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It takes way too long to get her out of the store, and when she finally does, I follow my dad into his office. “Really?”
“What?”
“Felicity? You expect her to get any work done here? She’ll be too afraid to break a nail,” I grumble, dropping down into the chair. I throw my feet up on his desk, just to piss him off.
“Listen, I didn’t really have a choice. Darryl was telling me she needs a second job so she can move out of their place.”
“Not my problem,” I protest. “Wait, move from their place? She just told me she needed another key for her apartment.”
Dad snorts. “Uh, no. She moved back home months ago and hasn’t left yet. I think he’s helping give her the little push out of the nest. I know she’s not the best fit here, but he’s my friend. And I do recall him helping you out a few times in the past,” Dad says, referring to the time where he helped me restore my old truck. We didn’t have the extra garage space, but they did. So I worked on my truck there on the weekends, and even used a lot of his tools.
“This is going to be a disaster,” I gripe.
Dad laughs. “Probably. Just keep her busy at the front desk. She can clean and do some of the other organizing stuff you’ve wanted to do.”
Dropping my head, I know I’m defeated. Dad’s helping a friend, and giving his daughter a job. Now, I’ll be stuck with her on a daily basis. “You know there’s nothing there, right?” I ask, needing to make sure this isn’t a setup.
Dad snorts. “Are you kidding? I saw the writing on the wall when you two were in high school. Your mom might need a reminder, but not me. That’s not why I brought her here. Besides, I always had my eyes set on another when it came to you.” I can see his not-so-innocent smile spread widely across his aging face.
“I don’t want to know,” I say, though I’m pretty sure I already do.
“She’s a good girl, Latham. She’s got a fiery spirit that brings out the best in you,” he says as I’m walking to the door.
“Fiery because she’ll try to light my ass on fire?” I throw over my shoulder, Dad laughing as I go.
“I like her,” I hear him holler as I join Dale at the counter.
There’s only one problem.
I like her too.
* * *
It’s just after noon when the phone call I’ve been waiting for comes in. I excuse myself from the counter and head back to one of the storage rooms for a little privacy. “Hello?”
“Yeah, there’s definitely another offer on the table.”
“I thought you said I was the only one?” I ask, annoyed that the deal could possibly be in jeopardy, but more annoyed it’s Harper who could fuck up my plans.
“As of Saturday, there wasn’t. The attorney assured me the listing wasn’t even public yet.”
“Then how did she find out about it?” I growl into the phone, talking mostly to myself.
“She? Who?”
“You don’t know?” I ask.
“No, I’m not privileged to that information. I’m only allowed to know that another offer has been made, not who made it.”
Do I tell him or not? I mean, if he knows, then we can formulate the best plan of attack together. “Harper Grayson.”
Dead silence.
“You there?”
“Yeah, did you say Harper Grayson? As in fucking knockout, with tits that would make a grown man beg, Harper Grayson?”
My blood starts to boil and my nostrils flair. My reflex is to bark and bite like a jealous man, but that can’t happen. Not with Pete, who’ll take every opportunity to razz and joke about how I reacted to his comments. So instead of saying what I want to, I go with, “Yeah, that Harper.”
