Under different circumstances, she possibly could have feelings for him if she hadn’t had met Daniel. Cooper was cheeky and very attractive. He stood at least six-foot-two and was very well built. With all his gorgeous blonde hair Cooper looked like a wealthy local, though she had yet to see him on a surfboard.
But she had met Daniel and her heart belonged to him.
For now.
They stopped at the Volcom store where the guys found black and white Hawaiian shirts. They got one each.
“Harpster, we need to find you a red dress,” Luke said. “Then we’ll match the theme of the party.”
Harpster?
Cooper caught her eye, and they laughed.
“Okay, fine. Follow me.” She laughed and led them to Macys where she found a Tommy Bahama’s halter dress in dark red.
Graydon whistled when she stepped out of the changing rooms. He was leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and shaking his head. Cooper punched him in the arm and Graydon laughed while he wobbled, then caught his balance.
“That back, though. Jesus,” Cooper said, and she turned and took in the low, almost non-existent back of the dress in the mirror. It finished just above her panty line.
“Too much?” she asked, and all three men shook their heads with a resounding nooo.
She giggled. They were so good for her ego.
Harper paid for the dress, and the three of them walked across the road and sat on the beach, eating lunch on the sand.
“We’re going to fit in a workout before the party,” Cooper said, handing his trash to Luke, who tossed it in the trash can. “You coming back or staying here?”
Harper looked around the beach and felt the calm seep into her bones.
“I’m just going to stay here and wander around some more,” she said. “I’ll see you guys in the foyer at 5:00 p.m.”
Graydon stood and did some playful punches with Luke, while Cooper leaned in and kissed her cheek. She blushed, and he gave her another of his winks. “See you then, Kiwi.”
“Okay.”
As she watched them walk away, Harper chewed the inside of her cheek. She didn’t want to say anything to Cooper in front of his friends, but tonight she would take him aside and let him know she wasn’t interested in taking their friendship to a different level.
She loved hanging out with them, and had a soft spot for Cooper, but she didn’t want to lead him on.
Harper kicked off her shoes and used her bag as a pillow, lying down on the warm sand. She stared up at the bright blue sky and thought about her life.
She would be back here later in the year for the media launch of her stories as a tv series. Or sooner if she and Kristen did a girls' weekend mid-year to get away from New Zealand’s winter.
By then, her life would be about to change.
Her books, because of BookFlix, would be in the global spotlight. And that included her as an author.
Harper really did not know how it would impact her day-to-day life, but she was excited.
Or at least, once she stopped feeling so sad about Daniel, she would be.
Who hadn’t text.
Or called.
Or even left a note.
He’d simply disappeared at some point this morning after Harper had fallen asleep.