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Her hair fell over her eye, and she tucked it behind the delicate curve of her ear. “You okay?”
“Yeah why?”
“I don’t know.” Her eyes darted to the ground and she fidgeted with the hem of her shirt. “You seem…” Her hazel eyes met his. “Tense.”
If she only knew the thoughts racing through his mind every second of every day, how her body was on a never-ending reel in his mind. Only then could she understand the restraint he needed to keep himself from acting on his desires in order to preserve their friendship. “I’m fine,” he said, and it was the first time he lied to her.
Guilt tugged at his gut, but he ignored it and kept walking.
***
Harper had no idea how many glasses she’d painted or how many she had left. She had a goal of four a day, and she knew she was well beyond that number. After her encounter with Milo in the kitchen, she focused her attention on work, letting herself get completely consumed with each stroke of the paint brush.
Her back ached, shoulders were tight, and her neck was stiff. She turned her head from left to right, stretching the muscles. What she could really use was a massage. Normally she’d pester Milo until he caved. He gave the best massages and always was able to work the knots out of her neck. Except he’d been acting strange. His own shoulders seemed to be filled with tension, and she didn’t know why. Maybe it had to do with the surprise he wouldn’t tell her about. She’d thought about sneaking into the garage, but he seemed so adamant about keeping whatever he was working on a secret. He never asked her for much, so she ignored the pesky voices in her head, telling her to go sneak a peek, and kept working.
She finished another glass and glanced at her cell. She had a new notification on the dating app, and she clicked into it. It was a simple message, and she clicked on his profile picture. From the looks of it, he wasn’t her type, though he wasn’t bad looking. She just preferred a guy who didn’t look like he spent more time getting ready than she did. Looks weren’t everything though, and she couldn’t judge a person solely on their profile picture, so she sent him a reply.
He responded immediately, and she settled into the couch as she continued the conversation. He still lived at home, but only because he was saving for a townhouse, he liked to cook, go to the beach, and check out new restaurants. He sounded promising, so she agreed to a date for Friday night. It’s not like it could be worse than all the others she’d been on. Besides, she wasn’t going to find Mr. Right by sitting in her living room.
The door opened and Milo, Jasper, and Shane burst through the doorway. Milo’s eyes caught hers for the briefest of seconds, and she smiled only for him to snap his attention away from her and onto Jasper who was arguing about dynamics or something. She wasn’t exactly sure since his voice faded as he turned to the kitchen, and she no longer could hear him.
“Hey Harp,” Shane said, coming into the living room and plopping down on the loveseat. Dark stubble lined his jawline, and he ran a hand over it.
“What have you three been up to out there?” She nodded in the direction of the garage. If Milo wouldn’t tell her, maybe she could get one of the other guys to spill.
“Sorry. I was sworn to secrecy.”
“Fine.” She sat up a little straighter and crossed her arms over her chest. “I’ll just ask Liv later.”
“Assuming I tell her.” He always was the smart one.
“Exactly.”
“Which is why I’m not telling her.”
Harper mocked shock, grabbing her chest and gasping. “You’re going to lie to our girl? I think that’s grounds for an ass kicking.”
“Settle down.” Shane laughed. “You both will understand when it’s all done.”
What could he possibly be doing that he had to keep it from both Harper and Olivia? Then again, it was Milo. He loved surprises and would go out of his way to pull one off. There were times he was cooking, and she wasn’t allowed in the kitchen because he wanted the meal to be a surprise.
Shane slid his phone out tapped the screen a few times and a smile bloomed on his face, revealing a single dimple. By his reaction, Harper assumed he was texting with Olivia. He put the phone in his pocket and tossed a glance in her direction. “You’ll find out on Friday if all goes according to plan.”
Damn it. It would have been convenient to know that twenty minutes ago. “I won’t be around Friday.”
“Why not?” Milo’s voice echoed through the room. Curiosity and disappointment flashed across his handsome features. He came into the room with deliberate steps, stopping abruptly in front of her.
“I have a date.”
If she wasn’t mistaken his eyes did a quick roll before settling on her. “Let me guess, another swipe right connection.”
“If you mean another guy from the dating site, then yes. He seems nice.” She only talked to the guy for a half hour tops, so she didn’t have much to go on, especially since deciphering online messages wasn’t as easy as having a face to face conversation, but still.
“They always seem nice.” There was an edge to his voice that had her shifting uncomfortably. “Yet they wind up to be a waste of time and a big disappointment. Every. Single. Time.”
She didn’t need him to remind her of her horrible track record in the dating pool. “Your point?”
“Cancel.”
