“We’re great,” I said, and David suddenly turned away, pulling his book out of his back pocket. The stairs rose behind him, and all I could think was, He saw me dead there. I needed to get out of this dress. I needed to get out of Magnolia House.

“I think I’m gonna go ahead and go home,” I told the girls.

Most of them nodded sympathetically, but I saw a gleam in some eyes. Of course. Harper Jane Price was about to have a nervous breakdown in front of them. Who wouldn’t want to see that?

“Let me drive you,” David said, but I shook my head even as Bee glared at him and said, “I’ll drive her.”

“I can drive myself,” I told them, and when they both went to protest, I help up my hand. “Promise. I . . . need a break.”

I think Bee would’ve kept arguing, but I told her I would text her as soon as I got home and headed for the door before she had a chance.

I got behind the wheel of my car, meaning to head home. But when I got to the turn for my house, I went left instead of right. There was someone I needed to talk to.

Chapter 33

I DON’T KNOW what Ryan was expecting when he opened the door, but me basically launching myself at him was probably not it, if his “Whoa!” was anything to go by.

I stood in his front door, dressed in my Cotillion gown, my arms locked so tightly around his neck that I was holding my elbows, toes dangling off the ground. After a beat, he wrapped his arms around my waist.

Ducking my head, I pressed my cheek to his neck, wanting to breathe in the safe, familiar scent of him, wanting to climb inside his soft gray T-shirt, wanting to hide in him.

“Harper, are you all right?” he asked, and I shook my head, pressing closer.

He gave a sighing laugh, breath brushing my ear. “Well, whatever it is, it’ll be okay. Actually, wait.” Ryan set me back on my feet, looking me up and down, appraising. “Are you running away from a wedding? Because that might be less okay.”

I swatted at him with a watery chuckle. “This is my Cotillion dress, thank you very much.”

His hazel eyes went wide. “Ah. I thought I wasn’t supposed to see you in that.”

Waving that away, I stepped past him and into the house. “Oh, who cares?”

I walked down the hall to Ryan’s room. His parents would still be at work, so we could safely hang out in what was normally a forbidden zone.

“‘Who cares?’” Ryan echoed, following me. “Who are you, and what have you done with my girlfriend?”