“I’ve agreed to go out with Tobias again.”

Her sister’s eyes widened. “You have? Where’s he taking you?”

“To dinner—tonight in Santa Barbara. Is that okay? Would you mind watching the girls so I can go?”

“Of course not! When did he ask you?”

Harper couldn’t quite meet her sister’s eyes when she replied, “Last night.”

“He texted you? Did he like the gingerbread house and cookies?”

Harper chose not to answer the first question. “He did.”

“Good! Well, I’m glad we went over there, then. And I’m excited you’re having dinner with him. Are you nervous at all?”

“Not really.” Harper went right back to her wrapping so that her expression couldn’t give too much away. “It’ll be fun to get out.”

“So…are we telling the girls you’re going on a date with the man they met?”

Harper had been deliberating about that all morning. “I don’t know. Do you think it’ll bother them that I’m seeing someone other than their father?”

“I think what bothers them is seeing you unhappy. The better you are, the better they are.”

“It’s not as though anything or anyone could ever come between us.”

“They know that, which is why I’m betting they’ll be fine with it.”

“It’s not too selfish?”

“You’re just trying to move on, Harper. That’s actually the healthier way to go.”

Heartened by her sister’s words, Harper drew a deep breath. “True. Thanks. That gives me more confidence.”

“Now are you willing to admit that you really like this Tobias guy?” she asked with a grin.

Harper felt her face warm. “Yeah.”

“After seeing him, I can understand why you might want to get to know him better,” she said with a laugh and started to walk out of the room.

Harper thought she was gone, but then she heard her sister’s voice again and realized she’d turned back at the last second. “Harper?”

“Yes?”

“Just…be careful, okay?”

“About…”

“You know the cliché about jumping from the frying pan into the fire, right?”

“Of course.” Their mother used it all the time.

“Take things slow,” she said and left.

Harper dropped her head in her hands. Slow? She’d already slept with Tobias—several times.

Tobias hadn’t considered cutting his hair since he’d been released from prison. He’d kept it so short you could see his scalp all the time he’d been locked up—not because he had to but because he considered long hair to be a liability in a fight, and he never put himself at a disadvantage. He’d been jumped often enough that he was always ready. So being able to wear it longer—to feel safe enough to let it grow—was something he considered a luxury.