by Susan Meier
CHAPTER ELEVEN
HARPER FELT FUNNY the next morning.
As Seth got coffee and she prepared a bottle for Crystal, the atmosphere of the kitchen was strange. If only being friends was the right thing to do, why did everything feel so off?
They didn’t fight, weren’t overly polite...but what had been ordinary and acceptable in the beginning of her living with him was now odd. Especially when he kept glancing at Crystal, looking like he wanted to say something or do something.
She supposed that might be because he’d seen his niece the day before. Maybe he’d gotten comfortable. Several times, it seemed like he wanted to pick her up, but changed his mind.
He’d held Crystal in Paris. Walked along the Champs-Élysées holding her, giving her a baby tour of the city.
Why did he hesitate now?
Seth left for work early—seven o’clock instead of eight or nine. Harper dressed for her interview and at eight o’clock called John Gardner’s office and set up an appointment for one o’clock with his assistant to discuss Harper helping them find a company condo. Then she left Crystal with Mrs. Petrillo and went to her interview.
On the walk to Midtown, she realized she could have left Crystal with her mom. Her mother would have loved that. The thought seemed to come out of nowhere, but it felt more right than the atmosphere in Seth’s home that morning. She pushed those thoughts out of her brain and put her mind on possible interview questions as she finished the walk to Max Wilson’s office.
The interview took two hours. She reported to his Human Resources department as Max had instructed and after twenty minutes of conversation she was given two tests. Then she was whisked to Max’s office, where he made what seemed to be small talk, but actually delved into her life and the time she’d spent running her small business.
They shook hands and he promised he’d call before the week was out to let her know if she was a candidate for the job.
Though he hadn’t hired her, he also hadn’t said, “Thanks but no thanks.” She left his office feeling great. So great, that when her phone rang, she answered with a perky “Hello!”
“Hey. It’s Bill. I’m guessing Seth told you we’d talked, and he added a laundry list of things he wanted in his new house.”
“Yes.”
“He said to call and let you know when I had something, and I have two things. One we’ll have to look at this afternoon, though. The owners are eager to sell. It’s not going to last.”
“I can meet you around three.”
“Do you want to call Seth?”
She thought about how weird he’d been about her looking at houses alone and decided she should ask him to come along.
“Yes. I’ll call him. I know it’s short notice but if he can’t make it, I’ll see it alone. If he can make it, he might be able to decide today.”
Bill laughed. “He might have to.”
“Okay. I’ll call him now and let you know.”
She headed for a nearby coffee shop. Not only did she have time to kill, but she was also hungry. Her dad’s comment about her being too thin echoed in her head, backing up something similar Seth had said in Paris, so she bought a premade sandwich and Danish pastry to go with her coffee. A far cry from the pastries she’d had in Paris. But this was her life now.
She found a seat and called Seth. “Bill has a condo he thinks is perfect for you but it’s also going to go quickly. He said you’ll have to see it today.”
“This afternoon?”
“Yes. I’m to call him with a time. I won’t be out of John Gardner’s office before three, so what if we tell him three thirty?”
“Sounds good.”
“Okay. I’ll call him then text you the address.”
She disconnected the call and ate her lunch. With food in her stomach and a great interview under her belt, she walked into John Gardner’s office a confident woman. She explained to John and his staff that she’d been looking for condos with Seth, had a real estate agent she was working with and she would happily be the person who takes the first look at potential condos for them.
John asked for her fee. She gave him the number Seth suggested and within what felt like ten minutes, she was hired.
Shell-shocked, she walked out of the building and onto the sidewalk. With the money in her account from the sale of her and Clark’s condo and the down payment on her services being wired in by John Gardner’s company, she could afford a cab to get to the condo Bill wanted her to see.
She called for an Uber car. Now that she had more than a little bit of cash, she wouldn’t be foolish...
Not that she’d thought Clark had been foolish.
She shook her head to clear those thoughts, got into the Uber car when it arrived and headed for the condo Bill wanted to show Seth.
As soon as she turned from paying the driver, she saw Seth standing just inside the double-door entrance, his hands in the pockets of his black leather jacket.
Her breath stalled at how gorgeous he was. His dark hair was just a little mussed, probably from a ride in his convertible. His dark eyes narrowed as he looked for her. When he saw her, his lips lifted into a warm smile.
Her heart flipped again.
She couldn’t stop the tingles that coursed through her when she entered the lobby and he caught her hand. “You look fantastic.”
She did a quick turn to show off her new outfit. A navy blue blazer over an orange flowered sheath and heels. It felt so good to be in heels again.
“It’s amazing what new clothes will do for someone.”
But she knew it was more than that. It had to be. She never felt more alive than when she was with Seth. Or more confused. How could she be happy around someone who seemed to be the exact opposite of the man she should love. Someone who didn’t want what she wanted?
They told the doorman they were there to look at a condo with Bill Reynolds and he smiled. “Penthouse.”
Harper and Seth exchanged a glance. “If that’s the one Bill’s showing today, then I guess we’re going to the penthouse.”
The doorman took them to a hidden, private elevator, and used a key card to set the car in motion. They rode in silence for what seemed like forever, then the doors opened on a huge great room with a wall of windows that displayed a view of Manhattan that looked close enough to touch.
She stepped out of the elevator. “Oh, my God.”
Seth walked out behind her. “Wow.”
The owner must have already moved because the place was empty. Shiny white marble floors winked at them.
Seth turned to the right and then the left. “I don’t see a chandelier for the dining room or a kitchen.”
“That’s because they are separate rooms.” Bill walked toward them, hand extended.
Seth shook it. “This is the living room?”
“Can you imagine having a party here?” Bill said, gesturing around the room. “Plenty of room for guests. But just think of that view at night. The lights of the city glowing from tall buildings. The moon hovering over them.”
Harper could picture it. “It’s so gorgeous,” she said reverently.
Bill gestured to the left. “Let’s take a look at the kitchen.”
They followed him to a door that opened onto a butler’s pantry with white cabinets and plenty of counter space to be a staging area for serving dinner, then into an all-white kitchen with stainless-steel, restaurant-grade appliances.
Harper walked from one appliance to the next, checking things out, and realized everything was new. “I’d get lost in here.” She laughed. “It’s huge. And everything’s just been replaced. Why remodel and move?”
Bill shrugged. “Markets fall. Fortunes change. What this couple thought they could afford in January is now way out of their budget. If this thing sells today, they get a stake for a second chance.”
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Harper certainly understood that.
Bill showed them the dining room across from the butler’s pantry, another room with spectacular views of the city. Two guest suites had the view on the other side of the building and the master suite—a sitting room, bedroom, dressing room, two closets and a bathroom the size of Seth’s current kitchen—had yet another view of the city.
When they had gone through the entire place, Seth said simply, “I want it.”
“There are two other bids.”
“Do you know what they are?”
Bill frowned. “Sorry. No.”
“Then let’s come in at one-point-five million over asking.”
Bill’s mouth fell open.
Harper gasped. “Seth, that’s a lot of money.”
* * *
Seth didn’t hesitate. He faced Harper. “When I see something I want, I go after it.”
She gave him a curious look and he knew what she was thinking. He’d told her he wanted her, but after his talk with Jake, he’d backed off.
He might seem like a hypocrite to her, or a gentleman. He had no idea, and he also didn’t care to find out. Things were better with them as friends, not even considering becoming lovers.
Even if he wasn’t accustomed to walking away from things he wanted.
Oblivious, Bill said, “Let me call in your offer.”
“Great. I’ll call my bank.”
Halfway through dialing, Bill stopped. “Are you telling me this is a cash offer?”
“Yes.”
Bill grinned. “I think you just shot yourself to the head of the line. I’ll need a cashier’s check for a down payment to hold it.”
The previous owners had left behind a desk, desk chair and two tufted chairs in the office. Seth excused himself to go into that room to call his banker. He made the arrangements, including having the check taken to Bill’s office by courier, then he and Harper walked to his Ferrari.
“I hope you get it.”
He opened the car door for Harper, realizing they were close again. Not just physically but emotionally. They were both thrilled that he’d found a home and if there was anybody he’d want to celebrate with, it would be her.
“I do, too.”
“I’ve never seen views like that.”
He scoffed, glad they’d found a safe topic of conversation. “Not even at your mother’s?”
“No. And if she sees yours she’s going to be house hunting again.”
The second the words were out of her mouth, she shook her head, as if she regretted saying them.
Seth waited and finally she said, “I enjoyed my visit with my parents yesterday.” She peeked across the car at him. “They loved seeing Crystal.”
As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she needed her parents, her family. Amelia Sloan might be a bit of an oddball, but Seth would bet with a few ground rules she’d be a good mother and a wonderful grandmother.
“That’s great.”
“It was.”
Her voice had an unexpectedly wistful quality to it that made Seth want to ask questions, but he held back. Two years ago, when his father died, and Jake wanted him to work for McCallan, Inc., he’d agreed only to help his brother. But he’d worried about his relationship with his mom. Two years after his father’s death, it felt odd still punishing his mother.
But it felt even odder thinking about getting warm and fuzzy with her.
When they arrived at his condo—soon to be Harper’s if his offer went through—Mrs. Petrillo was watching a soap with Crystal happily sitting on her lap.
Harper needed to get out of her clothes, so she immediately walked back the hall to her room.
Seth debated a second, before he pulled Crystal from Mrs. Petrillo’s lap. Not as a slick way to kiss Harper. She wasn’t even around. Just as a way to hold her.
“I’ve missed you since Paris, kid.”
Crystal giggled, then cooed. No prompting. No nothing.
“I think she likes me.”
Mrs. Petrillo batted a hand. “She’s been doing that all day. Laughing at nothing. Happiest baby I’ve ever seen.”
She headed for the door.
“Don’t you want to finish your soap?”
“No. Andrea annoys me. And she’s on today. If there’s one thing I know about soaps, it’s that when a character starts off the episode, most of the scenes will have her in it. I’m going to make a sandwich, then get ready for bridge.”
“Your friends coming to your house tonight?”
“We’re meeting at a coffee shop.” She grinned. “Something different. Old people usually don’t like change, so my group deliberately shakes things up.” She pointed a finger at Seth. “That’s how you stay young.”
Seth laughed as she walked out the door and when it closed behind her, he sat on the sofa, settling Crystal on his lap. “So, how are you today?”
He remembered Jake tickling Abby’s tummy, so he tickled Crystal’s belly.
When she laughed, he smiled.
* * *
That’s how Harper found them. Crystal on Seth’s lap, looking up at him with adoring eyes and Seth smiling.
“I’ll take her.”
Seth batted a hand. “No. No. She’s fine. Besides, I thought I’d let you choose dinner tonight from the takeout menus. We have a lot to celebrate.”
Harper only stared at him. She knew he’d made friends with Crystal in Paris, but it was more the look he was giving her baby girl that tripped something in Harper’s heart. He liked her. Maybe he’d even grown attached to her.
She meandered to the drawer with the menus. “Is there anything a man who is celebrating likes to get for dinner?”
“I’ll tell you what we should do. There’s a steakhouse a few blocks from here that will deliver if I promise a two-hundred-dollar tip.”
She laughed.
“I’m serious. And they have a wine list to die for.”
“You want to get steak and wine?”
“And maybe some fries and a nice salad.” He paused. “Actually, my mouth is now watering.” He rose from the sofa, strolled over to her and handed Crystal to her. “Let me call.”
The food arrived an hour later. The delivery man all but set the table for them and Seth generously tipped him, as promised. He pulled the cork from the wine and poured.
Harper had just put Crystal to bed. The room was quiet. There was no baby carrier on a chair or the table.
“This is nice.” She hadn’t meant to make the comment, but she couldn’t take it back because it was true. It was nice.
She almost took a sip of wine, but instead held out her glass. “A toast. To you getting the most beautiful condo I’ve ever seen.”
He clinked her glass. “I hope. I hadn’t realized how ready I was to move or how much my life had changed. But it’s time.”
“And I benefit.”
“Yes, you do.” He met her gaze. “I never would have done this without you.”
She snickered. “You needed someone to take your condo before you could get another?”
“No. I don’t like to do things like look at houses. I have a hard time with salespeople.”
She smiled at him. “It was my pleasure to help you. I would have done it for nothing.”
“Don’t sell yourself short.”
“I don’t.”
“You do. You’re a smart woman who is going to get an entry-level job and work her way up the corporate ladder.”
She shook her head. “How do you know?”
“Because you have talent and ambition. I told you, I remember how hard you worked when you had the assistant company. Even then I thought the sky was the limit for you.”
Warmth coursed through her, along with happiness. “I do have a baby to support.”
&n
bsp; “And you’re a great mom.” He held out his wineglass again. “Let’s toast that. It’s not easy being a working mom, but you’ll do it.”
“I will.” Happiness glowed inside her. She couldn’t remember ever feeling this good. She had a baby she loved, a condo soon to be hers, a consulting job that would pay her about a year’s salary and she’d aced an interview.
She finished her wine and he filled her glass again as she picked up her knife and cut a piece of steak. When she tasted it, she groaned. “This is amazing.”
“Aren’t you glad I’m a nice enough guy that everyone’s willing to deliver to me?”
“I am.”
“So, tell me about the interview.”
She told him about meeting with Human Resources first, then taking two tests, then talking to Max. He listened intently, didn’t interrupt, didn’t interject.
“He said he’d call either way. If got the job or didn’t.”
“He’s a good man.”
Harper turned thoughtful. “He really seems to be.”
“He was one of the companies that refused to do business with my dad.”
Because that was the last thing Harper expected to hear, she needed a minute for it to sink in.
“You like him because he wouldn’t do business with your dad?”
“In a way, yeah.” He set his fork down. “Max not even considering doing business with our company gave Jake the feeling he could have an ally when he eased our dad out of the chairman position for our board.”
“Jake eased your dad out of his company’s chairman position? I never heard any of this. Not even as gossip from Clark.”
“Jake went behind the scenes to figure things out about McCallan, Inc. Our dad had been cheating subcontractors out of money, lying, fudging bids, that kind of thing, and Jake couldn’t handle it. He got enough allies on the board to have someone else appointed chairman. Max became one of Jake’s mentors. Which helped him when our dad died unexpectedly a few years ago. Our company now is nothing like what it was when Dad ran it. In a way, we have Max to thank for that.”
“Wow.” She almost couldn’t believe what he had told her. But then again, she’d known there were reasons beyond rich-kid rebellion that Seth had left his family.