Him coming back was all it took to turn her world upside down.
Harper Collins is perfectly content with where her life is at. Is it perfect? No. But she's content. Now a guidance counselor at her old elementary school, a volunteer safety officer...
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THE FUNERALS WERE HARD TO GET THROUGH, as was the candlelight service we had at the school. Work is a mess. Sheriff Matthews has stepped down for early retirement. The media has been cutthroat, brutally attacking his character and now I have people breathing down my back to run for Sheriff.
I rub my hands over my face when I sit down at my desk. I'm exhausted from all the interviews and late nights. Luke walks by placing coffee in front of me and I nod my head in gratitude. He's just as exhausted as I am, but it's our job and it's hard, but worth it.
I take a sip out of my mug and stare at the picture of Matt, Harp and me. Why did you have to come back? Her words last week tore through me and made me feel as if she didn't want me here. She had no idea how much that hurt. But I knew she was a ball of savage emotion after what she went through so I tired taking it with a grain of salt.
She has built walls of independency that have been hard to get through, but when I told her without hesitation that she's why I'm here, I saw them all begin to crumble down. Matt gave me a furious look but I ignored it. For now, my main goal is helping this community the best I can and getting Harp through these rough days.
I look at the clock and see my shift is up. Luke bops a pen on his desk zoning out and I know it's time for someone to get some kind of good news.
"Luke." I walk up as I finish my coffee. "I found something on Sam." His eyes widen and he nods for me to continue. "I'm positive she's alive and changed her name. I'm not sure why but I was able to do some digging and found that she worked for a pretty well-known photographer in Boston Massachusetts. Unfortunately, that was when she was still eighteen, but it's something."
He cracks a grin for the first time since the bombing. "Thanks man. I'm good with that. At least Dee will know she's alive."
I nod. "Are you and this Dee person...?"
He shakes his head. "No, she's just my best friend's sister."
I cringe at that and he notices. "Not because she's his sister. I just don't think of her like that."
I give a short sigh. "I have to talk to Matt. He's going to kill me."
Luke cocks a brow at that. "Did something finally happen?"
"Yeah she almost died and I can't keep doing this anymore. I need her by my side but I need to go about it the right way. It's not that she can't decide for herself but Matt had to step up and be her protector when their dad left. I want to respect him for that and be upfront with him. "
He chuckles. "It's about time."
My knuckles tap on his desk. "Yeah it is. Now I just have to convince her and her brother that I'm serious... and I don't know who will be harder."
"Harper." Luke states automatically, earning a laugh from me.
"Probably. Speaking of her, I'm going to head out and visit her."
