“I do have one question though.”
“Which is?” I ask.
“Are you considering staying in Gamble permanently?”
“Honestly, Harper, I haven’t even had a chance to think that far ahead. Moira and I have decided to enjoy our friendship for what it is. We both know it has to end.”Unless she crawls under my Paige radar and decides to go all in.“I just wanted to remind her what it feels like to be treated like a queen, so when she’s ready to get back into the dating game, she won’t settle for someone who doesn’t deserve her.”
“That’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard,” Harper says as a black sedan pulls into the parking lot. My parents have arrived.
“Maybe so, but please don’t tell anyone about this. Not even Digger.”
“Your secret is safe with me, but I don’t know how much longer you’ll be able to keep things on the down low. Mrs. Martin has already been up here to start gossiping about what she saw, and I’m willing to bet we were one of many stops on her list.”
“Oh, no, who did she tell?”
“Digger and Jack.” One of Harper’s eyebrows is arched in the way it does when she’s trying to get one of her kids to confess to some transgression. “But don’t worry, they didn’t believe her. In fact, Jack told her that she’d better get her eyes checked or the police would take away her driver’s license again.”
We hear the slam of car doors and Harper and I both jump to our feet. “Moira and I are just enjoying living a little,” I say as we walk down the steps.
“Just make sure you don’tliveso much that one of you gets hurt,” she says, waving to my mom.
“I thought you weren’t going to lecture me,” I mutter.
“I was lying,” she says with a big grin.
Before I can respond, my mother comes at us like they just opened the doors for the annual Bloomingdale’s blowout sale. She’s practically sprinting.
She heads toward Harper first. In lieu of a standard greeting, she goes with, “Why in the hell would you want to live way up here?”
Before Harper can answer, my mom’s gaze darts behind us. Her eyes nearly pop out of her head, and when I turn, I see Digger walking out of the lodge. “Forget I asked. I get it now.”
“Hi, Mom,” I interject before giving her a big hug.
“Hi, yourself,” she says, holding onto me tightly. “Next time you go on sabbatical, can you make it in San Diego or something? The trip up here was ridiculous.”
My dad makes his way over to us and gives Harper a kiss on her cheek, then gives me a hug. “It was fine, Rose. In fact, it was fun.”
“It was fine until we got off the plane in Anchorage and had to spend two hours on that bumpy road. I’m pretty sure my teeth might fall out.” She points her finger at Dad sharply. “If they do, I’m getting implants, and those run around two thousand, per tooth.”
My dad looks down at her lovingly. “Honey, you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it.”
“Oh, pish,” Mom says to him. “Quit making light of my suffering.”
Harper stifles a laugh, then says, “I’ve missed you two.”
They both turn to her, and then in unison say, “You, too, sweetheart.”
Digger walks over to Harper and wraps an arm around her waist. Harper says, “Rose, Isaac, this is my fiancé, Digger. Digger, these are my dear friends, Rose and Isaac.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you both,” Digger says. “Harper has had nothing but wonderful things to say about you.”
“She says a lot of nice things about you, too,” Mom tells him. She’s staring so intently, you’d think she was checking him for lice. “I was praying Ethan would wind up with Harper. If you hadn’t swooped in so fast, he might have had a chance.”
Digger smiles easily before saying, “Sorry, but this lady was meant for me.” He’s clearly so confident in his relationship that nothing my mom has to say will bother him.
I turn to Digger. “My mom can’t understand the concept of men and women just being friends.”
“I can, too!” Mom says. “It’s just that I love Harper and the kids so much, I wanted them for myself.” She looks at Digger and points to me with her thumb. “This one’s never going to give me grandkids.”