Chapter Eight – Declan
Declan
I lifted the beer to my mouth and took a long drink before leaving the living room. I would puke if I had to watch Sean hang all over Harper for another second. It was so fucking obvious it was all a show…but for who? I didn’t believe for one second the two of them were really together.
No one else might have noticed, but I saw Harper cringe at Sean’s every touch. And when he tried to kiss her, she turned her head at the last second, and he planted the kiss high up on her cheek.
“Fancy meeting you here,” my father said, as he sat in the chair next to me on the back porch.
“I don’t miss the parties like this,” I said, taking another long pull from my beer.
He let out a soft laugh. “Your mother likes to make a show out of things, and I just let her. It’s easier for me that way. Pick your battles, my father once told me.”
I nodded. “Smart man.”
“He was, indeed.”
We sat in comfortable silence for a bit before I broke it. “What do you think about Sean and Harper dating again?”
He sighed. “I think Sean is using Harper to make Caroline jealous.”
“You think so? Even though Mom wants him with Crystal?”
Glancing at me, he raised a brow. “Those two are like brother and sister. As you already pointed out, it’s never gonna happen. Sean isn’t the least bit attracted to Crystal, no matter how much your mother and Viola wish it were so.”
“What makes you think he likes Caroline?”
He looked at me as if I’d just asked the stupidest question he’d ever heard. “Just watch the way he looks at her. I assumed he broke up with Harper the first time because of Caroline. But then she started dating someone within days of the breakup, so…my guess is, Sean’s only dating again to see if it bothers her.”
My free hand balled into a fist. “And you’re okay with him using Harper like that?”
He shrugged. “Harper’s a grown woman. If she’s willing to take him back after what he did to her in front of all those people, that’s her business, not ours.”
I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my thighs. “What did he do?”
Dad took a drink of his beer. “You didn’t hear about it? Figured someone at the station would have told you. It was all anyone could talk about for a week or two, how Sean very publicly broke up with Harper. It was an accident, mind you, but if I were that girl, I’d never talk to that idiot again.”
“Dad, that idiot is your son.”
He huffed. “Doesn’t mean he still can’t be an idiot sometimes.”
I laughed as I nodded in agreement. “What happened?”
“Harper was helping to set up an event down at The Green, and she was testing a mic for the guy who’d be hosting. She was doing a sound check on the giant speakers, and whoever was supposed to turn off the mic hadn’t done so yet. Sean decided that was a good time to walk onto the stage, tell Harper things weren’t working out, and that he didn’t see a future with her. Thanks to the mic, the whole thing was blasted throughout The Green.
“Apparently, Harper was so stunned, she didn’t even utter a word back. Not until someone finally ran out and took her mic off. Then, rumor has it, she told Sean to fuck off before leaving the stage. But that part’s just hearsay.”
I slowly shook my head. “I would have been so pissed off at him.”
“Oh, I’m sure she was. Which is why I’m surprised she’d take him back.”
Looking out over the backyard, I watched as a bird landed on one of my father’s feeding stations. The man was obsessed with birds, evident by the number of feeders in the yard.
Finishing off my beer, I stood. “Guess I’ll head back in. Do you think you should talk to Sean?”
He laughed. “That would be your mother’s department. I don’t like meddling in your lives. Besides, you’re all adults, capable of making your own life choices.”
All I could do was nod…though I had my doubts about Sean.
Once I got back into the house, I looked everywhere for Harper but couldn’t find her. What I did find, however, was Sean and Caroline, huddled together in a corner with their heads bent together, laughing at something one of them had said. I glanced around to see where Caroline’s boyfriend was, but didn’t spot him anywhere, either.
Frowning at the two of them, I vowed to talk to Sean and find out what in the hell was going on.
An hour later, I was pulling into my spot at the back of the toy store. Music softly floated down from the roof of the flower shop, and I smiled. I knew the right thing to do would be to head up to my own little apartment, watch a movie, and go to sleep. But the devil on my shoulder pointed out that wasn’t what I wanted to do. What I wanted to do was see Harper again.
So, I made the decision and went for it. Cupping my hands around my mouth, I called out her name.
“Harper!”
A few moments later, her head popped over the side of the building. “Hey!”
“Feel like company?”
“Um, sure. Give me a second, and I’ll come down and let you in.”
About a minute later, the back door to the flower shop unlocked, and Harper appeared. She looked fucking adorable dressed in gray sweatpants, a long-sleeve T-shirt featuring a picture of Perry, the official town moose, and her dark brown hair fell around her shoulders with the sides pulled back into a braid, with a few strands falling around her face. Her eyes looked blue against the light blue T-shirt.
“The sun’s about to go down. Come on!” she said, motioning for me to come inside.
I quickly slipped through the back door, shut, and locked it.
“Hurry, Declan!”
Following Harper up the steps, I took them two at a time, matching her speed. Jesus, did the girl run or something? Even I was having a hard time keeping up with her.
Seconds later, she burst through the door and onto the rooftop of her flower shop. I was instantly struck by how nice it was up there.
White lights were strung around randomly, and were currently lit. To my left was a freestanding hammock, and in the middle of the space was a table that seated about six people. To my right was a small kitchen area and grill. The entire perimeter of the terrace was filled with raised beds of all different styles. Some wood, some metal, and even a few little enamel tubs. All of them were filled with flowers or vegetables. Even above my head was a small pergola that had vines growing on it with small white flowers.
“Harp, this place is beautiful.”
She smiled as she glanced around. “Thanks. Wine?” She pointed to a bottle she already had open.
“Sure.”
She quickly poured a glass and handed it to me. Then, she took my free hand and led me over to where we had a clear view of Moose Lake and the sun about to set.
“Wow,” I whispered.
“I know. I come up here as much as possible to watch the sunset.”
“Is that why you left my parents’ party early, or is this a typical Friday night for you?”
She looked at me and smiled. “Were you searching for me?”
I laughed. “No, but I did notice you were gone. And so was Caroline’s boyfriend.”
Harper faced the sunset again and nodded, but didn’t say anything about that.
“So, I wish I could take credit for everything up here, but the tenant who lived here before bought all the furniture. She was from New York City, moved to Moose Village for about a year, and rented from my mother. She was a romance writer, and she wrote a book here.”
“Wow, I didn’t know that.”
She nodded. “She even worked in the flower shop some days for my mother. Her book was about a woman who owned a flower shop, and someone was trying to tear it down. I think it was made into one of those holiday movies, if I’m not mistaken.”
“That’s kind of cool.”
“I added the pergola, and of course, all the veggie and flower beds. I’m hoping these flowers at the base of the pergola will grow fast, and I can have some natural shade up here.”
“It smells heavenly.”
“Probably the jasmine.”
The sun was just about to dip below the horizon, and I was struck by how comfortable I felt up here with Harper. Normally, I was crawling out of my skin to get back to my place and just relax and enjoy the peace. After years of hearing gunshots, helicopters, and tanks, my mind was ready for stillness.
“Too bad Brystol doesn’t have a rooftop like this. I’d always be up there. The silence is wonderful.”
“Was it hard doing what you did for a living?”
Without looking at her, I drew in a slow breath and exhaled. “Sometimes. At first, I had nightmares and a lot of guilt, but as the years went by, I realized the hard stuff was just as much a part of the job.”
“Do you still have nightmares?” she softly asked.
I nodded and let out a half-hearted chuckle. “Yeah. The guilt is still there, as well. I just learned to compartmentalize it so I could do my job. I never really understood how much I craved the silence until I moved back home.”
“You’re more than welcome to come up here anytime you want. You can use the side entrance. It goes up to my apartment, but also heads straight up to the roof. I’ll give you the code.”
“Thanks, Harp, I appreciate that.”
I turned and looked at the large sliding-glass doors. “Do those lead into your apartment?”
“Yeah, the second floor. The apartment is two stories, with the living room, kitchen, and dining room all on the first level. The second has the main bedroom with a bathroom attached, and there are two more bedrooms and one bathroom. I use one of the rooms as an office, and the other is just storage.”
I nodded. “I’m on the third floor of the toy shop. I guess Brystol is using the second floor for inventory and such.”
“That makes sense,” she replied, before finishing her wine and pointing to the sky. “The sun has officially set.” Then she exhaled and turned to face me fully. It looked as if she wanted to say something…but decided against it at the last minute, staying silent.
Clearing my throat, I said, “I should be going.”
“Oh,” she replied, taking the wine glass from my hand. “You’re probably exhausted. You worked a shift, then helped me make flower arrangements.”
“That was fun and low-key. I enjoyed it.”
“Your mother really loved my work as well.”
We both laughed at the memory of my mother kissing Harper on the cheek and telling her what a fantastic job she did. We’d shared a secret smile, not telling Mom I was the one who’d made the bouquets. And it made my insides warm to know Harper and I shared something the rest of my family wasn’t privy to. Especially my stupid brother, Sean.
“Come on, I’ll walk you down.”
I held up a hand. “No, no. You stay up here and enjoy your evening. I’ll see myself out.”
She bit down on her lower lip, and I had to drag my eyes away from her mouth. “Well, thanks for helping me today…and for the company.”
I gave a quick nod. “Sure thing. Enjoy your evening, Harp.”
“Bye, Declan.”
With one last glance over my shoulder, I forced myself to keep walking, even if she did look sad and lonely.
She was Sean’s girlfriend. That was a line I wasn’t going to cross.
No matter how much I wished she was mine.