Chapter Two
“I would love to know why you continue to stare at the front door like you’re lost in outer space. Are you expecting someone?”
“Holy crap, Elsie! Quit sneaking up behind me like that. You’re going to give me a heart attack one of these days.” Harper had been so focused she didn’t hear her co-worker walk up behind her. Again. Two days in a row.
“I’m not staring at anything, and I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She grabbed the rag from under the register and scrubbed at the black Santa she’d just accidentally stamped on the counter after missing the envelope.
“You know Harper, I wasn’t born yesterday.
Shall we just say, I’ve been around the block a time or twenty and I can tell by the look on your face, is there something bothering you?
The worry could not be clearer if it were written in big black marker.
Now tell me. Have you written that Santa letter yet?
I really think it’s a good idea, I think you’d be surprised, and it might end up taking an unexpected load off your shoulders.
Worry is a crazy thing that likes to hang around. ”
Harper continued to scrub at the counter where the jolly Santa stared up at her, avoiding her friend’s questioning until Elsie laid a hand over her own, halting her momentum.
“Oh, alright but it’s really nothing. I just met a guy yesterday. And no, I didn’t get to the Santa letter. I kind of got sidetracked.” Harper threw the rag back into its hiding place and busied herself with sorting mail.
“Really? Now that’s not nothing. When was this and is he cute? Why didn’t you say anything yesterday?”
“I didn’t say anything because it happened after you left last night. It’s no big deal, Elsie.”
She had no intention of letting Fin get her all worked up today.
It’d taken her hours to fall asleep last night after their encounter, and she didn’t even know the guy.
They’d had a quiet and a bit of an awkward goodbye after he helped her pick up the contents of her bag a second time and told her he’d see her soon.
She just couldn’t get the picture of his dreamy eyes out of her head.
When he looked at her, a calming effect overcame her entire being, made her so at ease she wanted to tell the guy her life story.
And his scent must have seeped into her skin during the brief seconds she was in his arms because she could still smell traces of him this morning and they hadn’t done more than touch.
And dang it, she must have lost the quarter for the wishing well when she dumped everything on the ground.
Not that she was even thinking about that at the time.
A loud slap brought Harper back to reality. “What was that?”
“That was me hitting the counter because you were off in some dream world, not listening to a thing I was saying.” Just then the door jingled, causing both women to look up at the same time. “Where did that bell come from?” Elsie squeaked out in surprise.
Ignoring the older woman, Harper greeted the next customer.
“Morning Mr. Perkins, what can I do for you today?” The man laid down a small box with a colorful Christmas label on it.
“Hi there Ms. Harper, just getting some running done for the misses today, she’s not feeling well. We’d like to ship this box to our daughter in California. Do you think it’ll make it there by Christmas?”
“Oh no, I’m so sorry to hear she’s under the weather. Don’t you worry, I’m sure we can come up with something, let’s get it weighed and see what your options are.”
Harper turned, brushing her arm against Elsie but the elderly lady wasn’t immune to her charms. “I’ll let you avoid me for now, but I want to hear more about that gentleman of yours.”
“Good lord Elsie, he’s not mine. Why don’t you go postmark something.” She waved the woman off and got back to her customer.
The lunch hour, the busiest part of their day, went by in a flash.
The door opened so many times Harper ended up taking the bell down.
She’d explained away its necessity as festive with the Christmas season and all, but it only ended up driving them both crazy.
She purposely left out the part about using it to alert her in case Fin decided to show up, even though she realized as the day went on, she really wanted to see him again.
Approaching the conveyor in back where Elsie was double checking the tape on the packages, Harper garnered her attention with an evil smirk.
“It’s about time you did some work around here.
” She held up her hands in surrender, “just kidding. I’m only kidding, okay?
Looks like the days’ Christmas pre-rush is over for now, do you mind if I sneak off to lunch for a while? ”
“That’s just fine with me. Nothing I can’t handle here.” Harper had grabbed her things to head out when Elsie stopped her with only a few words.
“Except for this.”
“Except for what?” Harper turned to see a piece of paper dangling from time and mail-weathered fingers. Puzzled, Harper snatched it from her.
As she read the short note, heat crept into her cheeks once again. “Where did this come from?”
“Can’t talk now dearie, got a customer.” The woman jumped from her spot when the bell dinged on the countertop, but Harper caught the look of amusement on Elsie’s face as she turned.
She is up to something funny; I just know it.
*****
Fin sat at a corner table at the local diner staring at the cup of coffee before him, probably cold by now.
He didn’t really want it, had no appetite whatsoever, and was extremely nervous.
Maybe she wasn’t going to show up. Did he read the signs all wrong last night?
Hoping by the rose tint that colored her cheeks each time he’d touched her, he made her slightly nervous which also hopefully meant she liked him.
At least she hadn’t yelled and told him to get away.
He’d procrastinated for the better part of a week about taking that Santa letter to the post office because his shyness always took over at inappropriate times.
The torture promised by the twins that he’d told her about was true and was his main source of motivation.
He swore they had some freaky superhuman abilities to be able to tell when he was lying so he’d had to suck it up.
Not that he could tell them no anyway. I really didn’t think our meeting went that badly yesterday.
Except she still hadn’t shown up and he made sure to drop the note off plenty early too.
No way would Mrs. Whiddamore not give it to her. She just didn’t seem that type.
“Hey sugar, how about you let me warm up that coffee. It’s gonna be a chunk of brown ice soon.” The waitress grabbed the cup, not waiting for his approval and plopped a fresh cup down, pouring more of the steaming brew.
“Thanks Bonnie, guess it’s just not holding my interest today.”
“Are you sure I can’t get you anything else, a piece of pie maybe?”
“No, it’s okay, I’m kind of waiting on someone. You know, like a late lunch date?”
He knew his meaning finally sunk in when her jaw dropped and her face paled. She recovered quickly, however.
“Well sugar, if you need anything at all, you just give me a shout, okay?” She winked, tapped her red nails on the Formica tabletop and sashayed away.
As Fin picked up the hot cup, someone knocked on the café window. His brother stood there; face plastered to the glass. Fin shook his head.
“I knew I should have gone somewhere else.”
On the way to Fin’s table, his brother Kaleb flagged down the waitress to pick up his to-go order.
“Hey little brother, if I would have known you were gonna be here, I wouldn’t have ordered my food to go.”
“It’s okay, I’m actually meeting someone.”
He tried to look away but came in contact with their waitress as she stared holes through him. He shifted in his seat, so his back was facing her direction. She was nice enough, but he wasn’t interested in her like that. Seems that she may end up being a bit relentless.
Unfortunately, his brother’s shit-eating grin told Fin that Kaleb was definitely interested in digging for more details.
I swear he’s like a hound dog looking for a buried bone.
“So, who are you meeting?” His brother would hound him forever about it.
“You don’t know her. Hey, don’t you have somewhere else you need to be?” His brother didn’t take the hint.
“If I didn’t know any better little brother, I’d think you were trying to get rid of me. Is this a date? What’s her name, maybe I do know her?”
“Damn it Kaleb, would you please just go, before she gets here?”
“Alright, alright. I gotta pick up the girls at the daycare anyway. Our trusty weatherman says we’re in for a doozy so don’t be doing anything stupid.”
Kaleb pushed in his chair, grabbed his food from the counter and turned back around to Fin. “Oh, and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” He laughed and headed out the door.
“That pretty much leaves the doors wide open then.” Shaking his head, Fin waved as his brother walked by the window and out of sight. When he looked ahead again, Harper was standing at his table.
“Hi. Mind if I sit down?”
“Oh hey, of course,” he scrambled to stand and get the chair for her. “Please sit.” He helped with her coat and pushed in her chair as she sat then returned to his own seat.
“Would you like something to drink?” Fin was already signaling Bonnie to their table.
“A coffee is fine, thank you.”
“Hi Harper, nice to see you again.” The waitress said sarcastically as she filled a new cup to the rim and begrudgingly took both Fin and Harper’s orders then disappeared almost as fast as she’d appeared.
Fin reached out to touch Harper’s hand. “Thanks for meeting me. I wasn’t sure if you would.”
“Well, a girls gotta eat right? Besides, you didn’t seem like the serial killer type, and we are in a public place, so I figured, what did I have to lose?”
Her laugh was so genuine and oddly infectious that the tension in his shoulders relaxed the longer he was in her presence.
However, the more she talked in her animated and surprisingly sexy way; the tension and tightening found other areas to inhabit.
He’d need to get a handle on that reaction quickly.
They’d spent the next hour getting to know each other a little bit more.
Fin shared that he’d come back home after his sister-in-law died and he was living and working on the family tree farm with his brother because of the twin nieces he’d mentioned the night before.
They’d lost their mother during childbirth and Kaleb had had a rough time coping with it.
Single parent to twin toddlers was quite an adjustment.
“I swear those girls are the most precious things on this earth, but man are they evil.”
“Really? How can two three-year-old girls be evil? They sound positively adorable.”
“Oh, they’re trouble, trust me. You really need to meet them before you can form an opinion and fully judge. Hey, I know, are you doing anything tonight? We’re just having pizza so nothing special, but you could come over.”
“Well, I don’t know…” He could tell by her hesitation to say yes that she wasn’t sure about the idea.
“Listen, I promise it’ll be fun, and I’ll behave.” He gave her his pleading puppy dog face. “I’d love for you to come.”
“Oh my gosh, stop. How can I say no to that face?” She laughed as she shook her head.
“Great, what time do you get out of work? I’ll be over at the Boy Scout tree lot, and I have to pick up the pizza at Tony’s anyway so I can just stop and pick you up on the way if you want. Saves you on gas.”
“We close at five so I should be ready to go by quarter after I suppose.”
Together they stacked their empty plates and left the table, and Fin paid the bill after a few seconds of arguing. Out on the sidewalk, Fin held the car door while Harper loaded herself into her vehicle.
“Thanks for lunch Fin, I owe you one. I guess I’ll see you around five.” He closed her door and watched her fidget with the key in the ignition of her old Jeep then cranked it over, but nothing happened. She pounded the steering wheel in frustration.
“Man don’t do this to me now.” He heard her words through the window then watched her turn to look at him, concern and panic written all over her face. He motioned for her to roll down the glass hoping he could offer her some help.
“That didn’t sound too good Harper. Do you mind if I try?”
“Oh yes please! That would be so great, thank you.” Harper jumped out of the seat and let Fin in.
He pumped the gas pedal and turned the ignition, but he only heard ticking.
“Shit.”
Harper leaned in through the open window, “I don’t like the sound of that at all, do you know what’s wrong with it?”
“Well, I’m no mechanic but I do fix a lot of stuff on the farm. I think it’s your starter. It could also be a dead battery, but I really think we had better get it checked out. Jaxon’s the mechanic mastermind so I’ll give him a shout and see if he can get the Jeep picked up.
“This isn’t good. How am I going to get back to work?” Fin didn’t know if she was talking to herself or him as she’d wandered off a little.
“Harper it won’t be a big deal at all. I can take you back to work and I was going to pick you up right after anyway, so it all works out.”
“I can’t make you do that. What about tomorrow or the next day? You don’t even live in town. I don’t want you going out of your way just to run me all over the place.”
Fin ignored her ramblings and helped her get her things from the Jeep, then she locked it up since they’d be leaving it until Jaxon could get it.
“So, milady, please let me escort you to my truck.” He made a butler-type bowing motion while pointing to his truck parked across the street. “Let’s get you inside and crank the heater then we’ll go drop off your keys to Jaxon and see if he’ll be able to check it out.”
“You really don’t have to do this you know? I mean I really, really appreciate it, but you don’t have to.”
“I know I don’t Harper, but I want to. That’s what friends are for right?” When Harper looked his way, he wondered if friends were all she was looking for.