Page 41 of Keeping You
“I found texts on his phone.” She grabs a tissue from beneath the counter and dabs at her eyes. “From someone named Kimberlee, with two e’s instead of a y. They've been seeing each other for weeks. Maybe longer.”
“Kimberlee? From Juniper?” I vaguely recall Kirk mentioning a client from the neighboring town when we were together.That fucking asshole. My mind races, piecing together a timeline that suddenly makes a sickening kind of sense.
Harper nods miserably. “You were right about him all along. I was just too stupid to see it.”
“You're not stupid.” Old protective instincts kick in despite everything that’s happened between us. “Kirk is really good at making you believe what he wants you to believe.”
She looks up at me, her anguish heartbreaking. “How can you be so nice to me right now? After everything I did?”
I sigh, running a hand over my face. “I'm starting to think I don't have the whole story.” I’m thinking he purposely led me to believe he’d cheated on me with my best friend.
“What do you mean?”
“I saw you with Kirk at Pete's,” I explain. A couple of weeks before we broke up. You two looked intimate. I assumed you were having an affair.”
Harper's eyes widen. “No! God, no, Callie. I would never do that to you.” She takes a shaky breath. “That day at Pete's,” she explains, her voice breaking, “he was telling me he was planning to break up with you. He made it sound like you were holding him back, like you two had already drifted so far apart that the breakup was just a formality.” She angrily wipes at her tears. “And I believed him. Jesus. Then, after you two ended it, he waited exactly three weeks before starting to come around the bakery more. Just long enough not to seem obvious, but now I realize he'd been planning it all along. He'd say things like“Callie never really understood me.”And“You get me in a way she never did.”And I fell for every word. God, I'm such an idiot.”
The pieces tumble into place. “All while he was actually seeing this Kimberlee on the side?”
Harper nods. “I feel so stupid, Callie. I let him come between us. I lost my best friend because I believed his lies.”
The anger I've been holding onto for months started to dissipate a few days ago, after my conversation with Luke. Now, the last remnants of it finally disappear, replaced by a bone-deep weariness. “We both made mistakes,” I concede. “I should have talked to you instead of jumping to conclusions.”
“No, this is on me,” she insists. “I knew how much you cared about Kirk, even if things weren't perfect. I should have come to you first, asked for your side of the story.” She swipes at her tears again. “And then there's Luke.”
My pulse quickens at the mention of his name. “What about Luke?”
Harper gives me a watery smile. “I was so selfish, Callie. I knew he was leaving for Chicago, and instead of supporting what could have been something special between the two of you, I made you choose. I've watched you date guys who never measured up. Not a single one of them looked at you like my brother did.”
Heat rises to my cheeks. “I don't know what you mean.”
“Yes, you do.” Her smile turns knowing. “You've had feelings for Luke since we were teenagers. And he's always had a soft spot for you, too.”
I think about denying it, but what's the point? “That was a lifetime ago.”
“I'm the reason you two never got a chance back then, and I've regretted it ever since.” She sighs, coming around the counter to sit on one of the stools next to me.
We swivel so we’re facing each other, our knees inches apart.
“After that night, when you and Luke...” She trails off, looking uncomfortable. “I knew something had happened between you two. Before he left, I caught him looking at a picture of you and me on my dresser. He had the saddest look in his eyes. And then you were deeply hurt in the days that followed. The couple of times you came to the house, I saw how you glanced over to his room, waiting for him to appear.”
“You made me choose,” I say quietly. “Between being your friend and being with him.”
Harper nods, her cheeks red, her eyes downcast. “I was scared, Callie. I overheard Luke and Dad talking. I found out about the cars long before Dad did. I should have warned Luke. I didn’t know Dad was going to send him to Chicago. And I didn’t want you to pine over him. I didn’t think that was fair. To either of you.”
“So, you made sure it never happened.”
“I did.” Her voice breaks. “And then I lost you anyway, years later, because of Kirk.” She reaches for my hand. “I'm so sorry. For all of it.”
I take my hand, feeling the warmth of her familiar touch. How many times had we held hands like this growing up? Running through sprinklers, crossing the street to school, and comforting each other through breakups and family fights.
“I'm sorry too,” I whisper. “For not giving you a chance to explain. For believing the worst.”
“You had every reason to,” she says, squeezing my hand. “But I need you to know, I never cheated with Kirk.Never. By the time we started dating, you two had been broken up for weeks.”
I believe her. The certainty of it is solid in my heart. “I know that now.”
We sit in silence for a moment, months of misunderstandings slowly fading away.
