Page 129 of Redeeming Harmony

“Thought what? That I’m the kind of guy who would go back on my word because we’re not…” he swallowed the rest of his words, his perfect lips a thin slash across his face. “Just give him a call, Harper.”

“Thank you, Nathan. That’s very kind of you.”

“Yeah, you’re welcome.” He turned and walked away before she could ask him if they could talk after her shift.

She stuffed the paper into her pocket, disappointment eating at her stomach and tears fighting to slip past her eyelids. She took a deep breath. Okay, so Nathan wouldn’t be interested in just forgiving and forgetting, and she couldn’t blame him for that. She’d done a stupid thing and broken his heart, and it would take more than just an apology. She needed to come up with a plan to win him back. She needed to -

“What are you doing?” Hazel stood in front of her.

“What do you mean?” Harper asked.

“I mean, the man you love is walking out of the coffee shop, and you’re standing here letting it happen.”

“I’m working. I can’t just…” Harper breathed deep through her nostrils and blew it out as Nora joined them behind the counter. “I’ll formulate a better plan tonight to win him back, okay? He’s angry, and I can’t just blurt out that I’m sorry and I love him. That’s not a good ‘win him back’ plan.”

“Or,” Hazel said as Nathan left the coffee shop, “it’s an amazing ‘win him back’ plan, and you could haul ass after him right now and tell him you’re sorry and you love him.”

“Ooh, I vote for that one,” Nora said. “There’s nothing I love more than a good, shouty ‘I love you! Take me back!’ in front of a bunch of strangers.”

“I’m working,” Harper repeated.

“Break time!” Hazel sang out before untying Harper’s apron and pulling it off. She turned Harper and pushed her toward the front door. “Go.”

“Oh my God,” Nora said when Harper, feeling a little dazed, started toward the door, “this is really happening. It’s like a rom-com come to life! Should I record it for TikTok? It’ll go viral for sure.”

“No,” Hazel said with a laugh. “Get over there and finish making that coffee. Only employees trying to win back the guy they love are allowed to take unscheduled breaks.”

“That’s fair,” Nora said. “Good luck, Harper!”

Harper hesitated by the counter, and Hazel made a shooing motion. “For God’s sake, girl, get your ass out there before he’s gone.”

Adrenaline singing a sweet song in her veins, Harper turned and ran for the door.

* * *

Nathan walked down the street,stopping to toss the cup of coffee in a trash can. His stomach was in so many knots, it would have made a Boy Scout proud, and his throat was too tight even to consider swallowing the hot liquid.

Stopping in to see Harper wasn’t his worst mistake.

Believing that he could see Harper without immediately falling down a rabbit hole of depression and regret was his worst mistake.

He should have texted her Andrew’s number instead of giving it to her in person, but no, he had to pretend like he could handle seeing the woman he loved - the woman who had not only broken his heart but shattered it - and then walk away like it was no big deal.

What a fucking idiot he was.

He pulled out his phone. He couldn’t go home. He couldn’t sit there thinking about Harper and wishing he could take back what he’d said almost a week ago. As much as he’d wanted to be more than just a casual sex partner, this not seeing her at all was his own personal hell. He would call Wyatt and -

“Nathan!”

Harper’s voice made him pull to a quick stop. The person walking behind him bumped into his back and muttered a low curse and a “watch where you’re going, idiot” before sidestepping around him.

He turned slowly, convinced that he had conjured Harper’s voice in his head.

She stood a few feet behind him in her “Grind my Beans” t-shirt and a pair of skinny jeans. Her hair was a halo of pink flame in the rays of the setting sun, and she had a combination of hope and nerves on her face. Goosebumps covered her bare arms, and she shivered in the cold wind.

“I’m sorry, Nathan,” she shouted. “I’m so sorry I hurt you. I love you!”

His mouth dropped open as the people around them slowed to a stop. Most of them stared for a few seconds before moving on, but an old man with a cane and white, wispy hair that blew around his liver spotted scalp in the light breeze stood next to Nathan. After a few minutes, he poked Nathan in the leg with his cane.

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