It turned out that Finn’s sibling wasn’t the only one who needed help.  Harper’s younger sister, McKayla, called her the next day in tears. 

“Can you come over?  I really need someone to talk to,” she asked in between sobs. 

“Of course.  I’ll be there in twenty minutes.” 

McKayla answered the door in baggy sweats, her hair pulled back in a messy ponytail.  She’d stopped crying, but there were mascara tracks on both cheeks that she hadn’t bothered to wipe off. 

McKayla was five years younger than Harper, and Harper had been like a second mom to her.  Her sister had always been a magnet for trouble, and she’d often called on Harper for help.  Some things never change.

“Sit down and let me wipe off your face,” Harper directed before she disappeared into the bathroom.  She came back out with some makeup wipes and began cleaning off McKayla’s face like she was six years old.  When Harper had finished, she said, “Ok.  Now.  Tell me what happened.”

“I got fired.”  And then McKayla burst into tears all over again. 

Harper wrapped her arms around her sister and held on tight until her tears subsided.  She almost said, “What did you do this time?” but she bit her tongue.  McKayla had lost her previous job due to a billing error she’d made at an accounting firm that had cost them their best client.

“Tell me what happened,” Harper repeated.

Sitting cross-legged on the couch, McKayla looked like a teenager, and while Harper had compassion for her, she also wished that her sister would grow up and become more responsible.  Still, she loved McKayla, and she’d do whatever she could to help.

“It wasn’t all my fault—it was his idea.”

“Whose idea?”

“Jackson’s.”

“Wait a minute.  Isn’t that the guy you were dating?”

“Yes.  Was.”

Harper sighed.  “Go on.”

“Jackson came to the office to pick me up for lunch, and I gave him a tour of the place.”

“And?”

“And it was quiet because most of the employees had already gone to lunch, so Jackson had this idea that we should…”

Harper motioned impatiently for McKayla to continue.

“That we should have sex on the conference room table.”

Harper’s eyes practically popped out of her head.  “And you said yes?”  McKayla had held her current job for less than six months, and Harper couldn’t believe that she’d been so reckless. 

“Well, I didn’t think we’d get caught!  I locked the door, or at least, I thought I did.”

Harper stared at her for a few beats, amazed that she and McKayla had come out of the same womb.  “Who caught you?”

Looking down at her hands, where she’d chipped off most of her red fingernail polish, McKayla said, “My boss.  Turns out the lock on the door was broken, and I had no idea.  He fired me on the spot.”

“No surprise there,” Harper muttered.

“And that’s not even the worse part!”

Eyes bulging, Harper said, “There’s more?”

“After I gathered my things and left, Jackson was waiting for me in the parking lot—to tell me we shouldn’t see each other anymore.”  She started to tear up again but managed to continue.  “He said that being around me always gets him into trouble.”

“Jackson sounds like an ass,” Harper said, and her sister smiled.  “However, that doesn’t excuse you from your part in this.  You could have said no or at least waited until you went out to lunch!”

“I know, but he smelled so good, and he had a fresh haircut, and well, never mind.  You wouldn’t understand.”

McKayla realized her mistake a few seconds too late.  Harper shot off the couch, punched her hands on her hips, and narrowed her eyes at McKayla. 

“Why wouldn’t I understand?  Because my husband is dead?  Do you think that because I’m a widow, I no longer have feelings?  That I’ve forgotten what it’s like to be attracted to a man?  Well, you’re wrong, McKayla.  Dead wrong.”

McKayla looked shocked.  They’d reversed roles.  It was usually she who lost control of her emotions, not Harper. 

“I’m…I’m sorry,” McKayla said.  “I wasn’t thinking.”

And that’s exactly why you get into trouble all the time, Harper thought but didn’t say.  Suddenly exhausted, she dropped back down on the couch and bent her head into her hands.  “I’m sorry too,” she said.  “I don’t know what came over me.”  When she looked up, McKayla was staring at her quizzically.  “What?”

“I’m not sure.  Something you said made me wonder.  Are you…seeing someone?”  She’d asked the question hesitantly, as if she were afraid Harper would blow up at her again. 

“This isn’t about me, Kay,” Harper said, averting her eyes. 

“You are, aren’t you?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to.”

“So what if I was?  What would be wrong with that?”

“Nothing.  Nothing at all.  Who is he?”

Oh boy.  How had the topic turned from McKayla’s screwup to her relationship with Finn?  She wasn’t ready to go there yet, but this was her sister.  And since she’d already told Julia… 

“It’s Finn,” she blurted out.

“Finn O’Brien?”

“Do you know anyone else named Finn?”

“Wow!  Finn O’Brien.”

“Ok, then.  Now that we’ve established who it is, I should be going.”

“Hold on, sis,” McKayla said, clamping a hand around Harper’s wrist.  For being so petite, she was impressively strong.  “When did this happen?”

“Very recently.  Too recently to make a big deal out of.”

“But it is a big deal.  It’s huge!”

Who else had said that?  Oh, right, Julia. 

And then McKayla’s face fell.  “Wait a minute.  Does Blake’s family know?”

There it was again, that sneaky little monster, Guilt, rearing its ugly head.  “Not exactly.”

“Spill it, sister.”

Harper sighed and then proceeded to tell McKayla about her last few interactions with Blake’s family.

“Well, maybe if they knew it was Finn, they’d be more accepting.  At least he’s someone they know and trust.”

“Or they might think that we were having an affair when Blake was still alive.”

McKayla shook her head.  “I don’t think so.  Everyone knew how much you loved your husband.”

Harper smiled.  Even though her sister could be incredibly immature, she also had a big heart when it came to the people she loved.  She should have known McKayla would defend her to the end, and the feeling was mutual. 

“So, you don’t think I’m an evil person to be dating my husband’s best friend?”

McKayla brushed a strand of hair off Harper’s shoulder.  “You don’t have an evil bone in your body, and anybody who knows you knows that.”

“Thanks, but I’m still not convinced that Blake’s family will be so accepting.”

“Maybe not at first, but they’ll get used to the idea.  And if they don’t, that’s too bad.”

Harper cocked her head and studied her sister.  “How can you sound so smart about this, yet…?”

“Have sex on the conference room table?  Yeah.  I know.  Crazy, right?”

Harper laughed.  “Just out of curiosity, how much did your boss see?”

McKayla giggled.  “Actually, he mostly saw Jackson’s butt because I was lying down on the table…”

Harper held up her hands in surrender.  “Ok, ok.  I get the picture.”

“I’m going to miss that butt,” McKayla said wistfully.  And then, for some reason, it struck a funny bone in them, and they broke out in raucous laughter.

After they’d calmed down, McKayla went into the kitchen and returned with two glasses of milk and a bag of Oreos.  Handing one of the glasses to Harper, she said, “Remember when we used to love these as kids.”

“Still do,” Harper said, helping herself to a few cookies. 

So, they sat on McKayla’s couch, munching on Oreos and reminiscing about their younger years, even though they weren’t really that old.  Awhile later, as she was getting ready to leave, Harper said, “I’ll see what I can do to help you find another job.”

“You don’t have to.  It’s my screwup, and I need to fix it.”

“I want to help,” Harper said.

“You already have.”

“Still, I’ll put out some feelers and see what I come up with.”

“Thanks.  I’ll start looking too.”

“Just promise me one thing.”

“What?”

“That whatever your next job is, you’ll keep your clothes on!”

“Are you kidding?  I’ve definitely learned my lesson!”

I hope so, Harper thought as she hugged her sister goodbye.

 

“Are you free?” Finn asked.

“You mean now?”

“Yeah.”

“No.  I’m on my way to a photo shoot.”  It had been a few days since she’d seen him because they’d both been booked up.  Just hearing his voice was enough to ramp up her desire, even though she’d be seeing him in two days for Valentine’s Day. 

“Damn.  I keep missing you.”

Smiling, she said, “We’re going to see each other in two days.”

“Feels too long.”

Giggling like a school girl, she said, “Sorry, but we both have to work.”

“I think I need to delegate more.”

“Me too.”  Harper had thought about hiring another photographer. maybe even an aspiring student she could train, but work was something that had given her comfort during her darkest days, and she was reluctant to let go of it.  Not to mention that she truly loved her job. 

“Two days isn’t that long,” she said, although she’d missed him too.  And because he sounded so sweet and she was feeling brave, she added, “I’m excited for Valentine’s Day.”

“Me too,” he replied, followed by, “I’ve got the whole evening planned.”

“Are you going to tell me where we’re going?”

“Nope.”

“Do I need to dress up?”

“Only if you want to.”

“I’m not sure I like surprises.”

“I promise you’ll have a good time.”

Of that, she had no doubt.  They talked for a couple more minutes, until she pulled into the county park in nearby Waterford where she was doing the photo shoot.  When she hung up, she realized she was still smiling and she felt energized just from talking to Finn.  She’d forgotten how good it felt to have someone—other than Daisy—be so eager to see her. 

Her positive mood continued throughout the photo shoot for a teenaged girl’s senior pictures.  Harper didn’t usually take jobs for senior photos, but she’d done this one as a favor for a friend of a friend.  It was a sunny winter day, with the temperature hovering in the low forties, so it was perfect for a winter shoot. 

The girl, Chelsea, hammed it up for the camera while her mom and boyfriend stood nearby and cheered her on.  Then, Harper showed them a few of the photos she’d snapped to make sure they were satisfied before departing.

Afterwards, she’d planned to go straight home, but when she was at the park exit, she hesitated.  She could either turn left toward home or turn right toward the cemetery.  Cemetery.  She’d hated the very sound of the word since as far back as she could remember, but it was even worse now because that’s where her husband was. 

Since he’d died, she’d only visited the cemetery a handful of times—yet another reason to feel guilty.  But going there didn’t make her feel closer to Blake.  It only made her feel empty.  She’d much rather look through pictures of him or of them together than sit on the hard ground and stare at his grave marker.  She’d delicately explained this to Trish shortly after he’d died, and Trish had gladly accepted the responsibility for maintaining his grave.  Unlike Harper, Trish seemed to gain solace from going there, so it was an acceptable solution for everyone. 

But today, for some strange reason, Harper was inclined to turn right, so she did.  They’d chosen the hillside cemetery for a variety of reasons, but mainly because it was located halfway between where she lived and where Blake’s parents lived.  Even if it had been closer to her, Harper doubted that she’d have visited more.  But she was there now, compelled by a voice deep inside, and so she drove through the grounds until she reached Blake’s gravesite. 

Sure enough, it was blanketed with fresh flowers, and the snow had been swept off the gravestone.  A fresh set of footprints was visible, and she bet they belonged to Trish. 

She trudged through the snow until she reached Blake’s resting place and then slowly traced her gloved fingertips over the words that were engraved on the stone.  In the past, just reading the epitaph would be enough to make her cry, but today, she didn’t.  Instead, she inhaled deeply and began to speak.

“Hi.  I guess I could have done this at home, but I was nearby, so…”  Oh God.  That sounds so stupid.  “Anyway, there’s something I need to tell you.  Although, maybe you already know.  It’s about Finn.”  And then she stopped talking for a moment as a car went by.

Sighing, she continued.  “We’ve become…closer since you…well…he’s been there for me since you’ve been gone.  You might have expected that.  I don’t know.  But recently…”  This is harder than I thought.  Gathering courage, she finished her sentence.  “Recently, we’ve become intimate.”

There, she’d said it, and suddenly, it was easier to breathe.  “I never expected it to happen, and I don’t think he did either.  But it did, and now…well…I guess we’re sort of together.  I hope that doesn’t upset you.

“I was so confused at first, and I guess, in some ways, I still am.  But he makes me happy, Blake.  And he’s a good man.  But you already know that.  He loved you so much, and he’d never want to hurt you, and neither do I.  I still miss you, and love you, and think about you every day.  But I think it’s time for me to move on with my life.  That sounds so cliché, I know.  But I’m pretty sure you’d want that for me too.”

And then, Harper heard a flutter of wings, and glancing up, she saw a robin alight in the tree overhanging Blake’s grave.  The sight of the robin’s bright red breast stood out in stark relief against the snow-covered tree branches, and her first impulse was to reach for her camera, but she’d left it in the car.  The robin stared down at her, seemingly unaffected by her presence, and then she had a strange thought.  But no, it can’t be. 

“Is this a sign?” she asked, looking back down at Blake’s headstone.  Robins returning to Michigan were a sure sign of spring, but she wondered if the robin’s appearance meant something more.  Shaking her head, she said, “Anyway, I just wanted you to know what’s going on even though I have a feeling you already do.  I love you, Blake, and I always will.”

And as she turned to leave, the robin took flight too.  When she pulled out of the cemetery and back onto the road toward home, she realized that today had been the first time she’d been able to talk to Blake without crying.  And even though she’d entered the cemetery with a heavy heart, she’d left feeling lighter. 

Now she could finally focus on something other than her grief and her work—or, more specifically, a certain tall, rugged, dark-haired man with striking blue eyes and a sexy grin.  Finn O’Brien.  Funny, even his name made her smile.