She Loves Me (Harmony Pointe #3) - Melissa Foster Page 0,43

of weeks when he’d asked her to come over and watch a movie, and she’d been a nervous wreck about everything—how close they should sit, what his parents thought of her, even though they’d known her for practically her whole life, and what Marshall thought of her.

She glanced at Harley sitting in an armchair a few feet away and realized she’d never wondered what he’d thought of her back then. He was a sophomore in college when she was seeing Marshall. He came home often on the weekends and worked at the pub or hung out with Ben and Zane and some of their other friends. But she hadn’t had much interaction with him back then. Although sometimes she’d see Harley walking to or from work when she was fishing out on the lake in the rowboat she and Marshall had made. Back then Harley had just been Marshall’s older brother. He’d come over to chat a few times after she’d docked the boat, though she hadn’t thought much of those conversations, either.

Had he?

Harley glanced at her, catching her lost in thought, and goose bumps rose on her flesh. She shifted her eyes away, hoping his sister and mother hadn’t noticed. Her eyes caught on a framed picture on an end table of Harley standing between Delaney and Marshall, with his arms around them, smiling like he’d never been happier. Harley appeared to be around seventeen or eighteen. He and Marshall looked nothing alike. Marshall’s hair was lighter brown, like their mother’s, and he was tall and athletic, but he’d never been thick-bodied like Harley. Piper had always thought Harley looked just like his father, but now she noticed his smile was all Debra.

They were all smiling in the picture, but Piper saw a hint of restlessness in Marshall’s eyes. Why hadn’t she noticed it back then?

Debra put a hand on Piper’s forearm, startling her. She reminded Piper of Katey Sagal, with long, layered hair a shade lighter than Harley’s and a slightly long face with high cheekbones.

Debra leaned closer, speaking in a hushed voice. “My Marshall broke a lot of hearts, mine included. But I have hope that one day he’ll find his way back to us.”

Piper had always considered herself lucky that Marshall hadn’t returned to Sweetwater to build his life. She didn’t relish the idea of seeing him on a daily basis. When his father got sick and he didn’t come home, she’d written him off as an even bigger asshole than when he’d cheated on her. And when he came home for the funeral, she’d thought he was there to make things better and she’d been nervous about seeing him again. But she’d never had the chance. He’d taken off before the day was done, and she’d considered herself lucky once again. Now she realized how selfish that was. She might not want to see him, but Debra needed him. Did Harley? Delaney? How about the girls? Marshall had been such a troublemaker when they were younger, egging Piper on to streak down Main Street, getting her to sneak out at night, and going to parties all the time. When he’d disappeared, she’d assumed he was one of those guys who would never grow up.

But now that she saw the other side of what she thought had been luck, she felt guilty and said, “I hope he does.”

“Don’t hold your breath.” Harley held Piper’s gaze and said, “He’s the least loyal person I know. There’s a reason he was never able to hold on to a girlfriend.”

Piper hadn’t realized he was listening, and the irritation—jealousy?—in his eyes told her he’d heard every word and had taken them wrong.

“People change,” his mother said.

Harley shook his head.

“Did Uncle Harley tell you he tried to get Piper to kiss him this morning?” Sophie asked with a giggle. “She wouldn’t do it. It was funny.”

“Oh boy,” Piper said, cringing inwardly. Delaney didn’t need to worry about her brother making moves on Piper while he was supposed to be taking care of her children. She had been through enough worries for one lifetime. Piper caught Delaney’s eyes and said, “It wasn’t like that.”

“It was exactly like that, Dee,” Harley said.

“All my children have a little mischief in them.” Debra patted Piper’s arm and said, “If he tried once, he’ll try again.”

Piper felt her eyes rolling and stopped them because everyone was looking at her. Her stomach knotted uncomfortably, but she managed to wink at Jolie and scowl at Harley, who had