HAPPY PANTS CAFE (THE HAPPY PANTS SERIES) Read Online Free PDF Page A

she’d go to her grandmother’s with her little brother Doug and older sister Jessa while the movers packed everything up.
    Harper sighed and slid off the vanity stool. At least she’d get to spend this last night with Austin. Maybe they could catch frogs in the pond out back, and then she would tell Austin that she loved him. Even more than the Backstreet Boys all rolled up together.
    Harper looked at herself in the mirror, not seeing a nine-year-old girl, but the woman she was meant to be: confident, beautiful, and loved. Forever. Just like Cinderella and Batman.
    Not long after, the guests from the neighborhood started pouring in for the goodbye BBQ. It was a warm summer night, and she was in charge of making sure the ice buckets stayed filled with sodas.
    “Hi there, Harper. Are you excited about the new house and baby brother on the way?” It was Austin’s mother. She was a really, really, really ooold woman. Forty.
    “Not really. Babies cry too much, and the new house smells like cat pee.” They’d gone to see it two days ago. It had a small yard and weird airplane wallpaper in her room-to-be. “I want to stay here.”
    Austin’s mother smiled at Harper. “Austin is going to miss you, too, Harper. You’ve really helped him come out of his shell.”
    What the heck did that mean? Austin wasn’t a turtle. “Where is he?”
    Austin’s mom shrugged. “I think he’s in our yard. He wanted to show his new tree house to Becky from down the street.”
    Becky? That mean girl who was friends with her older sister, Jessa? And new tree house? What happened to the old one? She loved the old one! Sure, it didn’t have a roof, but it was perfect for hunting spaceships at night. And why didn’t he say anything? Was that why he hadn’t come over to play Nintendo today?
    “I need to get more sodas.” Harper scurried off to the garage, where the flats of cans were stacked, but snuck out the side door. When Harper found Austin, however, he wasn’t in the tree house. He was leaning against a tree, and Becky was leaning against him. Kissing him! And Austin was kissing her back.
    Harper ran back to her house and up to her room, where she slid underneath the bed and cried herself to sleep. No one even noticed her absence, and the next morning, when they left for her grandmother’s house, Harper promised herself that she would never look back. And she would never forget: love is a joke.
     
    ~~
     
    The sound of snapping fingers caught Harper’s attention. “My dear, are you all right?”
    Harper blinked and looked down at the older Hispanic lady with deep smile lines and lively brown eyes.
    “Oh. Um…yeah. I’m fine. I’m just really thrilled to be in your café. I’ve heard so many things about it.”
    “And you are, dear?” The woman’s suspicious eyes darted between her and Austin.
    Harper was about to introduce herself, but Aust—Aust—crap, she couldn’t even look at the guy now. How could this be happening? How was he standing right there? And goddammit! Where the hell did he get off being so good-looking? And pompous! And being a reporter just like her?
    “Dear? Are you certain you’re okay?” asked the woman.
    By now the long line of patrons were all staring. Mostly at Austin’s perfect male-model ass, but it wasn’t helping her sad little state of angst. Austin. Austin. How is this possible?
    “Sorry. Long day.” Harper extended her hand. “I’m Marie. I work for the San Francisco Tribune .” Marie was her middle name, so technically it wasn’t a lie.
    “Well,” said the woman, her eyes narrowing judgmentally, “I am Ms. Luci, the owner of this café. And I don’t give interviews, so you two can leave the way you came in. Have a happy day!”
    Austin flashed a well-rehearsed, charming smile at Ms. Luci. “Well, I certainly understand, but I’m writing an article about Christina Bass-Andrews. She mentioned she met her husband here, and I was hoping to get a few words about the role