Page 5 of Caramel Apple Cupcake

As he watched her walk away, Anders wondered how long he would allow her to think he only wanted to be her friend. There was so much he wanted from Harper, and it sure as fuck wasn’t her friendship.

Chapter 3

Two Weeks Later

Harper knew she looked stunning. She had taken the time to make sure she looked good tonight. Three-inch black stilettos with red bottoms. Wide-leg red slacks that flowed down seamlessly. A black and red blouse that completed her outfit perfectly. Tasteful jewelry. Her braids were twisted up into a bun that was both elegant and flirty at the same time. Yeah, she looked damn good tonight…for a first date with a man who seemed to lose interest the moment he saw her.

She couldn’t help thinking how this entire night was bullshit. But the one thing she would never pass on was a nice steak dinner. She was dressed up. Had taken the time to drive to Winchester. And they met at her favorite restaurant. There was no way in hell she would walk away from this table.

Her “date” could suck it.

Harper looked up from her drink and stared at the man sitting across the table. On paper, and when chatting online, he seemed perfect. A software engineer at a local company, they had a lot of things in common. Music they both enjoyed. They went to the same university. According to him, they even loved the same movies. Once she found out they had the same feelings about family and kids, she was all in. At least, she thought they were on the same page.

But as he continued staring into his phone and not saying a word to her, she wondered what the hell she had gotten herself into. What was he thinking when he saw her? It couldn’t be her looks, because she knew she was fine. There was no doubt about that. It was time to end this charade. His bullshit behavior had passed the point of being rude and ridiculous.

Done with being ignored, she snapped. “What’s so interesting in your phone that you can’t speak to the woman sitting in front of you?”

He glanced up at her, his gaze flat and uninterested. “Is there something for us to speak about? I think we both know this isn’t going to work.”

This would have been the moment to stand up, throw her drink in his face, and walk out like the most dramatic movie scene. But she was hungry and would not give him the satisfaction. “Hmmm. Okay. How did we know that? The only difference between yesterday and today is that I’m here with you in person, rather than on a computer.”

The waiter arrived with their main courses, placing each dish in front of them. “Enjoy your meal,” he said with a smile.

“Thank you,” Harper returned pleasantly. Without hesitation, she picked up her knife and fork and cut into her steak. “Ah, perfect. Moist pink center.” She ate a bite, her eyes rolling back in her head. “Oh, that’s perfect.” She noticed James hadn’t touched his food. He simply stared at her. Using one hand, she gestured towards his plate. “Aren’t you going to eat?” She didn’t wait for him to respond before taking another bite.

“Well, you seem to be eating enough for both of us.”

The shock of his words made her freeze in place. There was no way she heard what she thought had come out of his mouth. Harper placed her utensils on her plate and simply stared at him. “What the fuck did you just say to me?” Did this motherfucker just call her fat?

“Listen.” He placed his napkin on the table. “You know how they say pictures add ten pounds.” He shook his head and mumbled, “Maybe fifteen pounds for some people. I only pursued you because of who your family is. When I saw you on the dating app, I immediately knew who you were. I thoughtit was perfect. You were my way into a prestigious family. But looking at you now, I know I can’t do it.”

Laughter bubbled up within Harper. She knew she should be angrier, but she wasn’t. Although she was excited to dress up and come out to dinner at her favorite restaurant, the man across from her wasn’t the one on her mind. No, that was someone else. Anders.

Something inside her had known this was a bad move. She had been determined to hide her feelings for Anders and decided to do something about it. Now here she sat with this pea-brained asshat who thought he was going to hurt her feelings.

She took a sip of wine and wiped her mouth with her napkin. “James, you are a pathetic man. You don’t have to like what you see. I doubt you could even handle me. Especially if you thought telling me this nonsense in a public place would save you from getting cussed the fuck out.” She laughed at his shocked face and shook her head. “I give it to you. You had me fooled. Said all the right things. Made me think we had things in common. Thank you for showing your true self. A sad man who needs a woman to come up in this world. It’s okay. I’ve decided you’re not man enough for me. It’s time for you to make like a tree and get the fuck out of my face.” She made a shooing motion with her hand. “Go away. You’re interrupting my dinner.”

His jaw had fallen slack at her words. Too surprised she called him out to his face. He had nothing to say. But what did he expect her to do? Cry? Beg him to stay? No, she would never be that way over a man. Not today. Not ever.

Ignoring him and focusing on her foot, Harper continued to eat the delicious dinner. He threw some money on the table, which she did not acknowledge, before he stood and walked away. It should have hurt more, but it didn’t. If anything, she gave a sigh of relief that she no longer had to continue the farce.

It would be nice to have someone to go out with and enjoy dinners and dancing. A man to help chase away the lonely nights. Preferably someone over six feet, with deep blue eyes and a wicked, sexy smile.

She leaned back in her seat and stared off into space. Why was she even doing this? Why was she on a dating app, trying to find the perfect man who would help her forget how much she wanted to be with Anders? Just the thought of him caused something inside her to shift. Glancing down at her plate, Harper realized her appetite was gone. This was not where she wanted to be.

After quickly paying the check for both dinners with the money James left on the table, she made her way to her favorite place. And her favorite person.

As soon as she walked through the door of Callahan’s, she saw Anders look up and catch her gaze. It had been less than two months since the first day they met. But knowing him had changed her life. She could not see her future without him in it. From the way he looked at her, she had a feeling he felt the same way. But something was holding him back.

Maybe that’s why she had the crazy thought of trying online dating. To get him out of her system. If he wasn’t going to make a move on her, why wait for him? But when she had been sitting in the restaurant with James tonight, the only person on her mind was Anders.

She sat in her normal spot at the bar, which always seemed to be open when she came by. She wasn’t complaining about it, but still found it interesting.

“Hey beautiful.” Anders approaches her, a smile on his face. When she walked in looking so damn sexy, he almost scooped her up, turned around, and headed right back out the front door. He wondered what she was so dressed up for. “Where are you coming from? Especially looking like a million bucks.”

Harper hesitated. It wasn’t that she was ashamed she had gone out with someone. Was it? Even though they weren’t a couple, she could admit she was concerned about what Anders would think. He stood in front of her, waiting for a response. She took a deep breath. “I was on a date,” she blurted out.

Anders froze in disbelief at her words. His thoughts flipped upside down. There was no way he heard her correctly. He took one step back, then came closer again. What was he supposed to say in response to that? His Harper—because in his mind she belonged to him—had been on a date with someone else.

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