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“Are you sure you’re okay?” he asks with a concerned look.
I give him a big thumbs up. Great. If he didn’t think something was wrong with me before, he definitely thinks it now.
We stop at my parents’ place, and I head inside to grab my recorder and some extra files from my room. The folder containing my notes is on my desk, with a chubby cat sleeping on top of it.
I pet the animal, hoping she’ll jump off, but my loving gesture only makes her purr. She stretches her paws and rolls on her back, demanding I pet her stomach.
“I’m sorry, that’ll have to wait. A hot, sweet guy is waiting for me outside,” I tell the cat.
I pick her up and put her on the floor so I can grab my notes. The cat stares at me while I head into the ensuite bathroom. Titan is waiting for me outside, so I shouldn’t dawdle, but I want to put on some mascara and run a brush through my hair first.
“See you later, kitty cat,” I say before running down the stairs again.
I’m lucky my parents are out because the last thing I want right now is for them to see how excited I am about spending the day with Titan. My mother would see right through me and push me to make a move, claiming that no man in his right mind would turn me down.
If only she knew. I’ve been turned down by a lot of men. It’s the reason I kind of gave up on dating. That, and… well, my feelings for Titan that I tried to ignore but kept flickering like the flame of a pilot light, nonetheless.
I open the front door and wait a few seconds before walking any further. Titan is leaning against my parents’ car, his gaze turned toward the north side of one of Bearclaw Ridge’s mountains. The sun is moving up in the sky, illuminating his face exactly the right way. The wind plays with his thick hair, and his stance is so confident that heat travels to the place between my legs. Then he turns his head and breaks out a huge smile when he sees me. Thanks to that gesture, my legs suddenly feel shaky. I grab the banister of the stairs leading to the porch so I don’t fall.
I’ve been a fool to think I’d ever get over him.
Chapter Three
Titan
Mrs. Jenkins, or Julie, as she insists on being called, has always been the kind of woman who looked out for me, my brothers, and my best friend, Austin, when we were growing up. Everyone in our neighborhood knew her. She always had the best homemade lemonade she occasionally handed out when we rode our bikes through the streets on hot summer days.
It feels weird to ring her doorbell to ask if she wants to cooperate in a murder investigation, but I’d do anything for Harper.
“Hey, buddy,” my friend Austin calls across the street. “Are you looking for Mrs. Jenkins?”
I turn around and nod. “Yeah. Do you know if she’s home?”
He crosses the street. “I think she’s in her backyard. Since I got her hooked on those podcast apps, she’s gardening with headphones on.”
His gaze flicks to Harper, and he frowns. “I’m Austin. I have a feeling we know each other, but I can’t put a finger on it.”
“I’m Harper. We went to the same high school.”
At the mention of Harper’s name, his eyebrows fly to the top of his hairline. He knows I carried a torch for her, but I told him there was zero chance she’d ever return, so he must be as surprised as I was when I saw her this morning.
“Right, Harper Beckett, huh?”
She laughs. “Wow, you have a great memory. I can’t remember your name. Sorry.”
“I’m Austin.” He points to his house across the street. “I live right over there with my wife and kids. Speaking of whom, I should get back inside. Casey and I have a newborn, and I don’t want to leave them alone for too long. It was nice meeting you, Harper.”
Then it dawns on me. My brother Falcon is Austin’s best friend. It’s only a matter of time before he knows I’m hanging out with Harper.
“Do you mind not talking to Falcon about this?” I whisper. “You know what my brother can be like. He sees me with a girl, and he’s planning a wedding.”
Austin laughs and shakes his head. “Sure thing, buddy. See you guys later!”
“Should we go round back to find Mrs. Jenkins then?” Harper asks, already walking to the gate at the side of the house that leads into the backyard.
“I don’t know. What if she’s so scared when she sees two people in her yard that she gets a heart attack?”
Harper puts a hand on her hip. “A heart attack? Seriously? Trust me, it takes a lot more than being surprised by a couple of townspeople to die from a heart attack.”
