Page 80 of To Bring You Back
Probably shouldn’t have left such a vital, vulnerable piece of his heart in a drawer where anyone could’ve found it. Tim would’ve pushed to move ahead with the songs regardless of Adeline’s opinion, and if Harper realized what a hold Adeline had on him, her next move wouldn’t be pretty.
He would take more care with the notebook moving forward, but as he’d tried to pick a song to record for Adeline as he’d promised, he found he had the opposite problem. Instead of wanting to keep all the songs from her, he struggled to narrow his choice to just one to share.
He chose three from the notebook and added one more, thrown together that morning, and recorded them all.
Afterward, he’d stowed the notebook in his room and now carried a drive with the songs in his pocket.
Adeline probably wouldn’t play for him, but that was no longer the point. The point was keeping his word by making the recording and letting the lyrics apologize for missing her call. And for Harper’s presence.
Though surely Adeline could understand giving shelter to someone who’d been attacked the way Harper had been. Or she would once she saw the bruises.
“Where are you going to go?” he asked.
Harper stared at him as if he’d just strangled a small animal.
“I’m sorry about what happened to you, but I … this …” He couldn’t say this put too much strain on his relationship with Adeline, or Harper would find a way to make things even worse. “Where I stand hasn’t changed. I want you to be safe, but there have to be boundaries. I don’t want your staying here to muddy the waters.”
Red tinged the whites of Harper’s eyes, and tears lined up to fall.
“Look, I’m sorry, but yesterday you had all these ideas about us, and then you, what? Ran to this other guy because I rejected you? You’ve got to see how messed up this is.”
“Of course I see it. I’m doing it to myself, right?” The tears cascaded down her cheeks. “You want me to go right back to LA where he’s waiting for me.”
“I care, Harper, but this isn’t healthy. You need help I can’t give. There are places set up specifically for women in your situation. Safe places with trained staff—”
“You think I need a shrink. You think I’m crazy.”
She needed professional help. He’d leave the why to someone else to diagnose. “How long did you expect to stay here?”
She stabbed the spoon into her food, tossing the chicken around in the skillet. “Let me stay a couple of days until I can open my eye.”
“Two days. Tops.”
“Fine. Two days.”
He stacked his sandwich as Harper turned off the burner, pushed food onto a plate, and left the room, either for the great room or the patio.
“Finally!” Harper’s voice and clapping broadcast from the great room. She bounced from one emotion to the next like a tennis ball. “I’ve been waiting for you all day. Did you see what I got for you?”
He abandoned his sandwich and reached the great room as Harper—sunglasses back on—grabbed Adeline’s hand and dragged her toward the room next to Tim’s office.
“Harper.” Gannon dodged a couch and the table where the actress had left her food. He should’ve made her promise to keep as far from Adeline as the property would allow.
Ignoring his advance, Harper pushed open the small room. “If you’re going to be here for a while, you’ll need more than you brought, so I went out first thing this morning to be your personal shopper.” She lifted her hands like a game show model introducing a contestant to their new car. Three display racks stood crowded with clothes. Below, the assortment of shoes belonged in a store. She must’ve picked up multiple sizes of everything.
“Pick what you like, and we’ll return the rest. But I think you’ll like everything. If I weren’t an actress, I’d be a personal shopper.”
Adeline stared at the selection. Her black sleeveless dress cinched at the narrowest part of her waist and fell easily over her hips, the fabric simple and soft. Touchable.
She shifted as if she might bolt. “I can still get in my house for my own things. In fact …” Her gaze darted to Gannon and then away. “I’m going back. I’m sure the fire was an accident, so, thanks, but I’m all right.”
Gannon focused on Harper. “Take off the glasses.”
Both women looked at him, Harper’s mouth ajar.
Gannon repeated his order with a hand motion.
Harper licked her lips. “You may trust this woman with all your personal stories, but my business is my business.”
