Page 117 of Shortcake
“I’m… I’m fine.” I placed my palm on top of the laptop, chest heaving with each labored breath.
Jesus. If I thought my heart rate had spiked when I got Hope’s message, I was downright nearing cardiac arrest now.
Harper’s gaze darted between me and the laptop until her face twisted in hesitant disgust. “Oh God. You weren’t looking at porn, were you?”
“What?” I screeched. “No!”
Her hands came up to her chest in surrender. “Okay, okay. You just freaked out and, like, practically smashed your laptop trying to close it.”
“It’s… it’s complicated. I was talking to someone.”
“Ah. Your sister,” Harper said with such confidence that I might have wondered if she was also some skilled hacker, able to see into my social media accounts.
“How—”
“The family dinner,” she said with a shrug. “You and your family kind of got heated when they were here a few weeks ago.”
“Right.” That fucking family dinner. “I totally forgot about that.” That felt likeforeverago. “Anyway, what’s up?”
She bit her bottom lip and her eyes darted back and forth from her cell phone, clutched in her hands to my face. “Mia from my book club was going to go shopping for school supplies and she invited me to join her.”
The drill started again and Harper stuck a finger in her ear. “Ihaveto get out of here.”
Ugh. I hear you kid.The noise was deafening.
“Well… that sounds like a question for your dad, not me.”
“I know, but I thought since dad was at the precinct and I need a ride to the store—”
“You still need to ask your dad. He’ll probably say yes. He likes Mia.”
Harper exhaled and rolled her eyes. “Fine. But I wasn’t trying to get out of asking him, I swear. It was just easier to talk to you for the ride.”
“Mia can’t give you a ride?”
She shook her head. “They’re coming from the other direction. She was at Target earlier.” Still holding her cell phone, she picked at a bit of her chipped nail polish on her thumbnail. “Besides, Iknowyou’re the reason he let me join the book club in the first place. And without you, I doubt he would have let me even go book shopping.”
“I don’t think you give your dad enough credit.” I reached out and plucked her cell phone from her hands.
“What are you doing?”
“Calling your dad for you.”
She smiled. “Oh good. See if he’ll let us pick up ice cream for tonight, too—”
“No, no.” I hitConrad–ICEat the top of her screen and as it rang, I handed the phone back to Harper. “I’mnot talking to your dad.Youare. You’re asking him.”
She took the ringing phone from my hands and pressed it to her ear.
“Hey, Turkey,” I heard him say as he answered.
“Dad…” Harper started hesitantly.
“Oh boy. What do you want?”
“Mia’s going shopping today for school supplies and she asked if I wanted to join her.”
It was silent on the other line for a long moment.
