Page 74 of Forgotten Pieces

“You speak the words of my heart song,” I joke.

“If you don’t mind if Theo tags along we can go shopping if you want. Do you work today?”

“Not until five. I got plenty of time.”

Harper looks at the time on her phone. “Great. Let’s go to Chattanooga, grab some lunch, do a number on our credit cards.”

I smile at her. “Sounds like the best medicine.”

We drive to the city and make small talk along the way. I haven’t spent much time with Harper. I met her two years ago at Summer’s bachelorette party in Nashville. This was before she was dating my brother but I could tell something was going on between them with the way she talked about him and Ivy teased her. I couldn’t be happier she is my sister-in-law. She is perfect for my brother. She’s also fun, outgoing, knows how to party and she loves shopping just as much as me.

We find a parking spot outside of a cute Italian café and decide to eat there. We get a table on the outdoor patio. It’s so calming with its lush greenery everywhere. We both order wine and cheers each other to a great day of shopping ahead.

“Why did you end up leaving New York? We never really found out,” Harper asks as she feeds Cheerios to Theo in his highchair.

“A little bit of this, a little bit of that,” I answer nonchalantly followed by a large gulp of wine.

Harper observes me. I know she is trying to figure it out in her head. “Who was the guy?”

I startle at her question. How could she possibly know it had to do with someone.

“I’m not an idiot, T. I ran away from Chicago when my heart was broken too.”

Of course Harper would know. She did the same thing I did, though our circumstances were a bit different. She ran away during a divorce. I ran away over jealousy and regret. “It’s hard to see your ex happy and not be happy yourself. The city is hard to live in, it’s hard to date there. I wanted a new start.”

She sips her wine, nodding in understanding. “Sometimes it’s easier to run away than to face shit.”

“No shit.” We both laugh and I let myself loosen up over all the things in my head as the wine starts to affect me. Harper and I are close in age. And we have similar stories. I know if I unload things on her she won’t judge me and she won’t tell her husband.

“Do you plan to stay in White Creek?” she asks. “No offense, but you don’t seem the type to stay anywhere for too long. You need to feel free to fly.”

Her words send a jolt of energy through me, confusion and panic and excitement. Strange how she tells me the same thing Ryder has always said to me. I never knew people thought that way about me. It scares me a bit that I am so predictable. What if I’m easy to read? What if people find out about Ryder because I can’t keep my emotions from my face.

I try to relax by finishing off my wine glass before I answer.

“I’m sorry. Did I say something wrong?” Harper asks.

I shake my head and take a deep breath. “No. Not at all. Someone I used to know told me that a lot. That I need to be free and fly.”

“Oh gosh, I am so sorry. I hope it wasn’t your ex in New York.”

“No. It was an ex, but not that one.” I nod to the waiter when he asks if I want a refill. “But back to your question, I don’t really have a plan right now. I never intended to stay in White Creek. Hell, the last month and a half I have been here is about a month longer than I thought I would stay. But I am trying to figure out what I want to do with my life. And it’s cheap as hell to stay here to figure it out.”

Our food arrives and we both dig into our salads for a few minutes. My phone dings and I pick it up to see a text.

Ryder: Seven for a secret.

I sigh as I read it. I can’t engage. I can’t let him in. I need to step away from him and everything I feel.

“You okay?” Harper asks, nodding toward my phone.

I put my phone down, ignoring the text. “Yeah, just a text.”

“You sure you don’t need to answer it.”

“Positive,” I respond with a forced smile.

Harper eyes me suspiciously but doesn’t say anything else.

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