“Night, Jax,” I answered in a barely audible voice.
I dropped the phone on the bed and buried my face in Molly’s silky fur as I mumbled to her, “Your human daddy is a very confusing man.”
She put her snout close to my ear and snuffled, as though she was trying to tell me I was absolutely right.
Jax
Two nights later, I knocked on Harlow’s door a little after our usual meet up time.
Since we were breaking our normal routine, I’d headed home after work to change clothes and to pick up Tango.
“Hi,” Harlow said as she smiled at me. “Come on in. I’m almost ready.”
Anything I’d meant to say to her had gone flying out of my brain as soon as she’d answered the door.
I shut the door behind me, leaned against it, and watched Harlow as she dashed around the tiny apartment. I couldn’t even take my eyes off her as Molly rushed to greet me, and I bent down to give her a hello pat.
“Holy shit! You look beautiful, Harlow,” I told her as she put on a second dangly earring that matched the one she was already wearing.
Okay, so that wasn’t exactly what I’d meant to say, but there had been no way those words weren’t coming out of my mouth.
She did, in fact, look radiant. Granted, there was never a time when Harlow wasn’t smoking hot, but there was something different about her today.
I wasn’t sure if it was the black-and-white sweater dress that clung lovingly to every curve of her body, or the black high heels she was wearing with it.
Hell, it could be the fuck-me red lipstick or all the accessorized costume jewelry she was wearing, too.
Most of the time, Harlow didn’t wear her hair down, but all those curly blonde locks were streaming over her shoulders and down her back tonight. My fingers were itching to reach out and touch them, but I forced myself not to do it.
“Thanks,” she said, sounding a little flustered. “I finally went to get my hair cut and highlighted, and I was able to restock all my makeup. I ran out over a month ago.”
I knew I was still staring at her like an idiot, but I couldn’t seem to help myself.
“You managed to do all of that today?” I asked.
She snorted. “It wasn’t exactly taxing. I told you I was driving again and starting to get out more. I feel like a new woman today. My hair was driving me absolutely insane.”
I suddenly realized that the difference in Harlow had nothing to do with her clothes, her shoes, or her hair.
She’s getting her confidence back.
And damned if that wasn’t one of the sexiest things I’d ever seen.
“How did the day go?” I questioned, reminding myself that I was still her advisor.
“It went really well,” she said. “I thought I might get antsy from sitting in the salon for so long, but it actually felt…normal. I guess there’s something therapeutic about getting back into some of my old routines. I called Mark’s brother this morning. It felt good just to chat with him, and let him know how sorry I was for his loss. He was really nice, and it seemed to help him to talk to someone who knew Mark well as an adult. A lot of people in Mark’s hometown hadn’t seen him in years. This has to be really hard for him. Mark was his closest family.”
I nodded. “I know. Do you think having that conversation helped you, too?”
In my mind, just the fact that Harlow was accepting Mark’s death without the crushing guilt she’d previously shouldered was huge progress.
Knowing that she’d reached out to Mark’s brother to provide comfort to him was pretty damn amazing.
“It did,” she said as she grabbed her jacket and purse from the couch. “It gave me a sense of closure. I’ll always miss Mark, but I’m more at peace with myself. I’m ready now.”
She shot me a beautiful smile as she stopped beside me, and my heart nearly exploded.
It had only been a little over three weeks since I’d stood near this same door and tried to coax a reluctant, anxious Harlow outside.
Even though I knew she still had some hurdles to get over, it felt so damn good to see Harlow taking her life back again.
“You two behave,” I warned Molly and Tango as the two of them played in the small living room.
The dogs had been running around the small apartment since I’d let Tango in behind me.
“I’m glad you brought him over,” Harlow said happily. “They miss each other.”
“Like I had a choice?” I asked drily as we stepped outside, and Harlow locked the door. “I would have had to put up with an enormous doggie sulk if Tango scented either you or Molly on me when I got home. It’s not a pretty sight.”
She laughed, and took my hand when I held it out to her. “What rocket ship are you piloting today?”
I grinned as we headed for the parking lot. “You’re going to be horribly bored. I brought the Mercedes SUV since we’re taking a longer ride. No Bugatti Chiron or Ferrari today.”
“So we’re only riding in a cheap, six-figure vehicle instead of one that costs way over seven figures. I feel terribly deflated,” she said sarcastically.
I chuckled. “Come on. Admit it. You’re starting to love the Chiron.”
Maybe she wanted to pretend she didn’t enjoy the ride, but she squealed with excitement every damn time we accelerated onto the freeway.
“It’s a beautiful vehicle, and it’s so powerful,” she confessed. “I guess it just freaks me out to be riding in a car that costs three million dollars or so.”
I opened the passenger side of the SUV for her, and jogged around to the driver’s side once she was settled. “Really, none of them are just vehicles,” I explained as I got in and started the car. “They’re more like…collectibles. A lot of them actually increase in value over time. It’s not exactly a waste of money. I do eventually part with the ones that I don’t end up driving often, and most of the time, they sell at a profit.”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you that you aren’t supposed to play with collectibles?” she teased.
I got the SUV in motion, and pulled out of the parking lot. “What’s the fun in that?” I asked. “I don’t want to buy something that I just put on a shelf and look at every once in a while.”
“I have to admit, riding in your rocket ships is a lot more fun,” she agreed reluctantly.
“I knew you’d come around,” I answered playfully. “So what do you think this whole impromptu get-together at Riley’s place is all about? She only gave me a few hours’ notice, and not attending wasn’t exactly an option.”