Chapter 13
Harper sat back after eating more than her fair share of her second plate of food.
“It’s good, huh?” Joel asked.
“So, good. I wish I had more room. There are other things I want to try, but I just have no room left.”
“You can hit it again tomorrow.”
“You can believe I will.” She reached back and took her phone out of her purse, which was hanging on the back of her chair. She opened it and checked for messages, but her fingers were smearing whatever was still on her fingertips across the screen. “Well, hell,” she grumbled.
“Problem?” Joel asked.
“No. Just didn’t realize I have something on my fingers and I’m making a mess out of my phone,” she said.
She picked up a napkin and dabbed it in her water before cleaning her phone screen off, then her fingers.
“Okay, let’s try this again.” She started scrolling on her phone, presumably checking for messages.
As Joel watched, he guessed she must have found what she was hoping for, based on the huge smile that lit up her face.
Harper opened the message from Clay and read it quickly.
“Hey, everything okay? I sent an email but haven’t heard from you. Hope all is well. Thinking of you. Clay.”
Harper smiled to herself the entire time she answered his text. Her heart was practically dancing at having heard from Clay.
“Sorry, didn’t see your email. I’ll check for it later. Attending a trade show for my dad. I’ll be here until Sunday evening, then flying home.
I miss you! Talk to you soon.”
She hit send, then picked up her coffee cup and sat back as she sipped it, a small smile still playing on her lips as she thought about Clay.
“Boyfriend?” Joel asked.
“Hmm?” Harper asked, focusing her attention back on Joel.
“That smile, you look especially pleased. Hear from your boyfriend?”
“Oh. I, um. I’m not really sure to tell you the truth. Always a friend, but I guess we’ll see soon enough.”
“I think that smile says otherwise. Maybe I should be a little jealous.”
Harper looked at Joel, fighting the desire to knock him out of his chair.
Luckily she swallowed the desire and managed to just shake her head.
“He’s someone that’s very special to me and always has been.
Why would you say something like that about being jealous?
We’re just business associates and hardly know each other. ”
“I was only kidding. Call him,” Joel encouraged.
Harper shook her head firmly. “You kid a lot, don’t you?”
“My family has always been like that. I mean no harm. It just means I’m comfortable around you. I’ll try to curb it. But, call your friend. He’ll probably be glad to hear from you.”
“No, I’ll talk to him later,” she said as she looked at her watch. “He’s probably busy at the moment anyway.” She looked around the restaurant again, and spied the restroom sign. “I’m going to run to the restroom and freshen up, then we can be on our way.”
“I’ll be waiting,” Joel said. He watched her go, settled the bill at the register, then sat back down to sip the rest of his coffee and wait for Harper.
He was not happy that she seemed to shut him down when he thought he was at his most charming and particularly didn’t like that another man had her attention.
Didn’t matter, though, he’d win her over, he always did win over whoever was on his radar.
He sipped his coffee again, but then her phone vibrated on the table, drawing his attention.
He looked at the phone. It vibrated again. And then again.
Joel looked toward the restrooms and didn’t see any sign of her yet.
Deciding that he needed to know what he was up against here, he quickly picked up her phone and swiped the screen, hoping that she hadn’t locked it.
When the messages filled the screen he realized he was in luck.
He had access to her messaging app, and all three messages that just arrived, one right after the other.
“SO GLAD TO HEAR FROM YOU!!!! I was starting to get worried. Where is your trade show? Hope
you’re having fun instead of just working.”
“I’m hoping to make arrangements to take my finals early. Telling them I have a family emergency so I have to get home.
I should be home when you get there, or shortly thereafter.”
“I have something to share with you when you get home. A surprise. Can’t wait to see you. Message me
when you can. I miss you, too.”
Joel scrolled back through the previous messages in that particular thread and found the picture Harper and her ‘friend’ had exchanged of them eating pizza in their kitchens.
In truth, he took a few seconds to look at Harper’s photo, then spent triple that sizing up the man she called a friend.
“Better to know your competition, right?” he asked himself quietly.
Then he deleted the last two messages so all she’d see was the first one in response to her initial message.
She wouldn’t see anything about her friend getting home early, or him having a surprise for her.
Joel put her phone back where she’d left it and went back to sipping his coffee.
A few minutes later Harper was back. “I’m ready if you are,” she said, picking up her phone and putting it back in her purse.
“I am. Let’s go dazzle the masses.”
Harper smiled. “I can try, but no guarantees.”
“You’ll dazzle them. You’ll see. I’m dazzled already.”
~~~
Four days later Harper sat rather uncomfortably in Joel’s car, watching the now familiar landscape go by as he drove her back to her hotel.
“Why so quiet?” he asked, glancing over at her as he reached over with one hand to pat her knee.
She pulled her knee out of reach and gave him an ‘I don’t think so’ glare.
“Alright, alright! I was trying to be reassuring. It’s just obvious you’re not yourself.”
“I’m tired. I think I’ve peopled more in the last five days than I have my whole life combined.
” And that much was true. What she wasn’t saying was that she was tired of all the innuendos and subtle hints that he was interested in her.
She’d spent so much time stepping away from the constant arm around her waist, or across her shoulders as he introduced her that she wasn’t sure that her brain could properly remember anything she was sent there to learn.
Joel grinned. “Not exactly a high energy people person?”
“Not at all. Give me my quiet countrysides and my horses and that’s all I need. I’m not at home in the corporate world or around those in it.”
“You could have fooled me, and everybody else you’ve met. They love you.” He looked right at her, daring to take his eyes off the road to do so. “Everybody loves you. You could have practically anything you want here, Harper. You should think about that.”
“Not interested in any of it,” she said with a direct glare in his direction before she looked away.
“I think there are any number of things that you’d enjoy here if you’d just realize they’re available to you.”
Harper didn’t reply.
But Joel wasn’t ready to give up. “Homesick?” he asked, trying to keep the conversation going.
“A little. Yeah. The trip has been okay. Some of it was fun at first, but it’s become a little too much and I miss the familiar.”
“What about the familiar do you miss?”
“My space. My alone time. Activity! I miss the exercise. I’m very physical with my jobs, and I’m exhausted by the end of the day. I love that. Here, I’m peopled out, and I feel sludged from lack of movement and too much fancy food. I’ll be glad to get home.”
“Maybe going for a swim this evening could help. And something simple to eat.”
Harper canted her head as she thought about it. “You know what? That’s not a bad idea.”
“I think it would make you feel better.”
“You might be right.”
“You know what else would make you feel better?”
“I can’t wait to hear,” she said with absolutely no emotion at all.
“Instead of attending the closing day tomorrow and flying back Sunday, why don’t we change your flight to tomorrow?
I’ll book one for me, and we’ll fly home together.
We’ll arrive at your home early in the day and get a jump on the analysis of your farm and get a plan in place to up your production. ”
“I’d love to go home tomorrow, but as far as you flying there as well, I’ll have to check with my dad. He’s driving any changes that might be considered. I'm not sure what his plans are. And don’t you have to be at the show tomorrow anyway?”
“I can have some employees man the booth. Closing day is usually just wrapping up any last minute meetings and packing up the booth itself. It’s a much more relaxed day.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll be glad to be done with it, that’s for sure. If I can get on a flight out tomorrow, I wouldn’t say no to it.”
“Great! I’ll call your dad and make sure we can get some time scheduled. We’ll meet for our usual dinner after you go for a swim and then you can get a good night’s sleep. We’ll hit the airport tomorrow after we get you checked out of the hotel.”
“You don’t have to do that. I’ll call him, and I’ll get myself fed tonight. I need some downtime on my own.”
“Let me at least call your dad. It should be me initiating the trip anyway. It’s for business — mainly.”
“You’re sure?” she asked.
“Absolutely.” He said as he pulled up into the drop off zone outside the hotel’s lobby. “You go rest a bit, have a swim and a bite to eat. You sure you don’t want to do dinner again? I could bring it to you.”
“No, thank you. I’ll just order some takeout or room service after my swim.”
“Alright, if you’re sure. I have a few calls to make to be sure that our employees are prepared to man the booth and have everything packaged and shipped back to us, and I’ll call it a night, too.”
“Alright. I’ll change my flight and let you know what time I’ll be leaving. It might be an early flight, but I can get myself to the airport. I’ll have my dad call you about your visit.”
“Don’t bother with that. I’ll have my secretary change your flight.”
“She doesn’t have my card number and flight information for the return flight.”