Need You for Mine(96)

Harper’s throat tightened, because Emerson didn’t use works like that often. Harper knew her friend loved her, but had difficulty voicing it. She’d gotten better since finding forever in Dax, but outward emotions were still rare.

“I love you too,” Harper said, pulling Emerson in for a hug, and Emerson hugged her back. Warm and safe, Harper let herself lean on her friend and release some of the pain for a few moments so she could breathe without feeling as if she were going to die from the ache. “Thank you. I needed that.”

“I was going to say the same thing.”

Allowing herself exactly one minute, she wiped back the tears and straightened. “What are you thanking me for?”

“For being the best friend ever.” Emerson scratched the back of her hand as if having an allergic reaction to the outpouring of girly emotions. “Without you I never would have opened my food truck, or gotten Violet out of her fairy wings. And I never would have opened myself up to the possibility of more with Dax.”

“Dax is a great guy.”

“But only you saw that, because you see the best in everyone. It’s what makes you Harper. You’re a romantic, and when it comes to love, Harper, you’re the real deal. So don’t forget that when you walk into the shop.”

Harper nodded, knowing that someday she would believe it. Today just wasn’t that day. But she had people to impress and a display to fix. Then she could go home and hibernate until fall. Lord knew her heart needed it.

They rounded the corner and Harper froze. The Boulder Holder was packed, with a line wrapping through downtown, past the St. Helena Hotel. And it wasn’t just the girdle-buying crowd, although they had come out in force. It was made up of young, hip movers and shakers, all holding VIP cards and waiting for their turn to go inside.

“What is this?” Harper asked.

“Romance, Harp.”

Emerson took Harper’s hand and led her through the crowd of familiar faces. Some had their cameras out, others were just smiling, but everyone was watching her, waiting to see her reaction.

Then she got to the front of the line and saw what all of the squeals were about. At the door, standing in a pair of Swagger Tough boxers and a matching man-robe was Dax. He handed Harper a flyer and said, “This gets you fifteen percent off at the counter, and anything from the online store. Today only.”

“What are you doing?” Harper asked, trying to keep her eyes on Dax’s face. Impossible since the man was built like a DC-10 and could break steel bars over his very naked abs.

“He’s part of the live display,” Emerson said, then glared at the women drooling over her fiancé. “And there will be no touching of the display!”

Harper felt Emerson’s hands on her, guiding her closer to the doorway, past Jonah posing in Swagger Original, and that’s when she caught a glimpse of the window display. Deep fabrics and Scotch-colored accents highlighted the masculine undertones of the display. Everything was bold, smooth, edgy, and so perfect she could cry.

Then she spotted the leather reading chair in the center of the display and nearly died.

Not only was the display perfect, but the face of Swagger—and the man who had crushed her heart—occupied it. Sprawled out in yesterday’s scruff, plum-colored boxers, and nothing else, he was posed beneath a giant flat screen, which looked to have been borrowed from the local sports bar and displayed a giant promo poster that had been made from one of her campaign designs. Someone had added the words REAL MEN LOVE.

She didn’t know what his presence meant, or the message, but she was too afraid to hope. But then she saw the vulnerability in Adam’s eyes and realized he was afraid too. And somehow that allowed her to give in to the hope.

“I told you I didn’t need you,” she said, in case this was a friendly gesture.

He tapped his ear, then pointed to the glass. Harper looked at the few hundred women, who were all looking back, riveted on what was transpiring. Cheeks pink, she raised her voice. “I said, thanks, but you didn’t have to do this!”

Again with the ear pointing, then he gave a come-hither wiggle of the finger.

“The girl said she doesn’t need you!” Peggy yelled so loudly it could’ve been heard from space.

“Thank you,” Harper said a little sharply to the older woman, “but I’ve got this.”

“Oh, honey, I don’t think you do,” Peggy said, and the bobbleheads around her nodded in unison. “Otherwise you’d be in there showing him a little thigh and getting somewhere.”

Great, now she was getting dating advice from Peggy. With a sigh Harper turned back to the window, only to find the seat was empty. She looked around and watched Adam stride through the crowd.