Page 47 of Seeing Harper

“I thought you said you couldn’t hear?” he called after her.

“I can’t. But you just said he’s encouraging her to follow her heart. That means he’s right. You’re not.”

Travis ignored his mate as he focused on the conversation outside.

“I’m going to go inside. Summer’s probably pacing a hole in her living room carpet waiting for me to answer her call,” Harper said.

“Okay. Take care of you, Harper. When I figure out when I’m leaving, I’ll let you know.”

Travis heard the car door open and close when Harper got out.

“I’ll talk to you later then,” Harper said.

“Yeah. You will,” Clay answered, followed by the sound of his footsteps.

“Thanks for lunch, and for… everything,” Harper said.

“No, thank you. Absolutely perfect couple of days with one of my very favorite people. I needed this,” Clay said.

“Was pretty great,” Harper said.

“She doesn’t even sound that happy!” Travis called out to Libby who was in the kitchen.

“Stop listening!” Libby hissed at him.

“Shhh! I can’t hear!” Travis answered, pressing his ear more firmly against the door.

“Look, I can’t explain how at the moment, but I know everything is going to be okay. Don’t let your dad get inside your head. Just focus on what you want for your future, and don’t waiver from it. It’ll all work out. Believe me when I say it. Just don’t lose sight of what it is you want. It’ll happen.”

“I’ll try. Am I going to hear from you when you decide what you’re doing?”

“Yes, you will.”

“Drive safe whenever you go, okay? I don’t want anything to happen to you.”

“I will. And you take care of you no matter what you’re doing. I’ll be back in a few weeks after finals. I’ll keep in touch, though, when I can.”

“I will. And I’d wish you good luck on your tests, but you don’t need it. You never did.”

“She’s coming in!” Travis rushed out as he sprinted the several feet to where the sofa was.

Harper opened the front door and stepped inside. She turned and stood just to the side of the window nearest the door for a few seconds and watched Clay as he stood right where he’d been standing when she’d come inside. Then he went back to her car, opened the back door and got the picnic basket, the blanket, and the two water jugs out, then put them in his car, got in, and drove away.

She turned back to the living room to find her dad sitting awkwardly on the end of the sofa nearest the door. A place he never sat. The fact that he was fumbling with his phone while he tried to wake up the darkened screen made it all the more suspicious. “You alright?” she asked.

“Fine. Why? Are you concerned now?”

“I’m always concerned. It’s just never enough,” Harper said as she walked into the kitchen and picked up the old fashioned wall mounted land line phone from where it had been balanced along the top of its base. “Summer?”

“Hey! I’ve been calling you all day.”

“Why are you calling on the land line. Nobody ever calls on the house phone.”

“Did you not hear me? Because I’ve been calling you all day and you never one single time answered your phone, or opened a text, and I’m thinking you got stolen or something and maybe somebody ought to tell your parents, so I called the land line at your house. Sue me.”

Harper laughed. “Fair enough. I must have forgotten to take my phone off silent. Sorry.”

“So, what’s a-happening a-hot stuff?” Summer asked comically, adopting a really bad fake accent.