Chapter 13
Chapter Thirteen
Adalyn
The nerve of him. I had him pegged the moment I saw him in that restaurant on my first night in New York. His sister Athena was sweet, and so was his grandmother. What the hell happened in the gene pool that created him? He was nothing like them. He was rude, emotionless, and a douchebag. I would not let him get to me, even though he was sexy as sin. Too bad he had the manners of Satan. I didn’t give Mr. Grant another thought as I grabbed my phone and went down to the spa for a facial and a massage.
Later that afternoon, I met Athena and Mary for lunch. When we finished, Mary had a charity event meeting to attend, so Athena and I did some shopping.
“What’s up with your brother?” I asked as we strolled through Bergdorf’s.
“What do you mean? Why is he just him?” She smiled.
“He paid me a little visit this morning. He told me my staying there costs the hotel a lot of money and that I should get back to Seattle and pick up the pieces of my life.”
“He did not.” She gasped.
“He did. Please don’t mention it to him. I don’t want him to know I cared enough to mention it to you.”
“Harrison changed after our mother passed away. We were fifteen when she was killed in a car accident. They had gotten into an argument that afternoon when we arrived home from school, and he told her he hated her and never wanted to see her again. Those were his last words, and he’s never forgiven himself for it. He became emotionless and cold. He didn’t even cry at her funeral.”
“I could sense that at the restaurant that night when he and the woman he was with argued. I didn’t know exactly what was happening, but I think it had something to do with him not bringing her flowers.”
She let out a laugh. “Any time a woman he’s seeing gets too close or wants something more from him, he runs the other way. Even though we’re twins, we’re complete opposites. I’m searching for the love of my life, and he’s running as fast as he can from it. Don’t let my brother scare you off. Please don’t give him that power. You’re our guest in the city and shall stay as long as you want. Even if it’s forever.” She grinned.
I smiled at her and hooked my arm around hers as we walked out of the department store. While we were walking down the street doing some window shopping, her phone rang, and I could hear Harrison’s loud voice coming through.
“I have Jeremy working on reports for me, and I gave him strict instructions that it is to be done before tonight.”
“Chill out, Harrison. And next time, think about the consequences before you take action. Goodbye.”
I couldn’t help but laugh. “What was that all about?”
“He’s just pissed off that I took his personal assistant, Jeremy, away from him.”
“You don’t have your own assistant?”
“I did, and she was fabulous. Then I came home from Europe to find out she quit because my brother can’t keep his dick in his pants.”
“Oh.”
“No worries, though. I told Human Resources to hold off on finding someone for me until I’m done playing with Harrison. He needs to be taught a lesson.” She smirked. “Adalyn Banks, you never told me what you did for work back in Seattle.”
“I’m an interior designer. I worked for a company called K&L Designs before they fired me.”
She stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and looked at me in shock.
“You’re an interior designer?”
“Yes.” I smiled. “I was the top designer in my company.”
“And yet they fired you?”
“It was because of an influential client who made up a bunch of lies, and my boss was too scared to go up against her, so he did as she asked and fired me.”
“Well, their loss is our gain. Listen, I have a job offer for you if you’re interested. It’s temporary and will give you a reason to stay in New York a while longer. Plus, the pay is phenomenal.”
We continued walking down the street as she explained to me what the job entailed.
“There’s this townhome over on East 73rd Street just off Fifth Avenue. The owner is looking for an interior designer. As beautiful as the architecture of the place is, the decorating is hideous, from the color of the walls to the floors. It belonged to an older woman who had lived there her whole life and never once updated it. The entire place needs to be remodeled. All eight thousand square feet of it.”
“Eight thousand square feet?” I asked as I bit down on my bottom lip.
“Yep. In fact, I’ll take you there now so you can have a look. But I need to stop at the office first to pick something up.”
“Sure. Okay.”
Harrison
I was walking out of my office when Athena stopped me.
“It’s about time you came in.”
“I need the key to your townhome.”
“Why?” My brows furrowed.
“I may have found an interior designer for you. I’m taking her to see it.”
“Her? Who is this woman?”
“A woman I found because you asked me to. That’s what I was doing when you called. I didn’t want to tell you because I wanted it to be a surprise, and don’t worry, you wouldn’t be interested in her. Trust me.”
“I’m not so sure I do, Athena.” I narrowed my eye at her.
“Have I ever done you wrong, Harrison? Am I that sister?”
I sighed as I reached into my pants pocket, pulled out the key, and handed it to her.
“I’m late for my meeting. Keep me posted.”
“I will.” She grinned.