Page 71 of Missing Pieces

Chapter Twenty-Nine

“I can’t believe you’re getting married tomorrow!” Ivy squeals at Summer as I finish stacking the chairs on the tables at the diner. We decided to have one last girl’s night with just the three of us before Summer ties the knot.

“I know! I can’t believe it either,” Summer says. “I feel like I have been waiting for this forever. And wait until you see the house, Ivy, Harper has done an amazing job. I can’t believe she found contractors to get her designs done on such short notice.” She turns to me and mouths “thank you.” I smile back at her and finish wiping down the counter.

“Well if it’s anything like what she did to this place then it has to be amazing. Of course, you could have let me see it in progress!” Ivy retorts.

Summer shakes her head. “No way. No one has seen it besides me, Harp, Brett, and Brooks. It’s supposed to be a big reveal!”

“I can’t tell if you’re more excited about the house or marrying Brett.”

I laugh. I would place money on Summer being more excited to have everyone see her house.

She turns toward me. “What’s so funny? Brett and I are practically married. Everyone has known us for years. The house is like the bride and groom on top of the cake!”

“You mean the cherry on top?”

“I was referring to the day.”

“I’m kidding,” I say with a smile as I take a seat next to them. “Both the house and your wedding will be beautiful.”

“So, Harper, what is your next project after Summer’s house?” Ivy asks with a sly look in her eye.

“Well I, uh, I don’t really know.” I bite my lip and pick at an invisible thread on my leggings. “I guess it just depends on my car and all.”

“Are you still playing that game?” Summer deadpans. I look at her surprised, considering it’s always Ivy who speaks so bluntly. “One day you say you’re staying, the next you say you’re not? So what is it? You and Easton are head over heels for each other. You’ve been here for over three months. I haven’t seen you try at all to get your car back. You’ve been working hard here and at your business. I know you must have the money by now to pay for it. When are you finally going to admit that you belong here?”

I stare at her, unable to come up with any words. I glance at Ivy and she gives me a look that makes me turn away. I don’t know how to respond to Summer because I know why I’m still here. What I don’t know is why I let it happen. This was never part of my plan. Not that I had much of a plan to begin with. But I didn’t have answers, or at least the answers I wanted, to tell myself.

“You need to stop pretending, Harper. It’s only going to hurt you and rip apart Easton’s heart. Is that really what you want?”

I hold back tears as I look between the two of them. “Of course it’s not what I want,” I manage to whisper.

“Then why are you pretending it still is?”

I can see the anger in Summer’s eyes as she accuses me. And how can I blame her? I led her on creating my so-called ‘business’ so I could get contractors to do her house. I led Ivy on by making her think I was a friend that would stick around through thick and thin and not run away the second I had a chance. I led Easton on. Oh god how I led him on and let him have a piece of my heart. It’s worse because while I gave him just a sliver of what I could, I know he gave me almost his entire heart.

I scramble my brain to try and come up with any excuse I can give. “I’m not divorced yet. I—I can’t take the risk of losing the only things I have left. There are just too many parts of me that are broken, that are still missing, and I don’t know if I can find them here.” God, what a poor excuse and probably the most selfish awful thing I could say.

Ivy laughs. “You’ve got to be kidding me?! Your divorce ain’t got nothin’ to do with the fact that you’re a coward. And don’t even start with that broken shit. You are a different person than that broken girl who first showed up here.”

I bite the side of my cheek as Ivy looks at me with disdain. I search for anything to say but find myself at a loss for words because I know that every word Ivy said is true. I slowly stand and walk to the office to grab my bag. “I’m sorry Summer. I don’t have an answer for you. I—I think I am just going to go home tonight.”

Ivy stops me with an intense glare. “Maybe you shouldn’t come to the wedding tomorrow either.”

“Ivy—” Summer starts, but Ivy’s glare moves to her.

“No. Harper thinks she’s too good for us. She’s using us and moving on. Good for her. She can do what she wants. But so will I. She doesn’t belong at your wedding if she is just gonna leave anyway. I don’t want her energy to ruin your day.”

I choke back a sob while Summer once again tries to defend me. “It’s my wedding, Ivy. I can choose who is there and who isn’t.”

“You’re right you do get to decide. But I think only your true friends should be there. Not the ones who use you to get what they want and then leave once they’ve got it.”

“I—I should…I’m gonna—”

“You’re gonna leave,” Ivy growls. “Nothing we didn’t expect.”

I stumble out the door and barely make it to my truck before the tears start pouring out.