Chapter 25
Harper
The next dayI’m sitting outside with Scarlett, one of the assistant curators I work with and one of my absolute favorite people. We’d worked together since I was the assistant curator and she was a registrar, and we’d spent all morning this morning elbows deep in old boxes in the back of a warehouse storage room. When we can escape the dark doldrums of the collections warehouses we try to and having a picnic for lunch while the weather is still nice is the best part of my day so far. Minus the 4 a.m. incident, that is. But I’m trying not to think about that.
“How’s the channel going?” I ask Scarlett. She’s recently started a video channel on social media teaching about history and even though she doesn’t want to own up to it most days, it’s started to gain some serious traction. She’s incredibly smart, witty, and stunning which is apparently a lethal combination for luring in history nerds to watch you talk about the nuances of twentieth-century signal corps insignia.
“It’s going really well. I’m honestly blown away and a little scared at how well it’s doing. I haven’t told the bosses yet or anyone else. I’m guessing they won’t love it.” She tucks a piece of her long red hair that’s fallen out of the loose bun she’s pinned up behind her ear.
“I’m guessing it’s none of their damn business. The pay is awful. If you can make extra doing that to make sure you can afford rent next month, they can’t really blame you.”
“And yet he’ll probably try.”
We both know she’s referring to one of the archivists whom she has a love-hate relationship with.
“He’s such a dick. And he’s jealous that a woman is as smart as he is with half the number of years in the field. I also maintain that he has some sort of hate crush on you.” I glance back at the building where said archivist is probably working as we speak.
“Hate crush?”
“Like he’s jealous but he thinks you’re smart and gorgeous. I’m pretty sure he’s all in his feelings about it, just the way he looks at you.”
“Well, he’s never done or said anything inappropriate. Other than just being fucking hard on me all the time when we have to work together. I just feel like if he finds out about the channel, that’s going to double the animosity and I don’t need it.”
“If he starts anything, tell me. He and I already go rounds over some of the things he wants to rubber stamp, so it’s not like I’m worried he won’t like me.” I give her a small smile.
“Well, none of it might matter soon if we lose the funding and the building.” She sighs.
“Yeah, well… I’m working on it. And Violet’s been helping. She had another idea for creating a new fund. Having a bunch of museums and cultural organizations here band together and pool funds. Then we could all support each other when things are down. Hopefully, create a stronger lobbying block too. I’m not giving up yet. Plus… I’m hoping that working with Alex will get us some of the exposure we need.”
“Oh yes, speaking of hate crushes… how is yours going?” Scarlett gives me a knowing look and then grins at my suffering. She’d been the only person outside the football friend group I’d confided in about my situation. I couldn’t bear lying to her, and I need someone who isn’t already biased toward Alex to talk to.
My mind flashes back to the early morning run-in in his kitchen and I can feel the blush climbing up my neck as I think about sitting on his counter again.
“I had to stay the night at his place last night—in the guest room,” I add when her brows start to rise. “But then I got up during the night for water, and he was up… I had a little moment of weakness.”
“You kissed him again, accidentally?” she says “accidentally” like she doesn’t believe it because she’s been set on the idea of us getting together for revenge since I told her about our situation.
“It might have been more than just kissing.” I scrunch my nose.
“How much more?” She looks at me surprised.
“Like I might have ended up on the kitchen counter in just a T-shirt while he used his hands on me more?” I mumble.
“Holy shit. Good for you!”
“Bad for me. He knows now that I have this stupid thing for him, and that’s not going to end well.”
“Oh my god! Stop. I am so freaking jealous. That man is hot, Harp. You are living the life the rest of us only dream of. Getting off on a kitchen counter in the middle of the night with Xavier? Jesus!”
“It was kind of hot… but also, I feel awkward now. I’ve made our whole arrangement awkward. I’m so screwed.” I cringe and lean my head down onto my forearm on the table.
“I mean you could get screwed.” She laughs.
“Stop! I cannot think about that. I have to stop thinking about him like that in general.”
“Kind of hard to do when you’re dating the guy you have a crush on. When do you see him again?”
“Fake dating. I’m not sure. His publicist has things on her list. But I’m going to the opening game to watch him. Violet and Mackenzie are going to be there.”
“Like the football wives? Wait does this mean you’re gonna be in the box seats with the wives?”
“Yes,” I say sheepishly because I’m embarrassed that I’m pretending to live this football girlfriend life that doesn’t really belong to me.
“Again… jealous. I hope you’re enjoying this.”
“I’m trying to appreciate it, but it feels weird since it’s all pretend and I don’t really belong there.”
“Violet and Mackenzie are your friends. You belong where they are.”
“Not when they’re doing the football player wife thing.”
“I mean… give it time.”
“Scarlett!”
“What? I’m just saying…”
“I don’t know why you’re encouraging this. You’ve never approved of athletes before. You didn’t even like athlete agents if I remember. You’ve always said we need to find the bar where all the archaeologists from the university hang out.”
“I mean, I am a sucker for a guy who spends his summers getting dirty and curses like a sailor.” She wiggles her eyebrows.
“Well, maybe you’ll meet one who wants to work with you on your channel. A collab or two and you’ll hit it off. And then he’ll have a friend. When this is all over, we can double date.” The idea of something beyond my current awkward fake situationship has me feeling a smidgen of hope.
“I’m not opposed to that. But I still think you need to give Mr. Faking It But Don’t Have To Fake It a chance, you know?” She grins at me.
“Yes. I’ll start playing with fire later today too. Maybe take some ice cream into the collections room.”
“Don’t joke about that! I still can’t believe he did that.” Scarlett grumps about an intern who brought an ice cream cone into collections and let it drip onto one of the objects under her watch.
“All right… we better get back in there and start working on this exhibit.”
* * *
When we get back inside,I see I have a text from him and open it up.
ALEX
You busy tonight? My parents are having a thing and want me to stop by. I’d rather not go alone.
I stare at the text for a minute. While his mother is rumored to be very sweet, his father is a force to be reckoned with. A senator who’s almost as famous as he is, with a temper to match his son’s and a long shadow that casts over everything political in the city and beyond it.
On one hand, going to his parents’ house after last night feels like a lot. A huge step even in a fake relationship that I’m not prepared for. I definitely didn’t need one awkward intimate encounter after another. Especially when this is all just supposed to be a fictional veneer to protect his career. On the other, it means we’ll be so busy acting for them that we won’t have time to revisit last night. Plus his father has a lot of clout. A lot of ability to get attention, sway votes, and be heard on topics like say a levy we desperately want to see passed. It’s a long shot to get him to see reason where the museum is concerned, but he might. I could hope.
Sure. I can come. Might need to grab some caffeine though. It’s been a long day. What time?
I know that he and his father have an icy relationship. It’s been that way since college according to Drew. He’d gone on a football scholarship to a school that wasn’t an Ivy and pursued a communications degree instead of following in his father’s footsteps to politics and law. It had a bitter ripple effect on their relationship, one that had already been strained since Alex had never really been good at falling in line and obeying authority figures. A position Senator Xavier relished.
I can come get you when I get out of practice at 4.
I won’t have time to change.
Whatever you’ve got for work will work for this.
Okay. I’ll meet you in the lobby?
See you there.
* * *
A little whilelater and Scarlett and I are working on the object list for the upcoming exhibit. She works with the military collection, and I work with textiles, so we’re paired together on a WWII-themed exhibit on fashion and the frontline in the 1940s. Several of the upcoming fundraising events to help convince the community to keep the museum are centered around it and it’s our last-ditch effort to show them we’re worth funding. So you know, no pressure at all to make it perfect.
“What about these two dresses in this case here and then the uniforms opposite them here? When people walk in, it’ll give them that sense of them walking down the street past them.”
“Yeah. I like that. We just need to come up with a few more things for this case over here. Has Stacy had a chance to get the programming together yet? Do we know what interactives she’s putting in?”
“She’s getting back to me. I think she said today. I need to check my email.”
“You better do that. It’s already getting late, and you have a date tonight.” Scarlett gives me a look. She’s enjoying this way too much.
“Don’t start,” I say as I crouch down to make sure the bottom of this dress is off the floor on the mannequin.
“Oh, I’m gonna start, until you start acknowledging he’s hot and you want him.”
“Stop.”
“You want him. You need him. Oh, baby. Oh, baby.”
“Are you seriously quoting movies at me right now?”
“Yes. Until you admit that you have fun with him and you want him to do it again.” She laughs as she puts a couple of boxes up on the shelf.
“Fine, it was great. He’s hot as fuck. I love the way he talks, and I want him to pin me down and fuck me hard. Is that better?” I look up at her from my crouched position because she doesn’t respond. She’s frozen in place, her eyes glued to a spot up and over my shoulder—the doorway to our workroom. Then she blinks and her eyes shift down to me.
“Um… Harp…”
Shit.There was definitely someone in the doorway. No one ever comes back here except the curators or the collections staff. None of whom she’d be having this reaction to, so it must be upper management. I was going to die of embarrassment if it was the director or the business manager.
I stand to my full height, slowly as I grab the paperwork I’d temporarily set on the floor. Buying seconds before I have to face whomever it is.
“I brought you caffeine. Wasn’t sure what you wanted, so I got a few different things. Figured whatever you didn’t want, someone else might.” I recognize his voice immediately and my eyes flash to Scarlett for a moment before I close them and mouth, “Kill. Me. Now,” to her.
I turn slowly though, trying to act unbothered and plaster a strained smile on my face. Maybe he hadn’t heard. And if he had heard, it wasn’t like he knew for sure I was talking about him. There might be someone else I’m talking about.
When I finally turn and look at him though, the way his eyes dance with mirth, the tiny smirk at the corner of his mouth; he knows exactly who I was talking about.
“Who let you back here?” I try to sound pleasantly curious when I ask but fail miserably.
“The guy at the front desk. He’s a fan. Told me I didn’t need to sit around the lobby waiting and could come back here to see you. That you’re always in this room hiding out.”
“I bet he did.”
Fucking Dave, being so helpful.
“There’s a no liquids or food in this room rule.” I nod to the sign on the door.
“Yes. We already had an ice cream incident last month,” Scarlett grumbles.
He takes another step back into the hallway, smiling as he disappears beyond sight.
I sigh and look at Scarlett, quirking a brow up in accusation.
“Sorry.” She has the decency to look remorseful for encouraging the discussion we were having. I take a deep breath and make my way out to face the music.