Sisters Like Us

“Mom?”

Harper did her best to keep her tone even. “I know we do, honey. And we will. This weekend, okay? We’ll sit down and come up with a plan.”

Her daughter sighed. “Sure.”

“What does that mean?”

“You always say we’ll talk about something, but then we never do. You’re too busy with work.”

Harper didn’t like the sound of that. “I don’t. We will talk this weekend. You’ll see.”

Before she could think of a more convincing argument, the back door opened and Bunny walked in. Her hair was perfectly styled, her makeup in place and her clothes looked freshly laundered.

Harper was instantly aware of the fact that she hadn’t showered in maybe two days and she couldn’t remember the last time she’d put on makeup. She’d always worn her wavy hair in layers, but who had the time or money for that kind of maintenance? Lately she’d taken to simply pulling her hair back in a ponytail, which looked great on her beautiful sister but made her look like what she was—a woman of a certain age who had obviously given up.

“Morning,” she said as cheerfully as she could.

“Morning.” Her mother smiled at Becca, then frowned. “What are you eating?”

“Cereal.”

Harper reached for more coffee.

“Cereal?” Bunny shrieked. “Where’s your hot breakfast?” She turned to her daughter. “Harper Wray Szymanski, what is wrong with you? Your only child deserves a hot breakfast. As her mother, it’s the least you can do.”

“Grandma, cereal is fine. It’s a nice change.”

Bunny ignored that. “What’s next? Store-bought cookies? Fast food for dinner? Taking care of your family is your most important job.”

“You’re right, Mom,” Harper snapped. “Right now that means keeping food on the table. To pay for that, I have to work, so forgive me if I don’t have time to make waffles from scratch every single morning.”

“I always found the time.”

“You didn’t have a job.”

Becca quickly finished her cereal, then put the bowl on the floor for Jazz to lap up the milk. When the dog was done, she set the bowl in the sink and escaped. Harper wished she could run off with her.

“I didn’t have a job because I managed to keep my husband happy,” Bunny said in a huff. “Perhaps if you’d treated Terence a little better, he wouldn’t have left.”

The low blow connected right in her stomach.

“Mom, you don’t know anything about what went wrong in my marriage. It’s my business and you don’t have the right to judge me.”

“I’m not. I’m simply pointing out that if you—”

Harper’s cell phone rang. She grabbed it gratefully. “Mom, this is a client.”

“But it’s barely seven.”

“Yes, I know.” She pushed the button to accept the call. “This is Harper.”

“It’s Cathy. How are the bags coming?”

“They’ll be ready on time.” No way Harper was going to tell her they were already finished. Cathy would assume Harper had been exaggerating the time needed. Explaining she’d literally stayed up all night to finish them wouldn’t help, either.

“I’m glad to hear that. I have another job for you.”

“I was talking to you,” Bunny said between clenched teeth. “Tell her you’ll call her back.”

Harper turned her back on her mother, something she knew she was going to pay for. And speaking of paying. “Cathy, I’m happy to talk to you about more work, but I want to be clear. My rate is twenty-five dollars an hour, plus the cost of supplies. That is the price.”

“That’s ridiculous. My clients aren’t going to pay that.”

“Then I’m sorry but I can’t help you.”

“But you’ve always been willing to drop your price for me.” Her voice became softer. “Harper, I know you need the work. I’m doing you a favor.”

“What I need are jobs that pay me a reasonable amount. It’s your call, Cathy. I won’t be negotiating any more discounts.”

“That is totally unacceptable. Goodbye, Harper.” The phone went dead.

Harper turned back to her mother. Bunny raised her eyebrows. “With an attitude like that, it’s surprising you have any clients. Twenty-five dollars an hour for what you do? That’s ridiculous.”

“Thanks for the support, Mom.”

“What? I’m being honest.”

“Right now I would rather you weren’t. That’s me being honest.”

Before she could say any more, she heard a quick knock on the front door, then Thor raced into the house followed by Lucas calling out, “It’s me.”

The hundred-and-ten-pound dog bounced up to Harper and woofed. Jazz joined him and they greeted each other with a quick sniff before tearing off into the living room. Lucas appeared with Persimmon at his side.

“Good morning,” the young woman said, sounding way too cheerful. “Thor and Jazz are so sweet together. Hi, Harper. Hi, Bunny.”

The gorgeous redhead wore a cute little dress and heels, which only made Harper feel even more frumpy and tired. Lucas walked over to the coffeepot and poured himself a mug.

“How’s it going?” he asked.

“You don’t want to know.”

“There’s no hot breakfast,” Bunny announced. “Harper has more important things to do with her time.” She looked at Lucas. “Would you like me to make you an omelet? I’m sure there’s something in the refrigerator, unless my daughter has stopped going to the grocery store.”

Lucas shot Harper a look. She wasn’t sure if it was questioning, filled with pity or both. Regardless, she waved him toward the table, figuring Persimmon would join him. While Bunny was distracted, Harper escaped to her small office. She would hide out there until everyone was gone. Maybe then she could get a couple of hours of sleep.

Her phone rang again. She put in her earpiece, then hit the button.

“This is Harper.”