WALKING INTO MAC’S, I spot Harper at the hostess stand and wave.
“Hi, Jayla,” she greets me with a smile. “You by yourself?”
“Zach is supposed to meet me here.”
“Okay.” She smiles, grabs two menus from behind the counter and heads toward the dining room. “Follow me,” she calls over her shoulder.
“How long have you worked here, Harper?” I ask.
“Just a few weeks.” She leads me to a table in a quiet corner. “I’ll bring Zach over when he arrives.”
“Thanks, Harper.”
Sliding into the booth, I pull out my phone and see a text from Cole. Where r u?
At Mac’s. Zach is meeting me.
K. Good luck lol
I shake my head and smile.
FORTY-FIVE MINUTES and four texts later, it’s clear that Zach stood me up. No calls. No reply to my texts. I wonder if he did this as payback for blocking him? If it is, then he’s an even bigger dick than I thought.
“I take it he’s not coming.” I look up to see Harper standing beside the table.
“Guess not,” I reply, leaning back in the booth and blowing out a breath. I can’t decide if I’m pissed or hurt. “Are you off?” I ask.
“Yeah. May I?” She points to the empty booth across from me.
“Please do. I look pathetic sitting here by myself. Want to have dinner with me?”
“I could eat.” For the next hour, Harper and I talk about nothing and everything while getting to know each other. I fill her in on my Zach drama and she listens intently, reserving judgement.
Harper is kind, but it’s obvious she keeps people at arm’s length. She’s got her walls built up sky-high as if she’s been through hell and back. I guess in a way she has. Her mom passed away just over four years ago and her sister died in a car accident a little over two years ago. Harper lives with her dad, but his job takes him out of the country for months at a time, so she pretty much lives alone and takes care of herself. I have so much respect for this girl and her strength. I might even hero-worship her a little bit.
My phone vibrates on the table and Zach’s name pops up on the screen. I’m too pissed off to talk to him, so I send him to voicemail. A text immediately follows.
I’m sorry. Practice got out early and I fell asleep. Are you still at Mac’s?
“Zach?” Harper asks.
I nod and hold up my phone. “He said he fell asleep.” I snort. “Whatever.” I roll my eyes.
“Do you think he’s lying?”
“No… I don’t know. I feel like I don’t know him anymore.”
“Well, you’re here now, so maybe it’s time to get to know him again. See if he’s the same guy you fell in love with.”
“Maybe.” I sigh. “But he’s not off to a very good start.”
“ZACH,” MY MOM whispers.
“Hmm?”
“Wake up,” she says, a little louder this time with a hint of irritation in her voice.
“What?” I groan and reach for my cell on the nightstand, pulling it close to my face to check the time—8:15 p.m.
And four texts from Jay.
I’m here.
Where r u?
Hope ur ok.
U could at least text me back to let me know ur ok. Even if u stood me up on purpose.
Shit.
I try calling her first and, of course, my call goes straight to voicemail. So, I shoot her a text.
I’m sorry. Practice got out early and I fell asleep. Are you still at Mac’s?
“You have company,” my mom continues.
I roll to my back, swiping a hand over my face before looking over at her. “Who is it?”
“The slut.” She curls her lip and flicks her wrist in a dismissive gesture.
I let out an irritated huff. “The slut” is Reagan, who is becoming a huge pain in my ass.
“Do you want me to tell her to leave?”
As much as I would love to let my mom go all bitch on Reagan, I need to put an end to this shit.
“No, I’ll talk to her.” Tossing the covers back, I roll out of bed.
“Zach—”
“It’s fine, Mom,” I toss over my shoulder as I head downstairs.
“Hey,” Reagan says as I step out on the porch in a pair of basketball shorts and pull the door closed behind me. Her eyes move over my naked chest, up to my sleepy eyes and wild bedhead. “She could’ve told me you were sleeping.”
“I’m up now,” I reply through a yawn, running my fingers through my hair. Leaning with my backside against the wall near the door, I cross my feet at the ankles and my right arm over my chest to grip my left bicep. “What’s up?”
“I was hoping to catch you after practice, but your Jeep was already gone when I got to the parking lot. You guys got out early today?”
I nod. “I’m not trying to be a dick, Reagan, but why are you here? What do you want?”
“To talk.”
“If it’s about Jay, I already told you at lunch that it’s none of your business.”
She rolls her eyes. “We never got things sorted out between us after we broke up.”
“There’s nothing to sort out. You cheated on me and I broke up with you. That was months ago, and since then you’ve been trying to hook up with my friends. So why are you here?”
“The truth is, I texted Evan by mistake. That text was meant for Cole.”
“So, you admit you were trying to screw my best friend?”
“No. I was trying to get your attention. To make you jealous. It was stupid and I’m sorry. Cole went off on me at Brad’s party and told me to stop texting him. I keep screwing up with you and I don’t know how to make things right again. I made a mistake, Zach, and I’m sorry. Why can’t you see that? I was stupid for listening to Chelsea and I know it’s my fault. I messed everything up. Just…. Why can’t things just go back to the way they were?” she cries.
I blow out a breath, deciding it’s time to lay it all out for her so we can move on. If I plan on going after my future, I need to clean up my past. “Listen, I believe you’re sorry and, no, you shouldn’t have listened to Chelsea. I didn’t go to California to ‘chase after some girl who didn’t want me’,” I say, quoting her exact words. “But yes, I went there for Jay and her family. Honestly, I thought I was over her. I thought I was ready to move on. But then I saw her, and I realized I wasn’t even close. And if given the choice, I would always choose her. I’m not telling you this to hurt you. I should’ve ended things between us the second I came back from California. I liked what we had and I’m sorry if I made you feel used but it doesn’t make it okay that you cheated on me.” She winces.
“If you’re so into her then why aren’t you two together?” she asks swiping the tears from her cheeks.
I’ve been asking myself that for the past year. “I’ve known Jay for a long time. Things are complicated between us right now, but if there is a chance we can work through it and be together, then I’ll do whatever it takes. You deserve to be with guy who wants to be with you. I’m just not that guy.” I push away from the wall and pull her in for a hug. “I’m sure there are plenty of guys who would love to go out with you. Just stay away from the ones with girlfriends.” I chuckle and she smacks me playfully on the back. “Friends?” I ask.
“Friends.”