Jared’s chuckle was low and dry. “You’ll be fine. You’re the headliner in my dreams every night and that’s gone well so far.”
“Yeah, but—”
“You’ll be fine,” he repeated, his voice throaty. “I’ll be right there with you.”
For some reason, that promise — even though she was already aware of it — had Harper’s insides loosening. “You’re right. I’m acting like a crazy person. I’ll have this stuffed in the bags by the time you get your underwear on.”
“Good.” He gave her another kiss and then fixed Zander with a sidelong look. “You’ll definitely have me on this trip as a form of backup. I’m not sure about your best friend here.”
“Oh, you’re so funny.” Zander’s eye roll was so exaggerated Harper was surprised he didn’t tip off the side of the bed. “I told you that I’m packed and ready. The only reason I came over here was because I knew Harper wasn’t even close to ready. I didn’t want her to be left behind.”
“I wouldn’t leave her.” Jared strolled out of the room, putting a little “oomph” into it as he shut the bathroom door, loudly.
“The more time you spend with him, the more I think you’ve made a mistake,” Zander drawled. “I think you should hold out and wait for another guy. This one is clearly defective.”
Harper bit back a sigh. While she was looking forward to camping with Jared — she hadn’t been on a real camping trip since she was a teenager — she knew she was in for a battle with Zander. He wasn’t an outdoor boy in the least, no matter what he said to the contrary, and she was expecting a nonstop litany of complaints from him over the course of the next few days.
“You really are packed, right?” she pressed, visions of Jared tearing out of the parking lot with a screaming Zander close on their heels. “He wants to get to the campground at a reasonable time.”
“I’m packed.”
Harper stared at him for a beat longer and then nodded, seemingly content with the answer. In truth, it was likely Shawn was back at the other house — which happened to be located across the street — furiously shoving things into bags because Zander had abandoned the task midcourse, she rationalized. Shawn was the diligent sort, so being late wasn’t in his wheelhouse.
“Let’s go back to the white thing for the wedding,” Harper suggested. It seemed like a much safer topic after all. “Are you going to wear a white tux?”
“I’m thinking about it.” Zander beamed as he grabbed the stack of clothing Harper had committed to and shoved it into the nearest bag. “I was thinking of going with a black-and-white theme. Shawn could be in black, and I’ll be in white. You’ll be in white, too, because you’re my maid of honor.”
“I’ll be your matron of honor by then.”
Zander stilled, his expression unreadable. “Huh. I hadn’t worked that out yet. It’s true, though. You’ll be an old married lady soon.”
Harper glared holes in her friend. “Did you have to add the ‘old’ part? I don’t feel old.”
“Okay, not old,” Zander hedged. “You’re not exactly a spring chicken, though.”
Any warm feelings Harper had been directing toward her friend evaporated in an instant. “I think you should go and double check that you’ve packed everything. If, while you’re gone, you sprouted a new personality, that would be great, too.”
“You’re singing my song now, Heart,” Jared announced as he strolled out of the bathroom in his boxer shorts, his eyes going to the bed. “I see half the stuff is packed.”
“And it’s stuff I packed,” Zander fired back.
“He’s distracting me,” Harper protested. “I had everything under control until he showed up.”
Jared stared at her for a beat and then turned his attention to Zander. “Go home and help Shawn pack.”
“I’m done packing! Why don’t you people believe me when I say that?”
“Because we’ve met you.” Jared moved his hand to Harper’s shoulder and gave it a light rub. He could tell she was struggling to keep from snapping at her best friend. It wasn’t him as much as the weight of her shifting duties. This was new to her, and she wasn’t yet used to publicly embracing her abilities, at least not on a wide scale. “Go home and finish your packing. We’ll see you in an hour.”
Zander looked as if he was about to offer up a loud argument, but ultimately he snapped his mouth shut. “Fine. I won’t forget this, though.”
“We’ll be ready for whatever diatribe you come up with.” Jared waited until he heard the front door slam to pull Harper in for a hug, relishing the way she melted against him. He’d picked a strong woman on purpose, because she enthralled him with her wits and poise. He wouldn’t change a single thing about her. Still, it felt good when she let him take care of her. “It’s okay,” he whispered into her hair. “I know it might not seem like it now, but this is going to be fun.”
Harper pulled back far enough to study his face. “I’ve never been a big fan of camping,” she admitted ruefully. “I’m kind of an indoor girl.”
“I don’t know that I believe that.” His fingers were gentle as he brushed her hair away from her face. “You like to hike ... and hammock ... and drink cocktails by the river with me.”
That earned a snort. “That’s not really camping.”
“No, but I’m an excellent camper.” He beamed at her. “I haven’t had a chance to sleep under the stars since I moved to Whisper Cove. I’m looking forward to this entire thing. You can trust in me to handle the heavy lifting.”
Harper’s lips curved in amusement. “Does that mean you’re going to put up the tent ... and
