Pretend You're Mine: A Small Town Love Story

by Score, Lucy

  Harper sat up. “I really don’t like talking about it.”

  “I really don’t care. Tell me who did this.”

  He saw the little muscle in her jaw tic and tried to relax. Yelling at her wasn’t exactly a smart way to make a woman open up. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder. “Baby. You can trust me.”

  “Why does this matter so much?”

  Because you matter. He stopped the thought before it became words. Words that couldn’t be taken back. Shit.

  “I don’t like feeling like you’re hiding something from me.” He was such a fucking hypocrite.

  “I’m not hiding anything, Luke. It’s just, it’s something I’ve never told anyone.”

  “Tell me what happened.”

  She sighed, and he knew he had won.

  “When I was in foster care I was living with this really nice family. A mom, a dad, two brothers. I thought that they might adopt me. It was great, until they got pregnant again and got a job offer on the other side of the country. I was transferred out of their house into another one. That family wasn’t as nice.”

  Luke lay back down on the bed and pulled her in to his side. He stroked the smooth skin of her back as she talked.

  “It was an older couple and there were a lot of kids in the house. Some fosters, some not. They were always yelling, the kids were dirty, there was never enough food.”

  Luke could feel his heart rate ratcheting up and forced himself to keep his touch gentle.

  “After I had been there a week the mom left and things got ugly fast. The man had a nasty temper, especially when he drank. Every payday we’d all do everything we could to stay out of his way. But someone always got noticed. And once or twice it was me.”

  Luke felt sick to his stomach. “How old were you?”

  “I was twelve. I was the oldest in the house.”

  “Did he ever do anything …” Luke couldn’t get the words out without choking on them.

  “Sexual? No, just regular run of the mill physical abuse.”

  “What happened to him?”

  “Jail.”

  “Is he still there? Is he any kind of threat to you?”

  “He’s still there.”

  He kissed the top of her head and held her close, forcing himself to be gentle when the rage pounding through his veins wanted to destroy something.

  “Thank you for telling me, Harper.”

  When she didn’t respond, he nudged her chin up. “I’m sorry. I hate that that happened to you.”

  “Me, too. Let’s talk about something less depressing. Like maybe another shower?”

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  Three Weeks…

  Harper worried that her confession to Luke would make him see her as damaged goods, or worse, feel sorry for her. However, nothing slowed down their need for each other. They spent more time in bed than out of it. She kept waiting for the intensity to fade, to not ache to have him inside her. To get used to the sight of his naked body. To not feel that pitter pat in her chest when he said her name.

  Maybe it was the fact that their time together was expiring that fueled the intensity. Whatever it was, it left her breathless.

  She watched Luke as he seamlessly folded preparations to leave into his already busy days. At work, Frank and Charlie would be stepping up in Luke’s absence. They had done it before, and Luke trusted them with what he had built.

  At home, Luke would count on James for property maintenance and checkins. His brother also had access to Luke’s accounts and made sure bills were paid. While Luke double checked his auto-pay bills, changed the oil in his truck — and her car — and checked the level in the propane tank, Harper started a list of things she needed to do before leaving.

  She and Beth worked long hours trying to get everything around the office caught up and organized.

  “Thank God you’re here.” Beth puffed as she hauled a towering stack of papers to the shredder. “Otherwise, I would have been stuck filing all of this crap.”

  Harper staggered behind her under the weight of her own load. “Scanners.” She gasped. “Best invention ever.”

  Between the two of them, they had managed to scan the last eight months of paperwork and invoices into an online system that was backed up daily. Going forward, all paperwork would be done electronically and stored in the system. But that still left all of Garrison’s old paper records.

  “I think we should get an intern this summer to do all the scanning and shredding.” Beth dropped the papers in an unceremonious heap next to the shredder. “And washing our cars and picking up our lunches.”

  Harper felt a little twinge with the realization that she wouldn’t actually be here this summer. Who knew where she was going to end up? But it was probably past time for her to bring up the subject to Luke.

  With only two weeks until his unit deployed, she needed to strategize a graceful exit. She had every intention of using this month for résumé polishing and job-hunting, but she had spent the majority of her time working or naked.

  She didn’t feel particularly remorseful about her priorities. However, she was dangerously close to getting carried away with their faux romance. A little shot of reality, however painful, was a healthy reminder of what she needed to focus on.

  Guiltily, Harper thought about the handful of emails her friend Hannah had sent her with job postings in Fremont that she hadn’t even opened yet.

  Thanks to the generous salary Luke gave her and the fact that he refused to let her pay rent or utilities, her savings account was being rebuilt, and she would have plenty for a security deposit and rent on a new apartment. She’d even have a little left over for some furniture.

  A little place of her own would be a good thing to focus on when it came to getting over Luke.

  Harper sighed and dumped her files on the floor. “Let’s go grab some lunch before we tackle the shredding. My treat.”

  ***

  When Luke came home that afternoon, he found Harper perched on a barstool squinting at his laptop. Harper lifted her face for a kiss, and he caught a glimpse of the screen.

  “Looking for a new job on your boss’s computer? Classy.”

  Harper wrinkled her nose at him and pulled him down for another kiss. “Very funny. And yes.” She turned her attention back to the screen. “I’m also trying to figure out how to make being in this position for only a month not sound flaky on my résumé.”

  Luke went to the sink to pour two glasses of water. “Call it a short-term contract position.”

  “God. You’re a genius. No wonder I want to get in your pants all the time.”

  He immediately felt himself go hard. Keeping the island between them, he slid a glass to her. “I can write you a reference letter, if that would help.” Where the hell had that come from?

  Those big gray eyes widened with hope. Always a punch in his gut.

  “Are you serious? That would be amazing!”

  Great. Now he had to do it or look like an asshole. Writing an email was difficult for him. How was he supposed to put a glowing review on paper? Not that Harper didn’t deserve it. She had taken his floundering mess of an office and started pushing it down the road to being an efficient operation in just two weeks.

  Maybe he could make Sophie write it.

  “So where are you looking for jobs?” he asked.

  Harper took a sip of water. “I’m focusing on my original plan of Fremont. It’s no Benevolence, but I think being close to Hannah again would be nice.”

  “Have you thought of staying around here?” What the fuck was wrong with him? He hadn’t even known he was thinking it before it was shooting out of his mouth.

  Harper shifted in her seat and looked away from him towards the cabinets. “Uh, yeah. For about a minute. I don’t think it would work.”

  Now he had to ask. “Why’s that?” He pretended to flip through the mail on the counter.

  She cleared her throat. “I don’t want to say because you’ll take
it the wrong way and go into panic mode.”

  Luke decided to just stare her down until she broke. It took her about thirty seconds of squirming before he won. “I thought about staying until I realized what it would be like to run into you and your future girlfriend and then wife at the grocery store every week. Every time I’d see you, I’d think about what it was like to be with you while knowing that now someone else gets to be with you that way…” She shuddered and shook her head. “That’s not the way I want to spend the rest of my life.”

  His gut churned at the idea. Not of him with someone else. That wasn’t going to happen. But Harper would move on. She deserved to move on. He would see her around town with some guy who would ask her to marry him. He’d see her with kids at sporting events. They’d run into each other at the lake in the summer and it would be some other lucky asshole’s hands on those perfect curves.

  Luke set his glass down with a bang on the granite. Harper jumped.

  “See? I told you you wouldn’t like it. I’m not saying I’m in love with you, Luke. I just don’t like the idea of you moving on.”

  Right back at you, baby.

  “Good point. Hey, your first mail here.” He tossed the envelope with her name written in scrawling handwriting to her. Harper glanced at it and frowned.

  “Just junk mail,” she said shoving it under the laptop. “So since we’re on the subject anyway, what are we going to tell your family about me leaving?”

  “I hadn’t really thought about it yet.”

  Harper sighed. “Me neither. I let you distract me with that hot, naked body of yours.”

  “Oh, you mean this hot, naked body?” Luke pulled his shirt off and was dragging hers over her head before she could gasp with laughter.

  ***

  Wednesday evening, Harper headed home without Luke. He was off on a job site somewhere, solving a crisis, reassuring a client. She appreciated his work ethic. No problem was too small for him to tackle when it came to making clients and employees feel valued.

  Just that morning, Luke had called their newest employee in for a meeting. John was eighteen, fresh out of high school, and had great promise as a future finish carpenter.

  “Listen, John, you need to understand that just because you’ve got a little money in your pocket, it doesn’t mean you get to out and do a bunch of stupid shit. You don’t need to buy a $45,000 pickup, and you sure as hell don’t need a 60-inch TV for your parents’ basement. I want you to be successful, and I’m here to help you get there …”

  Harper had grinned to herself as she made copies and eavesdropped outside Luke’s office.

  He really cared about his people, whether they were family, friends, or employees. He was the kind of man you could depend on. Not only to help you out of a jam, but one who would protect you from one if he could.

  She carried her purse and lunch bag back to the kitchen and dumped them on the counter. It was such a beautiful spring evening, she decided to open up every window in the house to welcome the breeze. She ran up to the bedroom to change into shorts and a t-shirt and was on the stairs when she heard the knock at the front door.

  “Claire! Hi! Come on in.” Harper stepped back and waved Luke’s mom in.

  Claire held up a plastic container of mini cheesecakes. “I was just in the neighborhood with baked goods and thought I’d stop in.”

  “Oh my God. For those, you can move in,” Harper laughed. “Come on back. Can I get you something to drink? Water? Iced tea?”

  “Iced tea would be great, thanks.” Claire started down the hall behind Harper and made it as far as the dining room.

  “Oh, he finally got furniture!”

  Harper joined her in the doorway. “Just this week. I accidentally invited some friends over for dinner without knowing that Luke was terribly sensitive about not having places for people to sit.”

  “I’ve been waiting for that boy to turn this house into a home for so long,” Claire turned to Harper. “You, my dear, deserve more than half a dozen cheesecakes.”

  After a quick tour of the rest of the new furniture, they took their iced tea on the back porch to enjoy the spring day.

  Claire pushed off the porch boards and set the swing into an easy motion. “I have a confession to make. I wasn’t just in the neighborhood with baked goods.”

  “You don’t say,” Harper said over the rim of her glass.

  “Luke calls it meddling. I call it mothering,” she sighed, running a hand through her short dark hair threaded with silver. It was a standard Luke move that made Harper smile. “He thinks because he’s a grown man that his business is his business. But he doesn’t understand what it’s like to raise someone into an adult. You don’t just stop …”

  “Caring?”

  Claire nodded. “Exactly. He’s thirty years old and I still feel the need to make sure he’s okay. I bet your parents are the same way.”

  Harper cocked her head. “I imagine they would be. They passed away when I was very young, but I like to think that they would have a vested interest in my life if they were still here.”

  “Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that, Harper. I didn’t know! Please excuse me for opening my gigantic mouth.”

  Harper laughed. “That’s all right. It was a long time ago.”

  “Time doesn’t always heal all wounds,” Claire said a little sadly. “Some never recover from loss.”

  “I guess some of us just don’t recognize how valuable our time is here. How we shouldn’t spend our time mourning our loss, but thanking our lucky stars we had someone wonderful in our lives for no matter how long.”

  “Then Luke’s told you —”

  Claire was cut off by the screen door swinging open.

  Harper felt her pulse flutter at the sight of Luke. His worn jeans were covered in dirt, and the t-shirt molded to his chest had a good deal of sweat mixed in with the dirt. Even his baseball hat had sweat stains. He looked like he had sauntered straight off the pages of a sexy construction worker calendar. The scratch and sniff kind.

  “Ladies.” Luke dropped a kiss on Harper’s forehead and crossed to the porch railing where he leaned.

  “I was just in the neighborhood and thought I’d stop in,” Claire said innocently.

  “Sure you were, Ma. You’re not interrogating poor Harper are you?”

  “No, but I was shoving my big, fat foot in my mouth since you neglected to tell me her parents passed away. These things wouldn’t happen if you’d com-mu-ni-cate.” The silvery charms dangling from her ears jingled with each syllable.

  “Yes, Ma.” Luke rolled his eyes. “So you weren’t grilling Harper?”

  “I hadn’t gotten around to it, yet. I’m a polite interrogator. I was easing Harper into it,” Claire winked.

  “How’s work going?” Luke asked. “We got a call today from Della. Says they want to do that addition.”

  Claire nodded. “The flower business is booming. I’m only supposed to be there two days a week, but I’ve been called in just about every Friday and a couple of Saturdays to help with wedding orders. Della and Fred are looking to hire someone full-time to eventually take over as manager.”

  “Do they have any candidates?” Harper asked.

  “You’re not looking to quit already, are you?” Luke teased.

  Harper laughed. “No, but Gloria is looking for something.”

  “Gloria Parker? Good for her!” Claire nodded briskly. “It’s about time she gets a chance to spread her wings. Have her call the store and I’ll hook her up with Della for an interview.”

  “That would be great! Thank you so much.”

  “Hey, I owe the girl who inspired my son to get a girlfriend, hire an office manager, and buy furniture more than a few mini cheesecakes.”

  “Cheesecakes?” Luke perked up.

  ***

  Luke walked his mother to her car, mostly to make sure she didn’t corner Harper and try to wrangle any more information out of her.

  “I like the new fu
rniture,” she told him, digging her keys out of her purse. “It’s starting to look like a home.”

  “Ma.” Luke didn’t try to keep the exasperation out of his voice.

  “Don’t you ‘Ma’ me. I’m allowed to check up on my children. Forty-seven hours of labor gives a mother certain privileges.”

  “For the love of —”

  “I really like her, Luke. You’re smiling again.” She brought a hand to his face. “It’s been a long time.”

  He grumbled, but took his mom’s hand and kissed her palm. “She’s a good girl, Ma. I like her, too. Now can we stop talking about my love life?”

  She gave him a peck on the cheek. “Fine. Now go take your girl out to dinner. She deserves it.”

  Luke waited until his mother had pulled out of the driveway before whipping out his cellphone. His parents liked his girlfriend and that was a problem.

  “I need sneaky, underhanded advice so I’m coming to you.” Luke paced the driveway.

  “Is it weird that I’m flattered?” Sophie asked.

  “What do I tell Mom and Dad about Harper leaving?”

  Josh screamed in the background.

  “Is everything okay over there?” Luke asked.

  “What? Oh, yeah. That’s his happy scream. Hang on, let me lock him in the basement.”

  “Sophie!”

  “I’m just kidding. I walked into the pantry. I need silence so I can focus on the lies you’ll be telling our parents.”

  “Need I remind you that this whole thing is your idea?”

  “Need I remind you that you’re enjoying this whole thing that is my idea?”

  “Touché. Now tell me what to do.”

  “Well, when is she leaving? Before or after you leave?”

  “I don’t know. After?”

  “Do you have a timeline?”

  “We haven’t really talked about it.”

  “It would probably make more sense to have her hang around for a little after you leave, plus then you wouldn’t need James looking in on the house right away. I’m assuming you don’t want either one of you to look like an asshole, right?”

  “You assume correctly.”

  “Well then it has to be a good news thing that’s so good it makes the sad news of her leaving less sad.”