Page 78 of Jack
Harper wished she knew the story of Shep and London. He seemed so solemn and unshakable against London’s mystery.
“Okay, Mom, that’s two,” Austen said. “I want three more.”
“I did mention forgive, right?”
Forgive. The word ribboned around Harper’s heart.“I’m sorry I hurt you.”
Oh, why hadn’t she said she’d forgiven him?
“And . . . embrace adversity together. Which means trust each other. Am I repeating myself?”
“Is this like—couples who wallpaper together stay together?” Austen said.
Mama Em smiled. “Yes. And couples who tackle tough things, holding hands through them—they stay together too. You learn to lean on each other but also to hold each other up. And how will you become the dynamic duo without facing challenges?”
And just like that, Harper was back in Grenada, helping Jack rebuild a roof, handing up tiles and nails and . . . laughing with him. Sharing a can of grape Fanta. Hauling water to the worksite together, one hand each on the handle.
“Just keep loving, keep trusting, even if you get burned,” Mama Em said. “Keep believing the best; keep taking risks. And if you get in a fight, be the first to apologize, even if you were mostly in the right. A soft answer turns away wrath, and someone has to go first.”
Not ignore the problem and walk away? Right.
“Most of all, remember this. He’s already said ‘I do.’ Or he will—and then it’s done. You’re his and he’s yours, and now you start to dive deeper into the joy and wonder of your love. You stop trying to earn it and start the tending of it.” She reached out and took Boo’s hand. “And then you live happily ever after.”
They laughed. Even Harper, but for some reason the words lodged inside her.
They finished the pedicures, moved to the salon for their facials, and two hours later, as stars burned in the sky, they headed out to the Lumberjack’s Table.
Harper seemed to have lost her appetite, or maybe the fries from Sammy’s had filled her up. She watched as the other ladies took the mic.
London sang a version of “I Will Always Love You” by Whitney Houston that brought the house down, and then Austen and Boo offered up a hilarious version of “Wannabe”—“I’ll tell you what I want, what I really, really want?—”
The lyrics managed to add to the quagmire inside. “If you want my future, forget my past. . .”
Even Mama Em got up to sing and brought it home with Celine’s finest. “Near, far wherever you are . . . I believe that the heart does go on. . .”
“C’mon, Harp—you gotta sing.” Boo handed her the song-choice book.
Perfect.But Jack was in her head with words about not wrecking Boo’s wedding week. She gave Boo the list. “Pick one.”
“Anything?”
“I’m living on the wild side.”
“Since when?” But Brontë opened the book, found a song, and went to the front. “Tee up, Bee.”
Harper rolled her eyes but went to the front.
The first bars played, and Boo folded her arms, almost a dare.
And then the song sank in.Seriously?
Boo arched a brow.
Dare accepted. Harper stepped up to the mic. “I heard that you’re settled down. . .”
Adele’s lyrics seemed to land right in her soul, about a woman singing to her first love, the one she never got over.
“I hate to turn up . . . but I couldn’t stay away. . .”