At the thought of Penn, Harper immediately looked around the diner. The last thing she needed was to run into them.

Fortunately, Penn, Thea, and Lexi were nowhere in sight. Daniel, however, was sitting at a small table by himself eating a cup of soup when Harper walked in. He smiled when he saw her, so she went over to him.

“I didn’t know you ate here.”

“I gotta come here for Pearl’s famous clam chowder.” Daniel grinned, then gestured to the empty seat across from him. “Care to join me?” She chewed her lip, debating whether or not she should, so he said, “You do owe me a rain check after the ice-cream incident.”

“I do,” she admitted, and, almost reluctantly, she sat down across from him.

“I even got soup, so we’re right on track for a meal of equal value.”

“That we are.”

“So what brings you here?” Daniel asked.

“Lunch,” Harper said, and he laughed at the obvious. “Actually, I work across the street at the library. I’m on break now.”

“You come here a lot, then?” He’d finished his soup, so he pushed the bowl to the side and leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table.

“Not really, no.” She shook her head. “My coworker Marcy hates being left alone at the library, so I usually eat my lunch there.”

“Except for when your dad forgets his lunch.”

“Yeah, except for that.”

“Does he really forget his lunch that often?” He gave her a curious look, his hazel eyes dancing.

Harper returned his curious expression. “Yeah. Why?”

“Really?” Daniel did nothing to mask his disappointment. “Because I was starting to think you were looking for excuses to see me.”

“Hardly.” She lowered her eyes and laughed.

Daniel smiled, but he looked ready to protest her dismissal of his claims when Pearl came over to take Harper’s order. She was a heavyset woman who used home hair-dye kits in an attempt to cover her gray, but it only left her with blue hair.

“How was the chowder?” Pearl asked, picking up Daniel’s bowl.

“Great as always, Pearl.”

“You should come in to eat it more, then,” Pearl said, then pointed to his slender frame. “You’re wasting away. What are you eating out there on the boat?”

“Nothing nearly as good as your food,” Daniel admitted.

“Well, I tell you what. My daughter’s air conditioner is on the fritz again. Her good-for-nothing husband can’t fix it, and she’s got those two little babies in that tiny apartment,” Pearl said. “They can’t handle the heat the way you or I can. If you swing by and check out her A/C tonight, I’ll send you home with a big bucket of my chowder.”

“You got yourself a deal.” He smiled. “Tell your daughter I’ll stop by around six.”

“Thank you. You’re a real sweetheart, Daniel.” Pearl winked at him, then turned to Harper. “What can I get for you?”

“Just a Cherry Coke,” Harper said.

“One Cherry Coke, coming up.”