restaurant-specifically, those who were putting on a big show of leaving in a petty snit-could hear her. “All she cares about are drugs and sex.”
“Which should give the two of you a lot in common,” Adam retorted, and pushed himself away from the table, following Kaia out of the restaurant.
Harper sucked in her breath sharply, and the rest of them stared at her in stunned silence. It was a pretty rare sight to see perpetually good-natured Adam turn ugly-and an even rarer one to see Harper as the target of his attack. Harper squirmed under their gazes and chewed nervously on the inside of her cheek. Picking a fight with Adam wasn’t part of tonight’s plans-but then again, having Kaia tag along with the whole party planning thing wasn’t either. There had been a brief, blessed moment, just after Beth had refused to play, when Harper imagined what it might be like, working side by side with Adam-long hours, private strategy sessions, laughter, flirting, and then one day, maybe, she would make her move. Or-even better-he would make his. One moment. And then Kaia had ruined everything.
Adam soon led Kaia back into the restaurant, his hand held lightly on her back as he guided her down the aisle and back to the table. As Kaia whispered something in his ear and Adam burst into quiet laughter, Harper was hit with a bizarre flash of deja vu. Hadn’t this scene just happened, with a different starlet playing the role of female ingenue? She wondered if Beth, too, had picked up on the instant replay-then again, Miss Manners really had no one to blame but herself, since she was the one who’d invited the wolf to come have dinner with the lambs.
Not that Harper had any intention of playing the lamb in this little romantic grudge match.
Adam and Kaia sat down again, and Harper-after a stern look from Adam-grudgingly apologized. They ate in relative peace, but when the burgers, fries, and Miranda’s salad were gone, no one was in the mood for a second round of desserts.
As they rose to leave, Adam pulled Harper aside, and they walked slowly, out of earshot of the rest of the group.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly. “For what I said earlier.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Harper told him, not quite meeting his eyes.
“No, I was totally out of line-it’s just, I’m just a little edgy these days.” They had reached the door, and Adam held it open and swept her through with exaggerated chivalry. She paused in the doorway and looked up at him, his face only inches away. If she stood on her toes, she’d be close enough to… well, it was close. She could smell his cologne, a cool, fresh scent that smelled like rain. Like Adam.
“Seriously, don’t worry about it.” Harper swallowed her pain and her anger and forced a smile, then gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “I swear-all is forgiven.”
She glared at Kaia’s back, a few steps ahead.
Forgiven-but not forgotten.
Kaia took one last disgusted look at the Nifty Fifties Diner before following the “gang” into the parking lot.This town was pathetic. It was like being trapped in the Vegas stage version of a
“You need a ride, Kaia?” he asked, taking Beth’s hand as they headed toward his car, a maroon Chevrolet with a dented fender and a discolored side panel that seemed lifted from a different car.
Kaia, who had parked her father’s Mustang around the corner, figured that she could find a way to retrieve it in the morning. Her father was, big shock, out of town-but there were plenty of other cars and people to use. If the maid didn’t have time to run her into town in the Beamer, then the gardener could do it in the Audi. Not a problem.
“Actually, I was just about to ask,” Kaia answered, smiling at Adam. “I got a ride here from my dad, but he’s out for the night-are you sure it’s not too much trouble? I live pretty far out.”
Beth laughed and jabbed her boyfriend in the arm good-naturedly. “Are you kidding? Adam loves to drive, don’t you? I think he secretly wishes I lived out in the middle of nowhere so that he’d have more chances to take his prized possession for a real ride.”
Kaia grinned naughtily at the thought of taking Adam for “a real ride,” but she kept her mouth shut-it was just too easy. Besides, she’d already committed herself to playing the wounded good girl role. Her little chat with Adam earlier had convinced her that he was just burning for a chance to play knight in shining armor to some fragile princess. And Kaia was happy to accommodate him-which meant the knee-jerk sex kitten comments would just have to go unspoken.
“Great,” she said, trying her best not to wrinkle her nose at the sight of Adam’s Chevy It looked even more wretched close up, like a junk heap molded into the shape of a car, held together with duct tape. Prized possession? It didn’t speak very well for his taste-of course, from what she’d seen so far, neither did Beth. But she was willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.
She looked over her shoulder at Kane, who was climbing into a vintage silver Camaro. And he was just as hot as Adam, though he lacked the adorable Southern accent. But the guy was obviously a total player-and thus not nearly as much fun to play with. No, she decided, climbing into the backseat and slamming the door shut behind her, Adam it is. At least for now.
Beth and Adam chattered together in the front while Kaia sat in silence, watching the dark streets fly by.
“You want to come back to my place?” Adam asked his girlfriend. “My mom’s probably out for the night…”
There was a long pause, and Beth looked over her shoulder and glanced at Kaia. “I’ve got a lot of work to do,” she said eventually. “And, you know, curfew.”
“I just thought that-”
“Why don’t you drop me off first,” Beth cut him off. “I’m on the way.”
Adam just grunted and turned off onto a side street. He pulled up in front of a squat ranch house, sandwiched between a row of identically impersonal boxes. A tricycle lay on its side in the middle of the small front lawn, which looked as if it hadn’t seen a lawn mower in years. The cramped patch of overgrown weeds was the perfect companion to the house itself, with its peeling paint job and rusted aluminum siding. Home sweet home.
Adam turned off the car and unfastened his seat belt, but Beth stopped him with a quick kiss.
“You don’t have to walk me in,” she whispered. “I’ll just see you tomorrow.” She kissed him again, this time long and hard, and then got out of the car and raced up the front walkway, a narrow path of loose gravel and chipped cement. She paused in the doorway, fumbling in her purse for the key, then, finally, pulled open the door and slipped into the house, the slim beam of light cut off as she closed the door behind her.
Adam was still for a moment, watching her figure disappear into the darkness. Then he twisted around in his seat and grinned at Kaia.
“Why don’t you come sit up here?” he suggested, patting the seat next to him.
Perfect. Kaia hopped out of the car and switched into the front seat. As she fastened her seat belt, she lightly brushed his hand, which rested on the gearshift-he tensed, almost imperceptibly, and she knew he’d felt the same electric charge of excitement that she had at the touch.
She ignored it, however, and began playing with the radio stations, searching in vain for something that was neither country-and-western nor fire-and-brimstone.
“Not much to listen to out here, is there?” Kaia complained, as Adam started the car and pulled back out onto the road. She flicked the stereo off in disgust. “Not much to do, either.”
“No,” he admitted. “But it’s a good town. Good people, you know?”
Could this guy be any more of an all-American cliche? She didn’t know they
“Anyway,” he continued awkwardly, “I’m sorry again about before, in the diner-Harper’s just, well…”
“An acquired taste?” Kaia suggested, faking a smile.
“I guess you could say that,” Adam admitted. “See, the thing you’ve got to understand about Harper is…” His voice faded off, and he squinted his eyes in concentration, trying to find the right words.
“Her bark is worse than her bite?” Kaia offered.
Adam laughed ruefully and shook his head. “No, I’d watch out for her bite, too.”
