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“Jerry, please I am begging you. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll have her out of there.”
She heard Jerry’s sigh on the other end, but she also heard Mom telling someone they were an idiot. “Fine. You have ten minutes.”
“Thank you, Jerry!” Harper hung up and dialed Milo for the second time tonight.
“Bad case of halitosis?” Milo asked without even a hello.
“I need a favor.”
“Haven’t I already done a favor for you today? That will be a lot of slices of pie you’re going to owe me.”
“Mi, Mom’s making a scene down at Schmidt’s. Jerry said he’s going to call the cops if I’m not there in ten minutes, but I’m still twenty-four minutes out.”
She heard keys clanging together on the other end of the phone. “I’m on it.”
The uncomfortable knots that had formed in her stomach began to unravel. “Thanks, Milo. I…”
“I know,” he said and hung up.
Relief spread through her hard and fast. It wouldn’t be the first time Milo helped her wrangle Mom. He usually had a better go at it, anyway. Mom found him charming. Harper had nothing to worry about now other than getting home.
Maybe it was time she gave up on her quest to find a man. She wasn’t even sure where the sudden need had come from. It was just a few girls from high school who had moved out of Morgan’s Bay had recently gotten engaged, and they looked so happy in their pictures. They were moving forward with their lives, and Harper felt stuck.
She was twenty-five and ready for the next step in her life. Reflecting on the seven years since high school, not much had changed. She was still the same girl who walked the hallways, frozen in time, never moving, always exactly where she’d been.
There had to be more out there. A bigger plan for her. She didn’t want to be the same girl with no career, no love life, and barely enough money in the bank to cover one month’s rent. She wanted more for herself. She doubted a man could do that for her and nor did shewanta man to do it for her. But at least a man could hold her hand when things got tough, be an ally when life spiraled out of control, be a beacon of light when her world was drowning in gray.
Was it so bad to want more? To want love? No, it wasn’t. But wanting and actually getting were two totally different things.
She couldn’t leave Morgan’s Bay, though. Not when Mom was still getting wasted and her brother still needed her. Tom was her favorite person, and there was no way she would ever abandon him. The only way she was leaving Morgan’s Bay was if she could bring him with her, and she wouldn’t do that to him. He just got a job at McConnell’s Market, and he was happy. So happy. She couldn’t take him away from that.
Harper came to a stop at a red light and glanced down at her phone. Milo hadn’t called or texted, so he was either still trying to corral Mom out of the bar or trying to get her in the house.
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath, and the car behind her beeped. Her eyes popped open, taking in the green light. She put her foot on the gas and continued home.
Once she got into town, she took a drive by Schmidt’s to make sure Milo’s car wasn’t parked out front or Mom wasn’t still inside. All looked calm. Thank heavens. One more lap around town, she drove by her childhood home.
In the dark of night, she could still see the rose bushes that lined either side of the front steps, the marigolds that dotted the garden in front of the bay window. Mom might have been the town drunkard, but she also had a green thumb. While the shingles on the house were falling off and the shutters were in need of a paint job, the gardens still looked good.
The lights were out in the house, except for the porch light, which Milo would have kept on to let her know all was well. She smiled, grateful she didn’t have to deal with Mom’s antics after another horrible date, and headed home.
Her house was a small rental that sat across the street from the bay. Rent was a fortune, but having two roommates pay a majority of the cost helped. She pulled into the driveway on the other side of Milo’s car and killed the engine.
She stepped out of the driver’s seat, and the strong smell of salt in the air released the tension in her shoulders. She was home. For a moment she stood there, staring out to the water, the moon glistening above, casting light across the surface.
After a moment, she headed inside. Milo was sprawled out on the couch, and Jasper, their other roommate, had his six-foot three frame folded like a pretzel on the loveseat. A documentary about wildlife or something or other played on TV. Harper dropped her keys on the table, and Milo sat up.
His brown eyes met hers, warmth and concern shining bright. He didn’t ask how she was, though. All joking aside, he knew better. “There’s a pint of chocolate ice cream in the freezer.”
A smile curved the corner of her mouth, and she turned to the freezer, grabbing the pint and a spoon. She took the carton with her and plopped down on the couch beside Milo. “Your mom’s asleep, and Tom was playing video games.”
“Thank you,” she said.
“Don’t mention it.” He lifted his arm, and she cuddled into his side before digging into the ice cream.
“So,” Milo said, “you never told me. Was it halitosis?”
She laughed, and damn did it feel good. “Nope,” she said. “More like still clinging onto the anger of his ex and obsessed with a bulldog named Sheila. And he had wing sauce on his face for half of dinner.”
