Make a Wish (Spark House #3)(36)

Ian arches a brow. “Is that so?”

“Well, yeah. It was a big step to move back here. Having a network of people to rely on is important.” In Boulder my social circle was limited to my in-laws and the people I worked with. That transition was rough—mostly for me—and I’m grateful coming back here means being close to Ian and Lynn again. But for Peyton it’s been more of a challenge because all her school friends are back in Boulder.

“Refresh my memory. Harley is the woman who hosted the birthday party for Claire, who was dressed like a fairy godmother, right?” He sips his coffee noisily.

“That’s her, yes.”

“And the only reason you’ve been seeing her pretty much once a week since you’ve moved back is because you want Peyton to have stability and someone familiar in her life?” He does that annoying thing where he repeats what I’ve said back to me.

“Yeah, exactly, and Karen has her back up about it.”

“To be fair, Karen gets her back up when she’s down to the last seven rolls of toilet paper.” He picks up my box of paper clips and fishes out a small handful.

I chuckle. “This is true. I don’t want to feel like I’m walking on eggshells the entire time they’re here. And I’m not going to stop letting Peyton see Harley just because Karen doesn’t approve for whatever reason.”

“Maybe she doesn’t approve because you’ve got the hots for Harley and she’s picked up on that,” Ian suggests.

I scoff. “I don’t have the hots for Harley.”

“Are you sure about that?” He starts connecting the paper clips. I’d be annoyed, but he always pulls them apart after he’s done.

“She’s almost a decade younger than me.”

“So? There’s twelve years between your parents, and they’ve been together for what? Nearly forty years?”

“Harley has a boyfriend.”

“Oh?” He sets the paperclips down and gives me his full attention.

“I met him when I had that late meeting and Peyton wanted to hang out with Harley instead of come with me,” I explain.

“And?”

“And what?”

“What was he like?”

“Young. Immature.” Not her type. Definitely not happy to meet me.

“Had she mentioned him before you met him?” Ian asks.

I shake my head. He’d been a surprise, and based on his reaction to me, he hadn’t expected me to be … me.

“That’s interesting.” He steeples his hands.

“You’re reading into things.” I roll my eyes at him.

“Am I, though? I remember Harley from when Peyton was a baby. She was a cute kid back then, but she’s an adult now. And it seems a little suspect that she hasn’t so much as mentioned the fact that she has a boyfriend. Maybe it’s casual and they’re not serious, which is why she’s been so willing to spend time with you and Peyton. And while I get that maybe at the beginning it was for Peyton’s benefit, I’d also like to point out that she wasn’t even two years old when you moved, so the only memories she has of Harley are from photo albums.”

We go through Peyton’s baby albums on a fairly regular basis, so Harley’s face has become familiar to her. But I hadn’t considered that maybe I didn’t want just Peyton to have stability, but myself, as well. “She made my life and Peyton’s better.”

Ian gives me a patient, knowing smile. “I get that, but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that you’re spending time with Harley not only because Peyton likes her, but because you do too.”

“Well, of course I do. She’s fun to be around.” What I don’t like is how defensive I sound.

“She’s also attractive.”

I think about how often I cave and reach out to Harley when Peyton asks if we can see her again, even when I tell myself I’m not going to do it. And how much I look forward to the times when it’s the three of us together. “Shit.” I run a hand through my hair. “Maybe you’re right.”

“I know I’m right. Your face lights up like a pinball game every time you talk about her.”

“It does not.”

“It does. And you’ve been grumpy as hell this week, which coincides with you meeting this boyfriend of hers.”

“So what the hell do I do? It’s not like I can pursue her when she’s already dating someone.” Even if she wasn’t, I don’t know if it’s a good idea, anyway.

“Are they exclusive?”

“I don’t know. But she referred to him as her boyfriend.” And when I asked if he lived with her, she said not yet.

“So they’re at the make-it-or-break-it phase of their relationship. Have you talked to her since you met the boyfriend?”

“We’ve messaged back and forth.” But it’s been awkward; mostly on my side, though, if I’m honest. Because I realized that I’d acted like an ass and that I had no right to question who she allows in her personal space. But now that Ian has forced me into the light, I can see that part of my reaction was because I had no idea a boyfriend even existed and I wasn’t sure what to do with that information at the time.

“Do you have plans to see her again?”