Page 21 of Make Her Mine

“That is not what it is when I poke at you.”

“But other people might think so.”

“Wait, are you calling my mom a brat?”

I nod. “Totally.”

She seems to be thinking that over. Then she frowns. “Don’t talk about my parents like that.

I chuckle. “Okay.”

“What do you know about brats? Your mom is super sweet. She never pokes at your dad.”

“No, she doesn’t. My mom has other ways of flirting with my dad.”

“They do flirt?”

“All the time.” I never really spent time thinking about it before but yes, there’s no question that my parents are very much in love and that they have their own language that is flirtatious at times. “But I do know brats. My sister is one. Of course I blame you for that.”

Harlow lifts her chin. “Good.”

“Carver and I are the nice ones. And we’re older than you and weren’t really influenced by you. I don’t think that’s a coincidence.”

She narrows her eyes. “You really want to start talking about your siblings with me? That’s not really the way to make me happy and compliant with trying to like you.”

“You’re still mad at me about Graham.” I don’t phrase it as a question. I know she is.

She looks like she can’t believe I just asked that. “Yes. Always and forever.”

“Going to Colorado was good for him.”

“He would’ve been just fine, great even, if he’d stayed here too.”

“Agreed to disagree.”

“I don’t agree to that. I do disagree with you. But I’m not agreeing to put this aside. I still hate you for forcing Graham to leave. I still hate you for making him doubt our friendship. I still hate you for not trusting me and for questioning my place in his life. I was here for him at times and in ways you never were. You do not know everything, Jefferson, and you butted in!”

Her cheeks are flushed and I believe the anger in her eyes is real, even after all of these years. She believes I stole her best friend from her. That I ruined their relationship.

She’s not totally wrong.

But I don’t regret it.

“I know you don’t forgive me, Harlow,” I finally say.

“We still approach life very differently,” she tells me. “We still look at relationships very differently. We don’t look at home and family the same way. Those are big things to me. I can maybe pretend to like you for a week. But this is only because I hate Zach more than I dislike you.”

I tip my head and look at her. Really study her. It’s too bad she hates me. We actually do have a lot in common. Though I’m sure she would hate to hear that.

“Let’s go tell our moms before this rumor about us gets spread around town,” I tell her, stepping back. “And before you slap me in the middle of the square and go stomping off, ruining any chance of us selling this.”

“We will be about ten seconds from that all week,” she warns me.

“I know, Harlow. I know.”

But she lets me take her hand as we turn toward the bakery.

CHAPTER 6

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