Chapter 44
Harper was happy, if not a little tired as she walked through the front door. Listening with intent was harder than most people realized. It required her to actively pay attention, not just nod and murmur reassurances at what felt like the appropriate time. She worked hard to shut down her own intrusive thoughts and focus on the person talking.
Mitch had shared so much. She ached over the amount of pain and guilt he was carrying. No wonder he struggled to write. He blamed himself for basically being human.
Harper wished he’d talked about his parents some. She had no idea what they were like but if she had to guess, she’d say they weren’t the warmest of people. Big on discipline, short on praise. Mitch didn’t seem to have affection as one of his basic skills. Common in a lot of men, older men anyway, although Mitch couldn’t be more than a few years her senior.
That kind of reserved upbringing made a lot of people suppress intense emotion, which was exactly what he’d been doing. That emotion was making itself known through dreams. It had to come out somehow. The nightmare he’d had, the one he had repeatedly, was proof of that.
She believed that through journalling, he could start to transfer some of that emotion into a deeper understanding of the situation.
The fact that he’d talked to her today should help, too. Not that she expected their conversation to spark some kind of major breakthrough, but it was a start. Talking always helped. Not once had she seen it fail.
Sometimes it took a lot of talking. The bigger the problem, the more conversation it required.
She found Archie snoozing in a spot of sun coming through the glass doors leading out to the deck. Frankie wasn’t out there as Harper had expected. In fact, Frankie didn’t seem to be around, but Harper figured she was probably just upstairs working.
Harper went to the fridge to see what there was for lunch. She hadn’t had breakfast, so she was hungrier than usual. She opted for a salad with a can of tuna added on top and a small handful of the whole grain chips she’d picked up on her grocery run.
They were going to need to do another one soon, but it didn’t seem quite as intimidating now that the buzz about her being Ford Keating’s mystery woman seemed to have died down. She hoped it stayed that way. If Suzanne was going to do something, wouldn’t she have done it by now? Probably. Or not. Maybe Suzanne would need more time.
Harper really had no idea, and she didn’t want to give it any more mental energy than she already had.
She took her salad, her chips, and a bottle of water out to the deck, leaving the door open enough for Archie to join her. “How was your day, baby dog?”
He sat nearby, smiling and patiently waiting for pets. And probably hoping he’d get a chip or two.
She tossed him a small piece of one, which he caught midair, then she took her phone from her pocket and texted Frankie. Eating lunch on the deck if you want to join me. If you’re working, that’s okay, too.
It only took a few seconds for Frankie to respond. Having lunch at Prisha’s. Still here, but home soon. Lots to share!
Harper wasn’t sure what Frankie had learned but she was eager to find out.Something about Suzanne maybe? Or something completely unrelated? She also wondered how Frankie had ended up at Prisha’s, but then Harper realized she had missed a call from Prisha.
She shrugged and went back to eating. Frankie would explain what was going on soon enough.
Halfway through her lunch, Frankie arrived, dressed in workout gear. She stepped out onto the deck. “Hey.”
“Hey,” Harper said back. “What’s up?”
“Let me grab a bottle of water and I’ll be right out. How did it go at Mitch’s?”
“Really well.”
“Give me a second.” Frankie disappeared into the house, reappearing with a bottle of water and the bag of chips that Harper had left on the counter. She sat in the chair at the end of the couch and put her feet, now free from her sneakers, on the table. “I went to yoga with Prisha this morning.”
“Fun! How was it?”
“Hard.” Frankie grimaced. “I’m glad I did it, but I’m going to be sore tomorrow. Suzanne and Sugarlynn were there. No Azumi. Suzanne is a real piece of work. She’s so snooty.” Frankie rolled her eyes. “I can’t stand people like that. So full of themselves.”
Harper nodded, stirring her salad with her fork. “Did you get any sense that she might be up to something?”
“Hard to say with her. She might be all bark, no bite, you know? But Prisha said she loves attention, loves stirring the pot, and loves using her connections to make herself seem like a big deal.” Frankie popped a chip into her mouth and crunched it. “Hard to say if she’s really going to do anything.”
“I hope not,” Harper sighed. “Feels like it’s all been forgotten now. I’d like it to stay that way.” Not that she’d spent any time on social media lately, but she assumed she’d have heard something if things had blown up.
“So would I. Neither of us needs more stress. Did you know Prisha’s daughter is at Harvard? Impressive, right?” Frankie ate another chip. “Anyway, speaking of stress, Shar will be here in two days.”
Harper sat up. “What do you mean here?”
“In the area. Not here here. Not at the house. Trust me, I told you I’m not giving her either of our addresses and I meant it. That bridge, if it ever gets crossed, is a good distance off in the future. We’re meeting her at a café on the other side of the causeway.”
“Okay.” Harper exhaled and went back to her salad. “And Willa gets here tomorrow?”
Frankie nodded. “I’m picking her up from the airport at eleven.”
“I can’t wait to see her. It’s been a while. And you’re still not bringing her along to meet Shar?”
“Wasn’t my plan,” Frankie said. “The first meeting should be just us and Shar. Then you and I can make our own determinations about whether there will be any more meetings or what.”
“You were so gung-ho at the start of this. Now you seem more reticent. What changed?”
Frankie took one more chip, then set the bag on the table. Out of reach. “Nothing, really. I want to meet her. I’m looking forward to it. But I also know what I want to happen and what actually happens could be very different. Shar seems nice enough in the communications I’ve had with her, but who knows?” She ate the chip she’d been holding.
“People can be very good at presenting themselves a certain way. The way they want you to see them. Especially in email. Meeting her in person will tell us some of the truth. There’s still a lot she could hide.”
“I know,” Frankie said. “But we’re both pretty good judges of character, don’t you think? If there’s something hinky going on with her, one of us will pick up on it.”
“I hope.” Harper took a chip out of the bag, broke it in half, ate one half and tossed the other to Archie. Tired of talking about their birth mother, she changed the subject. “How are the logos coming?”
“All right.” Frankie sat up. “I really want to get your opinion on them. Do you have time to look at what I’ve done so far?”
“You bet. I’d love to.”
“Let me grab my laptop and I’ll be right back.” Frankie went inside.
Harper tossed Archie one more tiny piece of chip. “That’s it, baby. No more. I’m sure they aren’t good for you. Besides, you have that whole basket of goodies in there from Mr. Mitch next door.”
Frankie returned and sat next to Harper. She opened up a new window that displayed four different logos, all using the initials LP. “What do you think? Which one are you immediately drawn to?”
“Hey, these are nice.” Harper studied the screen. She pointed to the one that looked like metal. “That one pops out at me the most, but these are all really good. I’m impressed.”
“Thanks, that’s my favorite, too.” Frankie smiled. “They still need some refining, but I want to show them to Lucas and see what he thinks.”
“And when are you doing that?”
“Right before we go out to dinner.” Frankie pursed her lips like she was trying not to smile.
Harper’s mouth fell open. “You’re going out to dinner with him? When were you going to tell me that?”
“I just did.” Frankie laughed. “He invited me to try out this new place that’s opening up. The restaurant owners invited him. It feels like a big deal, but I really think he meant it as something casual. I don’t have a clue what to wear. I didn’t really bring going-out clothes.”
“What about that sundress?”
“I can’t wear that again.”
“Why not? Men don’t remember stuff like that. And with a few different accessories, you can make it look different. Or we’ll find something else.” Harper stood, confident she had a few things her sister could borrow. Not to mention the stash in the second master closet. “Come on. Let’s go see what we can come up with.”