Page 25 of This Feeling

“They are?” James and Gavin asked at the same time.

“I thought they were broken up. Harper told me they were,” Kian said, leaning forward to stare at the women’s table as well. As if feeling our eyes on her, Harper glanced over at us. She gave a wobbly smile and lifted her hand in a brief wave.

“She went to my parents’ house last week for dinner with Sean. Apparently, they’re dating again.”

“Wow,” Kian said. “That’s news to me.”

“Me too,” Gavin said. “Especially since she and I had a date a few days ago. She mentioned she wasveryready to move past that phase of her life. It was a friendly date, nothing serious.”

I narrowed my eyes. I wasn’t sure if I was more upset knowing that Harper and Gavin had gone on a date, serious or not, or that she’d considered that part of her life a phase. “That phase?”

He nodded. “Yeah. I’m not sure what she meant by it, either. But we can all agree that I’m not very good at understanding women.”

We all laughed, and James held up his beer. “You’re not alone, little brother; you are not alone.”

We clinked bottlenecks, then James quickly dove into a conversation about the police force, and I tried my hardest to pay attention to what he said. Now and then, though, I’d catch a glimpse of Harper, or hear her laugh, and my heart would feel as if it were tripping over itself.

Based on what my friends had said, and the fact that Harper obviously had no clue where Sean was tonight…

Something was off—and I was going to find out what the hell it was.

Harper

My head pounded as I leaned forward and rested it in my hands for what felt like the millionth time that morning.

My aunt Olivia walked in from the back and stopped. “Did you take some aspirin like I told you to?”

I wanted to groan at her too-loud question, but instead I stood straight and replied, “I did.”

“Your momma would’ve never gone out on a work night, Harper. If she did, she knew how much she could handle. People are depending on you to make their arrangements.”

Blowing out a breath, I turned to face my beloved aunt. She was older than my mother, had been a nurse for several years and only recently retired. I was hesitant when my mother asked me to give Aunt Olivia a job at the flower shop. Now I remembered why. The woman was forever in my business.

“Aunt Olivia, it was a rough weekend, and I didn’t overindulge. I simply drank the wrong drink.”

“How many times?” she asked, her mouth twitching in the corner in a sad attempt to hide her sarcasm.

The bell above the door rang, and I closed my eyes.

“That’s what I thought,” Aunt Olivia cackled.

When I looked up and saw it was Brystol, I made my way over to her. “Hey, what’s up?”

“You look hung over as well,” Aunt Olivia said, as she gave Brystol a once-over.

Brystol huffed. “Always good seeing you too, Olivia.”

My aunt attempted not to laugh—and failed. “Oh, I remember those days, girls. You both need a bloody mary.”

Brystol moaned. “If wishes were fishes.”

Aunt Olivia laughed again.

“I know where we can get one, though,” Brystol said, taking my hand in hers. “Olivia, hold the fort for a bit?”

Waving her hand for us to leave, Olivia took over the arrangement I’d been working on as Brystol guided me out the back and into the alley.

“Why are we going out through the back?” I asked.

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