She Loves Me (Harmony Pointe #3) - Melissa Foster Page 0,42
the same thing—that she didn’t do commitments. I get the impression she likes her life just as it is, and you’ve seen her in here with different guys. That’s a woman who likes to have a good time, not the kind of woman looking to become anyone’s permanent squeeze.”
Harley sat back and said, “I’m well aware that she doesn’t want to get married, and she’s been trying to have a good time with all the wrong guys.”
“You must be a glutton for punishment. I’ve seen you hit on her, and I’ve seen her laugh it off like it was a joke too many times to count. She’s got you so deep in the friend zone, you’ll never climb out.”
Their kisses told him otherwise. “You know what my mother said when Delaney’s husband took off? She told Delaney she needed to kiss a lot of toads before she found her prince.”
“Probably because Delaney married the first guy she’d ever kissed. Piper’s been kissing toads for years.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” Harley said sarcastically. “Hey, do you think Griff can pull a few strings and get me two seats to the playoff game tomorrow night?” Griffin Lennox, Jasper’s younger brother, played hockey for the New York Ice Caps.
“I can call him, but you sure you want to do that? Your ankle looks horrendously painful. What’s up? You going to see a buddy in the city or something?”
“Nope. I’ve got a date with Piper.”
Jasper sat on the edge of the desk, rubbing his hands together. “Dude, you want to make this woman yours and a hockey game is your play? We seriously need to have a talk. Piper might drink beer and play basketball, but she’s still got a vagina. Trust me on this—women are hardwired to need flowers and shit. It’s like guys needing porn. Hardwired, man. Hard. Wired.”
“Thanks for the dating advice, but I think I know her pretty well. Would you mind making the call?”
Jasper pushed to his feet and held his hands up in surrender. “Hey, man, this is all you. I’ll make the connection, but don’t blame me if the only goals you see Saturday night are on the ice. And take your pain pills, will you? There is only one reason I want to get on my knees for a woman, and this ain’t it.”
The girls were in good moods when they arrived at Harley’s mother’s house, but within minutes Piper noticed that Jolie grew quiet and withdrawn. While Sophie was sitting close to their mother on the couch, talking animatedly about her day at school and last night’s trip to the bookstore, Jolie slowly moved away, putting space between herself and Delaney. Piper’s heart hurt for both of them. Delaney looked exhausted, although she had clearly put effort into looking as healthy and normal as possible for her girls. Her long, layered dark hair was styled, and her makeup was freshly applied. She wore jeans and a loose, soft-looking button-down cotton shirt, but Piper could see she had on a compression garment beneath. Surely to a watchful and insightful twelve-year-old girl who was used to a vivacious mother with endless energy, the fatigued and carefully moving mom before her was a little scary.
“Jolie, tell your mom about the party you’re going to tomorrow,” Harley encouraged. He’d been watching the girls and Delaney as closely as Piper was.
Only Piper was also watching him, finding it hard to breathe every time she allowed herself to think about their kisses and the things he’d said to her.
Jolie fidgeted with a seam on the arm of the couch and said, “Elizabeth is having a slumber party after our last game.”
Delaney reached over to touch Jolie’s hand, but she winced in pain and pulled her arm back. “You love the end-of-season parties. I can’t wait to hear all about it.”
“I’m spending the night with Aurelia and Ben, and I’m going to help take care of Bea!” Sophie exclaimed.
“Uncle Harley told me,” Delaney said, her eyes running between Harley and Piper. “That’s exciting. What are you going to do with her?”
Piper sat beside Debra on the other couch, gazing out the window that overlooked the front yard. It had been years since she’d been there, and she remembered how special she’d felt when she’d walked into their home as a high school sophomore, holding Marshall’s hand. It turned her stomach to think of how naive she’d been back then. Marshall was her first real boyfriend. They’d been going out for only a couple