CHAPTER 22
Aiden: You are avoiding me
Harper: Who is this?
Aiden: Stuart’s coparent.
Harper: Very funny. [eye roll emoji]
Harper: Thank you for the fence.
Aiden: Is that why you’re avoiding me?
Harper: I’m not.
Harper: The MoTak is down
Aiden: *googles MoTak*
Harper: *almost laughs* [eye roll emoji]
Aiden: Which one of us is the mean one, again?
Harper: The one bulldozing half a town to make a few extra bucks per quarter
Aiden: Few million extra bucks per quarter. But fine.
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Harper: DID YOU BUY ME A DOYON OVEN?!
Aiden: Technically I bought it for Stuart.
Aiden: He misses having you around.
Aiden: Dreadfully whiney
Harper: AIDEN.
Aiden: Google said the Doyon was an upgrade from the MoTak
Harper: Please stop buying me things!
Aiden: I’ll consider stopping my gifts for Stuart if you stop avoiding me
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Harper: You have to stop this.
Aiden: I’m happy to negotiate.
Harper: I didn’t even need a new mixer!
Aiden: This one is significantly faster. Faster means you have some spare time.
Aiden: Spare time for Stuart.
Harper: You’re crazy.
Aiden: I’m determined.
Harper: To what?
Aiden: I’ve already presented my terms. I’m willing to discuss.
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Aiden: Why are you obsessed with California?
Harper: Hello, how are you Aiden?
Aiden: Annoyed my neighbor is still avoiding me.
Harper: Maybe you should stop buying her things.
Aiden: The gifts are for Stuart. Get over yourself.
Harper: omg
Aiden: Why California?
Harper: Why Juniper Falls?
Aiden: I presented you all the numbers in that first meeting. It’s a brilliant investment.
Aiden: Your turn.
Harper: We went once when I was little. I loved it.
Aiden: Once? You’ve been there once?
Harper: How many times have you been there?
Aiden: Many
Harper: Los Angeles?
Aiden: And San Fransisco. San Diego.
Aiden: Palm Springs
Harper: Palm Springs! I’m jealous.
Aiden: I’ll take you there if you stop avoiding me.
Harper: You’re relentless
Aiden: True
Harper: You always get what you want
Aiden: True again
Harper: You could just move the parking lot over a few blocks.
Aiden: False
Aiden: I’ve got one.
Aiden: The secret ingredient is hazelnut.
Harper: False
Aiden: You’ve dreamt of opening a little bakery since you were a girl
Harper: False
Harper: Your parents did actually get you a pony at one point!
Aiden: False. I bought the pony for myself.
Harper: What! At What age?
Aiden: Fourteen? Sixteen? Don’t remember.
Aiden: How old is Stuart?
Harper: That’s not true or false
Aiden: You and Lewis broke up just months ago.
Harper: True. About six.
Harper: You’re in love with Lewis’s dog
Aiden: What’s not to love? Look at him
Aiden: [photo]
Harper: When was this?
Aiden: During one of his many late night escapes.
Harper: The new fence isn’t tall enough?
Aiden: He scrapes open the gate latch, I think.
Harper: I’ll get it fixed!
Aiden: Don’t. It’s true. I’m in love with your dog.
Harper: I believe the feeling is mutual. Gtg
Aiden: ?
Harper: Got to go, Carl is here to look at the car again, A/C went out.
Aiden: OK
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Harper: What the hell!
Harper: We are not even friends! You don’t even know me!
Harper: I’m not driving a new car.
Aiden: It’s not new.
Harper: It’s expensive! And not mine!
Aiden: I’m a billionaire. Expensive if relative and it has working A/C
Aiden: I googled California Cars and it came up
Harper: You googled California Cars for Stuart?!
Aiden: He wanted an open top so his ears could flap about.
Aiden: I considered a Jeep but it wasn’t the “right vibe”
Harper: OMG you asked AI to pick a car for me.
Aiden: Bold accusation.
Harper: Which you are not denying!
Aiden: I picked the car for Stuart.
Harper: Please Stop.
Aiden: Will I see you in the morning?
Harper: YES! Yes. Just stop.
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Janie: Harper, did Aiden Vanderwell buy you a vintage baby blue Bronco with a surf board tied on top?!
Janie: What have you told him? Or, at this point, what have you NOT told him, for him to get you that car? You’re dating? You’re serious? Talk to me!
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Benedict: Aiden, Did you buy Harper a car? WTH!
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Lily: Okay, sis, how did he know what your dream car is?
Harper: That’s the million dollar question, sister.
Lily: But did you drive it?
Harper: I did.
Lily: Did you blast the album?
Harper: I did!
Lily: And do you love it?
Harper: I really, really do
Lily: Keep it!
Harper: Are you insane? No.
Lily: Listen, rich people do stupid rich people things.
Harper: Like buy someone they barely know a new car to manipulate them?
Lily: Exactly. Get the title, get the keys and make sure you keep them when he leaves town. This is actually kinda like Stuart, but wonderful!
Harper: Stuart is not that bad.
Lily: You don’t like dogs!
Harper: He’s grown on me.
Lily: Ditch the dog. Ditch the dude. Keep the Bronco.
Harper: I’ll think about it.
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Benedict: I repeat: Did you buy the woman you’re NOT going to try to date her dream car?
Aiden: It’s her dream car?
Benedict: You’re asking me?
Aiden: Yes. Please explain.
Benedict: Aiden, what are you on about? Janie ripped me a new one because you went and bought Harper her dream car from something called a vision board and now my wife is mad at ME! Fix this man!
Aiden: Ask your wife why Harper is “unavailable.”
Benedict: I’m calling your security detail to come check on you if you think I’m playing pass the note back and forth about your not-real relationship with my very real, very angry wife.
Aiden: I’ll give you my chalet in the Alps.
Benedict: the actual deed?
Aiden: Yes, yours to keep.
Benedict: Bloody hell, now she’s even more mad.
Aiden: Tell her about the chalet
Benedict: I tried! She’s too angry to see reason.
Aiden: And did she answer the question?
Benedict: She did not. She told you where you can go and what you can do to yourself.
Aiden: Worth a try.
Benedict: Jury is still out if that was worth it for me. If I don’t get the chalet deed priority mail in the next few business days, you’re a dead man.
Aiden: Understood.
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Lily: Wait. Manipulate you to what?
Harper: Stop avoiding him.
Lily: WHAT!
Lily: He bought you a fully restored $250K+ car, and limited edition surf board, so you would talk to him?
Harper: Technically, he said nothing about talking.
Lily: You know what this sounds like?
Harper: Like a rich guy love-bombing some girl he thinks he likes?
Lily: Okay, yes. It does sound like that.
Harper: I know.