Page 10 of Missing Pieces
Trace cuts in before I can answer. “So you two have met then.”
“Well, I am fixing her car. But we haven’t been formally introduced.” His eyes bore into mine and I try hard to pull away, but his stare is magnetic.
Trace coughs and I realize we must have been staring at each other for a while. “Well, this seems only slightly awkward now. Easton Calloway this is Harper. Harper this is Easton.” He says gesturing between us.
Easton holds his hand out to me, “Well it is a pleasure to meet you outside the workplace, Miss —?”
“Lawson, I mean Evans. Harper Evans,” I answer and take his hand to shake it. And I swear the cheesiest most cliché thing happens, the spark they talk about in romance novels and love stories when two people touch for the first time, I felt it. It made me jump a little. I blame it on static electricity because shit like that does not happen in real life.
Easton puts on that panty-dropping smile he gave me earlier and my heart speeds up a bit. “Well, Miss Evans should I be happy it’s not Lawson or the other way around?”
“Cut the shit Easton,” Trace barks. “Do you really need to flirt with everything that has tits and two legs?”
I burst out laughing at Trace’s banter and feel better knowing that Easton is always a flirt. I am glad he isn’t serious because I cannot handle another man right now. Not that I am that sure I would push Easton away. I would gladly push him between my legs, but I really do not need a man in my life complicating things even more when my divorce has not been finalized yet. I need a good few years single before even contemplating being in a relationship again. Why am I even thinking about a relationship with Easton? I really need to get my shit together and just not think anything about Easton at all.
I look up and see a smirk on Easton’s face like he knew exactly what I was thinking about. He turns toward Trace. “Man, as long as she has two tits, I don’t care how many legs she has.”
“I’m not so sure you would be saying that if there was a mysterious third leg between her legs,” Trace jokes and Easton punches him in the arm. Trace pushes him off. “But Harper’s only here temporarily, man. Give it a rest.”
Easton’s smile fades as he breaks his stare, heads to the refrigerator and grabs a beer.
We end up eating dinner on the terrace, the setting sun adding the perfect lighting to our meal. I felt relaxed for the first time in months. I had forgotten what it was like to eat and talk with friends. My friends abandoned me when Drew and I separated. I was toxic to their social status. But these people around me felt like the real thing. I learned that Trace and Easton went to school together since kindergarten, played football, and broke hearts every day. Until Ivy moved to town when they were nineteen and it was sayonara to Trace’s one-night stands. Ivy looked at him with the biggest puppy dog eyes I had ever seen. I swear they sparkled when she looked at him. I could tell how much they loved each other even after ten years. It was tangible. I didn’t think love like that existed. Well, I did once. Trace leaned over to give Ivy a kiss and I looked away to allow them privacy. I notice Easton staring at me, embarrassed he saw me watch Trace and Ivy with obvious jealousy in my eyes.
I grab my glass of wine and try to clear the thoughts from my head when Ivy says, “So Easton it was sooo nice of you to fix Harper’s car for free.”
Trace’s head snaps toward Easton. Easton shakes his head. “I’m not fixing it for free.”
“Well you aren’t charging her until she has the money,” Ivy retorts. I glance toward Easton who is giving me a death stare.
“It was just a favor.” I quickly add, “And it’s just so I can drive to work. He’s not going to fix the transmission and car burner or whatever until I have money. So really it’s not anything.”
“Carburetor.” Easton laughs.
Trace looks at him with an odd expression and gets up to clear the table. “Can I talk to you, man?” He nods toward the kitchen and Easton gets up and follows him inside.
I look at Ivy who has a huge smile plastered across her face, “I guess I wasn’t supposed to know about that.”
“Is it really that big of a deal he is doing me a favor?” I ask her.
She grabs her wine glass and sloshes its contents back and forth, “Not really. I know that Trace is just looking out for him. Makes sure he doesn’t do anything stupid. But he did the same thing for his ex and we all know how that ended up.”
I nearly spit the wine out of my mouth I was drinking, “Whoa hold on one second. I have no interest in dating him. You know I am only here until I can fix my car.” She just nods with amusement on her face.
“And I’m not even divorced yet!” I yell louder than necessary, causing the conversation in the kitchen to stop. I look into the kitchen behind me and see the two guys turn around and go back to whatever they were talking about.
“Relax Harper, I wasn’t implying anything.”
I look at her, my expression turning serious. “I know we don’t know each other well, but I can tell meddling when I see it. I came from a world of manipulators.”
“I’m not trying to plot anything,” she says, grabbing my hand. “I just think you are a bit wound up and tired and maybe, even though you are only going to be here for a short time, you should forget about everything else that has happened to you.”
“How the hell am I just supposed to—?”
“I don’t mean permanently. I mean while you are here. It might help you heal. I know that more than most. And maybe I will tell you my story one day but not now. Just try, please. Try to push everything to the side and enjoy your time here.”
“You sound like my mother.”
She squeezes my hand. “Well, at least I am here and not halfway across the world thinking you should be with that asshole who needs to get his dick cut off.” I laugh, loosening the strings a bit that has been choking me. “And I think I am much more fun than your mother. You don’t even know what kind of fun you could have here. But you will.”