The Risk Takers

Part 26 | Mile A Minute

The next afternoon, Liam keeps a sharp gaze at the passenger pick up line while we both scan the crowd for Harper. We are inching across the pick up line when I spot a mane of long reddish hair popping out of the sliding doors. I point over to her and watch as she shoves an oversized pair of tortoise shell sunglasses onto her face. She stands slightly with her nose in the air and I know she wants everyone at the airport to wonder if she is some sort of celebrity. I wave over to her and when she spots me, she grips her suitcase and saunters over. She is extremely over dressed for spending her day at the airport but she always dresses up when she comes out here to visit me. I push my Mercedes car door open and she throws her arms open to me when she strides over, "Ellie! Doll it really has been too long," she says in a faux posh accent and she pretends to kiss me lightly on both of my cheeks.

"Harper daw-ling I was unaware we were suddenly 1940's movie stars," I joke back while Liam drops her oversized suitcase into my trunk. I glance to her and ask, "You are only here for two days right?" She nods and replies, "Yes but I didn't know what we'd be doing so I had to bring options my love." She slinks into the back seat and I know she's going to be bummed when I tell her I won't be going crazy with her this weekend due to my bun in the oven. She smiles to Liam and they both just sort of deal with each other whenever they are around one another. Liam thinks of her as a liability and says I always have to keep her as a friend so she'll never spill our secrets out of spite. I think he thinks it's the only reason I've stayed friends with her for so long.

"What first? Shopping on Rodeo? Lunch in West Hollywood? Cocktails at the Fairmont?" She asks us while glancing out the window. I look to Liam wondering if now is when I should break the news on one of the many subjects I have to discuss with her this weekend.

"Maybe you two can go shopping when I'm not around. Or have cocktails when Ellie isn't pregnant. Lunch then?" Liam says with a smile and my jaw drops with how he just spilled the beans. It takes a second for Harper to comprehend it when she responds, "Okay lunch it is! Wait, what? Ellie are you knocked up?" She unfastens her seat belt and scoots up in her chair as she places her hands around my head rest. Her face is next to mine and I can smell her Flowerbomb perfume. I frown at Liam before looking to her, "That's not quite how I wanted to tell you but...yes. I'm pregnant."

Harper startles me by shaking my shoulders and I wave at her to get back into her seat. She squeals and claps her hands together, "Oh my god! I am going to be an aunt! Let's design the nursery while I am here. We can totally do neutral colors until you know what you are having. Oh and I am going to have to throw you a baby shower! Should we do it L.A fab or back in Highland Park where your family is at?" She's talking a mile a minute and I watch as she pulls her planner out. She's flipping through months when she says, "Okay how about the second weekend in March? I bet I could rent the room at the Royal Tea Palace in town and we can totally have it Gatsby chic!"

I can't help but laugh at her enthusiasm but it's squelched when I think of my dad. How can I plan a shower and design a nursery when I don't know what will happen between now and then. I can't break out the water works now seconds after Harper gets here. Liam catches my hesitancy and reaches for my hand. I swallow hard before I start crying and nod to her, "Why not? March sounds great."

"Oh my god we have so much to do Ellie. When is the baby due?" She asks while holding her pen to her chin. I look to Liam and smile as I say, "May twenty-sixth." She nods and I watch her jot it down in her planner. She scribbles a few other things before saying, "Okay perfect. I know Liam will be no help with design, so I'll get you in contact with my interior designer. She does work out here too. Which of your guest rooms will you be making the nursery? Are you going to stay in that swanky condo or move to a house with a yard?" Her mouth and her mind are all over the place and she's wondering how she's going to fit in my pregnancy with all of her boutique openings. I'm glad she is excited for me and wants to be there for every minute but I haven't even thought of these things yet. I have no idea how to respond. Liam quickly changes the subject knowing I am becoming overwhelmed, "So Harp, are you going to squeeze in a visit with Colin while you are here?"

Her and Colin still are unable to keep their hands off of each other every time she comes out to visit. She never told me out loud but I once heard her think about the time she cheated on her husband with Colin when she was visiting Malibu for work. She would never seriously settle down with Colin because he is a beach bum who works part time at a winery and spends the rest of his time surfing. He's aged very well and always has a bronze coloring and a surfers physique every time I see him. He is yummy eye candy she can't help but indulge in.

"Maybe. He complained about the drive from Ventura so I stopped writing him. I happen to think I am worth the two hour drive," she says with a snap as she adjusts her sunglasses. Liam pulls into one of our favorite lunch spots in West Hollywood and hands my car keys to the valet. Harper steps out of the backseat with grace and continues to walk with her nose slightly in the air into the restaurant. She keeps her sunglasses on as she tells the hostess there are three of us and we follow her strut back to the patio of the cafe. We settle in and she immediately grabs the drink menu. I hear her contemplate between a mojito and the sangria and when she finally decides on the sangria she slaps her menu down and looks at us, "So how else have things been going for you two? Oh yeah, did you hear dickhead Derek is back in HP? Just one more person I am going to have to avoid when I visit there."

The waitress appears to take our drink order and Harper grins when I am the only one not ordering alcohol. She is genuinely excited for me and it's nice to have the support. I wonder if I should dump the heavy stuff on her now or wait until later. It won't be fun either way but Harper has a knack for providing clarity on tough situations. When the waitress disappears I nod to her, "My mom told me about Derek."

"Oh! Lily might be moving back to HP too. Last night she told me that Ben wants a divorce! AND he isn't going to give her their house in New York. It's been in his family years longer than he has known her. I guess there was something about it in the prenup. She can't afford New York on her own and he won't be giving her enough to continue her lifestyle. It's going to get so ugly and she's so embarrassed she might go back to Highland Park to save face."

I know we are all friends but Harper seems to relish just a little in Lily's downfall. And I know it's because we tried to warn her about Ben in the beginning. We didn't like him back then and our feelings never changed. The waitress drops our drinks off and Harper guzzles half of hers in a couple sips. She smacks her lips and places her hands on the table before saying, "So Liam, get that promotion yet?"

Liam tips his beer bottle to his mouth before answering, "I could have. But with the baby coming it didn't seem like the right thing anymore. The hours would have been ridiculous."

Harper nods, "What about you El? How's Tristan the twat?" She looks to me with her large hazel eyes while her tongue tries to find her straw.

"I'm sure he's great now that I am not there anymore. I actually quit my job at that firm." I confess to her and I watch as her eyes bulge. She sits up in her chair and snaps, "I just talked to you last week and in a week you've managed to quit your job and get knocked up? What else don't I know?" Liam and I exchange glances before I look back to her, "Well...since you've asked..."