Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Harper's eyes widen with surprise. “Lillian Harrison?”
“Yes. I’m attracted to her and would like to see if there can be more between us. We’re meeting tonight so I can tell her how I feel.”
“Give me a moment to process this. It’s a shock,” she teases me. A massive smile forms on her face. “Tell me everything!”
Letting out a chuckle, I say, “Lillian is talented, considerate, and fun. Christ, Harper, you have to see her artwork.”
“Aaaand…” She gestures for me to keep going.
“She’s beautiful, and when she blushes, it does things to my heart. I like her a lot and want to get to know her better.”
Harper just watches me with a huge grin on her face.
“Say something,” I mutter.
“I’m happy for you.” She leans forward, her eyes locking with mine. “I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there, and I hope things work out between Lillian and you.” She gets up from the chair. “Let me know how tonight goes.”
“I will.”
For the first time in a long while, I can’t wait to get through my work so I can pick up Lillian and tell her how I feel.
Lillian
My stomach is a knot of nerves. Since Callan called, I’ve been worrying. With the way things have been going in my life, I’m assuming the worst.
He’s probably going to tell me he can’t meet with me anymore. After all, he’s the CEO of a billion-dollar company. He’s busy and doesn’t have time to escort me on dates.
It sucks, though. He’ll probably arrange for someone else to escort me to the party.
I don’t want to get to know another man, and at this point, I’m just going to decline the invite to Denise’s birthday.
Not knowing what tonight will hold, I get dressed in black pants and a light cashmere sweater. It might be the last time I get to see Callan, so I put on some makeup and curl the ends of my hair.
There’s a heavy feeling in my chest when I leave my apartment to wait in the lobby. When the elevators open, I’m surprised to see Callan’s already waiting for me.
His mouth curves in a smile. “You look beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
He’s wearing one of his impeccable three-piece suits and looks as handsome as ever. But there’s no way I’m telling him that.
He gestures to his car and waits for me to climb in before he walks to the driver’s side.
After sliding behind the steering wheel, he asks, “How was your day?”
“It was eventful. I retrieved some of my paintings from storage to make sure none of them got damaged.” I clear my throat, then ask, “How was your day?”
“Good.” His eyes flick to my face. “Thank you for agreeing to meet with me.”
“Sure,” I murmur, still trying to brace myself for whatever will happen tonight.
When he pulls away from the curb, my stomach tightens even more, and I struggle to keep my hands from fidgeting with my handbag.
We don’t drive far, and as Callan brings the Bugatti to a stop in front of The Ritz, I figure we’ll probably have dinner or a drink at the bar.
Remembering what he said on Saturday, I wait for him to open my door.
As I get out, his eyes scan my face, and a frown line forms between his eyes. Taking hold of my elbow, he steps closer to me and asks, “Is everything okay?”
I force a smile around my lips. “Yes.” Glancing at the impressive building, I ask, “Where are we going?”
“For a walk.”
His hand moves to my lower back, guiding me toward the park.
I have to make a conscious effort not to cross my arms over my chest or fidget with my handbag.
When we near a bench, Callan murmurs, “Take a seat.”
I sit down and turn my body to face him. “What do you want to talk about?”
He removes his jacket and places it over the back of the bench before rolling up the sleeves of his dress shirt.
I try not to focus on how everything he does is hot and masculine.
His eyes lock on my face, and seeing his serious expression, my stomach tightens even more.
“It’s about our arrangement.”
Shoot, I was right.
Wanting to get this over with quickly, I rise to my feet again. “Oh, you could’ve told me when you called instead of meeting in person. I understand you’re super busy, so you don’t have to explain anything.” A dark frown forms on Callan’s face, which has my fingers twisting the strap of my handbag. “Thank you for all the time you’ve spent with me. I appreciate it.” I gesture with my thumb over my shoulder. “I can walk home. It’s not far.”
Before I can turn around, Callan darts to his feet and grabs hold of my arm. “That’s not what I wanted to say.” He pulls me back to the bench. “Sit down.”