Page 67 of Shattered Chords

I rolled my eyes. “Do you think I don’t see through your game?”

“I just came to say hello before heading out.”

We were separated by only several inches of space, close enough for me to reach out and touch him, but that would be inappropriate, especially with my kid in the living room, so I didn’t. But I could smell him, among all the spices, the garlic, and the fish, I could smell his scent. Strong and male. And it made my head spin even more. I felt like I was on a rollercoaster that was going nowhere.

My phone buzzed on the table, interrupting our staring contest.

I saw Harper's name flash across the screen and answered the call.

“I need you!” He sobbed on the line, delirious. “Right now!”

Panic fluttered in my chest. “What happened?”

In my peripheral, Dante’s face darkened, but he remained politely still and silent.

“The asshole kidnapped Tallulah!”

My breath caught. “Oh no.” By asshole, he meant Lucas, who’d been trying to claim Tallulah as his ever since Harper kicked him out.

“My regular housekeeper was sick and they sent someone else, and the stupid cow just let him take my baby.”

“But I don’t understand... How?” I ignored all the expletives he was spouting.

“He came by when I was at work and told her he was my boyfriend, and she believed him!”

“Harper, I’m so sorry to hear that. You’ll get her back. I’m sure of it.”

“He’s not going to just give her up now that he has her.” More crying followed and I endured it all, then agreed to drive over to accompany my friend. He was dead set on seeing Lucas tonight and demanding Tallulah be returned to where she belonged.

“Sounds like your dinner plans have been ruined,” Dante stated once I ended the call as he watched me pace.

“Harper’s ex-boyfriend stole his cat.”

Dante’s eyes grew wide, a variety of different emotions crossing his face. “That’s low.”

“Apparently, that asshole went to Harper’s apartment when the housekeeper was there and she wasn’t his regular one, so she just assumed Lucas was the boyfriend and let him take Tallulah. Harper will try to talk to him, but I’m not sure that will yield any results.”

“Ya think?” Dante arched a brow.

“Sorry.” I ran my palms over my T-shirt, my anxiety rising and tightening. “I’ll have to leave in a bit.”

“Of course.” He nodded, aware that I’d never allow him to stay here with Ally unless I was here too. “I’ll text you in a couple of days to arrange the next lesson.”

“See you soon.”

“See you soon, Camille.”

And then he was gone.

Ally stayed home to practice and I quickly changed into a sundress and drove to Harper’s. He lived only fifteen minutes away from Dream Bride in an upscale condo he bought a few years ago.

To avoid the evening traffic, I took the side streets instead of the freeway. My stomach was uneasy and I didn’t know whether it was due to the situation with Tallulah or the situation with Dante.

He was everything I despised in a man. Flashy. Self-serving. Irresponsible. Even his hair. Gosh, I’d never dated a man who wore his hair that long.

Yet I realized that I was looking forward to his next lesson as much as my daughter was. There was something soothing about the hour he’d spent in my house explaining the trade secrets of his profession to Ally, something warm about his loud and sparkling presence.

Harper looked devastated when I finally arrived at his place. He was waiting for me outside the building, next to theLeasing Nowsign. The top three buttons of the cotton shirt he’d worn to work today were undone, and his hair in tangled disarray.

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