Pushing The Line (Line Series) by Kincaid Kimberly

Author:Kincaid, Kimberly [Kincaid, Kimberly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Curtis Brown Digital
Published: 2014-01-08T00:00:00+00:00

The admission tripped Harper’s tightly guarded floodgates, and despite the inner voice telling her to put a cork in it, her words just kept pouring out. “She was the only person I could ever count on to be there no matter what. My parents divorced when I was six, then spent the next twelve years treating me like a human volleyball. My dad hopped a one-way flight to Mexico on my eighteenth birthday, and mom was gone even before that. So for the last ten years, it’s been just me and Izzy.”

“I’m sorry about your parents,” Aaron said, his voice pulling tight over the words, but Harper shook her head.

“This may sound kind of callous, but I’m not. With all that back and forth, I never really had the chance to get close with either of them, so there wasn’t much to miss when they left. I’d lived so many different places by then, I was used to moving around, so after I got my degree, that’s what I did. I sell enough art to small galleries and independent shops to get by, and the flexibility lets me travel. It’s really a win-win.”

“Does it bother you?” The echo of the question she’d asked him only a few moments earlier prickled through Harper’s chest, but she answered with honesty.

“It bothers me a little that I don’t have a traditional family, sure. But no matter what, I am who I am, too. I’m good at moving around, and Izzy always encouraged me to go wherever I belonged.”

“But you don’t think that’s here, running Luscious.”

For a few minutes, they traded silence over bites of pie while Harper’s instincts screamed at her not to answer. But despite the knot of sadness growing in her belly at the thought of running Luscious alone, sitting here in the cozy warmth of the booth with Aaron brought her a strange ribbon of comfort, and her thoughts bubbled over.

“Izzy loved Luscious more than anything. To her, it was more than a place to work or a business to own. It was her sanctuary. Business stuff aside, I just don’t think I could run the shop. It doesn’t seem right for me to be there without her.”

The admission unwound from deep inside of Harper, tugging at every single one of her heartstrings in its way out. The truth was, she’d never really committed to anything in her life, other than not committing. She couldn’t start with Izzy’s candy shop. If she failed, she’d never forgive herself.

As bold as Harper was, staying was the one risk she simply couldn’t take.

“Hmm.” Aaron took one last bite of pie, the backs of his fingers brushing over hers as he lowered his fork to his crumb-laden plate. “Are you sure about that?”

She dropped her eyes to their hands, and even though the barely-there touch was benign enough to be on display in a semi-crowded diner, the comfort and heat of it was so deep-down good, Harper ached.

“The candy shop is a forever thing, Aaron.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.