything for weeks."
She looks at me, and the rawness in her face makes my ribs ache.
I get up and pour myself a glass of water, because it gives me something to do with my hands that isn't pulling her into my chest and telling her it'll be fine.
"Hey," I say, turning back. "Why don't you invite her along on that weekend getaway you won?"
Beth hesitates. "You think she'd actually say yes?"
"I think a change of scenery is exactly what the bride needs," I say, leaning against the counter. "Tell you what—I'll shoot Ben a text right now. No way he won't be thrilled to enforce a mandatory breather for her."