Page 75 of Singled Out
“You’re both creative and smart and have good taste,” Cambria said. “I like business. I’ve watched a ton of videos about it and learned a lot. That said, I’m green too. We’ll figure it out together.”
I met Dakota’s gaze and lifted my brows. “Thoughts?” I asked her.
With her grin widening, she shrugged. “Where’s the downside? I love the Henrys, but I could use a change. It’s outside my comfort zone, and they say that’s supposed to be a good thing.”
“Yeah.” I’d lived most of my life deeply ensconced in my comfort zone. If I wanted to be more like Naomi—and I did—I needed to seriously up my game.
“Worst-case scenario,” Dakota continued, “the store doesn’t make it, and we have to find new jobs.” She shrugged again. “But with the collective creativity and girl power at this table? I don’t see how Earthly Charm doesn’t rock this town.”
I swirled my wine in my glass, watching the pale-yellow liquid swish around, my heart hammering. I’d never been an over-thinker. I went by my gut. Right now my gut was screaming to take the chance.
“I think we should go for it,” I said. “I’m in.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Max
Today I was leaping over the line from unwise and careless to downright stupid and reckless. It couldn’t be helped though.
Moving day had arrived for my sister and her new roommate, none other than the woman I’d slept with every single night for the past week and a half. And by sleeping, I meant minimally sleeping and mostly fucking every which way, including loose.
I kept thinking the spectacularness of sex with Harper would fizzle out, but our nights together were so incredible that the sleep deprivation didn’t bother me.
The night after we’d agreed to our no-strings fling, she’d come over again after Danny was asleep, bursting with the news that she’d committed to the business venture with Cambria and my sister. I knew what a big step it was for her, and the teacher in me was so damn proud of her for taking the leap.
Who the hell was I kidding? That wasn’t the teacher in me; it was the man who was getting to know Harper with all her strengths and quirks.
Even if we hadn’t been sleeping together, I would’ve felt the same. Harper was easy to like. She was funny, creative, and carefree in a way I’d never be, not to mention sexy as sin with an insatiable drive that kept up with mine.
Surprisingly, we found we could talk for hours, which didn’t help with the sleep deprivation. We’d delved into long, middle-of-the-night conversations on everything from the creative process to the psychology of teenagers, from the best spots on the lake for stand-up paddleboarding to our respective first dates.
As for her lack of interest in a commitment?
I was one lucky sucker.
Was it a good idea to spend every single night together? Unequivocal no. But I hadn’t found it in me to suggest a night off.
It was nearing ten a.m. on the second Sunday of September. Harper had snuck out of my place a mere five hours ago to her car, parked in a random spot downtown, and driven herself back to Naomi’s one last time.
Dakota had asked me to help her move. After all the times she’d watched Danny, I couldn’t say no, so today I’d spend hours with Harper, her dad, my sister, and our brother, Levi. My mom was helping by watching Danny at her house. Acting as if Harper didn’t affect me would require an award-winning performance and a megadose of restraint. For hours.
My siblings and I arrived with Dakota’s first two loads before Harper and her dad got to the apartment. All that was left for our next trip was living room furniture from my mom’s basement that she was donating to the cause.
We were down to the last few boxes when I walked out of Dakota’s bedroom and straight into a view of Harper in the living room, bending over to prop open the main door, her perfect ass pointing right at me from under a pair of pink running shorts.
I stopped dead in my tracks because I hadn’t heard them arrive and had not been fucking prepared for that view.
“Good morning, Max.” Her dad’s jolly voice pulled me out of my stupor as he entered the apartment. His gaze lingered on me a second too long, as if he knew damn well what I’d been staring at.
“Hi, Max,” Harper said, cheery and nonchalant as could be, but I was sure she knew what kind of view she’d given me. With her, there was a good chance she’d done it intentionally.
“Morning,” I said, my voice rough. “We were starting to wonder about you.”
“Thought maybe you came to your senses and changed your mind,” Levi said as he came out of Dakota’s room.
Dakota followed with an exaggerated sigh. “Hey, roomie, need a brother? I’m selling mine.”
For half a second, Harper’s gaze met mine and flared with meaning. “No, thanks. One is more than enough.” She laughed as I checked whether her dad had witnessed our silent exchange.