Chapter 42
FORTY-TWO
Bastian
THE KEYES EVENT had been part of his life since before his memory began.
He remembered unloading hampers of food for the kids when he was a kid himself.
Charities from all around brought those they cared for, sick kids, those in poverty, survivors of abuse, the list went on.
The full breadth of kids in need got pampered and spoiled on this one day of the year.
Yet this time, it was different. Harper was there, with them, with him. She manned the Hunt stall like she’d been one of them forever. Anyone seeing her with his mom or Keely would certainly think she was one of them.
She should be one of them.
After his family’s home invasion, the prep and cooking took over and they finished late the previous night.
Despite being exhausted when she retired to bed, Harper woke fresh as a daisy.
Her enthusiasm for packing up and unloading at their stall encouraged optimism in everyone.
How did she do it? Brighten everyone’s day like that?
Event over, it was no surprise that after loading up a truck from a local shelter with leftovers, Harper slunk away.
He gave her a few minutes to decompress before going after her. Just around a corner, there she was, sitting on the fountain wall, feet dangling in the water.
Joining her, he sat, facing the other way.
“You okay?” he asked.
She leaned on him, resting her head against his arm. “I’m fine.”
“You wandered away.”
“Had some thinking to do.”
“Thinking about what?”
“My business mostly.”
“Business?”
“Yeah,” she said. “I mostly do corporate events because that’s where the money is. I need to support myself.”
“Sure.”
“Except there’s no heart in it. I don’t love it… I’ve spent so much time fighting for big enough jobs to give me some leeway to volunteer for the charity events… This is what I wanted to do with my life. There’s something in all of us that we can share, that we should share.”
“Start a nonprofit,” he said.
She scoffed. “Yeah, right, where do I get the start-up? I don’t have the foundation to—”
“Give me a number and you’ll have it in an hour.”
She stopped swishing her feet in the water to look at him. “Do you want to have sex with me?”
Just like her to be frank… and smell so amazing. “We’re in a public park but the car’s just around the corner…”
“Bastian,” she said, linking their fingers. “We can’t go into business together. I can’t take your money, not with things the way they are.”
“What way’s that?”
“I won’t take advantage of you.”
“I’m a big boy.”
Her eyes dropped. Oh, fuck, he didn’t need any encouragement.
“Things are complicated enough,” she said.
“We were fake together and broke up to save our families the heartbreak. My family’s falling apart.
I live in your house. I work from your home.
And the cherry? Your family think we’re together again…
Do you really want to add a business partnership to that?
What happens when things get back to normal? ”
“Normal?” he asked. “What does that look like? Are you going back to your parents?”
“No,” she said. “Another reason I can’t take your money. I need mine to get myself somewhere to live.”
“I told you to live with me.”
She laughed. “Forever?”
If his luck was in. “Yeah,” he said. “Why not?”
“This will blow over eventually. Your family will realize we’re not together and you can be free of me… again.”
“I don’t want to be free of you, Harper.”
“You’re very generous,” she said.
She didn’t get it. Did he need to PowerPoint it for her?
He wanted to open his mouth and lay the truth out bare.
But he couldn’t. There was too much going on in her life.
If she freaked, she’d distance herself. That wasn’t happening.
Her safety was more important than his urges, his craving to pull her close.
“We’re friends,” he said. “The offer’s always there. No shortage of cash over here, Sweet.”
She exhaled. “You’re not what I would’ve thought a billionaire would be.”
“You’ve told me that before.”
“It’s a compliment,” she said. “You’re a good man.”
“I’d be the same man if I was dirt poor.”
Yes, because he was raised right. No matter their financial bracket, Carolyn would’ve seen to it that he was raised with strong values.
“I suppose I should say you’re not what men usually are.”
“So long as I’m man enough for you, I’ll take it.” And her, if she ever offered. “Are you ready to go home?”
She rested against him again, swishing her feet in the water. “Your family were talking about dinner.”
“Do you want to join them?”
“Honestly…?” She shook her head. “It’s late. I want your big TV and a giant greasy pizza… Not very sophisticated.”
“Sophisticated enough for me, Sweet,” he said, rising, taking her hands to help her out of the water. “Let’s go home.”