Page 7 of Surprise Baby for Mr. Fischer
CHAPTER THREE
Harper
“Icould’ve drowned,” I whined to Stella and Ashlyn. I’d regaled my two friends with my harrowing experience in the water today. It didn’t escape my notice that most of my details were centered around the guy who saved me.
“But you didn’t,” Stella responded. “You were saved by a hot, mysterious stranger.” The dreamy look in her sparkling green eyes might have had more to do with the fruity mixed drink she was sipping on, but even without alcohol and after a bad break up she was still recovering from, Stella still believed in that fairytale kind of love.
Ashlyn snorted with laughter on the other side of me. She was used to her stepsister’s absolute belief in love. “So, tell us about him again. Now that I’m taken, I need to live my fantasy life through the two of you.”
I rolled my eyes. “Please. Your boyfriend is hot as fuck, and you know it. You don’t need to live through anyone.” Ashlyn and Dean were the cutest couple. They’d had a rocky start when they’d mutually agreed to a fake relationship to help Dean shed his playboy image to show his company he was fit to take over. As for Ashlyn, she’d needed the money he’d offered to start her curvy girl lingerie business.
What they hadn’t counted on was falling in love.
“While that’s true, the excitement of meetingtheguy for the first time ... You only get that chance once.” Ashlyn cleared her throat, her cheeks turning a light shade of pink. “Or twice.”
My body shook as uncontrollable laughter spilled out of me, and tears dampened my cheeks. When I finally got my voice back, I teased her, “Only you could have a movie-like romance, Ash.”
“I know it’s a bit cliché, leaving something behind, and falling in love with the ‘prince.’” A goofy grin settled on her lips.
The love that Ashlyn had with Dean ... that’s what I wanted.
Between the two of us and our boisterous laughter, we’d gained the attention of a trio of guys at the other end of the bar. They were handsome in an edgy sort of way, which I was typically into, but something about them seemed off. One guy in particular kept trying to catch my eye. He had short brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and a square jawline.
I turned my head to show him I wasn’t interested and focused back on Ashlyn and Stella.
“Let’s drink to fairytales coming true. Just like Cinderella, you ended up with yourPrinceand your own happily-ever-after,” I said, and the three of us clinked glasses.
“So, how are things going with your super-secret vlog?” Ashlyn whispered loudly.
I started a vlog a year earlier to show off my picker finds and refused to show my face. That kept all the attention on my finds and my voice. I used the pseudonym of The Singing Picker and would sing about the antique treasures I found. It had a similar vibe to the show American Pickers, but instead of showing the locations I found my items, I just showed each piece and described its history.
People loved my voice so much that it didn’t matter if I found an old gas station sign or a toy from the 1950s. Initially, I sang because my voice choked up every time I tried to record myself. Singing was something I loved to do when I was alone or with my sisters, but I always got nervous in front of others.
Vlogging helped me overcome that nervousness. By not showing my identity, I was able to become another person. Someone confident in who she was. If people criticized my vlog, it didn’t hurt as much since it was directed at my persona.
“Harper, you have to get over your fear. You’re amazing at what you do, and your voice is out of this world. I really don’t think people—”
I cut Ashlyn off and threw up my hand. “No, stop. I only told you that stuff so you’d understand. I’m not rehashing it here.”
