“You looked a little hurt there.”
“I’m good. More than good.” She smiled at him.
“Abel’s sorry,” Gideon said.
Harper paused. “Are you trying to help him?”
“Abel would like a chance to get to know you.”
“This is screaming stalker, and no way is that even book-boyfriend material!” She read a lot of books, and had a lot of guys she’d gladly have as a boyfriend. Pushing that out of her mind, she stared at the two brothers, wrinkling her nose as she looked at them. They were both good-looking men, and she imagined all of them were handsome, sexy even. Kind of like the men you didn’t want to love but had no choice but to love.
“What is a book boyfriend?” Gideon asked.
“Never mind. It was an awful example.”
“Abel just wants a chance. He’s an asshole, but he’s our brother.”
“So it makes everything okay?”
“No,” Damian said. “Look, let me just say it’s not like he has a whole lot of choice.”
“Really? Someone is forcing him?” Harper was confused.
“God, this is hard,” Damian said, looking up at the sky.
“Enjoy it. We’re all going to have to go through this.” Gideon spoke this time.
“As much as I’d love to have this chat, I have work to do.” She turned to Damian. “We had fun last night. I was a little hurt that you went home with my friend, but that doesn’t matter. It has happened a lot, and I don’t put out on the first date. Also, last night, I lied. I’m not twenty-one years old. I’m six months away from that, so I shouldn’t have been inside the casino last night. I’m sorry. Now, I don’t date, I don’t really do anything crazy. That’s all you’re going to get from me. It was nice meeting you. Please don’t break my friends’ hearts. I love them like sisters, and can I please go so I can clear my head, and not get fired?”
“By asshole lawyer?”
“Asshole lawyer actually gave me a chance. I need to pick a path for myself, and the only way to do that is to know what I do and do not want out of life.” She took a deep breath. “Nice talking to you.”
Harper left them behind, and smiled as she made her way up the street. The flowers had been nice. She couldn’t deny that. Abel Denton was the first guy to grab her ass, ask her on a date, and send her flowers. She couldn’t help but be intrigued, even though she wasn’t sure that she liked him very much. He was rude, and she didn’t really know him at all.
Pushing him to the back of her mind, she concentrated on work, and the potential future she had to start figuring out.
Chapter Three
“What do you mean, she didn’t like them?” Abel asked, following his younger brother as they entered their parents’ kitchen.
His mother, Charlotte was standing at the sink, peeling potatoes.
“I mean, she wasn’t impressed. There’s no chance of you getting with her if you keep putting pressure on her,” Damian said.
“She looked pissed that Damian was with Betty,” Gideon said, biting into an apple, and talking in between bites. “She may even have a crush on him.”
“How the fuck is this even possible? She’s mine.”
“What are you moaning about?” Charlotte asked, turning around to face the room. “Jacob and Lou are due back home any minute, and you’re moaning. What do I have to fix now?”
“Mom, you’re going crazy. Jacob and Lou are due back next week,” Abel said, laughing.
“Abel Denton, they’re coming back today. Now, are you going to be a pain in my ass, or are you going to tell me how I can solve your problems?” She had her hands on her hips, giving him a pointed stare.
“I found the woman for me, only, she hates me.” There, the truth spilled from his lips.
“The first moment he met her, he grabbed her ass, and it kind of pissed her off,” Damian said, taking a seat at the kitchen counter. “Now he sent her flowers, and expected her to fall at his feet.”