Pretend You're Mine: A Small Town Love Story (8 page)

“Maybe I just had a bad day.”

“Yeah, well, maybe so. Just don’t go taking that bad day out on everyone else around here. This is a nice town, nice people. So if you’re not in it for the long haul, move along.”

“You must care about the Garrisons a lot to feel like you have to defend them from a potential threat like me.”

“They’re okay. Maybe you’re okay, too. But I don’t know you. I do know Luke and the rest of them. So if you’re good to them and stay out of my way on the job, we’ll be just fine.”

“Fair enough, Frank. I’ll keep that in mind. And just so you know, if you’re good at your job, not pissing off customers, or coming in here and yelling at me every day, we’ll be fine.”

He nodded briskly. “Fair enough. Be seeing you.” He threw a little salute and walked out the door.

This town was way too small.

A
s promised, Harper’s last paycheck arrived at the office. Whatever Luke said to Ted must have scared him bad enough to stop calling, too, because her phone was blissfully silent.

And as promised, she took Luke to dinner.

She researched restaurants beyond the borders of Benevolence before settling on a cozy steak place fifteen miles east. There would be no quiet dinner in town with the attention she and Luke stirred up.

It wasn’t a “real” date, she reminded herself, but that didn’t mean she couldn’t go to a little extra effort to be presentable.

Harper kept her outfit casual with capris and ribbed v-neck in emerald green. She added a little more curl to her hair, letting it hang loosely past her shoulders. A hint of smoky eye and a slick of lip gloss, and she was ready to go.

She checked her reflection in the powder room downstairs and realized she had forgot to put in earrings. She went back upstairs to the bedroom and was rummaging through the drawer when Luke came in from the bathroom.

Wearing only a towel.

Droplets of water clung to his chest. The ink on his arms, as always, drew her eye. The towel hung indecently low on his hips, showing off the plains of his chiseled abs.

The silver hoop she was holding slipped through her fingers and clattered on the floor.

“I ... uh ...,” she stooped and picked up the earring. “Um. Sorry.”

Cheeks flaming, she hurried out of the room, leaving Luke grinning after her.

Harper dashed into the kitchen and stuck her face in the freezer to cool the blush until she heard him on the stairs. She made a show of filling and drinking a glass of water from the faucet and avoided eye contact when he came into the kitchen.

“Ready to go?” he asked, sliding his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

He was wearing jeans and a gray striped button-down with the sleeves rolled up. Harper wondered if he had just reached into his closet and grabbed or if he, like she, had gone through several options. Either way, he looked good enough to undress right here in the kitchen.

“Sure, let’s go.”

She led him outside to her car in the driveway. Luke paused next to the Beetle. “You want me to ride in this?”

“I asked you out, therefore I’m driving.”

“Okay.” He folded himself into the passenger seat with a wry smile. “Let’s get this date started.”

Harper felt a nervous flutter in her belly. When was her body going to remember that this wasn’t a real relationship? It should stop overreacting to the stimuli that was Luke Garrison. She sighed and climbed in behind the wheel, trying to ignore how close they were and how good he smelled. She should have let him drive. The center console of Luke’s truck provided a better barrier.

The Beetle started with a coughing tremor that had Luke’s eyebrows raising. A belt squealed under the hood for a few seconds before Harper shifted into reverse.

“Jesus, what’s wrong with this thing?”

“Don’t listen to him.” Harper patted the steering wheel. “You’re perfect the way you are.”

“Baby, this car is older than you are. Don’t you think it’s time to put it out to pasture? Maybe get something less like a tin can?”

“I love this car. It just needs a little maintenance, which I’m saving up for, and she’ll be good as new.”

“How many times has it let you sit on the side of the road?”

Harper cranked up the radio and grinned. “What? I can’t hear you. Radio’s too loud.”

He shook his head and shifted in his seat. His knee grazed her hand as it rested on the gearshift. Neither made the effort to move.

Luke finally leaned forward and punched the button, turning the music off.

“So how are things going at the office?” In just a few days Harper had made a significant dent in the back work, but there was much more to be done.

“Good, so far.”

“Any areas you see we need to improve on yet?”

Harper glanced at him to see if he was joking. “You want my opinion?”

“You sound surprised.”

She tried to remember the last time a guy had asked her opinion. Ted certainly was never interested at work or at home. When she tried to talk to him about changing his bookkeeping software, he told her not to worry her pretty little head about it.

“I’ve only been there two days.”

“You’re a smart girl.” Luke poked her leg and Harper prayed he didn’t see the goose bumps that cropped up everywhere from his touch. “Don’t hold back. You won’t hurt my feelings.”

Harper eyed him suspiciously. “Okay.” She cleared her throat. “There’s a few areas that could stand some attention.”

“Go on.”

“Well your software is pretty old-school. I think we could find some kind of integrated package that would replace your job costing and invoicing systems, plus your database, with one Swiss army knife tool that does it all. So you’d only have to enter changes once instead of two or three difference places. It shouldn’t cost much more than you’re spending now, and you could really develop a CRM.”

“CRM?”

“Customer relationship management system. Say Frank is on the job site and a client mentions they’re thinking about upgrading to granite in the bathrooms. Frank can grab his iPad or laptop and plug that into the system so it kicks a notice back to the office to price out the upgrade. The next day, the pricing and options are in the CRM and Frank can walk through it with the client.”

Luke nodded. “It’s not a bad idea.”

“It’s better than Frank forgetting all about it and the client changing his mind and sticking with whatever the regular countertop is.”

“What else can a CRM do?”

Harper took a deep breath and launched into the basics. She could tell she was losing him when his frown deepened. “Just think of it as a robot assistant,” she said.

Luke nodded. “I like robots.”

“So tell me about Frank. What’s his deal?” She adjusted the visor against the sun.

“You mean, why is he so pissed off all the time?” Luke grinned behind his sunglasses. “It’s just part of his charm. He giving you trouble?”

“Not really. I kind of like him. I was just curious. He seems ...”

“Insubordinate?” he supplied.

“Well, yeah.”

Luke sighed. “Frank and I go way back. I’ve known him since I was a kid. He’s a good worker. One of the best. He knows more about the ins and outs of this business than anyone. He’s just a loudmouth pain in the ass.”

Harper snorted.

“How is it working with your dad?”

Luke shrugged. “It’s good.” Harper looked at him pointedly, waiting for him to continue. “He ran a contracting business for years and I always knew I wanted to build. So about ten years ago, we decided to give it a go and started the company.”

“You’re awfully nonchalant about it.”

Luke grinned. “About what?”

“I’ve only had a peek at your books and the incoming checks, but it looks like you’re quite the thriving builder, buddy,” she teased.

“We do okay.” He smirked.

Harper rolled her eyes. Since when did she find smirking sexy? Since right now, apparently.

“With as busy as you are, how did you not already have a full time office manager?”

Luke shrugged. “We really started growing about three years ago. And Beth — you’ll meet her tomorrow — used to be full-time office help until she had the twins. Now she’s part-time and just does the bookkeeping.”

Harper slowed and pulled into a gravel lot. Luke took in the renovated barn that backed up to grassy fields. The smell of steak hung thick in the air.

“Nice place. What made you pick it?”

It was Harper’s turn to smirk. “I thought we’d draw less attention here than Benevolence.”

“Good call.”

“Are you some kind of famous bachelor or hometown hero? Everyone seems to be incredibly interested in you.”

His gaze leveled with hers, but instead of the laugh she expected she saw a coolness. “Have people been talking?”

Harper tilted her head. “Talking about what?”

“Nothing.” His demeanor changed and he reached over to squeeze her leg. “Come on, I’ll let you buy me dinner.”

The hostess, a tiny pixie with dark framed glasses and purple streaks in her hair, led them back to a cozy corner booth next to a window overlooking pasture and pond. The sun was just beginning to sink behind the trees.

Luke glanced around at the textured walls of stone and plaster and the thick ceiling beams. “Nice place.”

“I thought you might like it,” Harper said, grabbing the beer list. “Meat and a cool building seemed like the right way to say thank you for everything.”

“Are you ever going to stop thanking me?”

“Are you ever going to stop doing things that deserve gratitude?” She batted her eyelashes.

“Smart ass,” Luke grinned.

They ordered draft beers and steaks as a small band set up in the adjoining room.

“So tell me about yourself, Harper,” Luke said, stretching his arm across the back of the booth.

“You’re taking this date thing pretty seriously. What do you want to know?”

The waitress returned with their beers and Harper took a sip.

“Well, we are fake dating, so I should know some things about you. Like, when’s your birthday? Where did you go to school? What was it like growing up without parents? Why are you the way you are?”

Harper laughed. “That’s a lot of questions.” She snagged his beer and sampled it before sliding it back across the table.

Luke spun the glass around before picking it up, tasting. Harper wondered if he purposely drank from the same spot she did. “I find you interesting.”

“That sounds like it’s not really a compliment.”

“I also find you smart, beautiful, funny, and brave. But I can’t figure you out. How does someone who goes through everything you’ve gone through walk around with a permanent smile on her face?”

“You mean because of my parents?”

“Your parents, the fire, your idiot of an ex. Your resiliency is impressive. How does that happen?”

“It’s not really impressive when there isn’t another option. What am I supposed to do, be all ‘woe is me’ for the rest of my life? I still get access to the same sunrises everyone else does, the same 24 hours in a day. And if I don’t take advantage of those things, it’s my own fault.”

“So the world is too big and beautiful to be sad?” He was teasing her.

“I can still be sad. But I don’t have to wallow or completely ignore the good that is still waiting for me. That’s careless and wasteful.”

Luke was silent for a moment, twisting his glass on the tabletop.

“Also, since you asked, my birthday is March 3. I went to University of Maryland and got a bachelor’s in business. I’m halfway through my MBA online. And growing up without parents was hard. Every holiday, every birthday, graduation, you’re always acutely aware that you’re missing something. Someone.”

Luke nodded. “Favorite color?”

“Red. But not a maroon or pinky red. Blood red. Do I get to ask you questions?”

Luke shook his head. “Let’s focus on you.”

“Nice try. What was it like growing up with parents? And having a brother and sister?”

“Chaos. You’ve been to Sunday dinner.”

Harper tossed her napkin at him. “I’m serious!”

“So am I.” But he relented. “I don’t know. Sometimes you wished that you could just be alone and other times you’re grateful to have them all over you. We’re close. Sometimes too close. But I grew up with my dad at every football game. I sat through all of Sophie’s dance recitals. James and I spent every summer barefoot and playing in the creek from dawn to dusk. Mom forced us to sit down at the table every night. Sometimes it was 4:30 and sometimes we didn’t eat until 9, but we were all there together.”

Harper smiled. “That sounds how I always imagined it.”

“Didn’t you ever live with other kids?”

“Sure, but it’s just different. You’re only there temporarily. Some of the homes had a ton of kids, so there wasn’t enough time to pay attention to us all. Others had biological or adopted kids who were in established routines and activities and that took precedence. Most of the time, I was just lost in the shuffle.”

“And you wanted more.”

Harper nodded. She had desperately wanted more. Still did.

“Don’t you?”

“Sometimes.”

She laughed. “You like your nice, quiet life.”

Luke cracked a smile. “It’s not very quiet these days.”

“Are you nervous about deploying?”

He sliced into a roll, buttered it. “No.”

“Have you been to Afghanistan before?”

“Yes.”

“Chatty Cathy over here.”

“What did you see in this Ted guy?” He changed the subject with no attempt at subtlety, and Harper decided to give him a break.

But it necessitated a large gulp of beer. “Ugh. I’ve been asking myself that. My friend Hannah warned me. I was new on the job. I thought he was cute, except for the goatee. He seemed like he was a good boss. And then he started bringing me coffee in the mornings. Sending me funny emails ...”

“You’re a hearts and flowers girl.”

“If by ‘hearts and flowers’ you mean a romantic, then yes. I still believe that there’s a guy out there who’s going to sweep me off of my feet and live happily ever after with me.”

Luke smirked. “The knight in shining armor who rides in to save the day.”