“Well, let’s see. I got up at 5:45 and went surfing.”

“Man, that’s early! You do that everyday?”

“I try to, it helps me relax and gets me through the day.”

“Damn.”

“Then I went to work, showered and was at my desk by 9. Worked on some budget proposals, helped with inventory, had a lunch meeting, worked on screening a sample poster for client approval. Was out the door by 6 to meet some friends for drinks and got home about an hour ago.”

“Geez, you were a little busy today.” Shane is amazed.

“A little. It was actually a pretty laid back day for me.”

“I feel like a lazy bum now.” Shane laughs.

“You shouldn’t. Especially since tomorrow you’ll probably work 20 hours.” Harper stretches out on her couch.

“Don’t remind me.” Shane groans.

“Sorry.” Harper chuckles.

“I’d much rather be spending 20 hours with you.” Shane’s own words take her by surprise. She can’t believe she said what she was feeling out loud.

Harper is taken a little off guard by her comment. “That would be nice.” Harper smiles.

“Yeah.” Shane agrees quietly, getting lost in the mere thought.

Harper smiles more, knowing Shane is thinking about it. “Do you think you could put up with me for that long? That’s like 3 or 4 dates rolled into one.”

“I think I could handle it. I’m more worried that you’d get bored with me.” And she is.

“Oh, I highly doubt it. You don’t give yourself enough credit Shane.”

“Yeah, I probably don’t.”

“It’s always been amazing to me how people can be so confident in areas of life and insecure about all the rest of it. I don’t know anyone who is 100 percent confident about everything.”

“I’ve never really thought about it that way. But you’re right. That makes me feel better.” Shane says.

“I’m glad. Just remember, nobody is perfect. And the people who project perfection the most are usually the most fucked up.”

“I’m fucked up and admit it, so at least I’ve got that going for me.” Shane laughs.

“We all are in our own special ways.” Harper laughs. “But you’re not too fucked up to allow yourself to be happy. You just have to let yourself.”

“That’s easy to say.”

“I know it’s hard to do. Trust me, I did a lot of hard work to get myself to that point. It’s a matter of liking yourself and knowing you do have things to offer. And learning to let your guard down at the right times and let people get to know you.”

These words strike a chord within Shane. “I’m working at it, but it’s not easy.”

“I know and I know your working on it and that’s awesome. I mean Jesus, we went out once and you shared a very important part of yourself with me. That’s huge and I know that. And I’m so thankful that you allowed it to happen. And in case you didn’t notice, I’m still here. You didn’t scare me away.” Harper knows that Shane needs that reassurance.

Shane’s smile is one of complete relief. “That’s good to hear.”