19HarperCooper & Coffee
Harper
Cooper & Coffee
Harper’s arrival at her sister’s house had gone about as she had expected.
Hailey’s home was beige and over-sized. Her mother had drunk too much, while Hailey didn’t drink at all and barely touched her dinner.
Stan, their step-father, had made small talk almost exclusively with Hailey’s husband, Ryan, who had returned home late.
Harper wasn’t sure why. There wasn’t any overtime to be done in banking during the holidays.
The next day was shopping with Hailey and their mother.
They chattered incessantly but didn’t seem to say much.
Eventually, Harper told them she had to do some work so she could hide in her room.
By Wednesday, she was starting to bite her nails again, and when Hailey offered a trip to the store for final décor items, Harper took it as a chance to circumvent her mother’s day-drinking.
But décor shopping turned into perusing pillows that had all sorts of pokey beads on them.
Harper couldn’t imagine why anyone would want them.
“These would have looked so good in Cooper’s place,” said her mother sadly.
Harper eyed the beaded monstrosities. Ash would have said they looked like they had candy sprinkles on them.
“Probably true,” agreed Harper. Stiff and uncomfortable had been Cooper’s taste.
“I do not know why you had to break up with him!” exclaimed her mother vehemently as if she’d been holding it in.
“He said he didn’t think he could see a future with me,” said Harper. “He broke up with me.”
“Harper!” exclaimed Hailey, looking disgusted. “You didn’t even try to apologize or work it out with him! He was the best thing that ever happened to you!”
Harper tried to formulate a response. She didn’t see how Cooper could be considered an event, let alone the best one. At most, he had been a sustained state of viscosity that she’d found difficult to get out of—like a tub of vegetable oil.
“You can’t nap on those pillows,” said Harper.
“They’re decorative,” said her mother.
“Honestly, Harper,” snapped Hailey. “I don’t know why you came. You’re worse than a toddler. Why don’t you wait for us at the coffee shop across the street.”
“Good idea,” said Harper. Hailey made an annoyed snort as Harper left, but Harper was just happy to be released from the torture and couldn’t worry about Hailey’s mood.
She spent the next half-hour in an atmosphere of coffee smells and pleasant jazz, absorbed in her phone with a latte.
When Hailey and her mother finally turned up, Harper was horrified to see they had Cooper in tow.
Harper froze as her body went ice cold and then flushed in heated shame. She wanted to get up and sprint out of the cafe, but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Harper! Look who I found!” chirped her mother. “OK, you two catch up. We’re going to go order.”
Harper stared at Cooper, trying to calm her heart. Had he gotten shorter? Cooper’s casual shopping outfit looked stuffy.
“Hailey says you’re visiting for the week,” he said cheerfully.
Harper nodded because she knew it was expected.
He wasn’t Ash. It seemed like a very obvious thought, but she realized that all the things she was noticing now about Cooper were because he didn’t measure up to Ash.
“That’s nice,” Cooper added with the strained tone that told her she’d missed her cue to talk, but what was she supposed to say to an ex-almost fiancé? “And… You look good. You must have been taking tips from Hailey on clothes.”
“Oh, uh…”
“Although, it’s kind of a color, isn’t it?”
Harper looked down at her vibrant orange and white cardigan with the seashell and coral design. It was one of the pieces Ash had bought her.
“It’s Versace,” she said, throwing out the name, knowing it was her safe word.
“Oh, nice,” he said, then glanced over his shoulder at Hailey in line at the counter. “Although, I guess you shouldn’t copy Hailey too much,” said Cooper, smiling. “The trad wife life is giving her some curves.”
Harper glanced at Hailey, who was dressed in a chunky cream-colored sweater. The sweater and lack of drinking only made sense with one particular explanation.
“That’s because she’s pregnant.”
“What?”
“You just called her fat.”
“No, I didn’t. I said curvy.”
“When you say that, you mean fat. She’s not fat. She’s pregnant.”
“No, she’s not,” said Cooper. “Ryan would have said. You misunderstood.”
“Oh,” said Harper. “OK.” She didn’t think she had.
“You’re having a Harper Moment,” he said. “It’s OK. Ryan will probably get a laugh out of this one.”
“He won’t like that you called her fat,” said Harper. “You probably shouldn’t mention it.”
Cooper looked torn, and for once, Harper felt she’d won the game of social interaction.
“Anyway,” said Harper, wishing Hailey and her mother would come back.
“You’re liking Seattle?” he said at the same time.
“Oh, yeah, it’s great! Shaw is a great company. They’re so flexible and welcoming. I’ve already expanded my training portfolio. And my boss is talking about developing a FEMA team with me as lead!”
“Maybe take it easy on the coffee, though,” he said, laughing.
Cooper had said it before, usually when she got excited about a topic. Ash had never once commented about her talking too fast. Probably because he did the same thing when he got excited.
“Maybe you should have more so you could listen faster,” said Harper.
“Maybe I will when I visit,” he said.
“Visit?”
“Yeah, I’m coming out to Seattle.”
“Oh,” said Harper. She couldn’t imagine why Cooper would go to Seattle. She wanted to tell him not to. Seattle was her city, and she didn’t want him ruining it for her.
“You know my company has branches out there. We should get dinner.”
“Um,” said Harper. That sounded like the worst idea ever. Why would he want that?
“I looked at Yelp. It looks like they have some decent places. I mean, not sushi or anything weird.”
“I like sushi,” said Harper.
“No, you don’t like it because it’s fish.”
“We didn’t go to a good sushi place,” said Harper. “Seattle has better sushi than here.”
“Well, it is on the ocean,” he admitted. “But when I come to Seattle, I’ll find someplace with actual food.”
“Um, you would probably like Canlis,” said Harper, trying to think of the kind of place Cooper would like.
“They have a lot of steak.” Ash thought they were boring but had taken her on the principle that it was a pillar of the Seattle dining community that ought to be experienced at least once.
Harper thought the restaurant had been very nice, but all the white linens had made her feel like she wasn’t dressed well-enough.
Which was ridiculous since half the patrons had adhered to Seattle fashion and had been wearing fleece vests.
“Perfect,” said Cooper. “So we’ll figure something out when I get there.”
“Mm,” said Harper, thinking she would be ducking all calls when he arrived. Why was he acting like they were friends?
“Although,” Cooper continued, “I admit I was considering sending debt collectors. You said you’d pay me back. Haven’t exactly seen a check.”
Harper’s pulse began to pound in her ears.
“I’m trying to get it all in one lump sum,” she said. “I’ll send you a check when I get back.”
“That’s a lot of money,” he said. “Don’t be financially irresponsible and take it out of your 401k.”
“I won’t,” said Harper. She stood up and gathered her purse and latte. “I should probably go…” She didn’t have anywhere to go. “Someplace else.”
“OK,” said Cooper as she brushed past him. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Mm-hm,” said Harper, knowing that something was expected.
By the time she reached Hailey, he was already leaving.
“So… Cooper?” Her mom was beaming. “How did it go?”
Harper stared at her mother.
“Awkward,” she said at last.
By noon on Thursday, the house was crowded with people Harper didn’t know, and their voices echoed off all the marble counter tops and hard floors.
Harper slipped out through the French doors onto the deck and leaned against the house, hoping no one could see her.
She didn’t understand what was wrong with her.
She’d gone to loads of parties with Ash.
She’d talked to people she knew on a superficial level, just like the ones inside.
She had eaten weird foods and dealt with odd smells.
It had been fun. She hadn’t once reverted to scratching or biting her nails.
Of course, back home in Seattle, she hadn’t felt scrutinized and judged every second of the day.
Back home. Harper hadn’t realized how much Seattle had started to feel like home. She took another breath and decided she no longer liked how Denver smelled. She missed the moisture in the air. Everything was so dry here.
She missed Ash.
She pulled away from the house and approached the edge of the deck, leaning on the railing.
She could smell the grill down below her.
Stan and Ryan were supposed to be cooking some sort of meat-based side dish.
She thought it was mostly an excuse to watch the TV through the window into the daylight basement below and avoid helping with any of the party prep.
“Don’t punt on fourth down!” yelled Stan angrily.
“It’s a lost cause,” said Ryan. “I’m not even bothering to cheer for them at this point. I’m waiting until next year.”
“Probably wise,” agreed Stan.
“Hey, speaking of lost causes,” said Ryan. “What’s up with Harper? Hailey said she practically threw Cooper at her and Harper barely said two words and ran out. Is she dating someone in Seattle or anything? She and Hailey don’t talk much, but I thought Yvonne might have heard something.”
“Ugh, that kid. What a fucking retard. I can’t believe she broke up with Cooper.
That was like her one shot for a normal life, you know?
Yvonne’s freaking out. I mean, she said she was dating, but who the hell knows.
Personally, and you can’t repeat this, but I think Harper’s like…
special needs. Like, for real. She’s weird.
She’s always been weird. She dressed in rainbow sweats in high school for about a month straight.
And she’s always doing weird shit. Like that time she bought a goat.
She said it was an accident, but how the fuck do you buy a goat on accident?
And did you know that she says she hears electricity?
She wouldn’t go into some store Yvonne always went to because she said the electricity was too loud. ”
Harper wanted to scream multiple things at once.
For starters, using the R-word was wrong.
Also, it was not her fault they all dressed like the color barf was too bright.
But more significantly to her life, she didn’t understand how everyone thought she broke up with Cooper.
Cooper had told her that if she couldn’t figure out how to be a proper girlfriend, she should move out.
Obviously, she couldn’t, so she had moved out.
And third… sometimes electricity was just too damn loud.
She didn’t understand how other people ignored it.
But she didn’t yell or scream any of that.
Instead, she stood there frozen, her hands clamped around the deck railing, listening to her stepfather pick her apart.
Then her phone vibrated in her pocket, and with a shaking hand, she took it out and looked at the message.
Ash’s tiny face smiled at her from the text alert.
She tapped on it to look at the whole message.
Currently in a fight with my brothers about why they won’t talk to Mom. Hope your holiday is going better.
Harper took another breath, feeling it flow more easily.
Not really. Wishing I could change my flight home to today.
She turned around and headed back inside, stopping inside the door to check Ash’s reply.
Maybe we can both fly to Cancun next year. See you next week when you get home?
Yes, please.
Margaritas and sunshine next year, I swear.
Harper smiled at her phone.
“Message from someone fun?” asked her mother hopefully, going by with another glass of wine.
“Just a friend,” said Harper. She hoped.
Friend enough to talk margaritas but not enough to keep their deal.
But a friend wouldn’t be paying her money.
Harper looked around the room in confusion.
Why had everything gotten weird with Ash?
It was supposed to have been straightforward, and now everything felt confused because of the money.
She was sitting down to dinner when her phone buzzed again.
Hey, I just realized I never wrote you a check for the ten grand. I’m sorry. I can do it when you come home. Is that OK?
Harper breathed out a sigh of relief. Ash hadn’t been avoiding her. He’d simply forgotten. Harper typed out a quick response and hit send. She just needed to get back to Seattle, and everything would be OK.