Chapter 12
Chapter Twelve
Harper
I took a cab to the address on the card Grayson gave me. As I stepped into the building and took the elevator up to the fifteenth floor, the fluttering in my belly intensified. I was nervous as hell, and I shouldn’t have been. We’d already had coffee and shared a muffin this morning. I believed it was the fact that I had to tell him I was pregnant. That could be a total game changer for him, and I needed this job.
The elevator doors opened, and I saw Grayson standing at the front desk when I stepped out.
“Hello, Mr. Rhodes.”
“Harper.” He turned around with a smile. “Right on time.” He looked at his watch. “Follow me, and we’ll go to my office. May I get you anything? Coffee, tea, water?”
“No, thank you. I’m good.”
We stepped into his office, and he shut the door.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured as he took the seat behind his desk.
“Here is my resume and portfolio.”
He took it from my hands and studied them. I sat there, my hands sweating and my heart racing as I bit down on my bottom lip.
“I see you graduated from NYU with honors. Impressive.” He smiled as he looked up at me. “Your portfolio is outstanding. You’re very good at what you do. What are these?” he asked as he turned to the back pages of my portfolio.
“Just some buildings I designed. I thought I took those out.”
“Are you an architect as well?”
“My major was graphic design, and my minor was architecture.”
“These designs are great. Am I to assume you don’t like architecture?”
“No. I do. It’s just that I like graphic design better.”
“I see. Well, you’ve impressed me.” He smirked. “You’re not interested in working full-time in an office setting, are you?”
“Not really. I do much better work on my own in my ownspace.”
“Okay then. How about you come to work for me here at the office two days a week and do the rest of the work at home?”
“Really?” I smiled.
“Yes. Really. But you need to be available if I need you to come in for something, and it’s not your scheduled day to be here. Will that be a problem?”
“No. Not at all. Except, there’s something that I need to tell you first.”
“What is it?” He looked at me as he folded his hands.
“I’m pregnant,” I nervously spoke.
“I see. I don’t have a problem with that. We have a great maternity leave package. Let me ask you, though, how far along are you? You certainlydon’t look pregnant.”
“I’m almost eight weeks.”
“You and your husband must be thrilled.”
“I’m not married.” I looked down.
“Oh. Then you and your boyfriend must be thrilled.”
“The father isn’t in the picture, nor will he ever be.”
“I see. Your pregnancy doesn’t change the fact that I would like you to come work for us.” He picked up a pen and wrote something on a piece of paper. “This is the starting salary, and you will receive full benefits. Health care, dental, eye care, and 401k if you’re interested.”
I looked at the paper and couldn’t believe the figure he had written. This job would change everything for me.
“This is a very generous offer, Mr. Rhodes.”
“Call me Grayson, and we’re a generous company.” He smiled. “Will you accept the position?”
“Yes. I will definitely accept.” I grinned.
“Excellent. Welcome to Rhodes Enterprises, Harper.” He stood up and held out his hand. “Come in tomorrow morning at nine a.m., and I’ll walk you around, introduce you to everyone, and show you your office for the couple days a week you’re here.”
“Thank you, Grayson. I appreciate you giving me this opportunity.”
“You’re welcome.” The corners of his mouth curved upward. “Enjoy the rest of your day.”
“I definitely will. I’m off to apartment hunt.”
“Why?” he asked.
“I live in a one-bedroom, and now, with the baby on the way, I need a two-bedroom place.”
“Hold on a second.” He held up his finger while picking up his phone. “Thomas, it’s Grayson Rhodes. Are there any two bedrooms available? Excellent. I’m sending someone over now to havealook. Her name is Harper Holland, and she’s an employee of mine. Show her what’s available.”
He ended the call, picked up his pen, and wrote the address on a piece of paper.
“Ask for Thomas when you get there.” He smiled.
“Thank you, Grayson,” I spoke as I looked at the address.
I walked out of the building with a smile on my face and hailed a cab. I couldn’t believe how everything was falling into place.
“Where to,lady?” the cab driver asked.
“250 West 50th Street, please.”
When the cab driver pulled up to the curb, I climbed out and looked up at the forty-story building. With a smile, I walked through the door the doorman held open for me.
“Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am. Are you visiting someone?” he asked.
“I’m here to meet with Thomas. Grayson Rhodes sent me to look at a couple of apartments available for rent.”
“Well then, welcome. I’ll let Mr. Burns know you’re here.”
“No need, Sammy.” An older gentleman walked over and extended his hand. “You must be Harper. It’s nice to meet you.”
“And youas well.” I placed my hand in his and lightly shook it.
“I have the perfect apartment that I know you’ll love.”
I followed him into the elevator and took it up to the twentieth floor. Inserting the key into the lock, he opened the door and gestured for me to step inside. My eyes widened at the large space.
“You have eleven hundred and twenty square feet of pure bliss with two bedrooms and two bathrooms,” he spoke.
Shit. There was no way I couldafford this, even with this new job.
The walls were painted a light gray with a matching gray wood floor throughout. The modern-style kitchen housed white cabinets with granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances. The one thing that caught my attention was that there was a large terrace off the living area—a place where I could sit out at night and enjoy the view of the city.
“And here, behind this door, is the washer and dryer. There are only a few apartments in this building that have this included. The rest of the residents have to use our on-site laundry facilities. As you can see, the lighting here is phenomenal. Because this is an end unit, there are more windows. You’re loving it, right?” He grinned.
“I love it. It’s perfect. But I’m afraid it might be out of my budget range. What is the rent?”
“You’re in luck. We’re running a two-year special of five thousand dollars monthly, including water, sewer, and trash removal.”
“You’re kidding, right? Five thousand a month for this?”
“It’s a steal. I can hardly believe it myself. And I dohave other interested people. But since you’re an employee of Mr. Rhodes and he personallysent you himself, the apartment is yours if you want it. And another thing, we’re waiving the first and last month’s rent. All you need to put down is a five-hundred-dollar security deposit.”
I stood there in disbelief. A place of this size, in this area, was at the very least over seven thousand, if not eight thousand a month.
“I’ll take it!” I grinned.
“Perfect. Let’s go down to my office and get the paperwork started. You’ll be able to move in this weekend if that works for you.”