by Brenda Novak
The pat Karoline gave Harper’s back was awkward, but what she said was very kind. “I don’t know how any man could leave you.”
Harper smiled as she pulled away. “Guess what?”
“What?”
“I’ve agreed to go out with Tobias again.”
Her sister’s eyes widened. “You have? Where’s he taking you?”
“To dinner—tonight in Santa Barbara. Is that okay? Would you mind watching the girls so I can go?”
“Of course not! When did he ask you?”
Harper couldn’t quite meet her sister’s eyes when she replied, “Last night.”
“He texted you? Did he like the gingerbread house and cookies?”
Harper chose not to answer the first question. “He did.”
“Good! Well, I’m glad we went over there, then. And I’m excited you’re having dinner with him. Are you nervous at all?”
“Not really.” Harper went right back to her wrapping so that her expression couldn’t give too much away. “It’ll be fun to get out.”
“So...are we telling the girls you’re going on a date with the man they met?”
Harper had been deliberating about that all morning. “I don’t know. Do you think it’ll bother them that I’m seeing someone other than their father?”
“I think what bothers them is seeing you unhappy. The better you are, the better they are.”
“It’s not as though anything or anyone could ever come between us.”
“They know that, which is why I’m betting they’ll be fine with it.”
“It’s not too selfish?”
“You’re just trying to move on, Harper. That’s actually the healthier way to go.”
Heartened by her sister’s words, Harper drew a deep breath. “True. Thanks. That gives me more confidence.”
“Now are you willing to admit that you really like this Tobias guy?” she asked with a grin.
Harper felt her face warm. “Yeah.”
“After seeing him, I can understand why you might want to get to know him better,” she said with a laugh and started to walk out of the room.
Harper thought she was gone, but then she heard her sister’s voice again and realized she’d turned back at the last second. “Harper?”
“Yes?”
“Just...be careful, okay?”
“About...”
“You know the cliché about jumping from the frying pan into the fire, right?”
“Of course.” Their mother used it all the time.
“Take things slow,” she said and left.
Harper dropped her head in her hands. Slow? She’d already slept with Tobias—several times.
* * *
Tobias hadn’t considered cutting his hair since he’d been released from prison. He’d kept it so short you could see his scalp all the time he’d been locked up—not because he had to but because he considered long hair to be a liability in a fight, and he never put himself at a disadvantage. He’d been jumped often enough that he was always ready. So being able to wear it longer—to feel safe enough to let it grow—was something he considered a luxury.
After meeting Harper’s sister and brother-in-law, however, he’d been thinking about getting it cut. He knew he’d look a lot more presentable when he appeared at the door to pick her up. He wasn’t a rock star, wasn’t making millions like Axel, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t look like someone they wouldn’t mind seeing her go out with.
He wasn’t sure what to suggest to the barber, though. He had to go in with at least some idea of how he wanted his hair to look when he walked out, didn’t he? He didn’t want to pick up Harper and have her disappointed by what she saw.
As soon as he got off work—at three, since he worked enough overtime that Aiyana didn’t mind letting him go early—he called Jada, thinking that if anyone could give him some good advice in the hair department, it would be her.
“Hey, how’s my favorite brother-in-law?” she asked as soon as she picked up.
He had to hand it to her. She’d been nothing but kind to him, despite his past with her brother. He’d never forget the day, right before he was to be released, when he’d received a letter from her best friend, Tiffany Martinez. He’d been so nervous to open it, had expected to read the ugliest of recriminations.
But that wasn’t what Tiffany had written. She’d sent him a short letter wishing him well and saying she hoped he could build a good life, and she’d included a release cheat sheet—a description of all the technological advances that’d happened while he was out of circulation to help him get up to speed—as well as some money. That was all generous enough, but the part that really got to him was where she said Jada had contributed so he’d have some cash with which to get a start on the outside.
Knowing that the sister of the boy he’d shot had been forgiving enough to do something like that had brought tears to his eyes. As much as he’d been looking forward to regaining his freedom, he’d been scared shitless at the same time. He’d essentially grown up in prison. He’d gone in as a boy and was coming out a man, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to navigate the real world or if he’d been locked up for so long he’d become institutionalized.
Would he be able to function like a normal person? Find work despite his record? Lead a stable life?
Or would he fall into despair, turn to drugs and screw everything up like his mother constantly did?
There’d been so many question marks back then. A lot of fear and uncertainty, too. And since his brother had moved back to Silver Springs, and he’d had nowhere else to go, he’d had to face a lot of hatred. So he’d never been more grateful for anything than that one act of kindness, the memory of which—along with the love Jada had offered him since—had helped him hang on during even the toughest of times.
“I have a favor to ask you,” he told her.
“Of course. Anything. What do you need?”
“I’m thinking about getting my hair cut.”
“Okay.”
“And I have no idea what I should tell the barber.”
There was a slight pause. “Why are you suddenly considering a haircut?”
“I have a date tonight.”
“Someone special?”
When he hesitated, she said, “Don’t tell me it’s Harper Devlin.”
He didn’t see any reason not to admit it. He didn’t think their date was a secret. That was probably the most exciting part. By agreeing to go out for dinner with him, she was legitimizing their relationship as much as she could. “Yes.”
“Maddox told me you were sleeping with her!”
Tobias laughed. “Wow, okay. Thank him for his discretion.”
“You know he tells me everything,” she said, laughing, too. “But you don’t have anything to worry about. My lips are sealed.”
“Thank you. So...can you help me with my hair?”
“Of course. Tell me where you’re going, and I’ll meet you there.”
“That’s just it. I don’t know where to go. Where does Maddox go?”
She heaved a dramatic sigh. “It’s a good thing you called me. Let me see if I can get you an appointment with his stylist.”
“It isn’t a place where you just walk in?”
“No, it’s not. But it won’t take long to see if Manny’s there today and if he can squeeze you in.”
“Okay. Let me know.”
Five minutes later, she called back to say they were in luck. Manny would give him a cut if he could come right over to the salon.
As he left the house, Tobias saw Carl half-heartedly spraying the Pixie Tangerines on the trees of his father’s orchard with water. Tobias had done the same thing for Uriah three weeks ago; it was something citrus growers did to protect their harvest before a frost. Uriah had explained that since Silver Spring
s pixies had a long growing season—they were on the tree for eighteen months from blossom to harvest—they had to survive the winter, and although it seemed counterintuitive, spraying them with water caused ice to form when temperatures dropped, releasing heat to the ripening fruit and keeping it from freezing on the inside.
Carl must’ve picked up on Tobias’s movement in his peripheral vision, because he looked over, but he didn’t try to say anything. Fortunately, they were too far away from each other.
Ignoring the slimy bastard, Tobias climbed into the cab of his truck. He wondered how it had gone when Carl had spilled the “secret” about his record—how Uriah had responded. Uriah knew about the past, of course. He’d known all along, so Tobias wasn’t worried about how he’d react. But the fact that Uriah knew and hadn’t let on to Carl might only have increased the jealousy Carl seemed to feel where he was concerned.
And jealousy was such an ugly emotion. There was no telling what it might cause Carl to do.
19
“Wow. You clean up well,” Karoline said. “I really like the haircut.”
Tobias had secretly hoped he wouldn’t have to face Harper’s sister. So, of course, she’d been the one to answer the door. But at least he was prepared. Jada had helped him pick out a new shirt, slacks and shoes. No one he’d known in prison would recognize him. He looked as much like a doctor as Terrance did. “Thank you.”
She waved him past her and into the living room, which was empty even though the television was on. “Have a seat. I’ll let Harper know you’re here.”
He’d put on some cologne. Since he typically didn’t wear cologne, he hoped he’d been conservative enough with it. He’d fought Jada on that purchase, had been afraid it would be interpreted as trying too hard, given the haircut and all. But Jada had fallen in love with the scent, so he’d decided to accept her advice all the way around—the wisdom of which he began to question when Karoline noticed it right away.
“And you smell great,” she added.
Tobias sent her a smile. He was pretending to be as comfortable in his own skin as he was when he was in more familiar surroundings, but he was fighting the urge to stretch his collar.
Who was he trying to kid? What was he even doing here? he wondered while he waited. He was an ex-con trying to date a woman who’d recently been married to one of the most popular singers in America. If Harper knew who he really was, she wouldn’t have accepted his invitation. And even if he hadn’t made the mistake he’d made at seventeen and gone to prison for it, they came from separate worlds. He’d never lived in a home remotely as nice as Karoline and Terrance’s. He could only imagine what kind of place Harper could afford...
Feeling foolish for taking this date so seriously, he considered making up an excuse so he could get out of there before the farce could go any further. He could say that Maddox had just texted him with an emergency—his car had broken down or something—and needed his help.
But as soon as he stood up to try to catch Karoline, he saw Piper peeking around the corner at him.
“Hello,” he said.
A shy smile curved her heart-shaped lips, and she ducked back out of sight, only to tentatively peer around the corner at him again.
“Do you remember me?” he asked.
She nodded. “But you cut your hair.”
“Yeah. It’s a big change, isn’t it?” Maybe that was part of the reason he was feeling so foolish.
She nodded. “Now mine is longer than yours.”
“It sure is. Thank you for the gingerbread house, by the way. I really like it.”
This seemed to imbue her with the confidence to enter the room, although she hung back by the entrance. “Did you eat it?” she asked.
“Not yet.”
“What about the cookies?”
“Those are gone.”
“There’s more in the kitchen.”
“I’m fine for now, but thanks.”
She studied him curiously. Then she said, “Where are you taking my mama?”
“To dinner. Is that okay with you?”
She shrugged her shoulders. “Guess so.”
Terrance walked in, holding a beer. “Oh,” he said, doing a double take when he saw Tobias. “I didn’t realize you’d arrived. Can I get you something to drink?”
“No, I’m fine.”
“I hear you’re going to Santa Barbara tonight.”
“Yeah. To a restaurant called Monte’s. I’ve been told it’s one of the better places to eat.” Jada had picked the restaurant, too. She’d been there before—Tobias hadn’t—and said it was phenomenal.
“What kind of food do they serve?” Terrance asked.
“California cuisine.”
Piper edged closer to them both. “Can I go?”
Tobias didn’t want to say no. He was fine with letting her come along, although he guessed the restaurant might be a little fancy for children. But it wasn’t his decision. “We’ll have to check with your mom, okay?”
“Don’t even ask her,” Terrance advised Piper. “You can’t go with them tonight.” He gestured at the couch. “Sit down,” he said to Tobias. “I’m sure Harper won’t be long, but you might as well be comfortable. There’s a Lakers game on we can watch.”
Tobias thought of his intention to back out of the date. It would be more awkward now that Terrance and Piper were here, since he should’ve spoken up already and hadn’t, so he decided he’d take Harper out this one time and that would be it.
Terrance sat down, so Tobias did the same and was more than a little surprised when Piper kept inching toward him. Eventually she even asked if she could sit on his lap.
“Sure,” he said, lifting her onto his knee.
Piper gave him a sweet smile every time she turned around to look up at him, which was often. The fact that she seemed to like him made him feel more optimistic about the evening, but he couldn’t help wondering what was taking Harper so long. He and Terrance had watched at least fifteen minutes of the game.
Eventually, she came into the room but she looked upset, flustered. “I’m so sorry,” she said.
He set Piper aside and got up. “No problem.”
“I was ready when you arrived,” she explained, “but then I—I ran into a little problem.”
“Is everything okay?”
“It is now.”
“Are you sure?” he asked. “Because we could always put this off until another night.” Or not go at all.
“Let’s not cancel,” she said. “I’ve been looking forward to it.”
He glanced between her and Terrance. “I guess we’re going. Thanks for keeping me company.”
“Have a good time,” Terrance said. Then he gave Harper a sympathetic look and spoke in a softer voice. “Try not to think about it, okay?”
“Think about what?” Tobias asked as they walked toward the door.
“I’ll tell you in the car,” Harper replied, but Tobias thought he could guess when, after calling for Piper and not getting an immediate response, Harper’s sister yelled, “Piper, come now. Your father’s on the phone!”
* * *
“You cut your hair,” Harper said as soon as they got in his truck.
“I was ready for a change,” Tobias explained.
She nodded. “Looks good.”
“Thank you.” He couldn’t tell if she was completely sincere. She was still preoccupied.
The radio came on as he started the engine and pulled away from the curb. “So...what’s going on?” he asked.
She pinched the bridge of her nose before dropping her hand. “Back there? Oh, Axel was throwing a fit.”
“About...”
“The fact that I’m going out to dinner with you.”
Tobias turned off the radio. “How’d that come up?”
“He
texted me about thirty minutes ago. Said he wanted to talk to the girls. So while I was getting ready, I had Everly call him. The next thing I knew, she was bringing me the phone, saying he wanted to talk to me. Apparently, she’d told him I was about to go on a date. So he demanded to know who I was going with—and freaked out when I told him.”
Tobias pressed the brake so he could turn the corner. “I’m sorry. Like I said, we could always do this another time.”
Her eyes filled with tears. “He can say the ugliest things when he gets angry. He tried to tell me that I’ve never really been there for him, even though I did everything I possibly could to help him launch his career and to make him happy. Somehow he doesn’t remember how hard I worked so that he could gig with the band and wouldn’t have to worry about the rent. Or that I sang backup vocals on the first album even though I had such terrible morning sickness with Everly I could barely get out of bed. Or how I helped direct the first video—as well as starred in it—because we couldn’t afford to hire professionals and I’d had a little experience with that sort of thing in college. Or how I was alone in the hospital when I had Piper because he was touring and couldn’t make it back in time for her birth, and yet I was the one trying to make him feel better about scheduling the tour too close to my due date. Or—oh, never mind.”
She turned to face the window, ostensibly looking at all the holiday decorations as they drove past them, but Tobias doubted she was taking any of it in.
“People always say unkind things in a divorce,” he said. “Try not to let it get you down. I know that’s easier said than done, but—”
“I just never thought he’d be like this,” she broke in. “He spent so much time talking about how he still loved me and respected me, just needed his freedom and a break from the pressure he felt to do what I wanted or needed when he had so many other people at him already. And how we’d always remain friends for the sake of our kids and not let it get ugly between us.” She propped her elbow up against the door and rested her head on her fist. “But I guess all of that’s forgotten now that he’s feeling threatened. He also said I couldn’t have loved him if I’ve moved on so quickly, even though he’s the one who gave up on us and filed for divorce. And he said...” Her words drifted off as though this was the part that hurt the most.