Chapter 16 Julian
JULIAN
Something was wrong with Harper. After last night in Alexander’s office, I’d gone home on cloud nine, certain that everything was finally working out.
But now Harper wouldn’t look at me.
I stopped at the door to my office and propped my shoulder on the frame. She stood next to the elevator, chatting with Bethany. I waited until she glanced my way and unbuttoned the cuff of a sleeve, keeping my gaze locked on her as I rolled the sleeve up once. Twice.
Harper’s smile flashed then fell. She turned away, giving me a view of her back.
What the hell was going on? A slow, angry boil churned in my stomach. I pushed off from the door and crossed the room, still rolling up my sleeves. She’d said she thought it was sexy, but she refused to turn my way even though the sound of my steps announced my arrival.
“I get what you’re saying. That last campaign looked incredible. I can’t believe it didn’t gain more traction.” Harper shook her head, sending her curls falling over her shoulders.
Bethany glanced over Harper’s head. Her mouth fell open in an O and she smiled. “Hello, sir. Sorry to block the elevator.” She took a step back.
“It’s no problem, Bethany. I actually had a question for Harper.” I pasted on a generic smile.
Harper turned her body toward me but averted her gaze so she stared at the knot in my tie. “What can I help you with, sir?”
Sir? What the actual fuck was going on with her? The anger turned into a simmering boil. “I’d like to look at next quarters marketing reports as soon as possible.”
“Of course. I’ll have them sent up to you by the end of the day.” She wheeled around. “I’d better get back to my office.”
The urge to reach for her sent me forward a half step before I caught myself. My jaw locked as I turned away and stormed back to my office.
An hour later, I’d paced long enough to make my head whirl and hated the sight of my office.
I rode the elevator down to the lobby and made my way to the coffee corner.
I rarely visited the cramped space, opting to bring my own grounds and use the French press in my office.
But I’d heard Harper mention she liked the hazelnut coffee down here and there was a chance I could bump into her during the lunch hour.
She stood next to the row of cups and carafes, pouring a rich brew into a paper cup. Her grip on the handle tightened, and she glanced my way.
Ah, so she felt my presence. Good. I couldn’t deny it boosted my ego to see her physical reaction. She finished pouring the coffee and set the carafe back with a clatter that rang out across the lobby. Her cheeks pinked, and she swept her hair over her shoulder with a huff.
“Harper.” I whispered her name once I stood close enough for her to hear me.
Her shoulders twitched. “I’m sorry, sir. I don’t have those reports yet. I’m headed back to my office to finish them for you right away.” She scurried away again, her heels beating out a sharp retreat on the polished marble.
This was ridiculous. I poured a cup of coffee from the same carafe and swept a quick look around the room.
Several employees sat at the round tables that filled the space.
A few looked my way but no one appeared any more interested in me than they were in the assortment of pastries in the glass case.
If anyone noticed me talking to Harper, they gave no indication.
I stirred a splash of cream in the coffee and made my way upstairs to Dante’s office.
He sat behind his heavy desk, his body bowed forward and his head propped in one hand. The defeated posture stopped me in my tracks.
Alexander sat on one of the couches, his long legs stretched out and his arms crossed. Harsh lines fanned out from his eyes and mouth, the force of his frown giving him an ominous air.
I sat across from him and took a sip of the hazelnut coffee.
A bitter tang hit the back of my throat and I almost spit it out.
Harper actually liked this stuff? The beans had been harvested too early, then burned to cover that fact.
The result turned the flavor to ash in my mouth.
I set the cup down with a thud that scraped through the room. “We need to talk about Harper.”
Dante muttered under his breath. “Why?”
“Because she’s avoiding me.” I cracked my knuckles, realized I’d left my sleeves rolled up, and started to roll them down. I stopped after the first roll, then shoved both sleeves up past my elbows. No one here cared if I showed my tattoos. “Either of you noticing the same thing?”
“Yes.” A pained look raced over Alexander’s face.
Dante muttered a string of curses and rubbed his forehead. “I’m sick to death of this bullshit.”
“What do you mean?” Alexander’s sharp tone snapped Dante’s head around.
Dante stood, his body rolling upright with the precision of a serpent coiling for a strike.
“I’m sick of dancing around and pretending.
I haven’t trusted a woman in years. Harper is quickly becoming the single most important person in my life.
I need to either get her out of my life or accept that this is it. ”
“Shit.” His confession rattled me so badly that I picked up the coffee and drank without tasting.
Dante, our fearless and tightly wound control freak, had fallen under Harper’s spell. I’d suspected as much after how he acted yesterday, but this confirmed it. His possessive streak rarely made such a strong appearance.
“I do not care for her actions today. She’s been practically invisible all day.” Alexander ran his hands up and down his thighs, then crossed his arms again. Seconds later, he crossed his ankles and dropped his hands to his lap again. His inability to be still told on him as well.
Harper had shaken him. She’d rattled all our cages.
Dante headed to the liquor cabinet but stopped before he opened the glass door.
“Perhaps she’s still anxious about the possibility of rumors and doesn’t want to encourage gossip.
It would be unusual for her to be in our presence more than usual.
We’ve seen her as much as we did those first few weeks. ”
“You mean we could be reading too much into her sudden disappearing act?” I snorted even though it made sense. “That might be true, but it doesn’t explain how she’s acted the two times I tried to talk to her today.”
“Were there other people around?” Alexander sat forward and propped his elbows on his thighs.
“Well, yes. But that’s because she’s suddenly keeping people around her all the time.
She used to come to our floor all the time.
Today, she only visited once and spent the whole time with Bethany.
” The mystery of it all made me twitchy.
And itchy. I scratched the back of my neck and tried to concentrate on the facts.
“I think it’s more than rumors. I’m worried she got swept up in the moment and now she’s regretting it. ”
“Explain.” Dante sank onto the couch beside Alexander and leaned back. He laced his fingers together behind his head.
I considered the hurtful thoughts that spun through my head. They did me no good taking up space, so I threw them into the world for them to hear. “Maybe she’s come to realize that we’re too old for her. We’re her father’s friends. Perhaps now that she’s had her fun—”
“Harper isn’t like that.” Alexander leaped to her defense so fast Dante’s mouth fell open. Mine snapped shut, and Alexander pointed at me. He took a breath and held it, then released it in a blast. “Never say anything like that again.”
“Okay. Explain what the hell that was, because I’ve never known you to be protective like this.” I splayed my hands, palms toward him. “I want to believe. Tell me why I should.”
He scooted back with a grunt and settled his ankle on his knee.
“We talked at the gala. While we were dancing. I brought up the exact same objections. She told me Peter always put her happiness above everything else. She swore to me that if she was happy, Peter would have been happy for her. That’s the reason I’ve been able to overcome my concerns. ”
Ah. Well, that explained it. “That brings us back to the rumors then. Either we’re all three going crazy, or Harper is worried about something and is pulling away.”
Dante’s knee bounced, the nervous jig completely out of character for him.
“I went back to the hotel and talked to that server. Arthur.” He dragged a palm down his cheek.
“He swears he hasn’t said a word to anyone.
I asked if anyone had tried to talk to him about us being there, and he denies that too. ”
Interesting. I’d hoped Arthur shot straight. Seemed like he was going to do right by us. “Well we sure as shit can’t sit on our thumbs and do nothing. We need to get to the bottom of this.”
“Agreed.” Alexander’s foot bounced in time with Dante’s knee.
I hid a grin and coughed to cover the gruff laugh at their expense. This was not a laughing situation, but seeing both of them so torn up over Harper proved once and for all that we’d been right to spend time with her. She’d been good for all of us.
I pushed to my feet and poured each of us a finger of whiskey. Carrying all three glasses in one hand, I held them out. “I’m going to message Harper. I think it’s time for a strategy meeting at the cabin.”
Dante took his drink, then Alexander. They shared a look and both men nodded.
“Sounds like the perfect weekend away. If she’s worried about rumors, taking our relationship away from the office is the best bet.
But I’ll be damned if I stop talking to her in the office.
” I clinked my glass against theirs and downed the drink in one gulp.
Seconds later, I’d drafted a text in our group chat and showed it to them for approval.
Dante’s slow smile emerged. He skimmed his tongue over his teeth and closed his eyes. “A weekend at the cabin is exactly what we need.”
Fuck yes.
I reread the message one last time. Clear. Concise instructions. It informed Harper that we had a strategy meeting scheduled for this weekend and we expected her to attend. I sent her the address and the time we expected her arrival.
A slow smile helped alleviate the last of the tension. If Harper needed to avoid us at work to help keep the rumors at bay, we could accommodate that request. I wished she’d had the courage to bring that request to us first instead of jumping to give us the cold shoulder.
I made a mental note to talk to her about it once we’d established our priorities for the weekend.