Page 25 of Jack

Jack got up.Shoot—with the list of activities and a broken schoolie to fix, he didn’t know when he’d get a chance to . . . what? Apologize? Maybe yes, because apparently, he was on a roll.

He got up, bid Axel goodbye, slapped a hand on Doyle’s shoulder, and then headed for the dance floor.

Harper wasn’t in the group of dancers, and he hadn’t really expected her to be, so he rounded back to the lobby. Not there, either, although he did spot Penelope, standing with her jacket on. He came over to her. “You leaving?”

She nodded, her mouth a little pursed, as if stressed, and weirdly, it nudged all his trouble buttons.

Stay out of trouble.

Not his business.

“Have you seen Harper?”

Penelope raised an eyebrow, her mouth loosening into a smile. “Yeah. She’s getting her jacket.” She motioned toward the coat check down the hallway.

So they werebothleaving.

He headed down the hallway, back toward the dance hall, and found her at the coat-check booth just as an attendant handed over her jacket.

“Sort of like a car valet,” she said as she reached for it.

The handoff missed, and the jacket fell to the floor inside the booth. The attendant retrieved it again with her apologies.

Jack reached over, took the jacket, and held it open for Harper. She cocked her head. He found a smile.

She shrugged and slid into the jacket.Okay,this didn’t need to be terrible. “Let’s hope they don’t take the coats for a test drive.”

He stood there, blocking her path.

“Excuse me?—”

“Listen. I’m sorry I laughed.”

Oh. Whoops.No preamble. Just like that. But that was the important part, right?

Still, his words must have hit her like a slap because she recoiled, then looked away, as if hurt.

Aw. “I mean . . . I was . . . surprised. And caught off guard. And . . . fine. I didn’t know you were . . .Bee. I thought?—”

“I know. It was my fault.” She looked at him then.

His eyes widened. “What? No. That—what happened wasnotyour fault.” He lowered his voice. “I was there. And I do remember, um . . . well, I was the one who . . .”

“Started the kiss?”

He drew in a breath. “Yes. But to be clear, if I’d known?—”

“Nice. Because of course, you couldn’t fall for your little sister’s best friend?—”

“You were a baby!” He kept his voice low, but just barely.

“I waseighteen. By a whole week?—”

“And still off-limits. C’mon, Harper. You were in high school . . . and you still . . .”Aw. This wasn’t going at all how he’d wanted. “It doesn’t matter?—”

“I still what? Led you on? Came on to you?”

He looked at her then. “You had a crush on me for years. So . . .”