Beautifully Shattered

“And you must be the little fireball I’ve heard a lot about.” He rubs his chin with his thumb and index finger. “Do you go by Elizabeth or Tinkerbell these days?” he asks in a condescending tone.

Elizabeth? Who is he talking about? I stare at Harper, wondering why she would give him a different name. She flexes her hand as if she wants to punch him. Not a common response from the ladies when it comes to Co

We’re halfway through brunch when I finally can’t take it anymore. Everything has gone smoothly, except that Jax refused to pass Kohen the pepper. I steer all conversation away from Jax and Kohen in an effort to keep the peace. I restrain myself from kicking Jax in the shins. Doesn’t Jax realize that he’s being obvious? Luckily Harper and Co

“Okay what the hell is going on? Do you two know each other or something?” I demand.

I’m met with silence. My brother coughs, covering his laugh. He has insider information, I know it. Their silence is all the answer I need, but I push anyways. Patience has never been my thing.

“Well?”

“No,” Harper says at the same time Co

She glares at him, but doesn’t elaborate. I cross my arms over my chest. My brother mouths something to Co

Raising his mimosa for a toast Co

I was so not expecting that. I was thinking they slept together and he never called her back. Not this! Everyone speaks at once. I sit speechless, gaping at Harper. This is why I’m the only one who sees what she’s about to do. My mouth drops open.

She pours the entire pitcher of water on Co

Plastering the fakest smile I’ve ever seen she says, “Your womanizing friend has greatly exaggerated, as I’m sure he does to get women into his bed every night, even though he can’t really perform as he would like everyone to believe.”

Jax and Logan double over in laughter. The kind that shakes their entire bodies. Kohen seems as uncomfortable as I feel. I opt for a smile because I don’t know what’s about to happen. This can go either way. Harper surprises me yet again by standing and collecting her purse. She embraces me.

“I should say I’m sorry, but we both know I would be lying. I have to go though, I’ll see you tomorrow at work.”

She says goodbye to everyone. Co

“Memorable as always, Evans.”

How does she know his last name? Co

“That’s her?” he asks.

“Have you seen her since that night?” my brother asks Co

Okay, clearly I’m the only one out of the loop. Awesome, my favorite place to be. I point the end of my butter knife at Co

“I swear, Co

Co

Gleaming with pride that I got my way, I set down the butter knife and make a show of folding my hands on the table, like an eager child ready to learn.

Glancing at my brother, Co

He laughs and looks at me. “She didn’t even give me her real name.”

Okay, I’m as confused as can be. Kohen wears a bored expression. How? I have no idea. I can’t believe Harper left without explaining. I listen intently to the rest of Co

“I was leaving work one night when the car in front of me smashed into me out of nowhere, then took off without waiting for the light to turn green.”

I clench my teeth. It’s hard not to be upset that Co

“I did what any rational person would do when someone hits them and takes off. I followed her. I almost got hit by an oncoming car for speeding through the red light, too.”

Co

“I raced in and out of cars until I found the one that hit me. I followed it for an hour out of the city when it finally pulled up to a gas station. I waited until she was already out of the car and pumping gas before I pulled up. I don’t think she realized I was following her, until she saw me pull up to the pump behind her. She screamed when I opened my door, but stopped when she saw me.”

He pauses again and I can tell he’s thinking of what to say next. I swear, if he’s making this up I am going to gut him like a fish. Something’s telling me he isn’t, though.

“She immediately apologized saying that she thought I was someone else. I could tell that she was still freaking out. She kept glancing around as if she were searching for someone. Then she leaned into her car, grabbed her purse and gave me a wad of cash. A wad of hundreds to be exact.”

I eye him closely, looking for any signs of dishonesty. I can’t find any. She did this, she really took off. I want to give her the benefit of the doubt, but it’s hard after everything I went through, what my family went through.

“Being the gentleman that I am, I didn’t take her money. I offered to buy her coffee so she could explain what was going on, but she refused. I told her I wouldn’t let her go until she at least told me her name. She got in her car, rolled down the window and said, ‘Elizabeth’ before she sped away.”

He regards me. “I know what you’re thinking, Addie, but it’s not the same. Don’t make her out to be the bad guy. She needs you. I don’t know what happened, but she was scared that night. Terrified actually. Frightened enough to back into my car at a stop light. She thought I was somebody else. That’s why I spent the majority of last year looking for a ghost. I needed to make sure she was okay.”

I know without a doubt that he’s telling the truth. Co