Pretend You're Mine: A Small Town Love Story Read Free

they invite me to Sunday dinner,” Harper laughed.
    Luke’s phone on the bar buzzed. He glanced at the screen and grimaced. “Too late.”
    “Very funny.” Harper rolled her eyes and took a sip of beer.
    He held up his phone for her to see.
    Ask your friend if she can bring a pie to dinner Sunday.
    She choked, slapping a hand over her mouth. “This can’t be real. I’m still in the parking lot unconscious, aren’t I?”
    Luke laughed and put a solid, warm hand on her back. “You wish.”
    Click.
    Harper glanced up to see Sophie holding her phone extended towards them.
    “Soph.” Luke’s voice held the sharp edge of a warning.
    Sophie smiled innocently. “What? Oops, gotta go. Order’s up.”
    “Did she just take a picture of us?”
    Luke grabbed his beer. The spot on her shoulder where he had touched her still felt tingly.
    She put her head in her hands, until she bumped her cheek and remembered the bruise. “I feel like I’m in some alternate reality. I’m not even supposed to be here.”
    “Where are you supposed to be?”
    “Fremont.”
    “You’re a long way from Fremont.”
    “Are you kidding me?”
    “Harper, Fremont is four hours west of here.”
    “Son of a bitch. I was going the wrong way.” She leaned forward and covered her eyes with her hands.
    “Everything okay, here?” Sophie reappeared. “What did you do now, Luke?”
    “It’s not him, it’s me.” Harper’s voice was muffled by her hands.
    “She was supposed to be in Fremont tonight,” Luke supplied.
    “Well, that’s not going to happen, Harp. Fremont’s four hours away.”
    “I know that now ,” Harper groaned into her hands.
    Sophie started to laugh and Harper dropped her hands. “I’m glad you find my life so amusing.”
    It only made her laugh harder. “This is ridiculous. Does stuff like this happen to you all the time?”
    “Stuff like what?” Luke asked.
    Harper dropped her head to the bar, while Sophie gave Luke the brief details of her situation, mercifully leaving out any mention of the delivery girl.
    “You left your house with nothing but car keys and then drove for hours in the wrong direction?” It was Luke’s turn to swipe a hand over his face and sigh. “So where are you staying tonight?”
    Harper sat up and took a mournful swallow of beer. “I don’t know. The plan was to message Hannah on Facebook for a ride. But that’s when I thought I was only ten minutes away from her.”
    “Maybe someone here tonight is heading in that direction and can get you part way there?” Sophie suggested.
    Luke shook his head. “We’re not putting her in a car with some half-lit stranger.”
    “What do you think cab fare would be to Fremont?”
    “Soph, be realistic. Besides, why not just give her gas money?”
    “I’ll just sleep in my car,” Harper decided. It wouldn’t be the first time for that either.
    “So you sleep in your car. Then what?” Luke asked.
    “I’ll message Hannah and beg her to pick me up in the morning.”
    “Here,” Sophie slid her phone to Harper. “Log in and message her.” She hurried away to grab a refill for a customer.
    Sensing salvation, Harper pounced on the phone.
    She keyed in her login and went to Hannah’s page. “Crap! Hannah’s husband surprised her with a weekend away at a cabin in freaking West Virginia.”
    “So giving you gas money to get there is a moot point. Hmmm, if only you could stay overnight with someone. Hmmm.” Sophie arched an eyebrow at Luke.
    Harper leaned back on the stool and tilted her head up. “I will figure this out. I will figure this out.”
    Sophie leaned over the bar. “Hey, what about Mickey?”
    “For Christ’s sake.” Luke slammed his beer down.
    “He’s got an empty house now that his girlfriend moved out. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind an overnight guest,” Sophie chirped.
    Harper narrowed her eyes.
    “His girlfriend moved out because he got arrested for shoplifting at the liquor store,” Luke growled.
    “I