Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
Harper
I’d spent part of the day contacting several advertising and marketing companies with no luck. I really didn’t understand what was going on. I’d never had any trouble securing work and always had a steady income. I had some good leads on website designs, but they didn’t payas well.
I was cleaning up my apartment when my phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize.
“Hello.”
“Hi. I have a flower delivery for Miss Harper Holland. I’m about five minutes out, and I was wondering if someone will be home to sign for them.”
“Yes. I’m home.”
“Excellent. I’ll see you soon.”
Shit. Maybe I shouldn’t have told him I was home. My mind started to stir, thinking that maybe he wasn’t a flower delivery guy. I’d never had a flower delivery service call me before. I immediately dialed the number he called from.
“Hello.”
“This is Harper Holland. Before you deliver the flowers, I must first know who they are from.”
“They’re from the New York Cryobank.”
“Oh. Okay. Thank you.”
I let out a sigh of relief, and then there was a knock on the door. Looking out the peephole first, I saw a man in a baseball cap and dark sunglasses standing there, holding a large floral arrangement wrapped in paper. I opened the door with a smile.
“Miss Holland?”
“Yes.”
“These are for you. I need you to sign for them.”
“I took the piece of paper and pen from him and scribbled my signature.
“There you go.” I handed it back to him.
“And here are your flowers.” He smiled.
“Thank you.”
“Have a nice day, and enjoy your flowers.” He nodded.
“Thanks. I will.”
Grayson
I stood around the corner of the hallway and gulped when she opened the door. I honestly didn’t know what to expect her to look like, but I knew damn sure I wasn’t expecting what I saw. Julius turned and walked down the hallway when she shut the door.
“Let’s get out of here. I can’t believe you made me do this!” he said.
“She’s beautiful,” I spoke. “At least from what I could tell from a distance.”
“Trust me, bro. She’s smoking hot. Damn. I wasn’t expecting that,” Julius said.
“I wasn’t either. Now that I know what she looks like, it’s time to put my plan in motion.”
“Leave me out of it, Grayson. I’ve already done too much.”
“Don’t worry.” I hooked my arm around him. “Your work here is done.” I smiled.
Harper
I took the wrapping off the flowers to reveal a beautiful arrangement of white and yellow roses. Taking the card, I pulled it from the small envelope and read it.
You have a baby on the way, hooray! Congratulations. We wish you the best of luck and a happy and healthy pregnancy.
Your friends from the New York Cryobank.
These flowers were exactly what I needed to brighten my not-so-bright day. I sighed as I moved the flowers to the center of my dining table.
The next morning, I grabbed my laptop and headed down the street to Starbucks for a decaf coffee and a cranberry muffin.
“Good morning. What can I get for you?” the barista asked.
“I’ll have a Grande decaf coffee and a cranberry muffin.”
“Are those any good?” I heard a voice ask behind me.
I turned around and my eyes stared at the sexy man staring back at me with a smile on his face.
“Yes. They’re very good.” I smiled back.
“It looks like you took the last one,” he said.
“Yeah. That’s the last one,” the barista spoke.
“How would you feel about sharing that with me?”
“Excuse me?” I let out a light laugh.
“I’ll have a Grande Americano and put her coffee and muffin on my total,” he spoke to the barista.
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Of course, you can.” He grinned as he pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to the barista. “Keep the change.” He gave her a wink.
“Names?” she asked as she grabbed two cups.
“Grayson. And, you are?” The corners of his mouth curved upward as he looked at me.
“Harper.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Harper.” He extended his hand.
“And youas well, Grayson.”
My heart skipped a beat as I placed my hand in his. The tailoredblack designer suit he wore fit his six-foot-two-inch stature to perfection. His stylish brown hair, piercing blue eyes, and masculine jawline that sported a neatly trimmed five o’clock shadow made my belly flutter. The barista handed me the bag with the muffin in it and my decaf coffee.
“Why don’t you go get us a table while I wait for my Americano.”
“Sure.” I nervously smiled.
I took the muffin, coffee, and my laptop and grabbed a table by the window. I couldn’t believe I was about to share my cranberry muffin with this hot and sexy stranger. Taking the muffin out of the bag, I set down two napkins, cut it in half, and slid it across the table. Grayson finally got his Americano and took a seat.
“Do you always share a muffin with a stranger in Starbucks?” I smirked.
“No. I’ve never done this before.” He gave me a wink, and I gulped. “So, are you here to do some work?” he asked as he pointed to my laptop.
“Yeah.” I took a bite of my muffin.
“What type of work do you do?”
“I’m a freelance graphic designer. I’m trying to find new clients. I just lost one of my biggest accounts. The company isn’t doing well, and they had to cut costs. How do you like the muffin?”
“It’s excellent.” He grinned. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“Thank you for the coffee.” I smiled as I held up my cup.
“Do you believe in fate, Harper?” he asked.
“Is that some kind of cheesy pickup line?” I laughed.
He cocked his head and stared at me for a moment.
“Shit. I guess it could be. But it’s not a pickup line. My company is looking to hire a graphic designer.”
“Really? What company do you work for?”
“Rhodes Enterprises. We’re a venture capitalist and property development company. Are you interested?” A smirk crossed his lips. “We pay higher than any other company, and the benefits are great.”
“Is the position full-time? Like full-time in an office setting?”
“That can be negotiated. Why don’t you come in this afternoon for a proper interview? Bring your resume and portfolio, have a look around the office, and then we can discuss all the details.”
“And what are you going to tell your boss? You met a random stranger in Starbucks, shared a cranberry muffin, and now she’s coming in for an interview?”
He chuckled. “Harper, I am the boss. My last name is Rhodes. My grandfather, Leon Rhodes, started the company fifty years ago. He’s retiring in a year, and I’ll be taking over. The company will become mine.”
“Oh.” My eyes widened.
He reached into his suit coat pocket and pulled out a business card.
“Here’s the address. Will two o’clock work for you?” He grinned as he stood up from his chair.
“Two o’clock is good. I’ll see you then.” I bit down on my bottom lip.