Chapter Two

Harper

I was thrilled about my dinner date with Jillian. We’d decided on a new gastropub that had just opened up in the heart of NYC, and I couldn’t wait to see what all the fuss was about. The place had already been open for a few weeks and it had been bothering me that I hadn’t yet had the time to visit it. I hated being behind in any regard, and if everyone was talking about a place that I would not rest until I had been there too.

Jermaine’s was just as beautiful as it had looked in all the photos. It had been designed to look like a cave, and when you walked in, the first part was in darkness, with only lanterns helping you find your way. Once inside, the place was much brighter, but it still had the feel of being inside a cave. It was by far one of the most innovative and exciting places I’d seen so far, and very different to all the other cookie-cutter restaurants and cafes that dotted the area. I spotted Jillian in the middle, her bright yellow dress like a beacon of light calling me in. She smiled when she saw me and got up to plant two little kisses on each cheek.

“Harper, you look gorgeous,” she said. “Where did you get that dress from? And your nails! They’re beautiful.”

I smiled. That’s what I liked about Jillian. She always noticed the details. If anyone would appreciate the effort I put into my fashion, it was her. I hated getting my nails done and then not having one person notice it. “I thought I’d treat myself. I got the dress from Batty Patty’s the other day, and I’ve been dying to wear it. It was totally worth the price tag, that’s for sure. The nails I got done this morning. I found the most amazing lady. I must give you her details. You’ll love her.”

“Please do. My nails are looking terrible, and I didn’t like the last lady I went to. She cut them so short and then put a color on that didn’t suit me at all. Aren’t they supposed to know more about nails than we do? I wasn’t sure why I just let her do her thing. I swore I would never go back to her. Anyway, enough about that. Isn’t this place to die for? I knew it was going to be good, but I didn’t realize it would be this good. No wonder everyone is talking about it. I hear the food is amazing too. All fresh produce and beautiful plating. I can’t wait. It’s worth breaking the diet for.”

I chuckled. Jillian and I were always going on about our diets, which we were never really on. We were both hard workers and spent a lot of time at the gym, so we didn’t need to worry too much. Still, it seemed only natural to talk about diets. It was just what people around here did.

“I agree,” I said. “I feel like treating myself. So, let’s get a glass of wine first.” As if by magic, a waiter appeared at our table with the wine list and we placed our order. We looked at the menu and swooned at all the options. Everything sounded delicious. In the end, we asked the waiter to help us choose and then sat back to enjoy our wine. I had not read one bad review of this place, and I had a feeling that I wouldn’t have a bad thing to say about it either. It was one of those rare places that just seemed to get everything right.

“Just what I need,” Jillian said with a happy sigh.

I smiled at her. “Same here. So, how’s life been? It’s so good to see your friendly face again. I feel like we haven’t seen each other in ages.”

“I know. It’s ridiculous. Remember how we promised each other we’d see each other at least twice a week? When did we stop doing that? And we work so close to each other. I miss those days when we went out for coffee all the time. We must do that again. And I have big news. I forgot to tell you.”

I put my wine glass down and stared at her. “You’re pregnant.”

She laughed and held up her glass. “Uh. No.”

“Oh yeah. Uh… engaged?”

“No. No. Stop guessing. You’re going to make my news sound silly now. It’s none of those things. We’re just going away together, our longest vacation yet. I’m… well… I’m hoping that it’s going to help bring Thomas and me together again. Things really haven’t been good yet.”

I smiled sadly at my friend. I wasn’t all that sure about Thomas. He was a nice guy, but the two of them had just had too many problems. I knew Jillian loved him though so I hoped this holiday would be just what they needed. I wasn’t sure if a trip was going to help sort things out, but Jillian looked excited, and I didn’t want to burst her bubble. It was like a woman who had a child just to make a relationship better. There were obviously underlying issues that needed to be sorted out first.

“So, where are you going? Somewhere fancy I assume? Oh, is that hotel and spa you were telling me about the other day? Tell me you’re going there!”

She chuckled. “Quite the opposite, actually.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Well, we’re going to some dude ranch in Texas.”

I burst out laughing and then stopped when I realized that she was being serious. “You’re not kidding? You’re going to a ranch? Does Thomas want to be a cowboy or something?”

“I don’t know. It was some idea he heard about, and he thought it would be good to do something different. You know what he’s like. He’s all about ticking things off his bucket list. I’m just glad he wants me to go with him. We’ve booked the whole thing already. We’re going for a few weeks. It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure.”

I pulled a face. “Bucket list? That is definitely not something that would be on my bucket list, that’s for sure. I have never felt the need to get away from the city. I love it here. The country life is not for me. I didn’t think it was for you and Thomas either if, I’m to be honest.”

“Well, same here, but I think it will be fun. It’s good to do something different. And I think that getting out there in the countryside sounds romantic. It’s just the sort of thing we need to rekindle our relationship again. Things have been so strained lately, Harper. I hate it. I love Thomas, and I want to make this work. I think things have just become a little too boring lately, and we’ve become too comfortable around each other. There’s no magic or spark anymore. We do the same old things all the time and talk about the same things. We need to do something different, and this might be just the thing for it. I know you don’t like the idea, but I want you to please support me on this. I want things to work out for Thomas and me.”

“Oh, Jillian, of course, I support you. That’s not what I meant at all. Just because I don’t want to go out into the country doesn’t mean that it’s not a good idea. In fact, I’m probably the one missing out on all these cool experiences,” I said. The last part was a lie. I didn’t feel like I was missing out on anything, but I wanted to be there for my friend. I knew she didn’t really want to go but that she was only doing it for Thomas.

“Thanks, Harper. I think it’s going to be great. You’ll see, I’ll come back a different person. I’ll be so much less stressed.”

“Actually, that sounds good to me too. I’m tired of being busy. I need a break.”

I worked for a very well-known PR firm in the city, and I spent most of my days jumping from one project to the next. I took a lot of pride in what I did, and I made sure that clients continued to want to work with me in the future. I’d built up a good reputation at the company, but I knew it was only because I put in so many more hours than some of the other staff. I’d always felt the need to prove myself, and I was glad that my hard work had paid off. Jillian worked nearby as a budget analyst. I often referred clients to her and vice versa. Even though we were both in very different jobs, we were equally as busy as one another. That’s why these dinner meetups were important to us. It gave us a chance to step away from work and just unwind a bit.

When the food arrived, we both gasped. As was expected, every dish that was served to us was perfect. The detail was incredible, and it looked like every element on our plate had been attended to. Some parts were almost too beautiful to eat, but each bite proved too difficult to resist, and we ended up finishing off our plates in no time.

“That was spectacular,” Jillian sighed as she looked at her empty plate.

I looked down at mine in sadness. “I wish it wasn’t over so fast. We’ll have to come back here.”

“I’m down with that. Uh, hey, Harper… this one guy has been staring at you for ages. He’s looking now.”

I turned around and saw a good-looking man at a table nearby looking at me. He shot me a smile, and I smiled back politely before looking away.

“Go and talk to him,” Jillian encouraged.

“Are you crazy? I’m here with you. I’m not going to go talk to him.”

“Yeah, but I’m not your actual date. I mean, I love you and all, but I’m not going to sleep with you.”

I chuckled. “Are you trying to tell me that I need to get laid?”

“Well, how long has it been? I’d like you to find someone to date, but if you just want to go out and get laid, I’m fine with that too.”

I shook my head. “It’s been a few months, but you know that I’m not dating at the moment.”

“Why not?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. Something about the dating scene hasn’t clicked with me lately. I can’t put my finger on it, but I just don’t feel ready to be with someone right now. I don’t feel like dating anyone or having sex with them.”

“That sounds utterly depressing. Someone as beautiful as you should really have someone. I’m sure that guy over there would be more than willing to take you out. Maybe you just haven’t found the right guy. There’s no way you would feel this way if you met the man of your dreams. You’ve just been hanging around the wrong guys.”

“Yeah, that’s probably it.” I wasn’t so sure. There were a lot of great guys in the city, but my heart just wasn’t in it anymore.

“But you can’t find the right guy without at least trying to find one. You’re going to have to put yourself out there a bit, you know. How are you ever going to find someone if you don’t at least go on a date?” she asked.

“That’s the thing though; I just don’t feel like doing that right now. I don’t feel like going through the process. The last few guys I dated just sort of put me off.” It wasn’t as if any of them had been bad, but they just hadn’t felt right for me. I was yet to find someone that I was willing to go to the countryside with. That sounded like a great deal of commitment and love that I had not experienced yet.

“Sounds to me like you need a change of scenery. I don’t think it’s the men that are the problem then. I think you just need to figure what you want. Hey, maybe you need to go to Texas,” she said and chuckled.

I laughed. “Yeah, maybe I need to find myself a hot cowboy. That would at least be a something different from all the boys here.”

“Hey, why don’t you come with? I’m sure we can still get you in! Come on; it will be fun.”

I looked at Jillian as if she were crazy. “No chance. Anyway, don’t bring me along. This is supposed to be your big romantic getaway. The last thing you need is someone like me as the third wheel.”

“Fine. But if I find a nice cowboy for you, then I’m going to bring him back with me and force you on a date with him.”

I laughed at the thought. “Good idea, Jillian. I dare you.”