Chapter 12 #2
“That wasn’t the issue, and you know it. The issue was that I was out cavorting in the lake with you when Danny needed me.”
She laughed. “Cavorting?”
I might have cracked a little smile at her tone of disbelief.
“We were sitting in shallow water talking for most of that time,” she said. “I’m not sure I’ve ever cavorted in my life.”
“You were definitely cavorting.” My smile grew along with my relief at the lighter subject. Latching onto the break in seriousness, I turned my attention to the tray of magenta stones. “What are you doing here with these stones?”
“Looking for my next project.” Harper hopped down off the table, walked around it, and opened the locker she’d taken the bin out of earlier.
She drew out another box, set it on the table, and removed the lid.
She lifted out a tray that contained several pieces of jewelry—a deep purple teardrop-shaped pendant, a pair of smaller round earrings with light-blue-and-white patterned stones, a necklace with three triangular black stones spaced out along a silver chain.
More earrings—some with clusters of smaller stones, some with single larger stones, all the pieces artfully set in silver.
“Did you make these?” I asked in a little bit of awe.
She pulled another tray out with more than a dozen rings in it, in similar styles, with colored stones set in silver. “I did. I kind of have an addiction to gemstones.”
I picked up a ring with five different-sized circular stones in deep blue, turquoise, and a translucent white.
“That’s lapis, kyanite, turquoise, chrysocolla, and moonstone,” she said.
“It’s stunning. So this is what you use the studio for? You make jewelry?”
“I dabble in a lot of mediums.” She laughed. “I’ve dabbled in nearly all the mediums.”
“Is jewelry your favorite?” I asked as I picked up a large, irregular-shaped pendant with a reddish-orange-and-white striated stone.
Harper bit her lip as she watched me run my finger over the smooth stone. “It is,” she said hesitantly.
That she’d committed now as she hadn’t been able to last night in the car didn’t escape me.
“Harper, why don’t you do this? Your creations are incredible. People would pay good money for these pieces.”
“I’ve sold a few to friends.”
“That’s a start.” I picked up an earring with a trio of dark-violet and smoke-gray stones. “You have a gift. You should do more with it.”
“Maybe.” She was back to being noncommittal.
“Wouldn’t you rather spend your time doing this than waiting tables?”
“There’s nothing wrong with waiting tables.”
“No, there’s not. It’s one way to pay the bills. But this… A lot of people can wait tables at the Dragonfly Diner. Not very many people can create unique pieces like these.”
“They’re not really that unique. Lots of people make jewelry like this.”
“This is a business in the making.”
“And that’s the catch,” she said. “That B-word is a scary one.”
“Business?”
“I know nothing about running a business. Just thinking about it gives me an anxiety attack.”
“You could learn about it though. Take a class or hire a consultant.”
“With what money?” she said, laughing. “I don’t even know what a jewelry business would look like.”
“Online would be a great way to start because there’s no overhead. Fewer expenses.”
“Right,” she said. One by one, she put the pieces back into the trays. She held her hand out for the earring I’d picked up.
“You’re just going to pack them back up? Put the box away?” I handed her the earring.
She put it with its mate, closed the box, then slid it into the locker.
“What would you suggest? Take them down to the square, put out a table, and get myself into business?” she asked lightly as she walked back around the table to my side.
“Well, no. But you should really think about the possibilities.”
“I have a lot going on right now. I have to move—”
“Right. You’re not staying here, right? With that psychopath?”
“He’s not a psychopath. Ian and I talked. He apologized. I think last night we walked in on him when he was going through something similar to your bike destruction night, except the only thing he destroyed was his liver. He said walking into Naomi’s house hit him hard.”
If that was the truth, I could sympathize. I wasn’t ready to trust the guy though. “And you believe him?”
“I do. He seems contrite. Embarrassed. We struck a deal that I could stay here until I’m able to find a place and move out.”
“He’ll be here too?”
“For a while.”
I didn’t like it. Not at all.
“It’s fine, Max. There’s a lock on my door, but I’m not going to need it.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I trust my instincts. And I’ll be cautious.”
“I don’t like it.”
The way she raised her brows made me stop and realize I had no right to say whether I liked or disliked anything in her life. We’d barely known each other before last night, and we weren’t embarking on any kind of a relationship.
“When are you hoping to move out?” I asked.
“I’m actually looking at an apartment later today. Mrs. Karasinski’s, above her store. Any chance you could go with me as a second pair of eyes?”
“I need to pick up Danny.”
“Where is Danny?”
“I left him with my brother. I wasn’t sure what I’d find out here with Naomi’s brother.”
She nodded. “You could bring him along.”
“I could,” I allowed, fighting with myself. Because a part of me wanted to go with her. “But your dad would probably find out.”
“My dad doesn’t get a say in my life.”
“But he has a say in mine if I want to keep my job.”
“He wouldn’t fire you for looking at an apartment with me.” She rolled her eyes.
“Probably not, but he could make things uncomfortable.”
Harper grabbed my T-shirt in a bunch near my navel and pulled me closer. “You know saying my dad would be bothered by us spending time together only makes me want to do that even more, right?”
Her face was inches from mine, her eyes peering straight into my eyes. I could smell her scent, not the same spice from her perfume but more purely Harper, with a hint of feminine sweat that I found disturbingly alluring. I realized I was leaning into her and tried to get control of myself.
“Do you and your dad not get along anymore? It always seemed like you did from afar.”
“We get along. We love each other. But whenever he tries to control my life, I like to get under his skin. It’s sort of a hobby.” She shrugged unapologetically, grinning like the troublemaker she was.
Then her lips were on mine, and without thinking, I put my hand on her waist and pulled her closer. I reveled in the sweet-tinged taste of her, the softness of her curves against my hard angles, the feel of her delicate but talented fingers running through my hair.
When I could convince myself to pull away long enough to speak, I said, “I’d tell you you’re trouble, but I think you know that. I think you thrive on it.”
Her lids slowly opened halfway, and she peered up at me. “If trouble means I like kissing you, I can own it.”
“I like kissing you too. But we can’t keep doing this. I can’t do a relationship, Harper.”
“Same. I don’t do relationships. But if you keep chasing after me, I’m probably going to kiss you,” she said, her tone playful.
I growled. “Chasing after you?”
“First to the lake last night, then here.” She shrugged. “It’s like you have a hard time resisting me or something.”
“I have a hell of a hard time resisting you.” Which meant I needed to stay the fuck away from her after this. I couldn’t resist going in for one last kiss though. “I have to leave now,” I finally said, managing to end the kiss again, fighting to back away from her.
Harper seemed as reluctant to stop as I was, but she merely nodded, as if she knew we were about two heartbeats from taking things further.
“Bye, Harper,” I said. I walked toward the exit, stopped when I was almost there. “Keep your guard up around Naomi’s brother.”
“Yes, sir.” A smart-ass to the end.
I couldn’t deny I liked that about her. I liked a lot about her.
That didn’t mean I could have her in my life.
I walked out the door. Breathing in the steamy summer air, I felt as if I’d avoided a close call.
If I didn’t want to get burned, I’d have to do better at staying away from the open flame named Harper.
It’d been a wild couple of days, but I had game film to review, algebra quizzes to grade, and most importantly, a little boy to raise.