Page 7 of Caramel Apple Cupcake

Harper showered and dressed, making sure to moisturize her skin. Since it was the weekend and she needed to do some shopping, she put on a peach sundress and brown sandals, pairing her outfit with some colorful blue and bronze jewelry. As she looked in the mirror before leaving, she knew she looked cute as hell.

A text came in on her phone, and before she looked down, she knew who it was. Anders always checked on her each morning. Even if to only say good morning. He was sweet to herlike that. Before she climbed into her car, she leaned against the door and responded to him.

A: Hey beautiful. How’s your morning?

H: Hey yourself. I’m going shopping. Need a few things for the house. Plus,it’s Cassie’s birthday soon. Gonna pick up her gift. You can even tell her it’s from both of us.

A: You’re too good to me. What would I do without you?

H: Good thing you’ll never have to find out.

Harper knew what her words meant, but she thought it would go over Anders’s head. Of course, he didn’t know what she was up to, but he would soon find out.

A: Will I see you later?

H: Do you want to?

A: Always. Let me know when you return home.

Harper hugged the phone close to her chest. Warm feelings coursed through as she thought of his words. If she had her way, Anders would be hers sooner than he knew. Finally climbing into her SUV, she drove to the closest mall, Apple Blossom, in Winchester. It has the perfect mix of stores, and while she shopped for Cassie’s gift and some knick-knacks for her house, she would get herself a little something as well.

Although it wasn’t her job to shop for the employees of Callahan’s, she wanted to do something nice for the people who had done so much for her over the past couple of months. They had been her lifeline as she dealt with the continued fallout with her family. The phone calls from her mother, the snide comments from her father, and the complete silence from her brother made the situation even worse.

The thoughts swirled through her mind as she walked past the stores. With a few bags in her hands, she was now on her way to a store she rarely visited. A store where she could buy some items that were more in tune with the real her. The woman she rarely showed to anyone else.

Her dress style was professional during the week and while at the office. Suits. Dark colors. Sleek jewelry. It was the persona she crafted for herself over the years to thumb her nose at her father. He always complained that she would never get far in her own firm. That she needed him and his connections to truly be respected. At first, his words hurt. She did everything in her power to make her father proud. Taking on the hard clients. Winning case after case. Even taking on high-profile clients who would give her more visibility in local media.

Then she realized that none of that mattered. She could take on cases in front of the U.S. Supreme Court and her father would still question and minimize everything she was doing. It would never be her accomplishments that would make him finally believe she was worthy. He wanted her under his thumb. In his firm. Where he could control which cases she worked on, removing the potential for the ‘riffraff’ to be in her orbit. Even though she was happy with her career and made excellent money, her father did not care. And never would.

The day she had that epiphany, she almost wanted to pack up her stuff and leave. Why stay in a place where her own family thought she was a failure? She wasn’t. No one else would look at her and have those thoughts. From the outside looking in, people would view her as someone who had it all. But, after another grueling call with her mother and hearing her complain about Harper’s lack of marriage prospects, children, and again telling Harper that her father only wanted what was best for her, which was working at his firm, she had reached her limit.

Then she got a text from Anders.

It had nothing to do with the anger or frustration she was feeling, but his simple words — “Hey, beautiful. Coming this way tonight?”

That’s it. Those six words stopped her in her tracks. If she left, the one person she would miss the most would be Anders.It took her only a few seconds to respond. “You know it. Have a drink ready for me. I’ll see you around 7.”

He meant more to her than she could have expected or anticipated. She was not willing to lose any of that. Or him.

Finding the store she’d been looking for, she stood straighter and walked inside. A small smile lifted her lips as she thought about surprising Anders. He wouldn’t know what hit him, which is exactly what she wanted.

Thirty minutes later, she had everything she could have hoped for and a bit more. She glanced down at her watch as she made her way to the other side of the mall. She would put her bags in the car and call Anders to see if he wanted to go to lunch before he went in tonight.

“Hey beautiful.” The words and the voice shocked her so much, she almost jumped out of her skin.

Her hands immediately started fumbling with the bags, shifting them so that the name of the store she’d just left wasn’t visible. “Anders? Um. Where did you come from? What are you doing here?” Yes, she sounded panicked. Because she was. It was too soon for her secret to be out.

He stood in front of her in all his glory. The smirk on his lips said he knew she was up to something, but the less she gave away, the better.

“I didn’t know it was a secret. You told me where you were going to be. So, I figured I would come to see you.” He looked down at the bags in her hands. “Want some help with those?”

“No,” she practically yelled. At the odd look he gave her, she smiled to cover up her over-the-top response. “I got it. I have a good system for how I’m holding them. Plus, I’m done here. I’m sorry to tell you, but this was a wasted trip.”

“No, it wasn’t. Maybe I wanted you to go shopping with me.”

Harper laughed. “You don’t shop. I honestly don’t know how you get your clothes. But I know you never come to the mall.” She turned away with a smile. Anders walked beside her as they headed towards the mall exit. Even if he wanted to grab some things, she would not carry around these bags while they did it. And she sure as hell would not hand them over to him. All she needed was for him to look inside and see what she’d purchased.

“Well, I do need to pick up some things. Are you going to help me?” He glanced over at her.

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