Chapter 49
Chapter Forty-Nine
H arper made a pot of coffee, took Archie out, then set herself up on the couch with a cup of that coffee and her laptop. She wanted to get her notes on Kyle’s book written up and sent over to him first thing. She sipped some coffee, which was still really hot, then opened up her laptop.
Water shushed through the pipes somewhere over her head. She glanced toward the ceiling. Someone was showering. Early. Couldn’t be Willa. She usually slept in. Maybe Frankie was off to see Lucas? She hadn’t mentioned anything about it, but it could have transpired after they’d all gone to bed.
Harper opened a new Word document and started writing. At first, she just put down her general thoughts. All about how great the book had been, how hard it was to put down, what a compelling read and how much she liked the characters.
She went into detail, picking out some of the strengths of each character, and even some of the lines of dialogue she’d really enjoyed.
Then she talked about the plot and the twists and how the story had kept her guessing in the best possible way. She elaborated on what a shock the identity of the killer had been, how cleverly Kyle had handled that and how ingenious it was.
Pausing, she took a few drinks from her cup and read through what she’d written. She changed several words, added some sentences, and cut one entire line out.
She set her cup down and was about to discuss how the female characters all sounded so similar, and detail the passages that could be tighter, when footsteps came down the stairs behind her. “Aunt Harper?”
Harper set her laptop aside and turned. “Morning, Willa. What are you doing up so early?”
Not only was she up early, but she was dressed nicely in a sundress and sandals, her hair and makeup done.
“I just have some errands to run this morning. Mom’s still asleep. Could I borrow your car? I can put gas in it.”
“You can borrow it, but you don’t need to put gas in it unless you plan on using it all. Keys are over on the counter by Archie’s leash. Will you be gone long? I don’t need it back, really. Just curious.”
“I don’t know yet.” Willa shrugged. “I guess I’ll be gone as long as it takes. But probably not more than a couple hours.”
“Okay, no problem.”
“Thanks.” With a quick smile, Willa grabbed the keys and headed out.
Harper sat for a moment. What was that all about? What errands could Willa have to run that would require her to look that nice?
Harper had no idea. She picked up her laptop and went back to work. Frankie didn’t come down until an hour later.
“Hey,” she muttered as she shuffled into the kitchen in her robe and slippers.
“Hey.” Harper smiled. “Late night?”
Frankie got a big mug down and poured coffee into it. “Yes, but it was a good late night.”
“Oh? Did Lucas come over?”
Frankie turned, made a face at her sister, then drank from the mug, holding it with both hands. “No, I worked. I got a lot done, too. It was fantastic. I was in this super focused zone.”
“I love that. Good for you.”
“Yeah, working at night might be my new thing. It was so quiet and peaceful in the house. And there was no feeling like I was missing out on anything.” Frankie came over and sat down.
“I could totally see that. You working more today?”
Frankie nodded. “I am. I am so close to being done with those book illustrations. Turning them in means I’ll get paid, too.”
“Even better.”
Frankie tilted her chin at Harper’s laptop. “What are you working on?”
“Notes on Kyle’s book. Which I already sent to you, by the way. I know you’re busy, no rush to read it, but it’s really good.”
“I’m looking forward to it.” Frankie glanced toward the steps. “We probably won’t see Willa until noon. I think she was up later than I was.”
Harper shook her head. “Willa’s gone to run errands. She left about an hour ago.”
Frankie frowned. “Seriously? Emergency trip to the drugstore for supplies, I bet.”
“I don’t think her errands had anything to do with what time of the month it is. She was dressed nicely and had makeup on.”
Frankie’s frown remained. “I have no idea.”
“Me neither.” And honestly, Harper didn’t care that much. Willa was an adult. She was allowed to run errands or whatever that might really mean. “Did you think she and Kyle looked a little chummy last night?”
“Not that I noticed,” Frankie said with a little shrug. “But they are close in age. And Willa loves babies. Ruthie’s kind of hard to resist. That’s probably all it was.”
Harper nodded. “Yeah.”
Frankie sighed.
Harper looked at her again. “Yes?”
“Nothing. Just sighing. I guess because I need to get up and get moving. That reminds me—have you talked to Prisha lately?”
“No. You?”
Frankie shook her head. “I’m going to text her. Maybe go to another yoga class with her. If I’m going to be living here, I need to make friends. Which reminds me about something else I was going to talk to you about.”
“And that is?”
“How would you feel, once we’re both officially moved in, about having a little housewarming sort of party? We could invite Mitch and Joyce and Lucas, obviously, but also maybe Prisha and Azumi? Maybe even Sugarlynn? Your call on that last one.”
Harper thought a moment. “I’d need to talk to Prisha about Sugarlynn, see where her loyalties lie, but I’m not opposed to throwing a little shindig. Nothing too crazy.”
“No, definitely not. I’d like to keep it casual and I definitely don’t want to go broke doing this. I just want to meet some of the people who live around us. I’m sure Lucas knows some folks to invite.”
“I’m sure he does.” Harper didn’t want to cut her sister off, but she really wanted to finish these notes. “Are you going to see him today?”
That put a smile on Frankie’s face. “I am. But not until I finish the special project I’m working on for him. I guess I should get moving.” She stood, keeping her cup close. “Are you making breakfast?”
“I can. Just need to finish these notes first.”
“Good. That gives me a chance to shower. Back in a bit.”
“M’kay,” Harper murmured as she typed. She kept writing, adding things from the notes she’d jotted down but also little bits that came to her.
Finally, she thought she’d added everything she could think of. She read through it, finding a few places to expand. Then she read through it once more. Should she send it to Mitch first? Or send it to Kyle and copy Mitch on it?
She should have asked him last night, but that kiss had messed with her head. Smiling, she dug out her phone and sent him a quick text. Notes for Kyle are done. Do you want to read them first? Or should I just CC you?
Her cup was empty, so while she waited on his response, she got a refill. She took a look through the fridge to see what there was for breakfast. Since it was just her and Frankie, maybe she’d do something super simple, like yogurt with a little fruit and granola.
Frankie’d probably be all right with that. But there was no rush, so Harper wasn’t making anything just yet. Her phone chimed. She closed the fridge and went to see what he’d said.
CC me. Thanks. Appreciate you doing this.
No problem , Harper texted back. She wanted to say more, but honestly didn’t know what to type. Hope you’re having a nice morning? Looking forward to seeing you later? Thanks for the great kiss?
Obviously, not the last one, but nothing sounded right. She stared at the screen, wondering if he’d say anything back.
Then he did. Are you around this morning?
She was definitely around. She typed, Yes, do you need me? Then quickly deleted that and went with, Home all day .
Ok. Need to get some emails done and have breakfast. I’ll text later.
She sent a thumbs-up emoji, wondering what he wanted to see her about. She grinned. Maybe he wanted to kiss her again.
With that happy thought, she opened up her email to take care of any that required a response. She wanted to make sure nothing stood in the way for whatever Mitch had up his sleeve.