by Donna Alward
She tasted so good, which had absolutely nothing to do with the ice cream. He lifted his hand and cradled her neck a bit as he briefly deepened the kiss, sliding his tongue into her mouth, and then retreating, aware that they were in the middle of Banff Avenue and that Harper was not likely the PDA type. Neither was he, for that matter.
“Oh,” she said softly, and her confused blue eyes lifted to capture his.
“I should probably apologize,” he replied, his voice equally quiet. “But I don’t want to. Because that was—”
“Please don’t apologize,” she interrupted. A weak smile curved her lips. “I liked it.”
That bashful admission did more to fuel his libido than any R-rated proposition she might have whispered. He looked down and found peanut butter and chocolate ice cream dripping off his fingers. What a dangerous distraction she was turning out to be.
They dumped their cones in a nearby trash can and Harper reached inside her purse for a little pouch of glass cleaner cloths. “They’re not perfect, but they should get the stickiness off. I keep them for my lenses.”
They wiped their hands and then Drew reached down and twined his fingers with hers. “Are we okay? That was totally impulsive, but I don’t want to assume anything.”
Her cheeks coloured once more. “We’re okay,” she answered, giving his hand a squeeze and then sliding her fingers out of his. “It’s not like I haven’t thought about it.” She started to walk away.
He reached out and grabbed her arm. “Since when?”
She spun around and met his gaze with laughing eyes. “Since the wedding. Just because I said no doesn’t mean I didn’t consider it for five seconds. Or that I haven’t wondered.”
She did a great impression of having a ton of self-control, but the soft pliancy of her lips and the way she’d sighed had told him plenty.
“That doesn’t mean I think this is a good idea, though,” she continued, and the buoyancy in his chest took a nosedive. “We’re very different people. You’re only here for a little while and I still don’t do flings. Plus the pregnancy complicates matters.”
He wasn’t sure how to tell her that if anything, it made her more attractive to him. Plus she wasn’t going to be pregnant forever.
“Because of Dan?”
“You don’t consider it odd that we’re talking about...us...” She hesitated over the word, frowning. “And that I’m carrying his child?”
A handful of tourists looked their way, and Harper quickened her step so that he had to trot to keep up. Did she even know where she was going?
“It’s not like you slept with him.”
“No, of course not.” She turned and faced him then, the frown deepening until there were matching creases between her brows, right above her nose. “It’s still weird.”
He wasn’t going to argue with her, so he let the topic drop—for now. If she felt it was odd, well, her feelings were her feelings. He had no problem stepping up and taking the lead but he also knew when to back off and listen, so he did. “We need to cross the street again.”
“I know.”
The real estate agent was already waiting for them, and he opened the door to the building and let them walk in ahead of him.
Drew loved the space, and had from the first moment. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the initial property that he’d come to see. That one had been okay, but too warehouse-feeling for his liking. This space was a bit smaller, but it had charm to spare. Wide open, with supporting wood beams, thick crossbeams in the ceiling and a second floor with a loft that overlooked the main level.
“Oh, this is lovely. And prime location. I can’t imagine what this would cost you.”
He tilted his head a bit and watched her move into the large center space. Not once had she mentioned his financial status, though she must know. She was best friends with Adele, after all. It was refreshing, being viewed for himself and not his net worth. If she wasn’t going to bring it up, he certainly wasn’t.
“The open concept would work great, don’t you think?”
Her voice broke him out of his thoughts. “I do.”
She stepped farther inside, went to the middle of the room and turned in a full circle. “Cash and customer service over there.” She pointed. “Otherwise, if you have lines, you’ll end up blocking access to the stairs. If you intend to use it for retail space, that is.”
“I’d like to.”
“Then you’ll have to have an accessibility plan,” she said quickly.
She was right. He hadn’t thought of that, but he should have. “It’s too good a space to waste.”
“I agree.”
He let her wander around for a few minutes, and could almost hear her brain turning. The Realtor was smart enough to stand back as well, and sent Drew a quiet smile.
She looked at the front windows and then back at him. “Lose the awnings in the front. It’ll hide your window displays, and you want them dynamic and visible. They’d be fine for a café or something, but not Aspen Outfitters.”
The Realtor nodded. “I told him the same thing.”
“You’re looking to buy, not rent, right?”
“That’s right. When I decide on something, I go all in.”
She lifted her brows. “And what if you lose?”
“I win more than I lose. And I always take calculated risks, not foolish ones.”
“In other words, it doesn’t happen often.”
“Nope.”
A smile broke over her lips. “Then why am I here again? Clearly you had your mind made up.”
“Because before I leap I always want a second opinion. And you know the area. Do you think the town can handle another outfitter?”
She nodded. “It’s a big business around here. Some will still shop in Calgary first, but with a good supply and competition here, you’ll probably see increased traffic.”
Which was his thinking, too, and he’d run some data as well—annual visitors, local populations, volume on marked trails each year or people using tour companies for backcountry expeditions. Nothing was a sure bet, but this felt good.
“And the upstairs...”
“You know what sells better than I do. You could put clothing up there if you wanted, and create a kind of boutique. But if you want to push it on the lower level, there might be some other department you want to put upstairs.” She gave him a nod. “Your people will be able to tell you that far better than I can.” She smiled. “My photographer’s eye likes the balanced feel of it.”
The Realtor looked at Drew, who gave him a brief nod. “You have my offer. It stands.”
“And your threshold?”
“No more than ten percent above the initial offer. He knows he won’t get full asking price. Even for a prime location like this.”
“I’ll be in touch.”
“Shall we?” Drew asked, sweeping his arm out to the side to invite Harper to join him in the sun again.
“That’s it?”
He nodded. “Yep. That’s it. Now I wait. It’ll be a back-and-forth of offers and negotiations now, but I’m guessing we’ll have a verbal agreement by tonight and start the ball rolling tomorrow with paperwork.
“And then what?”
He smiled. “Then it’s up to the bank. I’ll sign what I need to sign, start putting everything in order and then head back home and get the ball rolling on the whole new-store process.” He grinned. “This’ll go much faster than when we actually build a store from the ground up. A crew will go in and do the renovations, and then we can start the hiring process and shipping stock. All told...we’ll probably open in January, give or take.”
She was quiet beside him. “Sorry, are you okay?” he asked. “You got quiet all of a sudden.” It struck him that she might not be feeling well. “Is the ice cream not settling well?”
She smiled a little and they kept walking. “Oh, I’m okay that way. The morning sickness is getting a little better. There’s really only an hour or so in the morning where I feel awful, and then it goes away. I’m hoping it’ll disappear altogether really soon.”
“Then why so quiet?”
She pursed her lips as if trying to determine what to say. “Well, truthfully... I’ve enjoyed today, but I conveniently forgot that you were here such a short time. It’s not like it’s something I haven’t known all along.”
“Does that mean you’d like me to stay?” he asked, even knowing he never could. The last thing he wanted was to set up some false expectation that he might. He wasn’t the kind of guy to commit to personal relationships, and he would never want to hurt her. Still, he wanted to know the answer. Her opinion mattered, and that was a rare thing for him.
She looked up at him. “If I say yes, don’t read too much into it. I know in a lot of ways we’re very different, but you like some of the same things I do. And you seem to like me, even though I’m...”
She broke off, her cheeks flamed. He could tell, even in the hot sun, that she was embarrassed. He touched her hand and asked gently, “Even though you’re what?”
The answer was a long time coming; they skirted around a group of Japanese tourists and then past a dog walker with five dogs on leashes, all of which were amenable to pats and lots of “good boys.” He wondered if she was going to answer at all when she spoke softly.
“I’ve always been the tomboy type. I’m not curvy or exceptionally pretty, not like Adele. I usually have a hard time making friends. And as much as I know starting something between us would be a mistake, I also know it’s been nice to feel...wanted.”
An ache settled in around his heart. Harper was lonely, and loneliness was something he understood.
“You can have lots of friends and still be lonely,” he admitted. They were walking in the direction of her house, and he didn’t mind. The ice cream had kept him from being hungry for a late lunch, and there was nothing in the commercial part of town that he was dying to go to today.
“I can’t believe you’re lonely,” she said, glancing over at him. “You’re so outgoing and driven and...”
“And I miss my family a lot. I have friends but a lot of my relationships are ones of utility. It’s not quite as charming as you’d think.” He paused for a moment, reflecting. The words had just come out, but he realized how true they were. “You know, some of the most genuine, rewarding connections I’ve made have been through travel. A man who takes you to his village and invites you to dinner with his family. A tour guide who stands on the edge of a volcano with you and ponders life’s big questions. As much as I love the business, and I do, don’t get me wrong, I do occasionally get lonely.”
“Wow. Then let me say you do a great job of covering it with charm and confidence.”
“I love what I do and I’m good at it. But it doesn’t fulfill every single aspect of my life.”
They stopped on the sidewalk outside her house. “Nor should it, really. Not if you want any sort of balance.”
She was so right. “Then here we are,” he said, “two very proficient people who love their jobs, who occasionally miss personal interaction.”
“This has been an incredibly deep discussion.” Her gaze touched his and then shifted to the house. “I have lemonade or some sparkling water if you’re interested in a drink. But I understand if you have to keep going.”
He held her gaze and smiled. “If it means I can drink it sitting on that porch with you, I’m in.”
CHAPTER SEVEN
HARPER’S PULSE WAS drumming rapidly as she poured two glasses of lemonade and carried them out to the front porch. The overhang of the porch roof kept them shaded, but the afternoon was warm and mellow and perfect for sitting and enjoying the weather. That she would be sitting with Drew was what had her in a tizzy.
Because he’d kissed her today, and it had been lovely. Wonderful, even. More tender than she’d expected; gentle and unhurried. They’d had a simple ice cream in the sun and he’d held her hand. She’d had to pull away before she got too used to it, because it made her feel so lovely and special and she didn’t want to read too much into anything. Next thing she’d start actually caring, and then have her heart crushed beneath his heel.
She handed him his lemonade and remembered the look on his face when he admitted he was lonely.
“Thanks,” he said easily, and they sat on the porch swing together, a good twelve inches between them. He took a sip and leaned back, closing his eyes. “This is perfect. Reminds me of home a little.”
Home. There wasn’t any compliment that would have meant more to her. She’d been in Banff for several years now; longer than she could ever remember being in one place since she was a little girl. She’d put down her own roots and she loved her little house.
“I’m sure your folks had a much bigger house and yard.”
He laughed. “They did. There were four of us kids, and a couple of pets usually. But there was something about it, even in all the chaos, that was calming. I don’t know. I guess we always knew we were welcomed.”
She swallowed against a lump in her throat. “You’re welcome here, Drew.”
“Thanks.”
He nudged his toe on the floor and set the swing moving a little, a lazy back-and-forth that lulled. The lemonade was cool and tart, the sun warm and lazy, and Harper closed her eyes for a moment, breathing in the scent of a neighbour’s fresh-cut grass and the spicy smell of the geraniums in her porch planters.
She opened her eyes slowly and saw Drew grinning at her. “What?”
“You look like you could go to sleep.”
“Sorry. I’m really relaxed.”
He put his drink down on a patio table and leaned toward her. Her heartbeat quickened, but he didn’t touch her. Instead he reorganized the pillows on the swing so she could lean back along the side. “Here. Turn around and rest your head there, and put your feet on my lap.”
The accelerated heartbeat made her chest squeeze tighter and she shook her head. “Oh, I’m fine, don’t be silly.”
“When was the last time you took a few hours off and had a nap? Seriously. I’m going to drink my lemonade and wait for my phone to buzz, so please.”
She was tired. Pregnancy had a way of doing that to her and the indulgence was so tempting. “I’m not going to sleep. But it would be nice to put my feet up.”
It took only ten seconds for her to put her nearly empty glass on the table, shift sideways and lean back against the plump cushions, and for Drew to settle her feet across his lap, his arm lying casually across her shins. “Better?”
It was more than better. It was heaven.
And then he set the swing moving with his toe, just a little, and she closed her eyes. The warm breeze kissed her skin; she listened to the birds singing and the wind fluttering the leaves of the trees. Drew’s phone buzzed and he shifted a little to respond, but said nothing as her breath deepened. She put her hand over her belly, thinking about the little life inside her that was causing all these changes, and the fact that Drew seemed remarkably unfazed that she was carrying his niece or nephew.
That was her last thought until she woke, her feet still in Drew’s lap. He had nodded off, too, his phone still cradled in his hand, and she took a moment to look at him without fear of being caught.
There was so much more to him than she’d imagined. Things that were so good and made her think they had a lot in common, and then things that showed her how different they were. He came from a big happy family; she was an only child who’d been abandoned and then adopted. He had wandering feet; she longed to put down roots. She lived from check to check, putting whatever she could back into her business after paying the rent; he was a successful businessman.
And yet despite his ambition and energy,
there were things they had in common, too. A love of the outdoors. Loneliness, sure, but also an appreciation for the people who embraced them and were important, like Adele and Dan. Ice cream and lemonade and quiet afternoons on a front porch now and then. Naps.
His lashes lay on the crests of his cheeks, his lips slightly open. She sighed as she remembered those lips on hers, so beguiling. She was still in awe that he seemed to find her attractive. Most men found her...plain. Or friend material, someone good for a laugh but not as a love interest. Or, like Jared, they found her disposable. Good for a while but not exciting enough to hang on to.
But Drew, with his shaggy hair and dancing eyes, made her feel special.
Maybe she should enjoy that while she could. He’d already said he’d be leaving soon, once the details on the property were signed. He had a number of other stores to run, after all. But for a few weeks...
She closed her eyes again, just for a moment, and let herself imagine what it would be like if this was real life. If he were a husband and she were a wife and this was their baby. And this was their porch and a stolen afternoon together, with the bees buzzing around and the birds singing in the trees. It filled her heart with an ache so sharp she nearly caught her breath.
She wanted that kind of life, and if her past dating history was any indication, she might never have it. She tended to have a lot of first and second dates, but after that either she decided they weren’t for her or they moved on. Yeah, she was cautious—who wouldn’t be? So when men told her she was “cold” or “too guarded,” she figured they weren’t willing to put in the effort.
She certainly hadn’t come close to anything like she’d had with Jared, and that had been a farce from the beginning. The closest she might get was this moment, right now. The stolen kiss this afternoon and a nap on the front porch in the sunlight. She tucked both memories into her heart for safekeeping.
A snuffle came from the other end of the swing and she opened her eyes again. Drew was waking, his dark eyes slightly unfocused and a sheepish smile on his face. “I guess I nodded off along with you.”