Part 2 (1/2)
”My wife texted me after Harper texted her.”
That sure as h.e.l.l was fast. ”Oh.”
”Oh is right. Things like that go viral around here just as quickly as a YouTube video. Best keep that in mind, little brother.”
Austin gave him a smart salute. ”Yes, sir.”
Tristan made a face. ”Shut up.”
After he closed the door, Austin turned his full salute into the one-fingered kind. Tristan rolled the window down. ”Hey, genius, you're still at school. Put it away.”
Jerking his head around, Austin shoved his hands into his pockets. Thankfully, everyone's eyes were on Trina. ”No one saw.”
Tristan gave him a look. ”Anyway, remember what I said, and I'll see you at church on Sunday.”
”But not dinner,” Austin groused. It wasn't that he hated Sunday dinners. On the contrary, he loved his momma's cooking, but his parents liked for everyone to hang around until bedtime when all he wanted to do was go back to his townhouse and watch television without having to wear pants.
”Already got plans with the wife,” Tristan said with a smirk.
Austin would bet his last dollar that Tristan's plans didn't involve wearing pants.
They said their goodbyes. Austin turned, striding to his truck. After cranking up the engine and the radio, he bypa.s.sed the carpool line and turned onto Fourth Street, mulling over his conversation with Tristan.
Maybe his brother was right and he shouldn't have asked Harper out, but what was done was done. He wouldn't back out of it, but he wouldn't ask her out again.
Quite simply, they would have drinks and a great dinner. Maybe even some good conversation. At the end of the night, he'd take her home. Come Tuesday, he would be the most professional volunteer the school had ever seen.
It was the perfect plan.
Harper's cozy cottage was only two streets away from school, so unless the weather was horrible, she walked each day. It was good exercise and, usually, it gave her time to get in and out of teacher mode. She needed that time to decompress, to compartmentalize. It wasn't as though she disliked teaching, but she was rather fond of her alone time.
Although, lately, all her time had been spent alone, but with Austin's invitation to dinner, it looked as though that was about to change.
Lemon McCoy Lawson waved at her from the porch. ”Harper!”
”Thank you for coming over on such short notice,” Harper said, catching her cousin up in a hug. Then she stepped back, taking note of the purple shadows under Lemon's eyes. ”I woke you up, didn't I?” She groaned a little. ”I feel so bad.”
”Don't feel bad. Besides, I needed the exercise.” Lemon put a hand on her very pregnant belly and laughed. ”It's best to do as much as I can before I can't do anything at all.”
”I bet Tristan will carry you and the babies around once they're born,” Harper said as they moved to the front door. She unlocked it and held it open, ”Let's go inside so you can put your feet up.”
Libby came bounding down the hall, her tongue hanging out and her tail wagging. But as soon as she got within petting distance of Harper, she sat down and patiently waited. Whoever had taken care of Libby first had trained her well.
Harper crouched down, taking Libby's furry face in her hands. ”How's my sweet girl? Did you miss me today?”
Libby's tail thumped excitedly on the floor.
”I think she did,” Lemon said, moving past her. ”She's such a good girl. I never have to worry about her jumping on me.”
Harper gave Libby another affection rub and went to the back door to let her out. She took off at once, running to the opposite end of the fenced in backyard.
With a shake of her head and a smile, Harper shut the door. ”Can I get you something to drink?”
”Tea, please.”
Once Lemon was comfy and Harper had fixed them both a gla.s.s of sweet tea, Harper sat down. ”I have a date. But you already know that.”
”I do, and I'm very happy you're so excited.” Lemon's hazel eyes were clear and pure. There was no dishonesty there. No making fun of Plain-Jane McCoy as she was oftentimes referred to in the family. ”Is there something particular I can help you with?”
Harper shrugged. ”Everything?”
Setting her gla.s.s down on the table beside the chair, Lemon made a noise. ”Harper Bell, you don't need to change a thing.”
”Yes, I do-at least for tonight... I have no idea what to wear for dinner with Austin. Supposedly, he's a famous athlete.” Oh gosh, she sounded ridiculous, but at least she was only sounding that way in front of Lemon. ”I'm nervous.”
”That's okay. I think you should wear your prettiest dress and curl you hair. Add some lip gloss and you're as perfect as can be,” Lemon said with such authority that Harper began to feel better.
”Are you sure that's all I need?”
Lemon's gaze flicked to Harper's chest. ”Sugar, he asked you out while you were wearing a teacher's uniform. Of course that's all you need.”
”This isn't my teacher uniform.” Harper glanced down at her chest. ”I love this sweater.”
”It's charming,” Lemon agreed.
”You hate it.”
”I don't hate it.”
”You'd never wear it,” Harper insisted.
”That's because if I did, the snowflakes would turn into a family of Abominable Snowmen,” Lemon said with a straight face.
Harper laughed. ”Stop it.”
Lemon smiled. ”We don't have to agree on fas.h.i.+on, but you have to admit that the man asked you out at the end of a workday. While you are gorgeous, the rest of us are mere mortals.”
While Lemon exaggerated about how gorgeous Harper was, she did have a point about the timing. When she taught school, she wasn't a woman, she was a teacher-a caregiver... In other words, she was not s.e.xy or at her dating best.
Sure, she looked nice for school, but it was work appropriate... and her work came with hazards like sick kids, snotty noses, and cla.s.srooms spills. No matter their age in elementary school, students depended on their cla.s.sroom teachers to mother or father them while they were in their care-along with teaching them.
”Would you at least help me decide which dress to wear?” Harper asked.
”Of course.” Lemon clapped her hands. ”I love fas.h.i.+on shows, but first, can we have a snack?”
An hour and a half later, Libby was sitting by the fireplace and gnawing on her favorite lovey, Lemon's hunger was a.s.suaged, and Harper was trying on the third dress on her list. She hoped this one would work, mainly because it was the last one on her list.
Stepping out of her bedroom and into the hallway, she quickly moved to the living room. ”What do you-?”