Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 78085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78085 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“And there isn’t anyone you have in mind? Like, oh, say…Brax?” Palmer asked.
“Brax?” I let out a disbelieving chuckle. “Brax?”
Sutton reached for my hand. “We know you guys kind of have a past. And Brax told Palmer that he regretted letting someone he cared about get away several years ago.”
When I jerked my head to look at Palmer, she nodded. “He did. It broke my heart to hear him confess that. He was clearly in love with someone once, and he let her go because he thought he wasn’t ready for that level of commitment.”
I swallowed hard. “Did he say he was in love?”
She shook her head. “Not in so many words, but he hinted at it pretty strongly.”
Concentrating on my breathing, I tried to smile. “I think you have it wrong. We spent one night together, and that’s it. It was so long ago, and we didn’t exactly part on friendly terms. At the time, he made it very clear he wasn’t interested in settling down with anyone.”
Of course, I neglected to tell them I had poured my heart out to him, and he’d all but stomped all over it.
The three sisters looked at each other, then back to me.
“That’s it!” Palmer declared. “You’re the one he let get away! Harlee, how do you not see it? He hasn’t had a steady girlfriend since. And before that, it was only Brandi. Ugh—I really didn’t like her.”
I blinked several times. “How do you figure it’s me, Palmer?”
Addie spoke first. “Harlee, it’s pretty obvious he pushed you away because he had feelings for you.”
“Lord above, does that sound familiar,” Sutton mused. “What is it with men and pushing away women whom they care for? Why are they so afraid of commitment? Is it the idea of only having sex with one woman the rest of their lives, or does a relationship truly scare the bejesus out of them?”
I rolled my eyes. “I think you’re all reading too much into this. I agreed to help him figure out the whole Ms. Seaside thing, and that’s it. Besides, Brandi’s back in town.”
Addie huffed. “So? She was never the one Brax was meant to be with, and he clearly doesn’t want anything to do with her. He said so in his new article. By the way, your dad is brilliant for making that happen.”
I forced myself to nod in agreement.
“I will kick his ass if he goes back to her,” Sutton said. “I never liked her. She was always so mean to him.”
“She was?” Palmer asked.
The rest of us nodded as Sutton went on. “She belittled him about his desire to stay in Seaside and open his own business. She basically told him he wouldn’t be able to make a successful career out of it.”
“What a bitch! Yet she came back to work here,” Palmer stated while we all nodded again.
“Okay, well, enough of that. Did you read the special edition this morning?” Addie asked with a wicked smile.
“No,” I said, then thanked Ruby for my breakfast as she set it in front of me. Eggs, hash browns, and sourdough toast.
“Oh, it’s a good one!” Palmer handed me the paper. All I really wanted to do was eat my breakfast, but I played along and pretended to read it.
I looked up at the end. “She offered him a clue?”
“Yes!” the three of them said in unison.
Laughing, I slowly shook my head. “Damn, I really like whoever the hell this is. She has balls.”
“I don’t think he wants a clue, to be honest,” Sutton said.
“Why?” I asked, taking a bite of my eggs.
She shrugged. “I think Brax is enjoying this too much. I mean, he has his own column now because of Ms. Seaside.”
“I’m not surprised my father did that,” I said. “The response from Brax’s initial reply was incredible. From a marketing standpoint, it’s brilliant. I’m a little sad I didn’t think of it first.”
“And he does love to talk about fishing. He might actually enjoy writing. At least, he seems to like to spar with her,” Addie added with a look in my direction. “Exactly like he does with you.”
I rolled my eyes and did my best to play it off. I couldn’t have them comparing me to Ms. Seaside. “Maybe now he’ll stop doing it with me. Although, I do like to get a good jab in every now and then.”
The others laughed.
“What are we laughing about?” Brax asked as he approached our table. He pulled over a chair from the table next to us and sat at the end of the booth.
“Nothing,” we all said.
He raised a brow, looking between the four of us.
“Did you read the special edition of Ms. Seaside’s column?” Palmer handed the paper to him. It took everything in me not to watch him read it.
“She’s back on you and Mason,” he said, looking at his sister.