Everybody Knows (Sunnyside #1) (23 page)

Throughout August, baseball was a common topic in
Sunnyside. The town was evenly divided between support for the St, Louis
Cardinals and the Chicago Cubs. The two rival factions organized regular day
trips to St. Louis and Chicago to watch their teams play. But it wasn’t until
early September when the pennant race heated up that she realized how serious
they were.

One afternoon, she was having lunch at the diner
with Rachel when Kate showed up and joined them.

“Did you hear Jason and Annie broke up?” Lenore
asked when she took their order.

Rachel’s jaw dropped at the news. “Just two years
after the wedding? They made such a cute couple.”

“I knew that relationship was doomed from the
start.” Lenore dropped her voice to speak more confidentially—as if everyone in
Sunnyside didn’t already know everything about everyone else. “They were a
mixed marriage, you know.”

Kate nodded and grimaced. “Summers are hard on
couples like that.”

“Mixed how?” Harper considered the possibilities.
Race? Politics? Religion?

Lenore gave a sad shake of the head.
“Cubs/Cardinals.”

“You’re kidding, right?” How could baseball be a
serious bone of contention if a couple truly loved one another?

“Usually, the Cubs aren’t good enough to be a
factor,” Kate explained like a true Cardinal fan. “But when they do well, their
fans get overly confident, and then they resent the Cardinal fans when things
ultimately go sour for Chicago.”

“That’s not healthy for any relationship.”
Rachel’s observation sure didn’t bode well for Harper and Zach.

“Zach’s a Cardinal fan, Harper. And so am I.”
Kate’s benign comments carried a world of hidden meaning and animosity. “What
about you?”

“Cubs fan all the way.”

“Oh.” Kate tried to hide her smirk. “Too bad.”

Harper let the teacher think she had scored a
point somehow, but nothing as immaterial as a baseball rivalry would get in the
way of her relationship with Zach. Bigger issues than that awaited them. And as
a die-hard Cardinal fan, Zach had already given her a hard time when he found
out about her Cubs preference. But hey, she’d lived in Chicago for ten years.
What else could he expect?

“What are you?” He had feigned outrage as he
walked her home from the library the day he found out the truth about her
insanity. “A masochist?”

“No, an eternal optimist.”

“Your choice if you want to root for a loser, of
course. But you’re a smart woman. Maybe you can still be converted to the right
side.”

“I’m already on the right side.”

“Maybe you
are
a masochist.” Then his eyes brightened. “But we can work with that.”

“How?”

“You’ll see.”

The next day, he’d brought over handcuffs he’d
borrowed from Jimbo just to test her level of masochism—which, as it turned out,
was very low. Since she didn’t like the cold, hard metal against her skin, she
talked Zach into playing around with some silk scarves instead.

In Zach’s quest to win Harper over to his team’s
side—and because it was such a relief to be away from all the prying eyes of
his friends and neighbors for a few days—he and Harper snuck off to St. Louis
to attend a Cardinal/Cubs game and hangout in the city.

And just by luck—good or bad, he wasn’t sure
which—they ran smack into Zara Fairchild, his long-time sex buddy. And they had
been just that. Buddies who had sex.

Wondering how much of an explanation he owed her
for coming to town without contacting her know, he realized he didn’t owe her
one at all. It had been almost a year since he’d seen her.

After embracing him with a quick hug, Zara turned
to introduce him to Trevor Beaumont. She gazed up at Zach with searching eyes.
“I’ve been meaning to call and tell you…” She held out a left hand that sported
a baseball-sized diamond. “I’m engaged!”

“Congratulations!” Relieved at the update, Zach
hugged Zara and shook hands with the fiancé. “You’re a lucky guy. She’s an
amazing woman.”

“That she is.” The look Trevor settled on Zara
brimmed with admiration. “I pursued her for almost a year before she agreed to
go out with me, but it was worth the effort. We’re getting married in
November.”

“Do you work together?”

“Kind of. I’m a hospital administrator at Barnes,
and Zara caught my eye right away.”

Zara smiled and caressed Trevor’s cheek. “By that
he means we butted heads over policy and protocol the first week I came on
staff.”

“I’ll bet you did.”

“Are you here with one of your Sunnyside groups or
on your own?” She switched her gaze from Zach to Harper, radiating with
curiosity beside him.

“It’s just us.” He pulled her into the
conversation. “I’d like you to meet Harper Simmons. Harper, meet my friend,
Zara Anderson, and her fiancé, Trevor Beaumont. I couldn’t have gotten through
my residency without her.”

Harper lifted an eyebrow at the description. “It’s
good you had someone you could… rely on.”

Zara’s attention bounced back and forth between
them. “So, are you two
dating
?”

Dating was such an imprecise word for what they
were doing. He and Harper were dating in almost the same way that he and Zara
had “dated.” But he was too smart to get into a conversation about semantics
with either woman. And his relationship with Harper encompassed so much more
than sex and work. So much more than he’d ever shared with Zara. “Something
like that.”

“That’s great! Do you live in Sunnyside, Harper?”

“Moved there this summer from Chicago.”

“And you’re a baseball fan, too, I guess. Good for
you.” She gave Harper a big thumbs up as she turned to Zach. “I’m so happy you’ve
met someone with similar interests.”

He tapped Harper’s Chicago cap. “Not all that
similar. She’s a Cubs fan.”

“That is a lot for you to overlook, isn’t it? But
no one is perfect, Zach. Except you. Sometimes you have to adjust.”

Harper laughed at his
friend’s
comment.

“There’s the anthem,” Trevor said. “We need to get
to our seats.”

“We’ll send you an invitation to the wedding.”
Zara looped her arm around his neck for a hug.

“You do that.” Luckily, he’d be out of the country
before it arrived.

“Be happy, Skippy.”

He breathed in her familiar scent for the last
time, registering only affection at the contact, not regret or desire. They’d
both grown up and moved on from the circumstances and time warp that had kept
them connected for too long. It was time to let go. He kissed her on the neck
in that place she’d always liked. “You, too, babe.”

Turning, she linked arms with Trevor and walked
out of Zach’s life.

And he turned to Harper. The woman who represented
his present. The one he adored. A sadness tugged at him, taunting him that she
wouldn’t be a part of his future.

“Skippy? She calls you Skippy?”

“Old joke.”

“I don’t want to know.” She pulled her ticket out
of her pocket to check her seat assignment. “Ready to watch the Cubs beat some
Cardinal ass?”

“I’m ready to watch the best team win.”

She smirked. “Yeah, that’s what I said.”

“I’m afraid you’ll be sadly disappointed.” About
so many things. And so would he.

In the plan to turn the youth
of Sunnyside into fashionistas, Harper’s family and friends hadn’t let her
down. Descending in a blaze of glory, Fiona came to town for
What Not To Wear
week. Her beauty and
glamour caused a real buzz among the teens and a stir among the adults.

“Thanks, Fee,” Harper said when she picked her
sister up at the airport. “You’re the best for helping me out like this.”

“No problem.” The supermodel tossed her gorgeous
tawny mane over her shoulder and donned a martyred expression. “It’s the least
I can do to help the less beautiful.”

“A true humanitarian,” Harper mocked. “You
permeate generosity like Mother Theresa.”

“No, not really. That woman didn’t know a thing
about fashion, even if she was a saint.” Fiona flipped down the sun visor to
check her lipstick in the little mirror.

“Why are you really here?”

“I needed a break, and I wanted to check out
Sunnyside since you seem planted here for a while. Plus, I want to meet the
town doctor since he has you so enamored.”

“Huh.” Her cheeks flushed at the description.
“Enamored doesn’t seem like the right word.”

“I’ll be the judge of that.” She dug around in her
Birkin bag for lip gloss. “Every time I talk to you, it’s all Zach-this and
Zach-that. You usually aren’t so effusive. It was a long time after you started
dating Blaine before you even mentioned him to me or I could have saved you
from a lot of heartache. That’s not going to happen again. I’m meeting this one
right away.”

“This time, you have nothing to save me from. My
temporary relationship with Zach does not remotely resemble my failed
relationship with Blaine.”

“Speaking of Blaine…”

“What about him?”

“I’ve been hearing some unpleasant rumors about
him.”

“What kind of rumors?”

“It sounds like he’s bottoming out. Drugs, maybe.
Debt, for sure. Not getting work because he’s unreliable. And some people think
he’s out to get the three of us. You, me, and India.”

“Since I’ve dropped out of his orbit, he doesn’t
have any leverage against me. And you and India both have a better reputation
than he does. What a dickhead he is. And what a dummy I was to get mixed up
with him. I’m never going to let anyone take advantage of me like that again.”

Fiona quirked one of her perfectly-shaped
eyebrows. “Brave talk, but how so? Are you going to get a happily-ever-after
this time?”

Harper couldn’t keep from snorting. “Far from it,
but I went into this one with my eyes wide open. Zach doesn’t even know who you
and India are, so he’s not after anything from either one of you or from your
father.”

“You haven’t told him about us?”

“Don’t pout. I’ve told him about you, but fashion
royalty and rock stars don’t loom large on his radar.”

“Maybe that’s just a cover-up. Does he know I’m
here?”

“Nope.”

“Am I going to meet him?”

Wondering what kind of test Fiona had up her couture
sleeve, Harper rolled her eyes. “I’ll make sure of it.”

Later that night, the two sisters were at the
kitchen table sharing cheese quesadillas with Calliope and going over their
plans for the week. They had India linked-in to strategize about how and when
to best include her input. Harper and Fiona intended to discuss body image and
styles with the teens on Monday. India would Skype with them, reviewing the
hits and misses in their current wardrobes. Fiona volunteered to take them
shopping in Springfield on the second day. She would give them instructions for
going out on their own the day after that. On Thursday, the fashion experts
would review their protégés’ purchases. On Friday, Fiona would teach makeup and
Harper’s hairstylist would drive down from the city to give cut and styling
tips. Then on Saturday, they’d sponsor a Before-and-After Fashion show.

“That sounds wonderful, darlings,” India said from
Harper’s laptop screen. “You can Skype me in on Monday, Tuesday, and Saturday
for words of wisdom. You won’t need me on Wednesday and Thursday.”

Harper approved of the overall schedule except for
the shopping aspect. “Most of them don’t have money for new wardrobes.”

Fiona pushed her seldom-worn glasses to the top of
her head and chewed her lip. “How much could it be? A few hundred dollars
each?”

“Five hundred dollars each, I’d say, for a couple
of outfits and accessories.”

“How many girls are participating?” India asked.

“Twelve have signed up so far. Once word gets out
about you, who knows how many more we can expect?”

Snapping her fingers, Fiona searched the table for
her cell. “I’ll call Dad. He’ll stake them if we ask him.”

“Excellent idea,” India chimed in.

“Fiona! I’m not asking your dad to fund one of my
library projects.”

“You’re not going to ask him, I am. He’ll want to
do it. He’s always complaining you

won’t let him do anything for you.”

“He is not!”

“Is, too.”

“And if he says no—” India began.

“Which he won’t” Fiona insisted.

“—the three of us can pitch in to pay for it.”

“I can’t let the two of you do that. I’ll donate
the money. Or find it in the grant funds

somewhere.”

“Quit being disagreeable, Harper. We’ve got this.
But let’s ask Dad first. I left my phone

upstairs in my bag. Would you go get it?”

Secretly pleased by their generosity while
mumbling about prima-donna sisters and high-

handed mothers, Harper headed up the stairs.

“Look at the time,” India said from half a world
away. “Call your father, dear. If he gives

you any problems, let me know. Otherwise, I’ll
talk to the two of you tomorrow.”

After an excruciatingly difficult day, Zach
considered whether he should stop by Harper’s or go straight home. They didn’t have
much time left together before he’d have to leave. Probably better if he didn’t
go see her.

He’d come to rely on her too much, come to enjoy
her company too much, come to dread the idea of saying goodbye to her. But they
only had a few short weeks left. He didn’t want to waste a minute of it by
pretending he wanted to be someplace else.

And her kitchen light was on. She probably
expected him to drop by.

If he did, she’d probably feed him one of her
vegetarian meals and ask him about

his day. They would have teeth-rattling sex before
he got a few hours of truly restful sleep in her bed. They wouldn’t even
have
to have sex. Unless she really
wanted to. Because when it came to Harper and sex, he was always up for it.
Literally.

His pulse quickened when he came into the kitchen.
Harper was bent over, looking for

something in the refrigerator, and talking to
someone on the phone. He hooked her elbow to pull her back and close the door
to the fridge so he could kiss her and feel her up without risk of frostbite.
But even before he saw the strange face that she wasn’t Harper.

A beautiful face. Stunning bone structure, but not
as beautiful as Harper’s. Not as warm

or sweet or friendly. Definitely not as welcoming.
The beauty narrowed her eyes at him and then magically changed her expression,
smiling and batting her eyelashes flirtatiously. “Thanks for helping us out,
Daddy. I’ll call you tomorrow with the deets,” she said into the phone. “Got to
go now. There’s a big handsome stranger here to ravage me. Or Harper.” She
licked her lips and gave Zach a slow seductive once-over. He was the one
feeling ravaged. “Just kidding, Daddy, but if you don’t hear from us by
morning, call the police.”

She put the phone on the counter and her hands on
her hips. Narrow, anorexic hips that

would be pointy and uncomfortable in the sack.
“So, your choice. Which one of us is it going to be?”

Like he’d be interested in her even if Harper were
out of the picture. This one was totally hard-edged and not his type. “If I
were your dad, I’d be calling the police now and not waiting until morning.”

“There’s always that possibility. Are you willing
to take the chance?” She glanced at the clock on the wall. “We have a little
time.”

He wouldn’t even dignify that with an answer.
“Where’s Harper?”

“She had to run over to the library.”

“You’re the supermodel sister, obviously.”

“Yeah, Fiona Wilde.” She tossed her honey-streaked
hair to good effect. He imagined

men fell at her feet with that move, but not him.
“You must be the doctor. She told me all about you. I’m not sure you deserve
her.”

“I’m not sure I do either. Will she be back soon?”

“She said she’d be gone a few minutes. Can I get
you a drink? She doesn’t really have a lot to offer.”

“She has plenty to offer. I’ll just go now.”

“Really? You’re going to leave? Just like that?
Don’t you want to stay and… chat?”

“No, thanks. I’ve had a long day. Enjoy your
visit. Tell Harper I’m sorry I missed her.”

So. That was the sister. What was she up to? Did she
expect adoration from everyone she met, or was she subjecting him to some kind
of test? And if she was, had he passed or failed?