If You Only Knew (Harper Falls Book 3) by Mary J. Williams Page B

along
comes Rose, bursting with drive and enthusiasm. Not to mention more talent in
the tip of her little finger than you could even dream about.
    Must have been tough, Tyler thought as she leaned her
bike against an outcropping of rocks. The result, in Rose’s case, was a bigger
workload and a less than cooperative in-charge adult. Luckily, Rose had
Principal Mona Harriman on her side. Tough as nails and as fair as the day was
long, Principal Harriman was one of the few authority figures Tyler truly
respected. Rose was no pushover. If she was working hard, it was because she wanted
to. The principal would make sure the others pulled their weight.
    Tyler, because of her friends’ unexpected absences, spent
the summer working when she wanted, which was often — she still needed the
money. The rest of the time, she ran free.
    She spied the path down to the river the other day, her
destination when she ran into Drew Harper. Not, it turned out, an unwelcome
occurrence. Her mild interest amped up, she finally admitted to herself she was
in the throes of a full-fledged, heart-palpitating crush.
    That was the reason she wasn’t seeking him out. The thought
of Drew was exciting. The chance of making it a reality? Less than zero. A
little light flirting in a public place was the closest they would ever come to
each other. He was Harper Academy; she was Harper High. The two didn’t mix.
Never had, never would.
    Tyler sighed. You couldn’t miss what you never had. She
reminded herself of that little bit of clichéd wisdom when she saw it.
    The cove was hidden from view. If she hadn’t been right on
it, she never would have known it was there. Rocks acted like a wall, a narrow
passage opening just enough for her to squeeze through. What she found made her
grin.
    A beach oasis. Smooth sand, as though no one had ever walked
there. The June sun touched half of the area, the rest shaded by the sheer
cliffs. She could sunbathe in the nude if she wanted to and no one would ever
know.
    Tyler almost giggled at the thought. Naked just below Harper
House. Not that she would ever do it. Just knowing she could was enough. Heady.
Exciting. She already thought of this place as hers. She would come whenever
she needed to get away, be by herself. Eventually, she would share it with Rose
and Dani. For now, though, it was all hers.
    “This is private property, you know.”
    Tyler almost jumped out of her skin. At least she hadn’t
screamed. Whirling around, she came face-to-face with Drew Harper.
    Faced with their crush, some girls might have simpered.
Tyler did what she did best; she went on the attack.
    “Do you always sneak up on unsuspecting women? What are
you, a creepy stalker?”
    “You found me out.” Drew leaned a shoulder against
the cliff wall. “I waited on the off-chance you would come across the
river, go down a dangerous trail, and find this hidden spot that no one else
knows about. I should be put away as a threat to nosy trespassers
everywhere.”
    Tyler felt her lips twitch. He was quick; she liked that.
Guys tended to be intimidated by her. Either that or she just pissed them off.
Drew gave back as good as he got. One more plus in his column. She needed to
find some minuses and fast before she was a complete goner.
    “I don’t see any signs. As far as I knew, I was on a
public beach.”
    “I watched you sneak across the bridge, down the path,
and in here. You know where you are and who owns it.”
    He watched her? Was interested enough to follow? She didn’t
believe for a moment he was worried about her intruding where she didn’t
belong. If that were true, he could have stopped her before she came down to
the beach. He was interested; he had to be.
    Tyler felt that fluttering in her stomach increase. So much
for shooting down her growing crush.
    “No cute comeback?”
    Drew straightened, his long, athletic body moving with ease.
He came closer, close enough for Tyler to