Chasing Trust: A Small Town Steamy Romance (Harper Family series Book 3) Read online

  Chasing Trust

  A Harper Family Romance

  By

  Nancy Stopper

  Table of Contents

  Chasing Trust

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Epilogue

  Books by Nancy Stopper

  Acknowledgements

  About the Author

  Copyright

  Prologue

  Serena Harper skipped down the boardwalk at the Steel Pier, snatching up flowers growing along the edge. Today had been the best day of her life. As much as that meant, since she was only fifteen years old. But today, Mom and Dad had brought the entire family to Atlantic City, and she’d been able to go off by herself. Well, not exactly by herself. With her twin sister, Alexis. But no parents. They’d given each of them twenty dollars and told them that it had to last until dinner. Told them to go have fun.

  And she had.

  Serena stepped up and leaned her arms on the railing, the wide, expansive beach stretching as far as she could see down below. The wind swirled around her and blew her hair. She tried to tuck the loose strands behind her ear, but the wind won. Her hair would probably be tied in knots by the end of the day, but she didn’t care. She was mesmerized by the waves that poured in, one by one, each crashing onto the white sandy beach. What she wouldn’t give to live near the ocean. To wake up every day to that peaceful sound. To hear the wind whoosh through the trees. It could be her escape. Somewhere she could go and do what she wanted, when she wanted. Not what her Mom and Dad wanted her to do. And certainly not everything that her sister did. She loved Alexis, but sometimes being a twin sucked.

  As Serena stared down the beach, she spotted someone pointing a camera at her. Not someone. A boy. He held the camera up to his face for another minute… and then he lowered it.

  She gasped. He was the cutest boy she’d ever seen, his shoulders broad and not skinny like most of the guys she knew. His brown hair tousled by the wind.

  “Alexis, look.” She nudged her sister who had been more interested in watching the people passing by on the boardwalk. “Look at that boy.”

  “Where?”

  Serena pointed toward the beach. “Over there. But don’t look. Don’t look.”

  Of course, Alexis did the opposite. It was as if she enjoyed doing exactly what people didn’t want her to do. “He’s cute. And he’s taking our picture.”

  Serena didn’t correct her sister, but he’d been taking her picture long before Alexis turned around. He lowered his camera, slid a cap over the lens and then headed down the beach.

  “Oh, well.” She turned her back to the ocean. “What should we do now?”

  “We could play some games.”

  “I thought you spent your cash already.” While Serena had held onto her money until she knew what she wanted to spend it on, Alexis had burned through her twenty dollars in no time.

  “But you still have— don’t look, don’t look. The boy is coming this way.”

  Serena ducked her head and turned toward where Alexis was looking. Boys were always coming up to her. Talking to her. They may be twins, but there was something about Alexis that made the boys pay attention.

  The boy stepped up in front of them, his camera still slung around his neck. Now that she saw him up close, she wasn’t sure this was a boy at all. He was older. Certainly a lot older than her and Alexis. His broad shoulders stretched his blue T-shirt tight across his chest and his square jaw was darkened by stubble.

  “Hi.” Alexis didn’t waste any time. She didn’t have a shy bone in her body. Not like Serena.

  “Hi.” Alexis may have spoken first, but unlike most boys, he wasn’t looking at her when he spoke. He was looking at Serena. Staring at her… with hazel eyes with flecks of gold that almost glittered in the sun.

  The boys she went to school with were cocky and full of themselves. But she knew that was all for show—they were as awkward and nervous as she was. Not this boy. There was nothing cocky about him. He was confident.

  “Serena?” Alexis nudged her shoulder.

  “Your name’s Serena?”

  She nodded. She couldn’t speak. His deep voice washed through her and settled deep in her gut.

  He held out his hand to her. “I’m Edward.”

  She stared at it for a minute and then took the offering. She’d never shaken hands with a boy before. Waved and giggled, sure, but not shaking hands. “I’m Serena. Serena Harper.” Her voice cracked as she spoke.

  “Right.” He smiled at her and she was a goner. Her heart started a rapid beat and butterflies fluttered in her belly. She’d read in books about how women felt when they met a man and fell in love. It was nice in a story but she didn’t think it was real.

  Boy, was she wrong.

  She giggled. God, she hated it when the girls at school giggled at boys. Had insisted she would never be like that. But one look, one touch from this boy and that’s the first thing she did.

  Alexis tried to get him to talk to her. She was always doing that when the two of them were together. Serena didn’t mind—usually. “So where are you—"

  “Did you want to go on a ride with me?” Edward pulled a handful of tokens out of his pocket and extended them toward Serena.

  What do you think? Serena asked her sister wordlessly. They’d always been able to understand each other, even without words. Carrying on conversations in their minds used to drive their parents and siblings crazy. Serena didn’t realize for a long time how unusual it was.

  Alexis nodded. Go have fun. He’s a cute boy.

  Serena heard the words in her head as clearly as if Alexis had said them out loud.

  She turned back to Edward. “Okay.”

  He grinned and his face relaxed, like he was afraid she wouldn’t say yes. “What did you want to ride?”

  Any other girl might choose to ride the Ferris Wheel, to cuddle up next to the boy, but she wasn’t any other girl. “How about the Crazy Mouse?”

  He raised his eyebrows. Had he not met a girl that liked roller coasters before? He held out his hand. “Sounds great.”

  She hesitated for a moment before slipping her hand into his. His fingers wrapped around hers and a huge jolt shot through her; her heart beat so fast it almost hurt. She’d never held hands with a boy before. She liked it.

  They ran down the pier toward the rides, and as they reached the roller coaster, he pulled her closer and they slid into a seat, side-by-side, right before the gates closed. His thigh pressed up against hers, his body leaned into her. She couldn’t remember the bench being this small before.

  He slid his arm along the back of the seat and wrapped it around her shoulder. None of the awkward nervousness of the boys she’d gone to school dances with, afraid to touch her. This boy was all confidence. Her stomach did a flip-flop, and they hadn’t even started the ride yet. She might not have had a boyfriend before but knew for certain this w
as how she was supposed to feel.

  There was no time to dwell on her thoughts as the car started its slow climb up the hill. She shivered, and Edward pulled her closer. “Are you okay?”

  She nodded and snuggled into him as they crested the hill. Her stomach dropped and she screamed, throwing her hands in the air. A second later, they swept across the bottom of the hill and back up the next one. She turned to Edward, but he wasn’t looking at the track. He was watching her. Before she could ask him why, she was jerked to the side and around another curve. Up and down, around and around, much like her heart felt with Edward’s arm on her shoulder.

  A minute later, the roller coaster glided into the station. The ride was over. Much too soon. She wanted to spend more time with Edward.

  He helped her out of the car and then climbed out behind her.

  She smiled at him as they walked down the ramp and back to reality. If only she could wrap herself up in that ride and live in it for the rest of her life. “That was great.”

  “It was.”

  “Let’s go—”

  “What do you—” They both spoke at once.

  She laughed and pointed to him. “You go.”

  He shuffled his feet. She hadn’t thought he could be nervous, but it sure seemed he was feeling the same way she was right about now. “I wanted to know where we should go next.”

  “You want to do something else?” She almost screeched but would rather not look like a silly girl to Edward.

  “I want to spend as much time with you as I can.”

  “Oh, wow.” The words came out as a whisper. She hadn’t meant to say them out loud.

  He stared at her for another second and then steered her to the Ferris wheel. A few minutes later, she was snuggled against him as their car swung high above the boardwalk. Like their own little world, with only the two of them in it. The sounds of the boardwalk and the ocean were far away.

  Edward wove his fingers through hers. He was holding her hand. She couldn’t believe it. “Where are you from, Serena?”

  She loved hearing him say her name. “I’m from Pennsylvania.”

  “I’ve never been to Pennsylvania.”

  Maybe he could find a way to visit. “What about you? Where are you from?”

  “Nowhere. Everywhere.”

  “What does that mean? Don’t you have a home?”

  He shook his head. “No. Well, I guess, kinda. My family lives in California.”

  “Wow, California. That’s so far away. Are you here on vacation?”

  “Nope. I left home two years ago.”

  “Then where do you live?”

  He scrubbed his hand over his jaw. “I don’t live anywhere. I go where I want to go. I take pictures to pay for places to stay.”

  Wow. She’d never met anyone who lived like that. What she wouldn’t give to run away from home. To avoid the yelling and the arguing. To get away from their father. But she would never have the nerve to do that. And certainly wouldn’t go anywhere without Alexis.

  Her older sister Isabella was leaving for New York to be a dancer in two weeks. Serena was going to miss her, especially since Dad didn’t seem to yell at Isabella as much as he did at Serena and Alexis. And Justin only came home for a couple of months each winter before he went back to Florida to play baseball. When Isabella left, it would be only her and Alexis for dad to be mad at. Living somewhere else, doing what you wanted all the time sounded like a great idea right about now. “That sounds like fun.”

  “So far.”

  The wheel started moving again and she lost her chance to ask him more about his trips, and too soon, the ride was over and she had to leave the cocoon that she had woven around the two of them. Like they were the only two people in the world.

  Edward led her down the boardwalk, never letting go of her hand, as he talked about some of the photos he’d taken while he had been in Atlantic City. She could listen to him talk all day, especially when, once in a while, he looked at her with a huge smile on his face.

  She scanned the people walking by, a couple holding hands, two girls giggling with their hair blowing in the wind. Were they looking at her and the cute boy she was with?

  When they reached one of the stairways, he motioned for her to walk down to the beach.

  Eep. She had always dreamed of walking along the beach with a boy, their hands swaying between them and now she was doing it. With Edward. They walked along the sand, talking about places he had been and pictures he’d taken, about how he loved to see the world through his lens and isolate certain parts of a big scene.

  But he didn’t do all the talking. He asked her about her family and he looked at her when she talked. He wasn’t checking out who was around them. He focused on her. She’d never had that before. She’d always been “SerenaandAlexis”. Half of a pair. Never just Serena.

  But Edward looked at her like she was the only girl in the world.

  When it felt like they had walked for hours, he tugged on her hand. She nearly tripped over her own feet, then laughed as she followed him. He stopped in front of a sun-beaten blue Adirondack chair that had seen better days.

  It was big enough for two.

  He dragged her down beside him, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and pulled her to his chest. Tucked underneath the boardwalk, they were away from the sounds of the people and rides. The beach was practically deserted as the sun had sunk behind the tall buildings that lined the boardwalk. It was the two of them. Alone.

  She finally broke the silence. “Where are you going next?”

  He quirked his lips and stared out at the ocean. “I’m not sure. There’s a publisher in New York who wants to send me somewhere overseas to take pictures.”

  As exciting as that sounded, it was too much to hope that he would be nearby. Maybe as close as Philadelphia.

  He furrowed his brows and studied her. “What is it?”

  “I wish that I’d met you on the first day of my vacation… instead of the last. We’re going home tomorrow.” She dipped her head. She felt like he could see right into her soul every time he looked at her. That everything she was feeling was out on display for him.

  “I wish I had met you sooner, too. But I’m leaving anyway, so all we have is today.”

  He slid his hand under her chin and lifted it so that she looked him in the eye. His hazel eyes darkened and he leaned a little closer. He was going to kiss her. Her first kiss.

  He took her wrists and wrapped her arms around his neck, and his hands cupped her cheeks. Her eyes widened and she puckered her lips. At least she thought she did. She wasn’t sure what to do. She twisted her hands in his hair, the soft strands falling over her fingers, and he let out a little moan. That was good, right?

  Edward moved closer and her eyes fluttered closed. She couldn’t keep them open any longer.

  His lips finally touched hers. A light peck. He pulled back a fraction before kissing her again, this time his lips moved against her mouth.

  She sighed and his tongue darted out. He traced her lips and then slipped his tongue into her mouth. God, he was a good kisser. She held onto his neck tighter.

  Serena touched the tip of her tongue to his. He groaned and slid his hands around to the back of her neck, tilting her head so that he could kiss her better. The sound of the ocean faded as they snuggled close on a chair tucked under the boardwalk, kissing. If only she could stay here forever, but she knew she couldn’t.

  He pulled back and rested his forehead on hers. She finally opened her eyes and saw him staring at her.

  “Serena!” Alexis’s voice broke through her fog.

  “Is that your sister?” Edward kept his hands around her neck, as if holding on meant she wouldn’t go away.

  “Just ignore her. She’ll go away.” She leaned toward him, hoping he would kiss her again.

  “Serena! It’s time to leave,” Alexis’s voice drew closer now.

  “I guess you have to go.”

  “Yeah, I guess.�
� Why did Alexis have to ruin everything? Couldn’t she just tell Mom and Dad that she couldn’t find Serena. Then she could have a few more minutes with Edward.

  He leaned in and brushed his lips across hers one more time and then pulled his hands from her neck.

  Her sister rushed up to their chair, her chest heaving from running. “There you are. Didn’t you hear me calling you?”

  “Yes, but I was ignoring you.” And if she’d go away, she’d keep ignoring her for a little longer.

  “Well, Dad sent me to get you. We have to go.”

  Serena looked at Edward. He didn’t look at her now.

  Alexis motioned with her hand. “Come on, Serena.”

  She turned to Edward. Did he regret kissing her, or that she had to leave? She knew what her answer would be. She could never regret her first kiss. It was everything the love songs she listened to on repeat had promised. “I’m sorry. I have to go.”

  She reached around her neck and unhooked the necklace that always hung there. Daddy had given her the simple cross on the chain when she was a little girl. Back before the yelling had changed their relationship. She took the necklace and pressed it into his palm, closing his fingers around it.

  “For you to remember me by.”

  “I’ll never forget you, Serena Harper.”

  “I’ll never forget you either. But I don’t even know your last name.”

  Alexis pulled her out of the chair, dragging her toward the stairs.

  “Hey, Serena?” Edward’s voice echoed behind her.

  She spun to see that Edward had climbed out of the chair. She walked backward, following Alexis, as she watched him.

  “Foster. My last name’s Foster.”

  She finger-waved at him. “Bye, Edward Foster.”

  Chapter One

  Bandit fought against his leash, wrapping it around his legs and tripping over the cord. Even with his butt in the air, he was a cutie. Sadly, he wouldn’t last much longer in the shelter. He spent most of his time huddled in the corner of his kennel, shaking so much that she heard the rattling every time she walked into the center. The only time he was happy was when she was with him—or he was outdoors.

  He needed to be fostered, or he might not live much longer. Serena hoped Alexis would take him in. Her other siblings all had one or more fosters already. And Alexis, with the most flexible schedule of them all, hadn’t helped in so long that Serena had stopped asking.