She may have had some dating disasters in her time, but nothing had shaken her belief in love and commitment as much as learning the parents who she’d thought idolized each other were separating.
Nobody had cheated or been abusive. They’d simply drifted apart; at least, that’s what her mom had said. Harper thought there was more to it but hadn’t delved; not when she believed the stress of being pulled in two directions, supporting both parents, had triggered the vitiligo, and she didn’t need further angst. Selfish, maybe, but her world had tipped on its axis the day her parents separated, and a couple of months later when Colin had dumped her after she’d revealed her true self to him . . . she knew then she had to start taking better care of herself, and a self-imposed man ban was part of that.
So what was it about Manny Gomes that had snuck under her carefully erected guard?
What she’d done may have been immature, but she knew she wouldn’t have gotten so riled up unless it had mattered what he thought of her. Disparaging her food styling had really hit home, and rather than walking away as she normally would’ve done, she’d gone down the path of game playing?
Definitely not her style, and she intended to avoid the dastardly doc for the remainder of the night.
She wandered back into the hall and looked around for Samira and Pia. They’d vanished from the small table where they’d been chatting earlier, and Harper caught sight of them on the dance floor with their husbands.
Rory and Dev had their arms wrapped around Samira’s and Pia’s waists, the women’s wound around their husbands’ necks, and both couples were staring at each other so intently the band could’ve stopped playing and they wouldn’t have noticed.
And in that moment, standing on the outskirts of a wedding with five hundred people dancing and laughing and drinking, Harper had never felt so alone.
6
Manny caught sight of Harper standing at the back of the hall, her wistful gaze watching the people on the dance floor. She looked . . . lost, forlorn, and he experienced another twinge of guilt.
He hadn’t meant to disparage her job. He’d sounded like a pompous idiot, and while getting a cream facial for his troubles had been extreme, he’d probably deserved it. Though he’d rather focus on what had preceded her impulsive action.
That kiss had blown his mind.
He hadn’t been celibate since he’d graduated med school. Before that he hadn’t had a lot of time for dating. But since, he’d more than made up for it. Long shifts and exhaustion didn’t make for relationships, so he enjoyed the fleeting nature of his encounters instead. The women he dated knew the score and he had a few names in his cell, friends who were bonking buddies, fellow medicos who didn’t have time for the complications of a relationship either.
Which meant he’d kissed a lot of women over the years, so what was it about Harper that had captured his attention so thoroughly?
“Why are you fixated on that girl?”
Trust Izzy to notice his interest in Harper. His grandmother had an inbuilt radar for an available woman within a five-hundred-foot radius.
“What girl?”
His feigned nonchalance earned a disgusted scoff. “That bridesmaid. You’re staring.”
He couldn’t help it. Harper had something about her . . . a beautiful, cool exterior that screamed hands-off, hiding a feisty core if the way she responded to his kiss was any indication.
“We talked earlier. She’s nice.”
Izzy snorted. “Don’t go getting any ideas.”
“And what ideas may they be?”
“She’s not for you.” Izzy waggled her finger. “Mixed race marriages are complicated.”
They’d had this discussion before, when Manny pointed out the entire Anglo-Indian race came about through mixed marriages. But Izzy had a hang-up about it and he rarely bothered correcting her these days; what was the point when he had no intention of getting married, ever?
“Then it’s a good thing I’m not marrying her.” He nudged her gently. “Surely you don’t disapprove of me having a little fun?”
Izzy’s nose crinkled. “Please don’t elaborate.”
“I won’t, but I know you’re not as shockable as you pretend.”
She waved him away. “Go. Have your fun. But remember, you must find a wife before I die.”
Considering Izzy was a sprightly eighty-six, he hoped that would be a long way off, ensuring he’d still be a happy bachelor at fifty and beyond.
“You’re far from that,” he said, “meaning the chances of me walking up the aisle anytime soon are zero.”
Izzy’s gaze slid away from his in a way he didn’t like. Then again, most elderly didn’t like thinking about their mortality. He hated contemplating a life without Izzy in it. His chest ached at the thought.
“I’m so proud of you.” She spoke so softly he had to lean closer to hear her. “I’ve been blessed having you in my life.”
His throat tightened at the glimpse of tears in her eyes. “Hey, weddings are happy occasions. What’s brought this on?”
“The thought of me not being at yours,” she said, clutching her chest, and winking.
Relieved she’d lightened the moment, he slid an arm around her waist. “You’re one in a million, you know that, right?”
“I know,” she said, leaning into him.
His gran was in a strange mood tonight, no doubt about it, and when he raised his head to glance toward the back of the hall again, Harper had vanished.
7
Harper knew catching up with her mom for a coffee the day after her dad’s phone call wasn’t a good idea. She might accidentally let slip how much he was still hurting after fourteen months of separation, because she couldn’t get it out of her head how morose he’d sounded last night.
But that’s exactly why she’d organized this late brunch. She’d been fielding too many similar calls from her dad lately, and she wanted to know what was going on in her mom’s life so she could allay his fears, or confirm them, once and for all.
“How was Nishi’s wedding?”
“Good.”
Lydia arched a perfectly shaped brow. “Nishi’s been your best friend for years, and there were five hundred people at the wedding. Surely, you can give me more than that?”
Harper wanted to say, Surely you can give me more information about your private life, but it wasn’t the time. Their smashed avos had just arrived, and seeing as she hadn’t eaten much at the wedding from nerves about her food presentation, she was starving.