Page 5 of Craving Justice
Dillon’s relaxed smile put her at ease. “Hey, it’s the best coffee in town.” He turned toward his brother. “Seth is my brother, youngest of another three. All Aussies. I’m the only Yank in the group.”
“Yeah, but we don’t hold that against him.” Seth chuckled as he switched his gaze to Dillon and then back to her.
And kept it there.
Suddenly feeling awfully exposed, she scrunched her toes so as not to shuffle her feet. Seth was dangerous to her equilibrium. Trouble with a capital T. Not hide-behind-the-door-and-hold-your-breath trouble. No, Seth was something way more dangerous. Those all-knowing eyes and his charming smile could tempt a woman to sin so deeply she’d forget her way back to the path of the straight and narrow.
Since she considered herself a good girl, the kind who worked hard and followed all the rules—well, all the rules that weren’t her father’s—she was surprised by how much the idea appealed.
“Harper.” The sour note in her father’s voice dragged her back to reality.
His obvious displeasure at her clumsiness hauled her out of her fantasy world in which Seth swept her off her feet and did wicked things to her body.
“Father, sorry for my entrance.” All the warmth Seth had imparted in those few seconds of contact had fled from her body. She stood on tiptoes and planted a swift kiss on his cheek. God forbid, the man should bend to make it easier for the required greeting when in his company.
Her father’s brows drew together. “Your mother didn’t mention you’d be attending.” And judging from the tightness around his mouth, she wasn’t welcome.
Some things never changed.
“Sienna asked me to pop in.” Harper scanned behind her father and caught a glimpse of her sister walking toward them. “I have her tickets for a concert she’s attending Saturday night.”
Her words sounded flat, her tone, dammit, almost apologetic. Why did she let his constant disappointment in her cut so deep? Why did she feel a sting from the need to justify her appearance?
Unfortunately, her fractured family dynamic had an audience. She pasted on a just-for-the-public smile for Seth and Dillon’s benefit. “Hey, never fear. I promise my grand entrance will be my only klutz moment of the evening. I’ll stand in this one spot just to make sure.”
Seth moved, drawing all eyes to him. The handsome Aussie had one hand in his pocket and held a glass of beer with the other. Tall, broad-shouldered and confident, his casual stance did nothing to lessen the air of command he radiated. “Dillon and I will keep you company and ensure the safety of all passers-by.”
Harper’s pulse skipped a beat. Seth Justice was far from a calming influence to her nerves.
“Great idea, Seth.” Dillon’s grin suited his handsome face. “It’ll be good to have a chance to talk with Harper for longer than my usual quick morning catch-up.”
Her dad’s disparaging expression was matched by his tone. “How amusing that you know Harper from her little commercial enterprise.”
Seth and Dillon stiffened, and the atmosphere around them grew ominous. Dillon, a frown creasing his forehead, turned to his brother. “Harper owns this great café. Like I said before, it has the best coffee in Seattle.”
Seth’s gaze on her reflected only approval and support.
“My father thinks any commercial enterprise that grosses less than eight figures is not worth the time spent on it,” she explained, injecting humor into her voice. “But I like it.”
“It’s important to like your work,” Seth murmured. “Good on you.”
Seth’s honest praise heated her cheeks with pleasure.
“Maybe if it was a five-star restaurant …but it’s not.” Her father’s hard gaze swept over her, as if cataloguing any discernable imperfection overlooked from his last viewing. The tightening of the fine muscles around his mouth didn’t bode well. “At least you came dressed appropriately.”
Dillon inhaled sharply and Seth? Well, he growled.
Harper lifted her chin just that bit higher and, despite the ridiculous urge to cry, did the only thing she could in company, treated it with humor. “I checked in my apron and order pad at the reception desk.”
After years of trying and failing to please her father, she’d finally accepted she’d never have his approval. He disliked everything about her—from her growth as a person, to the friends she’d chosen, to the business she ran, and hell, to her body, which was too heavy for his patrician taste.
That realization, however, still didn’t take away the hurt. But, in the last few years, she’d decided to be herself and not live her life subject to another person’s flawed demands.
“Hey sis, thanks for dropping by.” Sienna, looking gorgeous in a red halter dress that showed off her sleek blonde hair, tanned skin, and lithe figure, stepped in past the men and hugged Harper. “Two minutes and you’ll be free,” she whispered in Harper’s ear before letting go. “You look gorgeous tonight, honey.”
Sienna never failed to give Harper compliments, especially in front of their father. The two women had always been different, but Harper never doubted her sister loved her. She was the epitome of what their parents felt was a proper daughter. Her older sister was gorgeous, the perfect corporate wife, and a mother; she rarely argued with their father. Whereas once Harper graduated college, she’d danced to her own sometimes out-of-step beat far away from the world of country clubs and corporate shenanigans.
Sienna was the strongest link Harper still had to her family.