Page 12 of Not Yet Yours

“Well, I’ll try and help you obviously, but I really don’t think your Aunt Dorothy will buy the excuses for Harriet being missing all of the time from me any more than she will from you.”

“My thoughts exactly,” I say, even though truthfully, I hadn’t even considered just going alone and trying to make my Aunt Dorothy believe Harriet was with me and that they just kept missing each other. That would be crazy even for me. “Which is why that isn’t the favor I need.”

“Go on,” Max says.

Now that it’s time to actually ask her for her help with this, I’m a little bit nervous. I’m sure she’s going to say no, and I’m now worried she will think it’s all a little bit weird. But I can’t get this far and then tell her it doesn’t matter. She’s not going to let it go that easy. Ok then, here goes.

“I was going to ask Harriet to come to the party and just play along. But I don’t think I will be able to convince her to do it. You, on the other hand, could sell it as the four of us just having a laugh. I think she is much more likely to say yes to you than she is to me. So that’s the favor. Will you please convince your best friend to be my fake girlfriend and come to Carmen’s birthday party with me,” I say.

“Sure,” Max says. “I must admit I’m kind of relieved. I thought it was going to be something much worse because you sounded so nervous.”

“I guess I am a little bit nervous. It’s stupid really. I’ve fended my Aunt Dorothy off my love life since I was like twenty. I’m sureI could do it again. But I don’t know. This time, it feels different,” I say.

I know for a fact why it feels different. It has nothing to do with my Aunt Dorothy. It’s all about Harriet. I’m nervous she’ll say no, not because I will have auntie issues, but because I won’t get to spend the party with her.

“You should just get married, knock out half a dozen kids and then your Aunt Dorothy will be happy and leave you alone,” Max says.

“And are you and Cullen going to babysit all of those kids?” I say with a laugh.

“Don’t push it. One favor at a time,” Max says, also laughing.

“Do you think Harriet will agree to this?” I ask.

“Well, I can’t say for certain, but I will say this. I can be pretty persuasive when I want to be,” Max says. “Leave it to me. I’ll do my best to make it happen. It’ll be cool having my bestie there for the weekend, and despite you blaming your Aunt Dorothy for all of this, I think you and Harriet would be good together and I think you kind of want to explore that idea yourself.”

“Max…” I start, but she cuts me off.

“Oh, I know that tone of voice. You haven’t quite admitted to yourself that you like Harriet as more than just a friend. Ok, I’ll wait,” Max says. “But don’t leave it too long Liam. Harriet is quite a catch you know.”

Oh, I do know that. And I know that Max is right. I have already admitted to myself that I would very much like to spend more time with Harriet. I also know that every day I’m not with her, there’s a chance that some guy is sweeping her off her feet. Well, if she agrees to this weekend, she will see what being swept off her feet really looks like. I will treat her as though she really is my girlfriend, and I will spoil that girl rotten.

“Just get her to agree to the weekend Max,” I say.

“Ok, baby steps it is then,” Max says. “I’ll text you when she’s agreed to do it.”

She ends the call and I sit staring at my cell phone, willing a text message to come through long before Max will have had time to even dial Harriet’s cell phone number, let alone have enough time to speak with her.

Chapter Seven

Harriet

Ipick my ringing cell phone up from the table beside me and when I see Max’s name on the screen, I immediately answer the call.

“Hello,” I say.

“Hi. Are you busy or can you talk?” Max asks me.

“Both,” I say, pushing my laptop to one side of my desk. “I’m working on my website so I’m more than glad for the distraction.”

“Guess who I’ve just been talking to,” Max says.

“Hmm, I don’t know. The president? Beyonce?” I say with a laugh.

“Better than the president, not as good as Beyonce,” Max replies.

“That’s a hell of a lot of people,” I say.

“Ok, spoil sport, I’ll tell you. Liam,” Max says.