Page 63 of Seeing Harper

“Joel Beobaff. I’m with Auxin Bio Sciences.”

“Hello, Mr. Beobaff. It’s nice to meet you,” Harper said.

“Joel, please. I’m not that formal,” he said.

“Joel, then. It’s nice to meet you.”

“And you, Harper. I’ve heard a lot about you from your father.”

“Don’t believe half of it,” she said, shaking her head while scrunching up her nose.

Joel laughed as he reached for her carry-on bag and her jacket. “Here, let me help,” he said, taking them from her before she actually handed them over.

“You don’t have to do that. I can get it,” she said.

“I’m sure you can, but why should you if I’m here to lend an extra hand or two? Got your ticket for baggage claim?”

“I do, it’s on my phone.”

“Well, let’s get to it, then, and leave all these people to their heartfelt greetings,” he said, his eyes widening comically to show her he was as unimpressed by the impromptu emotion fest around them as she was.

Harper chuckled to herself as Joel efficiently, yet politely, cleared a path for them through all the families and friends still crowding the area and escorted her toward the escalator which would lead them eventually to the bottom floor and baggage claim.

“You didn’t really have to do this. I could just as easily have hired an Uber, or even taken a shuttle from the airport.”

“Shuttle might have worked, but it would have been inconvenient with all your baggage. Uber, no, no way.”

“No way?” she asked, surprised at his statement.

“A young woman, traveling alone, weighed down with multiple bags in a city you’re not familiar with and the background checks they don’t always perform on some of their drivers — no. It’s just better that I came to meet you myself and get you safely to your hotel.”

“Not all Uber drivers are dangerous.”

“No, they’re not. In fact, when in cities I’m visiting for business, I often take advantage of their services. But I’m a man, not a beautiful young woman. And how would you know if you’re getting a good one or a bad one? And it’s not going to be me that calls Travis Vitrano and explains that his daughter is missing because she took an Uber rather than being met at the airport by myself or someone I trust. So, here I am.”

“Alright, Alright!” she said as she laughed. “I get it. You couldn’t relax wondering if I made it safely or not, knowing the result of that would be you having to contact my father to let him know if I didn’t turn up. If I was someone doing business with my father I might not have taken that chance either.”

“You get it, then.”

“I do. And that makes me want to apologize. I’m sorry your evening was interrupted to get me safely to the hotel.”

He looked at her with a smirk. “What makes you think you’re not my plans for the evening?”

“I figured your wife might have expected you home,” she said, smirking right back.

He shook his head. “No girlfriend. No wife. Just me and some casual dates from time to time. Nobody to get upset about me escorting you to dinner after getting you all checked in and your things in your room.”

“My things in my room… what makes you think I have multiple bags? Maybe all I have is the carry-on and one suitcase.”

“Is that all you have with you?”

Harper stared him in the eyes.

He stared back.

“No,” she finally said. “I have a three piece matching set.”

“And the carry-on,” he said with a genuine laugh.