Chapter 7 #2
“You make it sound so easy,” I tell her.
Jessie stops in her tracks and grabs my arm to stop me as well. “Roger, Elijah, we’ll meet up with you in a minute.” When the two men nod and walk away, Jessie yells, “Wait! Elijah, please order me one of those really pretty fruity drinks in a pineapple!”
“Sure. Do you want it high-octane or no octane?” he asks.
“No alcohol, please. Thanks, Babe! I knew I married you for a reason!” Jessie blows him a kiss for good measure.
“I love you, too. I’m here to cater to every desire and whim,” Elijah retorts good-naturedly.
Roger thrusts his hands into his pockets and rocks back on his heels. “Harper, do you want your usual sparkling water with a twist of lime, or do you want to treat yourself with a nada colada?”
A ‘nada colada’ is what my mom always calls a pina colada without alcohol. It was my favorite drink and my ‘go-to’ for special occasions. It warms my heart that Roger still remembers that little tidbit about me.
“Live dangerously, Harper,” Jessie taunts.
“It’s only pineapple juice and coconut crème,” I retort.
“And sugar. There’s plenty of sugar. Yum,” she says, closing her eyes and smiling. “You only live once, Harper. You should enjoy it while you can. Thankfully, there won’t be any calories to worry about in Heaven!
I can see that Jessie is going to be a bad influence on me because I find myself telling Roger that I’ll have the sweet, calorie-laden beverage instead of my bubbly water. His returning smile makes it all worth it, even if my hips are going to pay the price.
Jessie waits for our husbands to walk away and join Carter and Leanna just up ahead.
She taps her ear so that her communication device is turned off.
I do the same. “Harper, let’s talk woman to woman here.
You said that I ‘make it look easy,’ but it isn’t always that way.
Pretending to be in love with a man is far from easy.
I should know. I have loved Elijah since I was a teenager, but I had to play a doting girlfriend or fiancée a time or two. ”
“How do you do it? Most of my undercover roles were for a singular event, never for anything long-term like this.”
Jessie chuckles. “A week is not long-term by any stretch of the imagination. Let me ask you this. You used to dance, right?”
“I did. I still do, but in private,” I say, a pang of regret filling my soul.
“When you were on stage, did you have to pretend to be a swan, a nutcracker, or a tree swaying in the wind?”
I can’t help but laugh at the imagery. “I have. When I was eight, I played an orange in a dance titled ‘Fruit Salad.’”
“It’s no different than playing a piece of fruit, Harper.
You immerse yourself into the role and be the most believable dancing pomelo ever to grace the stage.
You own it and make your own. But something tells me that you won’t have to fake your feelings when playing the role of Roger’s wife. Am I wrong?”
I cough and sputter, trying to formulate words to refute Jessie’s assertion that I have feelings for Roger.
She pats me on the back much harder than necessary and adds even more fuel to the fire.
“That’s what I thought. We all saw the way you looked at Roger as you walked down the aisle.
Savannah mentioned seeing the same look on your face when you were 18 and had just won a beauty pageant. ”
“Remnants of a childhood crush,” I say, taking a step away to put some distance between me and the truth of her words. “Roger and I are practically family.”
“Whatever you need to tell yourself to get through the day, Harper. But I want to go on record saying that the way Roger looked at you when you were walking down the aisle, the way he held you when you nearly turned and fled, and the way he kissed you at the end was anything but familial,” Jessie says with arms crossed and feet spread apart. “I dare you to deny it.”
“Are you going to show me who’s boss if I do?” I ask playfully, getting in a defensive position and stepping back on my right foot with my hands loose at my sides.
Jessie, being a third-degree black belt in jiu-jitsu, could probably kill me with her thumb. Instead, she just looks at me with a raised eyebrow and a slight quirk on her lips.
“I’ve heard you have some skills in Krav Maga and would love to spar with you on a mat sometime, but I don’t think violence is the answer here. Don’t get me wrong; I’m willing to resort to such measures if it gets you to admit to what the rest of us can see,” she says.
“Does Roger see it?” I ask hesitantly.
“Goodness, no! That man needs bifocals to see what’s right in front of him.
Roger is great at seeing the world around him in fine detail and technicolor, but when it comes down to his personal life, he’s blind as a bat.
Harper, you need to tell him how you feel about him.
You can’t expect him to read your mind or heart.
Subtle hints only work when you have your man well-trained. ”
“Like you have with Elijah?” I ask.
“Exactly. When we were kids, I told him exactly what I wanted, needed, and felt. He didn’t have to second guess what I was thinking.
Even after 14 years apart, Elijah still knew everything about me when we reconnected.
He even remembered the way I ordered my favorite burger.
It’s kind of like the way Roger still knows what your favorite drink is.
You don’t forget the small things when you love someone. ”
“I can’t be what comes between Roger and my father. When we find my parents, those feelings will be an obstacle. And we will find my parents. If Roger does have feelings for me beyond friendship, my father will force him to choose. I can’t do that to him.”
She nods. “Because you love him. I get it. I do. I’m a honey badger and I do what I want, so I’m going to leave you with one piece of advice whether you want it or not.
Every father is ready and waiting with a shotgun for any male suitor who comes after their daughter.
What a father really wants is to test their mettle and ensure the suitor is worthy of making their daughter happy.
It’s that simple. If Roger is trustworthy enough to be your father’s best friend, then he’s worthy enough for you.
Let Roger fight that battle if it comes to it.
Just make sure you’re by his side when it happens. ”