Page 60 of Emergency Exit
“You know,” said Forest, “whatever else is going on—thisisthe team I count on.”
“Team Valkyrie?” asked Rowan, lifting his glass, a smile stretching across his face.
“Goddamn, right,” said Forest, grabbing his glass. “I wouldn’t have made this far without both of you.”
Ash held out his glass.
“To Team Valkyrie and being honest,” said Rowan.
They clicked their glasses and drank.
19
Harper
Cooper & Coffee
Harper’s arrival at her sister’s house had gone about as she had expected. Hailey’s home was beige and over-sized. Her mother had drunk too much, while Hailey didn’t drink at all and barely touched her dinner. Stan, their step-father, had made small talk almost exclusively with Hailey’s husband, Ryan, who had returned home late. Harper wasn’t sure why. There wasn’t any overtime to be done in banking during the holidays.
The next day was shopping with Hailey and their mother. They chattered incessantly but didn’t seem to say much. Eventually, Harper told them she had to do some work so she could hide in her room. By Wednesday, she was starting to bite her nails again, and when Hailey offered a trip to the store for final décor items, Harper took it as a chance to circumvent her mother’s day-drinking. But décor shopping turned into perusing pillows that had all sorts of pokey beads on them. Harper couldn’t imagine why anyone would want them.
“These would have looked so good in Cooper’s place,” said her mother sadly.
Harper eyed the beaded monstrosities. Ash would have said they looked like they had candy sprinkles on them.
“Probably true,” agreed Harper. Stiff and uncomfortable had been Cooper’s taste.
“I do not know why you had to break up with him!” exclaimed her mother vehemently as if she’d been holding it in.
“He said he didn’t think he could see a future with me,” said Harper. “He broke up with me.”
“Harper!” exclaimed Hailey, looking disgusted. “You didn’t even try to apologize or work it out with him! He was the best thing that ever happened to you!”
Harper tried to formulate a response. She didn’t see how Cooper could be considered an event, let alone the best one. At most, he had been a sustained state of viscosity that she’d found difficult to get out of—like a tub of vegetable oil.
“You can’t nap on those pillows,” said Harper.
“They’re decorative,” said her mother.
“Honestly, Harper,” snapped Hailey. “I don’t know why you came. You’re worse than a toddler. Why don’t you wait for us at the coffee shop across the street.”
“Good idea,” said Harper. Hailey made an annoyed snort as Harper left, but Harper was just happy to be released from the torture and couldn’t worry about Hailey’s mood. She spent the next half-hour in an atmosphere of coffee smells and pleasant jazz, absorbed in her phone with a latte. When Hailey and her mother finally turned up, Harper was horrified to see they had Cooper in tow.
Harper froze as her body went ice cold and then flushed in heated shame. She wanted to get up and sprint out of the cafe, but her legs wouldn’t move.
“Harper! Look who I found!” chirped her mother. “OK, you two catch up. We’re going to go order.”
Harper stared at Cooper, trying to calm her heart. Had he gotten shorter? Cooper’s casual shopping outfit looked stuffy.
“Hailey says you’re visiting for the week,” he said cheerfully.
Harper nodded because she knew it was expected.
He wasn’t Ash. It seemed like a very obvious thought, but she realized that all the things she was noticing now about Cooper were because he didn’t measure up to Ash.
“That’s nice,” Cooper added with the strained tone that told her she’d missed her cue to talk, but what was she supposed tosay to an ex-almost fiancé? “And… You look good. You must have been taking tips from Hailey on clothes.”
“Oh, uh…”
