I took a shuddering breath, then let it out slowly.
“Good,” she said. “And I have no idea because I’m not a slut, but–”
Lin snorted, then whacked Farrah on the arm. “Don’t slut shame just because nobody ever wanted to be your fuck buddy. And it’s simple, Harper. You can get as into the sex as you want. You can sleep in his bed if you want, too. But there are no obligations. That’s it. You don’t have to stay, you don’t even have to tell him where you’re going. It’s just sex and a little fun. Think of it as ordering dick for takeout versus cooking it yourself.”
I wrinkled my nose. “I actually don’t prefer the image of cooking or eating dick.”
“Oh but you’re going to be eating plenty of dick, aren’t you?” She wiggled her eyebrows.
I shook my head, once again regretting telling Lin pretty much anything. I was going to need to figure out how this all worked. Part of me thought getting closer to his kids tomorrow night was a step in the wrong direction, but I was also excited to see him again. I pulled my phone out and texted that I’d see him tomorrow night.
20
GREYSON
I’d spent most of the morning dealing with a permitting headache. Apparently, Gramps and his inn were a historic location and I was supposed to get written permission before I made any renovations. That wonderful news came when I had an inspector come to approve the framing before we put up drywall for the new kitchen and dining room areas. I was pissed at myself because it wasn’t something I would’ve usually overlooked.
I had a suspicion I’d only been so careless because I was distracted by Harper. All I could seem to think about was kissing her. Having her. I just wanted more of her. But I was also having second thoughts. The reason I came to Fairhope was to help Gramps. What would he think if he knew I was hoping to fuck the woman I’d just hired for operation turn-around?
It felt like I was officially losing my shit. I’d even tried to dump the kids off on Katie because I couldn’t keep my mind straight.
Guilt was still tugging at me, so I called them downstairs and told them we were going for ice cream. They celebrated like maniacs and rushed outside to the car. I grinned and got in, driving just a couple minutes down Main Street to an ice cream place.
“What if we spoil our dinner?” Molly asked as I was getting her out of her car seat.
“That’s the plan,” I said.
She clapped excitedly, and even Billy was grinning. I was usually a bit of an asshole about junk food and made them eat healthy, so this was a rare treat.
We headed inside and I was surprised to see the place was crowded. I spotted her immediately. Harper and her two friends, Lin and Farrah, were waiting in line. Harper was taking her time tasting samples of every flavor while the line grew behind her.
I smiled, then shamelessly admired her. She was wearing a yellow and orange dress that fell to mid-thigh. But she was on her tiptoes and leaning to get a better look over the counter, so her dress was revealing a dangerous amount of toned thighs. Fucking hell. I wasn’t sure how I expected to work with this woman and get anything done.
“Miss Harper!” Molly shouted. Everybody turned to see my little gremlin rush up and hug Harper from behind. Harper laughed and nearly fell over from the force of the hug.
“Hey, Squirt! Guess what? I finally found all my old pony toys. I’ve got a huge box of them with your name on it.”
Molly clapped and jumped up and down in excitement. “Really?”
“You bet.” Harper sensed the impatience of everyone behind in line and turned to the girl behind the counter. “I’ll have the cookie monster. Two scoops in a waffle cone, please.”
The girl nodded and scooped up a neon blue ice cream with chocolate chunks for her. Molly was jabbering to her about something at a mile-a-minute, and Harper’s friends were sneaking glances at me and whispering.
I wondered if Harper had kept our little agreement a secret like I’d asked. From the way Lin and Farrah were looking at me, I suspected they knew.
I enjoyed the tension of knowing Harper knew I was in the store. She kept taking discreet looks back my way. Every time, a fresh wave of red crept into her cheeks. I could tell from her body language that she felt awkward, but it only made her more irresistible. Molly finally came back to my side after Harper paid. Her and her friends went to sit outside just out of view.
“Miss Harper said we can sit with them!” Molly said.