“Did you do things together? Cook? Hang out without the sex?” Violet asked.
I winced. “We got takeout, does that count?”
Apparently not, if my sisters’ faces were anything to go by.
“We’d spend the evening together. Talk.” Take a bath, although I wasn’t admitting that to my sisters. I loved hearing her take on the world. She was ballsy mixed with a little bit of idealistic. It was a perfect combination.
“Well, that’s good. And it was early days, right?”
“Yeah,” I replied, but it had felt so good between us. When we were together it was as if I didn’t want to rush forward to the next part because the space we were in was so good and I wanted to squeeze out every last drop.
“And she quit because you kicked her off the team pitching to her father?” Violet asked.
“Yes. Her father called and said he didn’t want her involved in the account because he wanted to keep business and personal separate.”
“And you thought that was fine because it’s how you like to operate too?” Scarlett asked.
“Yeah. I saw him as a potential client asking for a simple team change, rather than a father who was not putting his daughter first.”
“Honestly,” Violet said, “that doesn’t sound like anything you can’t come back from.”
“I pulled out of the pitch,” I said.
“You did?” Scarlett asked. “Wow. Does she know?”
I shook my head. “No, I did it after I saw how upset she was and I realized how he just hadn’t given a shit about her. If he was prepared to do that to his daughter, what would he do to a business partner?” It wasn’t the first time I’d turned down a client because I didn’t like their approach to business. I just wished I could explain to her that I understood I’d made the wrong call. “Now she’s gone, just disappeared.”
“You must really love this girl.” Scarlett grinned. “I’ve never seen you like this.”
“Quit the dramatics. I’m not saying I love her, I . . .” I was lost. In new territory with no map. “But if she won’t speak to me, won’t answer the phone or the door, what do I do?”
Scarlett tilted her head to the side. “Amanda!” she yelled.
“Don’t say anything to her,” I whispered.
“Just trust me” she said.
Amanda wandered in, her stare fixed on her phone. How she didn’t break bones on a regular basis I had no idea. She never looked where she was going. “Put your phone down while you’re walking. One day you’re going to step out in front of a bus because you’re fixating over Snapchat.”
Amanda rolled her eyes but slipped her phone into her jeans pocket. “Is dinner ready? I’m hungry.”
“Are you looking forward to the dance tomorrow?” Scarlett asked. I wasn’t sure what she was up to, but I could tell she had a plan.
Amanda’s eyes lit up. “Yes, it’s going to be perfect. Callum finally asked me yesterday. I told him I was going stag. I don’t need a man.”
The King women shared a chorus of good for yous, absolutelys, and high fives. I could only hope it was the first step in a lifetime of celibacy for my daughter.
“And your dress is all set?” Scarlett asked.
Amanda slipped onto the barstool facing me. “Yes, you saw it right? The one Harper helped me pick out.”
“Harper’s the girl your dad works with who you like to hang out with?” Violet asked. Christ, they were playing tag team.
Amanda nodded, her eyes flickering from me to her two aunts. “You met her, right, Scarlett? She’s so cool and pretty. Isn’t she, Dad?”
The sound of Harper’s name sped up my pulse. I smiled sadly. “Yes, she’s very pretty.”
“You’ll get to meet her too, Violet. You’re coming to help me get ready for the dance, right?”
Shit, how could I break it to my daughter that Harper wasn’t going to make it?
“Of course. Wouldn’t miss it for the world.” My daughter was the only person who could get my sisters to do anything.
“I need to talk to you about Harper, sweetheart,” I said.
“What? She doesn’t need a ride from the station because she’s driving.”
What? I’d never talked to Harper about how she was getting to Connecticut.
“I’m not sure if she’s still going to make it, peanut. But you’ll have your aunts. And we can put your mother on Skype the entire time you’re getting ready.”
Amanda looked at me, her lips pursed. “What are you talking about? Of course Harper’s going to make it. She said this morning that she’d be here by four. She’s bringing her makeup.”
My heart started to pound. Had I heard her right? Had Amanda been talking to Harper? I gripped the counter, trying to make sense of what she was saying.
“You spoke to her?” Scarlett asked.
“Of course I did. She’s my friend.” Amanda looked around at the three of us. “What’s the matter with you guys? You’re all acting weird.”
Harper was coming here. I would get a chance to explain, tell her she was important to me. More than important. I wouldn’t let her go until she’d heard my arguments, understood I was sorry. I wouldn’t let her push me away. I was used to getting what I wanted and Harper Jayne would be no exception.
“Just because she’s agreed to come and help Amanda doesn’t mean she wants anything to do with me,” I reminded my sister a little after three thirty in the afternoon. “You don’t think this is a little bit much?” I looked around at the dining room, the table set with the china and glassware my mother had forced me to buy when I hit thirty and she decided I was finally an adult, despite having been a father for over a decade at that point.
“No, it’s not too much,” Scarlett said. “And anyway, what have you got to lose? Worst case scenario you’re no worse off than you were before she walked in.”
I had to keep reminding myself I knew how to go after what I wanted. I did it for a living. Winning Harper back had to be a possibility, didn’t it?
“I polished all the silverware, just how Grandma King showed me,” Amanda said, joining Scarlett and I at the table. She patted me on the back. “It looks good. She won’t be able to resist your lasagna, Dad. It’s the best.”
I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had no idea whether Harper would even hear me out.
I had to admit, the table looked nice, but something was missing. “We forgot the flowers,” I said.
Amanda had helped me pick some from the garden that we could use as a centerpiece. I couldn’t find a vase, so we’d improvised and used a water glass. Amanda disappeared to retrieve them
“So what, you guys are going to take Amanda and then I just turn around and ask Harper if she’s hungry?” I asked Scarlett.
“Jesus, did you lose your balls somewhere along the line?” Scarlett asked. “You ask her if you can talk for a few minutes. Then you apologize and admit you’re an idiot. See how she reacts—if you need to apologize again, do it and then tell her how you feel. Jesus, man, you run a multimillion-dollar company; it’s not that hard.”