“We had an old game of Life at my grandparents’ house, and they loved to play that with us. That was probably my favorite. I kind of liked Operation, too.”
“Oh, that one gave me a lot of anxiety. My hands are shaking just thinking about those tweezers.” She shook her head at the memory.
“You’re cute even when you’re anxious,” he said.
“You really think so?” She blinked.
“I do.”
As the sun started to set, Tommy went inside to pay the bill, and Harper decided to check her phone. She opened Instagram and did a double take. Two-timing Kai had liked the selfie she’d posted of herself and Pippi at the lake. She hadn’t had any communication with him in months.
“The nerve!” she said. But she was curious why he’d like that photo. Why now? Was he lonely after getting dumped again? Or was he just bored? Or did he miss her?
She thought about DM’ing to ask how he was, and why he’d liked her picture. But a different feeling came over her. She realized he’d probably liked it because she looked happy. And shefelthappy.
Kai did not make her feel happy. But Tommy did.
So, instead of responding to the like, Harper clicked on his name. Her finger hovered over the mute button. “Mute stories and posts?” She hesitated. Then she did the right thing and hit “unfollow.” And just like that, she was free of Kai. She looked over the water and imagined him receding until he was almost out of sight.
“Bye!” she said.
“Who are you talking to?” Tommy had just returned.
“Oh, no one. Absolutely no one.”
“Ready to go?”
“Ready.”
Harper picked up Pippi and they made their way to Tommy’s truck.
Before opening her door, he looked her in the eyes and said, “You’re one of a kind, Harper Lee Adler.”
“Is that a good thing?” She thought that’s what he meant, but still she searched his eyes for interest.
“It’s a very good thing.” He reached out and gently bopped her nose, then brought his lips to hers. A gentle warmth flooded her body. Feeling brave, she put one arm around him and held onto Pippi’s leash with the other. He put his hand in her hair.
“My hair is so...” she said, through the kiss, embarrassed by the frizz.
“Beautiful,” he said. “Your hair is beautiful.” They kissed for several moments, enough that Pippi finally barked at them, as if to say, “What about me?”
Tommy pulled back reluctantly and said, “Let’s get you home.”
As Harper buckled in and looked back at the lake, the stars coming out in the sky, the band’s music still reaching them in the still night, she had a strange feeling.
For the first time in her life, somewhere besides the city felt like home.
In fact, for Harper, on that warm summer night, Manhattan had never felt so far away.
Chapter 45
Dot took her red Sharpie and crossed through another day on her New York picture calendar. July first brought a new photo of people strewn across Central Park’s Sheep Meadow in the summertime. She felt a twinge of homesickness and did a quick count on her fingers.
“July to August, August to September, September to October, October to November.”
She glanced behind her where Fletcher was working on a voter contact spreadsheet.
“Yikes, Fletch. There are only four months to November.”