“I am sorry,” Harper repeated. She wet her napkins under the fountain as he wiped at his shirt.

“I didn’t actually mean for you to keep apologizing. I know it was an accident.”

“I know, but…” She shook her head. “I didn’t even properly thank you for helping out my sister, and then I attacked you with your own ice cream.”

“That’s true. You are a menace and must be stopped.”

“I know you’re teasing, but I feel bad.”

“No, I’m dead serious. I should report you for your abhorrent behavior,” Daniel said with a straight face, telling her the same thing she’d told him the day before.

“Now you’re making me feel worse.” Harper looked down at her shoes and balled up the wet napkins in her hands.

“That’s my plan,” Daniel said. “I like to guilt pretty girls into going out with me.”

“Smooth.” Harper narrowed her eyes at him, unsure if he was kidding or not.

“That’s what the ladies tell me.” He grinned at her, and his hazel eyes had a gleam to them.

“I’m sure they do,” she said skeptically.

“You do owe me an ice cream, you know.”

“Oh, right, of course.” She dug in her pocket for some money. “How much was that? I can give you the cash for it.”

“No, no.” He waved his hand, stopping her when she pulled out a few crumpled-up dollar bills. “I don’t want your money. I want you to have an ice cream with me.”

“I, uh…” Harper fumbled for a reason not to.

“I see how it is.” His eyes flashed with something that might’ve been hurt, but he lowered them before she could be sure. His smile disappeared, though, and he shoved his hands in his pockets.

“No, no, it’s not that I don’t want to,” Harper said quickly, and she was surprised to find that she meant it.

Between his being gracious in the face of her verbal assaults and helping out her sister, Daniel had begun to grow on her. And that was precisely why she couldn’t take him up on his offer.

Despite his charms, he still lived on a boat, and from the scruff on his chin, it looked like he hadn’t shaved in a few days. He was immature and probably lazy, and she was leaving for school in a couple of months. She didn’t need to get mixed up with a slacker on a boat just because he was kinda funny and cute in a grungy sorta way.

“My friend is waiting for me, somewhere,” Harper continued to explain and gestured vaguely out at the crowd. Marcy was probably somewhere eating cheese curds. “I was following her when I bumped into you. She doesn’t even know where I’m at. So … I should go find her.”

“I understand.” Daniel nodded, and his smile had returned. “I’ll take an IOU, then.”

“An IOU?” She raised an eyebrow. “For ice cream?”

“Or any meal of equal value.” He squinted, thinking about what that would be. “Maybe a smoothie. Or a large coffee. But not like a full meal with fries and a salad.” He snapped his fingers as he thought of something. “Soup! A cup of soup would work, too.”