18. Harper
CHAPTER 18
Harper
Running errands in Tilikum was so easy. Everything was close and there was never any traffic.
Which was great, because I was dragging. I’d even slept in late, but for some reason, I was still tired.
The clouds had blown through and hints of summer were in the air. Flowers bloomed in wine barrel planters around downtown and the temperature was climbing. I remembered from my visits with Aunt Doris that summers were hot in the mountains. I made a mental note to have the air conditioning unit at the bakery serviced. With my luck, it would go out on a hundred-degree day at the height of wedding season and all my cakes would melt.
Not good.
I’d already stopped by the hardware store for a few odds and ends and put gas in my car. I still needed to hit the grocery store, but two tasks out of three sounded like a latte was in order.
Treat yourself, am I right?
I parked outside the Steaming Mug, Tilikum’s adorable coffee shop. It was right up the street from the bakery, so I’d been in quite a few times when I needed an afternoon pick me up.
Of course, just about everything was right up—or down—the street from the bakery. I freaking loved this town.
The Steaming Mug had a charming ambiance, with an exposed brick wall behind the teal counter and a large chalkboard menu. There wasn’t a line, but before I could place my order, a familiar voice called out to me.
“Harper, dear!” Dressed in a peach tracksuit with yellow and white stripes at the shoulders, Louise Haven waved me over to her table.
“Hi, Louise.”
She was seated with a few silver-haired women. One moved over and offered me her chair next to Louise.
“Sit, sit.” Louise patted the chair. “Tell me how you’ve been. Although I think I have a pretty good idea.” She winked.
I lowered myself into the chair, not sure what the wink was about. “I’m doing well. How about you?”
“Fine, dear, fine. But what’s new?” Her eyebrows lifted and she smiled expectantly, leaning forward as if I were about to drop a juicy tidbit of gossip.
I’m recklessly sleeping with your nephew.
Thankfully, that didn’t fly out of my mouth.
“Let’s see. Everything at the bakery is good. We’ve been so busy I need to hire another baker. At least someone part-time.”
She nodded along, her eyebrows still lifted.
Apparently she wanted more. “Doris is doing well, but you probably know that already.”
“I do. I had tea with her just the other day.”
“That’s great.”
She leaned a little closer. “And?”
“And… I’ve been out with your nephew Garrett a few times. ”
“I knew it!” She turned to her friends. “Didn’t I tell you? I was right about them all along.”
They gave her appreciative nods.
“I don’t mean to brag, but I have some skill as a matchmaker. When Doris told me you were moving to Tilikum, I said, Doris, we need to set her up with my nephew Garrett. They’re perfect for each other.”
“Did you really say that?” one of her friends asked.
She waved her off. “Something like that. I might have said Luke initially, but that was before I’d gotten a good look at you.”
I laughed. “I guess you were right about Garrett.”
“You’re such a dear for letting that first date incident go. I’m sure it wasn’t his fault.”
“Oh, I know. He was chasing a bad guy. Literally.”
She sighed. “That’s our Garrett. He’s a good man. An honorable man. Although hopefully not too honorable, if you know what I mean.” She smirked at me.
My cheeks warmed. She had no idea. “He’s been… very much a gentleman.”
Even when he was slamming me up against a wall.
Sugar cookies, I needed to stop thinking about that. Especially when I was talking to his aunt.
“I’m sure he has. Always walked upright, that one. Even when he was little.”
“He sure is handsome in that uniform,” her friend added. “I see him out and about occasionally and he makes me want to steal something just so he’d have to arrest me.”
Louise’s friends all giggled. She lifted her eyes to the ceiling and shook her head.
“Ladies, he’s my nephew.” She leaned closer to me and lowered her voice. “Although they’re quite right, he is a handsome man. And he’s a Haven, which comes with its own set of perks.”
I wasn’t quite sure what to say to that. “Good to know. ”
She pointed downward a few times. “I mean in the manhood department, dear. I’m quite sure you won’t be disappointed.”
My eyes widened and my cheeks blazed. No, I was definitely not disappointed. But coming from his aunt?
“My goodness, Louise,” her friend said.
“Don’t be such a ninny.” She waved her off again. “Women should talk about these things. It’s important.” She turned back to me. “I’m not saying I know something I shouldn’t. I’m his auntie, after all. But the Haven men are uniquely gifted.”
“Well, this has been lovely, and weirdly educational.” I stood and jerked my thumb in the direction of the counter. “But I should get my coffee and go. I have more errands.”
“Of course, dear, of course. Don’t let me keep you.” Louise wiggled her fingers at me. “Ta ta, Harper. Tell my handsome nephew I said hello. And he can thank me later for making sure the two of you got together.”
I laughed. “Okay, Louise. I’ll do that. Have a nice afternoon.” I waved to her friends and went to the counter to order my latte.
It might have been my imagination, but it seemed like the two baristas working the front counter were talking about me while I waited for my coffee. They leaned in and spoke in quiet voices, casting quick glances at me over their shoulders. And I was pretty sure I heard the words Garrett Haven.
One thing I wasn’t used to—having moved to Tilikum from a larger city—was the small-town gossip. Maybe the baristas weren’t talking about me, but the two cashiers at the hardware store certainly had been. I’d heard them loud and clear— she’s the new girl in town and I hear she’s dating Deputy Haven .
It had happened at the Copper Kettle too, one of the diners in town. I’d stopped in to pick up a to-go order and noticed the whispers as I left. Something about the one to finally catch the eye of Deputy Haven.
I wasn’t sure what to make of it. Was it because I was new in town? Or because people were surprised? Maybe they thought I wasn’t pretty enough and didn’t understand what the hot law enforcement officer saw in the baker.
Or maybe I was overthinking it and it was just the way things were in a small town. It seemed like pretty much everybody knew everybody, and they all knew your business. Even when it was none of theirs.
The barista gave me my coffee and I left, trying to shake off the feeling that she was analyzing my face and judging whether I was cute enough to be with the handsome Haven brother.
I opened the door and stepped out onto the sidewalk. Out of nowhere, a man appeared right where I was walking. I smacked into him, spilling hot coffee all down my front.
“Sugar cookies.” I jumped back, holding my dripping cup away from myself.
“Watch it, lady.” The man was scruffy with unkempt hair and a scraggly beard. His lip curled in a sneer.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t see you there.”
“If you get burned, it ain’t my fault.”
That was an odd response to an apology. “I didn’t say it was. Did I spill on you?”
He looked down at his T-shirt. It had a wet splotch on the front. “Ruined my damn shirt.”
“I’m so sorry. That was totally my fault.”
“Damn straight it was. Don’t go tattling on me to your cop boyfriend. The dick’ll probably haul me in again. I didn’t touch you. We clear?”
“I never said you did.”
He pointed a finger at me and opened his mouth to say something else, but another male voice cut him off.
“Move on, Trent. No need to make a scene. ”
I glanced at the new arrival. He was a nice-looking guy, probably mid-thirties, with light brown hair and blue eyes. He wore a black T-shirt and jeans, and although his voice was calm, his posture was like a coiled spring.
“The fuck’s your problem, Haven?” Trent asked. “Trying to start something?”
Haven? Was he one of Garrett’s brothers?
“The only one trying to start something here is you. She spilled a little coffee and she apologized. Let’s all go on with our day.”
“Tell your brother to fuck off.” He spat on the sidewalk and kept walking.
“Are you okay?” the other guy asked.
I looked down at my mess of a shirt. “Yeah, fine. Not the first time I’ve spilled coffee all over myself. Thanks, by the way.”
“No problem. I’m Luke, Garrett’s brother.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Harper.”
“Good to meet you too.”
“Who was that guy and why was he so angry? I mean, I wouldn’t be happy if someone ran into me on the sidewalk and spilled coffee on my shirt. But wasn’t that a little excessive?”
“Trent Jones. He’s a local, and kind of a hothead. Likes to steal cars.”
“Seriously?”
“Yeah, he has a reputation. Sometimes you hear wild stories about people in this town, but in his case, they’re mostly true.”
“Wow. I wonder if that’s why he said Garrett would probably haul him in again. Do you think Garrett’s arrested him before?”
“More than likely.”
Trent had disappeared around a corner but my heart still felt jumpy .
“Don’t worry about him. Guys like that are the exception in this town, not the rule. Most of us aren’t rude car thieves.”
“That’s good to know. And your chivalry just now totally made up for his rudeness. You didn’t have to stop and help me.”
He shrugged, like it was no big deal. “I saw you run into him from across the street and I had a feeling he’d be a dick about it.”
“Thank you.”
“Do you want another coffee?” He put up a hand. “I’m not hitting on you or anything. I know you’re dating my brother.”
Holding up my cup, I sighed. “No. With my luck, I’d just run into someone else and have twice as much coffee on my clothes.”
“Fair enough. It was good to meet you. I’m sure I’ll see you around.”
“Yeah, you too.”
With a smile, he turned and walked back across the street.
I shook off the last bit of coffee still dripping from my hand and tossed my cup in a trash can. Thank you, mirror curse. I’d not only run into someone and dumped my much-anticipated latte all over myself, I’d run into a rude car thief. Luke walking by had been—dare I say it—lucky? But not enough to cancel out the bad luck.
Harper: zero. Broken mirror: about a million.