Ella
Istare at the computer screen in front of me and hit delete. First one sentence. Then another. Before I know it, I’ve erased everything I just typed.
I love reading romance books. I have for a long time. I never dreamed I would be able to turn it into a job that actually pays money, but that’s what I did. Plus, I love helping authors, and reading their books and writing reviews is the best way I know to do that. However, sometimes it’s hard to find the exact words to share your love for a story. I pick up the paperback and stare at the couple on the cover. They are both beautiful, and the photographer did a great job of telling a story with just an image. I’m lost in thought when I hear a knock.
I lay the book down and walk over to the door. I live in an apartment over the garage of a military man who’s never in town, so I know it’s not him. He’s supposed to be overseas for another month. When I look through the peephole, I almost consider not answering it.
It’s my landlord’s girlfriend, and there is no part of me that wants to deal with her right now, but I know I need to. I look in the mirror hanging by the door and attempt to fluff my hair before quickly giving up. It’s a lost cause at this point. Harper is one of those beautiful women that every man—heck, even me—stares at. She’s literally perfection. At least to look at. Her personality is a different story entirely.
Deciding to give up on making myself presentable, I open the door and peek outside. “Hey, Harper, what can I do for you?”
She looks me up and down and then scrunches her nose up. Obviously, she’s not a fan of my sweatpants and T-shirt. She shakes her head as if I’ve let her down or something. It’s like I’ve personally offended her with my taste in clothes. “I need you to take care of the cat.”
I wait for her to continue. She’s asked me before to take care of Logan’s cat. It’s not a big deal, but when she doesn’t say anything else and instead turns on her heel to walk away, I follow her. “For how long?”
She shrugs her shoulders as she walks down the stairs. “I don’t know. Until Logan gets home, I guess.”
I almost stumble down the last few steps. I’m barefoot and following her as fast as I can. I’m tiptoeing across the patch of gravel and almost stumble when I notice a strange man carrying a suitcase out of Logan’s house. “Wait. Who is that?”
Harper looks at me over her shoulder, and I can tell she’s not being completely honest. “My friend. He’s helping me move out.”
“Move out?” I ask loudly, but Harper keeps walking. When she doesn’t slow down, I call her name. “Harper, wait, what is going on? You and Logan are getting married and what? You’re leaving him while he’s serving our country overseas? Are you kidding me right now?”
She finally stops and turns, putting one hand on her hip. “He’s not overseas.”
None of this is making sense. I usually try to stay out of Logan’s business. The man is hot, capital HOT. Truth is, I’m a rambling fool whenever I’m around him, but besides his taste in a fiancée, he’s a really good man. Too good for Harper, even though I’d never say that to her. “Okay. If he’s not overseas, where is he?”
She blinks and averts her eyes. “He’s been in the States for a month.”
My mouth falls open. I know for a fact Logan doesn’t have any family. His mom and dad are both gone. I know he has some military buddies that he’s close to, and they come around when he’s in town, but he never goes and stays with them. And when he’s not at work, he’s home. There’s no way he’d be in the US for a month and not come home. A sick feeling starts to come over me. She’s holding out on me. “Where is he, Harper?”
“He’s in the hospital in Jasper,” she huffs, naming a hospital that is about an hour away.
“What happened?” I ask her, alarmed.
She turns and throws her hand in the air. “I don’t know, there was a bomb or something. I saw him today. He’s fine. I actually expected a lot worse.”
I shake my head, not understanding. I run to catch up and stop in front of her. “Wait. He’s been there a month... and you just saw him today?”
For the first time, she actually looks guilty, but it doesn’t last long. The disgusted, out-of-patience look is back just as quickly. She rolls her eyes. “Yeah, uh, we broke up. It wasn’t going to work with me and him. He’s never home.”
I grab on to her arm. I’m in complete shock right now. I’ve always known Harper was vain. That’s never been a question. But I had no idea she had an evil heart too. Completely overwhelmed, I need to clarify the situation. There’s no way she’s saying what I think she’s saying. “You broke up with him knowing he’s hurt and in the hospital?”
I stare at her in disbelief. Surely, I have it wrong. There’s no way she can be the kind of person that would do something like this. I wait for her to respond, and finally she lifts her shoulders. “He wanted to end things.”
She walks to the man that is standing next to the car in the driveway. “Get all my stuff?”
He grunts. “Yeah, everything you told me to get.”
I watch as Harper walks around to the passenger side of the car, and I reluctantly follow behind her. The truth is, I never liked Harper, and I always thought Logan could do better, but obviously he loved her. I mean they are—were—engaged. “Harper, think about this. He’s hurt and heck, maybe he’s not thinking right. He’s going to need you.”
She looks up at me through the open door and shakes her head. “I can’t.”
Before I can get another pleading thought out, she shuts the door of the car, and they back out of the driveway. I stand here and watch them go, still in shock.
As soon as they’re out of sight, I pace the length of the doorway, trying to figure out what to do. I should probably go up to my apartment over the detached garage and mind my own business, but I know I can’t do that. Logan is in some hospital without family and now without even a fiancée to be there for him. I know what I need to do.
First, I grab the spare key to Logan’s house that is hidden under the fake rock in the flower bed. I go inside the house and feed and water the cat. Next, I lock up the house and cross over to my apartment. I catch sight of myself in the mirror and decide I need to change clothes. After doing that, I grab my keys and head out toward Jasper. It won’t take long, but I know I’ll be trying to figure out what the heck I’m going to say to him when I get there.
He’s independent and is probably not going to like me meddling in his affairs, but I can’t just stand by and do nothing. I just can’t.