Chapter Fifteen

“Harper, you sound awfully cheery this morning,” Mom said within thirty seconds of me answering the phone. “Tell me what’s on your mind.”

“What do you mean, Mom?” I asked, trying to sound innocent. “I sound the same as I always do.”

“Not true,” she disagreed. I could almost see her shaking her head through the phone.

“Maybe it was the extra cup of coffee I had this morning,” I offered. “You know what caffeine does to me.”

“Come on, Harper. I know you better than you know yourself,” she informed me. “Tell me everything.”

It had to be mother’s intuition. She had the distinct ability to sense change in any and every inflection in my voice. No matter how hard I tried to sound “normal”, the fact remained that I actually was a little more cheery than I’d usually be at nine in the morning. The date with Gabe the night before still had me wired. All that I could think about was the incredible kiss we had shared in the stadium parking lot.

“Harper, are you there?”

My mom’s voice pulled me away