Page 100 of Redeeming Harmony

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“Hey,Kira? Do you think Harper’s insistence that she and the handsome Dr. Nathan are just friends is complete and utter bullshit or just complete bullshit?” Grace stuck the leftover potato salad into the fridge before closing it and leaning against the counter.

Kira laughed and tucked a strand of her straight blonde hair behind one ear. “Oh, complete and utter bullshit.”

“Cork it, you two,” Harper said with a glance at the kitchen doorway.

“Relax,” Kira said airily. “Nathan is still outside with the other guys. You two make a cute couple, Harper.”

“We’re not a couple,” Harper said. “We’re friends with benefits.”

“Is that enough for you?” Grace cocked her head at them. “Because all kidding aside, you two are adorable together and, not that this is important, but Nathan fits in well with the rest of the gang.”

“The rest of the gang?” Addie laughed. “You make it sound like we’re an exclusive, members only club.”

“Sometimes we can be a bit of a clique,” Grace said. “And a picky one at that. Remember when Harper dated that guy before she left for New York? What was his name?”

“Alex,” Harper said.

“Right. He did not fit in with us at all. I swear he nearly wet his pants every time Preacher even looked at him.”

“He did have a timid personality,” Kira said.

“Okay, but that was on Alex,” Addie said. “We were all perfectly nice to him. And even if Nathan didn’t fit in, we’d still welcome him because he’s Harper’s,” she paused, “friend.”

“Thank you, pinky-pie,” Harper said with another glance at the door.

“You’re right,” Grace said. “We were nice to Harrison for years, and he was a total dickweed.”

Kira laughed, and even Addie grinned. “Yeah, he was.”

“He get the herpes cleared up yet?” Harper asked.

“I have no idea,” Addie said delicately. “My ex-fiancé and his STI’s are no longer my problems.”

Harper and the others laughed before Grace said, “But, seriously, Harper, why aren’t you and Nathan dating? You like him, the sex is good, and he seems like a great guy. Lock that shit down, girl.”

Harper shrugged. “I’m not in the right space. Nathan doesn’t want to date someone who doesn’t know what to do with her life. His life is planned out, he knows who he is and what he wants, and I’m still floundering about wishing I could just get paid to draw pretty pictures.”

“You do get paid to draw,” Addie said. “You’ve sold five sketches in the last week and a half.”

Harper shrugged. “Unfortunately, I need to sell a lot more than that to make a living from it. Or sell even one or two of my bigger sketches. The eight hundred I made from my sketches is going straight to an apartment deposit. And if I hadn’t sold those, I’d be camping out on my dad’s pull-out sofa in the den of his new condo like a total loser. As it is, I’ll probably need to find a second job just to cover rent and stupid things like eating regularly.”

“I’m sorry, Harper,” Addison said before putting her arm around her and squeezing her tight. “I wish I could afford to help you.”

“I wouldn’t take it even if you could,” Harper said. “I’m the one who blew my savings trying to make a go of it in New York. You don’t need to pay for my mistakes.”

“It wasn’t a mistake,” Kira said. “It was your dream, and you needed to try. You would have always regretted it if you didn’t.”

Kira wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t help the guilt Harper felt at screwing up her own damn life so badly. She’d been so cocky, so confident that she’d get to New York and within six months have every gallery in the city begging to show her work. What a naïve idiot she’d been.

Nathan stepped into the kitchen, his phone in his hand. “Harper? I’m sorry, but I have to go. I’m on call tonight, and a call just came in for a dog hit by a car. Do you think Grace or Addie could give you a ride home?”

“I can,” Grace said.

“I’ll go with you,” Harper said. “You might need my help.”

“I texted Hal, and he’s already headed to the clinic.” Nathan gave her a distracted smile as he rechecked his phone. “Stay and have fun with your friends. Kira, thank you for letting me crash dinner. I had fun.”

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