Chapter 24 Harlow
Chapter 24
Harlow
“Harlow Margaret!”
“Uh-oh—Big Steve is back,” Andy mutters under his breath, stepping away from me, and I mourn the loss of his body heat, wanting to hug and kiss him now that I know who he really is.
No more guessing.
Andy is a pro athlete.
I wouldn’t have guessed it if I’d had to bet my life on it, not in a million years. Like I said, he’s way too nice—in my opinion, obviously. I have no actual working, firsthand information. But yeah.
Never would have guessed it.
Dad? He is back, and he looks thrilled.
“Holy shit. Are the two of you dating?” His eyes dart back and forth, back and forth between the two of us, confusion and excitement etched on his face. “Are you?”
“No,” I say.
“Yes,” says Andy.
We look at each other at the same time.
He raises his brows.
I raise mine.
“We’re not.” I look back to my dad. “We don’t know what we’re doing yet, okay?” Those are the facts. “But he likes me so much he randomly showed up here and scared the shit out of me, the same way you’re always popping up on me.”
“Not even a little bit the same,” Andy mutters next to me.
“Oh my God,” Dad gushes. “It’s all over the news that you’re here!”
“Is it?” Andy preens humbly, and I don’t believe for a second he did not know he was going to cause a stir.
“I’d ask if I could take your picture.” Dad is staring down at his feet, giving me aw-shucks vibes. “But I know you probably wouldn’t want to ...”
“Dad!” I am appalled! “Andy is my guest!”
“I know, I know—but what about the guys? Can’t I tell them?”
I roll my eyes. I couldn’t give a crap about the gentlemen in his wine club, but he lives to impress them; him wanting a photo comes as no surprise.
“Dad. Now is not the time. We’re trying to sort a few things out.”
“What kind of things? You told me I only had to be gone ten minutes, and it’s been ten minutes. I timed it.”
“Dad.” I give him a warning look. “I do not need you meddling right now.”
He pulls an affronted face. “But you meddle in my business. You totally created my entire dating profile.”
I suck in a breath. He is not bringing that up right now!
I glare and point out the obvious. “You asked me to help you! And I’m trying to keep you honest, good Lord.”
His chin is tilted at a defiant angle, and his hand still grips Kevin’s leash, limp as it is.
Luckily, Andy steps in to referee.
“Big Steve,” he says, saving me from losing my shit. “Harlow and I are attempting to sort through a few things. She just found out that I play football, and it’s ... a lot. I’m sure you can understand.”
Dad nods, walking straight into Andy’s trap.
“So we really need privacy, and obviously I don’t want anyone to find out because, God forbid, her address gets leaked and the press comes to camp outside, or her face is splashed all over the morning paper.”
Wait.
What?
My head is on a swivel. “Hold on. Hold on ... whoa. No one said anything about splashing in papers or leaky presses. Wait one damn minute.”
“I’m speaking in worst-case scenarios,” he explains. “To put it plainly, we’d like some time to get to know each other more. I’m used to chaos, but Harlow may not be, and no one wants their privacy invaded by strangers.”
I nod.
I don’t want my privacy invaded by strangers—or my father’s nosy friends.
“I get it, I get it.” Dad has his hands up, and he’s nodding along, eating up every word Andy is saying, and I am too.
Shit.
Speaking of friends, what am I going to tell mine?
Andy caves and entertains my father with his football exploits. And since it looks like we won’t be getting that privacy for a minute, I shoot out a quick group message to my friends, explaining how he showed up on my doorstep out of the blue and Uninvited . My phone immediately blows up with their unfiltered opinions and advice:
1. Call the police! Girl, Boundaries !
2. Bang him then kick his ass out, how dare he show up unannounced! That’s crossing a line ...
3. Do you have mace? You should find it.
4. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!!!
5. How romantic. I wish a guy would do that for me. Wait. Isn’t he broke?? Please tell us you did Not buy him the ticket ...
6. Keep us Posted !!!!
They want updates, and they want them in real time.
But what do I say? What do I tell them?
If I share his true identity, they might gossip to someone else, who’s going to tell someone else, who knows someone who might put it online. That happens, yeah? I may live in a small town, but I wasn’t born yesterday—I know how this shit works! I’ve seen Dateline ! I know the effects of social media!
I love my friends, but let’s be real, Danny is always trying to get laid, and if being associated with Landon Burke is going to assure that, why wouldn’t he say something? He’s a diva who loves being in the know.
Basically a younger, hotter, taller version of my dad.
On the other hand.
These are my friends, and if I don’t tell them, I might burst.
Shit.
There is no winning here.
Except that for once my dad isn’t bored with my decision, and for once he’s thrilled that I not only have a man in my house—the man in my house is famous. The hero worship is visible when Dad looks at Andy, a doe-eyed expression Andy has no doubt seen on many father figures before.
So annoying.
What does Andy expect me to do? Remain silent? He can’t drop a bomb like this and expect everything to be okay, you know? He just cannot.
It’s not fair to expect me to act normal around him now, and he knows it!
This is an injustice!
How do we carry on now that I know who he is? What he does? He is way cooler than your average football player—he is the hottest player in the league, according to everything I googled when he went to the bathroom.
Was. Not.
Prepared.
For. Any. Of. It.
Mind made up, I excuse myself. Let Andy deal with my dad while I flee to the bathroom—it would serve him right.
“Be right back.”
Disappearing, I beeline for my bathroom, close the toilet lid and then sit down.
Harlow: I think we have a problem.
Danny: I knew it. I Fucking knew it , pardon my French, but I knew he was shady as Hell , Honey .
Ava: Calm your tits, we don’t even know what she’s going to tell us. By the way, you should see what my roommate hung in her bedroom—a poster of Harry Potter.
Danny: Um—we Like Harry Potter ...
Ava: Okay but we’re 30.
Danny: Speak for yourself.
Harlow: Hey . Guys . I need a second, can you all just ... stop?
Deep breath. Take a deep breath ...
Portia: Say what you’re gonna say, girl, before someone else goes off.
Harlow: All right, what I’m about to tell you is sworn to secrecy, not to repeat, is that clear?
Portia: Like what kind of secret?
Harlow: Oh my God, Portia, can’t you just swear to secrecy?
Portia: Not before I know how serious this is because if I have to report it ...
Harlow: Lol you’re not going to have to report anything, I promise. But I do need y’all to keep this to yourself.
Danny: What did that bastard do?
Ava: This better be a good thing and not a bad thing.
Harlow: Trust. It is? I think. I don’t know, that’s the reason I’m texting you right now. I’m holed up in the bathroom.
Ava: Oh shit, should I call someone?
Harlow: No, my dad is here, and he’s in the kitchen with Andy, I snuck off.
Danny: Christ. This suspense is giving me vapors.
Portia: Girl, no one gets vapors anymore.
Ava: Can you PLZ stop talking so she’ll tell us what she has to say, my lady boner has completely disappeared inside my body.
Portia: That is one visual I did not need ...
Ava: You’re welcome.
Harlow: Um Hello , kind of in a crisis here? Remember me?
Danny: You’re the one stalling and dragging this out. Holy hell, woman, spit it out already.
Ava: Everyone Calm down.
Harlow: All right. So you know how in New York I asked Andy what he did for work, and he told me he was between gigs? Well, that’s technically true but only because he ...
Harlow: Oh my God I don’t even know how to tell you this ...
Portia: I swear to God, Harlow, if you don’t spit it out we will show up on your doorstep too. But at least you have been warned!
Ava: You are so rude sometimes.
Harlow: All right. Deep breath. I’m just going to spit it out. Andy is an athlete and plays pro football. I didn’t recognize him because I am not a sports enthusiast so I guess that makes me a total moron? But he doesn’t seem to mind, and he just went with the flow.
Portia: So what does that mean, he’s an athlete? Like for who?
Harlow: Seattle.
Portia: There isn’t, no one on the team’s named Andy. I would know. I grew up watching the game with my dad.
Harlow: He does. Currently, but he’s, I don’t know, shopping around for a new team. Do they call it that? Shopping around?
Portia: But there’s no Andy on that team. I’m looking at the roster right now.
Danny: Wait. Did he give you a fake name? That’s sus, sis.
Harlow: Well no he said that his parents call him Andy, but it’s a derivative of his actual name.
Ava: Harlow . Are you going to tell us what it is or are you going to keep stringing us along???? Dear God , Woman .
Before I have a chance to give them Andy’s football name, there’s a knock on the bathroom door, and before I can respond to my friends, it cracks open.
Harlow: Shit , he’s back. Got to go!
“Everything all right in here? I thought I’d open this door and have to rescue you, but I see you have other plans.” Andy steps into the bathroom and shuts it behind him. “What are you doing?”
He’s sporting the hoodie he arrived in, completely dressed but mouthwateringly delicious.
“I was updating my friends because they knew you were here. They, uh, were blowing up my phone, and I had to reassure them that you weren’t here to murder me.”
I set the phone on my bathroom counter.
Rise.
Wash my hands to busy myself even though I didn’t go pee.
“Danny’s convinced I should get a restraining order or call the police.”
“Ahh.” He leans against the doorjamb, crossing his ankles, filling the space with his massive, hot bod.
“How is my dad?”
“Getting the grill started.”
Oh God.
“Of course he would want to entertain the famous Landon Burke.”
Andy chuckles. “You still have no idea who Landon Burke even is, stop pretending.”
“Bwhaa, you’re right. I couldn’t help it.”
He cocks his head. “Your dad and Kevin are preparing for a barbecue, and I’m the guest of honor it seems.”
“You know. You can sneak out my bedroom window. I won’t say a word until after you’re halfway down the block.”
“No fucking way. I want to hear all about baby Harlow and see all your cute little baby pictures.” He uncrosses his ankles and stands straight.
“You’re not going to hear about me. Dad is going to want to hear about you.” Let’s get real here.
“He’s got us married and has himself at all future games, all outfitted in one of the suites on the upper level.”
It’s true, and it’ll be embarrassing. My father is a total cleat chaser! The worst of the worst. How am I supposed to subject Andy to this?
“Don’t tell me that.” I dry my hands with the white towel hanging on the bar. “I’m so embarrassed. Oh my God, Andy. My father must be stopped.”