TWENTY-FIVE
Dinner
The house should’ve been tenser. Gemma was still in trouble, and Brian should’ve stayed angry with her. Not to mention that they hadn’t figured out how to save Gemma from the sirens. Harper had stayed home from work again, refusing to leave Gemma unguarded, even for a few hours.
Both Harper and Gemma knew the sirens were coming after her—it was just a matter of time. They spent a long time discussing possible ways to break the curse and doing what research they could think of, but when they came up with nothing new or substantial, they prepared themselves to fight the sirens.
Harper put earplugs in her dresser drawer so the siren song couldn’t enchant her, and she shoved a butcher knife under her pillow. She put a baseball bat under her bed, and they brought in the shovel from out back and put it in the front hall closet.
Their father had plenty of tools, like saws and even an ice pick, out in his work area in the garage. Harper considered bringing them in, but they felt too gruesome to fight with. She could still get to them if she needed to, but she hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
In a way, all the prep work they’d done reminded Harper of Home Alone, like they were children setting up booby traps for burglars. Gemma went along with everything, but she seemed dubious.
The trouble was that neither of them knew what else to do. They hadn’t found a way to break the curse, so they were only left with fighting back. Harper would do whatever it took to protect herself and her family, and if she had to kill the sirens, she would.
Once the preparation was done, and Harper had stashed weapons everywhere she could think of without Brian finding them, an odd peace settled over her. She’d done everything she could. Now they had to wait.
Brian came home from work that night in an astonishingly good mood. His daughter was home safe and sound. Because of the holiday on Sunday, he had Monday off, giving him a three-day weekend. That seemed to set the tone for the whole night.
Harper was making spaghetti and meatballs for supper, and Gemma offered to help. Brian cracked a beer in the living room to watch TV and relax after work for a bit, leaving the girls in the kitchen to handle supper.
“Harper,” Gemma said, barely stifling a giggle as she held up a misshapen meatball for Harper to inspect. “What do you think of my balls?”
“You’re so immature.” Harper rolled her eyes, but she couldn’t help smirking at her sister.
They stood at the kitchen counter, making the meatballs. Harper seasoned the raw hamburger, and they rolled it into balls. She’d done it a hundred times before, sometimes with Gemma’s help, but this was the first time that Gemma had been unable to stop giggling.
“Oh, come on, Harper,” Gemma said, refusing to be deterred. “It’s funny. Admit it’s funny.”
“It’s really not.” Harper laughed, but only because Gemma’s laughter was contagious. She shook her head and motioned to the meatball Gemma was making. “That one’s lumpy.”
Gemma burst out laughing at that, and when Harper scowled at her, it only made her laugh harder.
“What has gotten into you?” Harper asked.
“I’m just glad to be home, I guess.”
Gemma tossed a meatball at Harper, and it narrowly missed her, landing on the floor with an unpleasant splat.
“Hey,” Harper said. “Don’t waste food.”
“Sorry.” Gemma grabbed a paper towel to wipe the meatball off the floor. “When was the last time we had a food fight, though?”
“I don’t know.” Harper looked over her shoulder to watch her sister. “When I was, like, six or something.”
“Exactly!” Gemma insisted, and leaned on the counter next to Harper. “We’re really overdue for another one.”
“I really don’t think we are.” Harper shook her head, but she smiled. “It’s a waste of food, and it’s a mess that I’ll have to clean up.”
“Harper!” Gemma threw her head back and groaned. “Let’s say this is my last night here—”
“It’s not.” Harper cut her off and looked at Gemma severely. “We’ll find a way—”
“No, Harper, listen to me.” Gemma cut her off. “I’m not saying it is. I’m just saying, what if? Because there is a chance that we might not have that many nights together as a family. I mean, even if we fix this whole curse thing, you’re leaving in a matter of weeks for college.”
“That’s your justification for wasting food?” Harper raised an eyebrow.
“No, I’m just…” Gemma sighed. She looked at Harper, smiling, and her honey-colored eyes were hopeful. “Let’s just have fun tonight, and worry about the mess tomorrow.”
“Okay,” Harper relented. “But I am not having a food fight.”
“Fine.” Gemma turned and started making meatballs next to Harper. “But will you at least laugh at my jokes about the balls?”
“Probably not.” Harper grinned. “Plus, we probably have enough meatballs by now.”
“You can never have too many balls,” Gemma said.
“That’s what she said,” Harper said, attempting to make a bad joke, and Gemma burst out laughing.
“It’s not even that funny,” Gemma said through her own laughter. “I just can’t believe you said it.”
“Hey, I’m trying,” Harper said.
She might’ve even laughed along with her sister, but a loud knock at the front door interrupted her thoughts. Gemma didn’t seem to notice, happy to continue giggling, but Harper went over to the sink to wash her hands. She wasn’t sure if the sirens would knock at the front door, but they’d done it before when they came to get Gemma, so she wouldn’t put it past them.
“Harper,” Brian said as he came into the kitchen. “Someone’s at the door for you.”
“Who is it?” Harper asked as she hurried to dry her hands with a towel.
Gemma had finally gotten her giggling fit under control and turned around to see Brian standing in the kitchen doorway.
“Daniel,” Brian said, and that explained the pained expression on his face. He clearly wasn’t thrilled about boys coming around for his daughters.
“Oh, um…” Harper pushed her hair back behind her ear and shook her head. “I’m busy making supper.”
“Nonsense,” Gemma said. “You go talk to Daniel. Me and Dad can handle this, can’t we?” Brian seemed reluctant to agree to this, so Gemma smiled at him. “Come on, Dad. If you don’t help me make supper, I’ll find a way to burn everything. Even the noodles.”
“Go on.” Brian nodded at Harper and offered her a small smile. “I’ll help your sister.”
“Okay, then.” She smiled thinly at Brian and Gemma, trying to look grateful, when she really didn’t feel that grateful.
She’d spent the day with her sister preparing for a siren attack, so she probably looked horrible. Besides that, she’d told Daniel she didn’t want to see him anymore just the day before. And that had been hard enough to do the first time. She didn’t want to do it again.
In the living room, Daniel was standing with his back to her. He was bent forward slightly, admiring the pictures that lined the mantel.
Harper watched him for a moment, feeling a pang of regret at having to send him away, then she cleared her throat.
“Daniel?” Harper said, and he turned to face her.
“Are these your parents?” Daniel pointed to a wedding photo of her mom and dad.
She nodded. “Yeah, that’s them.”
“Your mom is very pretty,” Daniel said.
“Yeah, she is,” Harper agreed, and walked over to him. “Gemma really takes after her.”
“Yeah, I can see that.” Daniel glanced back at the picture as if to confirm the observation, then smiled back at Harper. “But you’re prettier.”
Harper looked down at her feet, blushing slightly. “You shouldn’t say things like that.”
“Why not?”
“You know why not,” she said. Gemma and Brian laughed in the kitchen, and Harper looked back toward the other room. “I should really go back and help them.”
“They’re laughing, Harper, not screaming for help,” Daniel pointed out. “And your dad is a grown man. I’m pretty sure he can handle making supper without you.”
“What are you doing here, Daniel?” Harper asked, finally looking up at him. “Yesterday, I thought I made things perfectly clear.”
“You did,” Daniel agreed.
Harper stared up at him in disbelief. “So … why are you here?”
“After you left yesterday, I thought hard about what you said,” Daniel explained. “What stood out the most is that you finally admitted that you like me.”
“Ugh.” She sighed. “You totally missed the point of everything I said.”
“No, I didn’t,” Daniel insisted. “It came through loud and clear. You say you’re busy with your sister. I say I can help you with that, the same way Alex and Marcy can help you. Only better, because I’m the one that actually found Gemma, remember?”
“I’m the one that knew which house it was,” Harper said, avoiding his eyes. “I mean, I appreciate your help, but we could’ve … we probably would’ve found her. Eventually.”
“Maybe, maybe not,” Daniel allowed. “But I helped you find her this time, and I helped you fight the sirens on the island, and I helped you rescue her on the beach, and I scared the sirens away from her once. The point is, if you want to take care of your sister, you want me on your side.
“No, scratch that.” Daniel waved his hand. “You need me. So you can’t use that as an excuse to stay away from me anymore.”
“It’s not an excuse,” Harper said. “I’m trying to do the right thing here. I really am. I’m trying to protect Gemma and you! You conveniently forgot about that part, Daniel.” She lowered her voice, in case her dad might overhear. “These are monsters that kill boys, and you’re a boy. I don’t want them to hurt you.”
“I didn’t forget about that,” Daniel said. “You just don’t get to make decisions for me.”
Harper was genuinely offended. “I’m not!”
“You’re trying to,” Daniel said. “If I choose to be in danger, that’s my choice. If I want to be with you, even knowing how dangerous it’s going to be, I can do that.”
“But Daniel—” She started to protest, but he put his hands on her shoulders to reassure her, startling her into silence.
“So the only question that really matters is, do you like me?” Daniel asked.
“You know the answer to that.”
“You’re right.” Daniel smirked. “I think I do know the answer, but I want to hear you say it anyway.”
“Yes,” Harper said, almost as if it pained her to do so. “I like you.”
She lowered her eyes and opened her mouth to argue with him, so Daniel slid his hands from her shoulders to her waist.
He gently pulled her closer to him, and she looked up. His arms were loose around her waist, so he wasn’t forcing her to stay in place, but she didn’t move away. She put her hands on his chest and stared up into his eyes.
“I like you,” Daniel said softly. “And I don’t need you to protect me. I can take care of myself. And I can take care of you, too.”
“You don’t need to.”
“I know,” he said, brushing her hair back from her forehead. “But I want to.”
His hand was warm on her face, and Harper could’ve sworn she felt his heart hammering through his chest. His palm pressed harder on the small of her back, pulling her against him, and she slid her arms up around his neck. She stretched up, standing on her tiptoes … and then her dad said her name.
“Harper.” Brian almost barked her name as he appeared in the living room. Harper jumped away from Daniel.
“Hi, Dad, sorry.” Harper flushed and looked everywhere around the room except at her father or at Daniel. “We were just talking. We weren’t doing anything. How’s supper going? Do you need help with supper? I can help you. Do you want me to go in the kitchen?”
“No, supper is fine,” Brian said. His voice was gruff, but it softened a bit. “It’s cooking, and it won’t be that long. Gemma was just setting the table, and so I thought I would ask if your boyfriend would be staying to eat with us.”
“Oh, um, he’s not my—” Harper tried to stammer out but Daniel interjected.
“That would be fantastic, Mr. Fisher,” he said. “I would love to join you. I don’t get a lot of home-cooked meals.”
“So you’re still living out on that boat, then?” Brian asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Harper stood off to the side, her eyes bouncing nervously between the two of them.
“For now.” Daniel nodded.
“Why are you staying out there?” Brian asked. “Aren’t you working?”
“Yeah, I’m working,” Daniel said. “I mostly do odd jobs, but it keeps me busy.”
“You make any money doing that?” Brian asked.
“I make enough to support myself,” Daniel said. “But it’s hard to save up enough to get my own place. I’m working on it, though.”
“The boat must get pretty cold in the winter?” Brian asked.
“It can get cold,” Daniel admitted. “But I make do.”
“Yeah, I bet.” Brian scratched his temple and shifted his weight. “You know about the island, don’t you? You helped Harper clean it up last weekend?”
“You mean Bernie’s Island?” Daniel asked. “Yeah, I was out there helping Harper.”
“I don’t have any use for it,” Brian said. “If you wanted to stay out there, rent the place, that’d be fine by me. It wouldn’t be free, of course, but I wouldn’t charge you too much.”
“Really?” Daniel asked, sounding surprised.
“Yeah, seriously?” Harper chimed in.
“If you’re going to be seeing my daughter, I can’t have you living on a boat,” Brian attempted to explain. “So … it’s there if you want it. Think about it, and … you can decide later.”
“Supper’s ready, guys!” Gemma called from the other room.
Harper let Daniel go into the kitchen first, so she could smile up at her dad. She mouthed the words Thank you at him, but he just brushed it off and ushered her into the next room.
Supper started off slightly awkward, but thanks to Gemma’s almost unnatural cheer, the tension eased quickly. The four of them were soon talking and laughing, and it had been a very long time since Harper remembered a family dinner when they’d been happier.