“And here are your flowers.” He smiled.
“Thank you.”
“Have a nice day and enjoy your flowers.” He nodded.
“Thanks. I will.”
Grayson
I stood around the corner of the hallway and gulped the moment she opened the door. I honestly didn’t know what to expect her to look like, but I knew damn sure I wasn’t expecting what I saw. The moment she shut the door, Julius turned and walked down the hallway.
“Let’s get out of here. I can’t believe you made me do this!” he said.
“She’s beautiful,” I spoke. “At least from what I could tell from a distance.”
“Trust me, bro. She’s smoking hot. Damn. I wasn’t expecting that,” Julius said.
“I wasn’t either. Now that I know what she looks like, it’s time to put my plan in motion.”
“Leave me out of it, Grayson. I’ve already done too much.”
“Don’t worry.” I hooked my arm around him. “Your work here is done.” I smiled.
Harper
I took the wrapping off the flowers to reveal a beautiful arrangement of white and yellow roses. Taking the card, I pulled it from the small envelope and read it.
You have a baby on the way, hooray! Congratulations. We wish you the best of luck and a happy and healthy pregnancy.
Your friends from the New York Cryobank.
These flowers were exactly what I needed to brighten my not so bright day. I sighed as I moved the flowers to the center of my dining table.
The next morning, I grabbed my laptop and headed down the street to Starbucks for a decaf coffee and a cranberry muffin.
“Good morning. What can I get for you?” the barista asked.
“I’ll have a Grande decaf coffee and a cranberry muffin.”
“Are those any good?” I heard a voice ask behind me.
Turning around, my eyes stared at the sexy man staring back at me with a smile on his face.
“Yes. They’re very good.” I smiled back.
“It looks like you took the last one,” he said.
“Yeah. That’s the last one,” the barista spoke.
“How would you feel about sharing that with me?”
“Excuse me?” I let out a light laugh.
“I’ll have a Grande Americano and put her coffee and muffin on my total,” he spoke to the barista.
“I can’t let you do that.”
“Of course you can.” He grinned as he pulled a twenty-dollar bill out of his wallet and handed it to the barista. “Keep the change.” He gave her a wink.
“Names?” she asked as she grabbed two cups.
“Grayson. And you are?” The corners of his mouth curved upward as he looked at me.
“Harper.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Harper.” He extended his hand.
“And you as well, Grayson.”
My heart skipped a beat as I placed my hand in his. The tailored black designer suit he wore fit his six-foot two-inch stature to perfection. His stylish brown hair, piercing blue eyes and masculine jawline that sported a neatly trimmed five o’clock shadow made my belly flutter. The barista handed me the bag with the muffin in it and my decaf coffee.
“Why don’t you go get us a table while I wait for my Americano.”
“Sure.” I nervously smiled.
I took the muffin, my coffee and my laptop and grabbed us a table by the window. I couldn’t believe I was about to share my cranberry muffin with this hot and sexy stranger. Taking the muffin out of the bag, I set down two napkins, cut the muffin in half, and slid it across the table. Grayson finally got his Americano and took a seat.
“Do you always share a muffin with a stranger in Starbucks?” I smirked.
“No. I’ve never done this before.” He gave me a wink, and I gulped. “So, are you here to do some work?” he asked as he pointed to my laptop.
“Yeah.” I took a bite of my muffin.
“What type of work do you do?”
“I’m a freelance graphic designer. I’m trying to find new clients. I just lost one of my biggest accounts. The company isn’t doing well, and they had to cut costs. How do you like the muffin?”
“It’s excellent.” He grinned. “Thank you for sharing it with me.”
“Thank you for the coffee.” I smiled as I held up my cup.
“Do you believe in fate, Harper?” he asked.
“Is that some kind of cheesy pickup line?” I laughed.
He cocked his head and stared at me for a moment.
“Shit. I guess it could be. But it’s not a pickup line. My company is looking to hire a graphic designer.”
“Really? What company do you work for?”
“Rhodes Enterprises. We’re a venture capitalist and property development company. Are you interested?” A smirk crossed his lips. “We pay higher than any other company and the benefits are great.”
“So is this position full-time? Like full-time in an office setting?”
“That can be negotiated. Why don’t you come in this afternoon for a proper interview? Bring your resume and portfolio, have a look around the office and then we can discuss all the details.”
“And what are you going to tell your boss? That you met some random stranger in Starbucks, shared a cranberry muffin, and now she’s coming in for an interview?”
He chuckled. “Harper, I am the boss. My last name is Rhodes. My grandfather, Leon Rhodes, started the company fifty years ago. He’s retiring in a year and I’ll be taking over. The company will become mine.”
“Oh.” My eyes widened.
He reached in his suit coat pocket and pulled out a business card.
“Here’s the address. Will two o’clock work for you?” He grinned as he stood up from his chair.
“Two o’clock is good. I’ll see you then.” I bit down on my bottom lip.
Chapter 11
Harper
I watched him as he walked out of Starbucks. My heart was racing a mile a minute and I couldn’t believe what just happened. Looking at my watch, it was nine fifteen, so I grabbed my laptop and my coffee and headed to the upscale salon where Charlotte worked.
“Hey, Harper.” Andrea, the receptionist smiled as I walked through the door.
“Hi, Andrea. Is Charlotte with a client?”
“No. Her first client doesn’t come in until ten. She’s back there if you want to talk to her.”
“Thanks.”
I walked over to her station and found her sitting in her chair looking at her phone.
“Harper? What are you doing here?” she asked with a smile as she got up and hugged me.
“You will never believe what just happened to me at Starbucks.”
“What? Tell me.”
“I met this totally hot and sexy guy named Grayson Rhodes. We shared a cranberry muffin and now I’m going to his office at two o’clock for a job interview.”
“Wait. What?” She shook her head. “What do you mean you ‘shared’ a cranberry muffin?”
“I took the last one, and he wanted to try it, so he asked me if I’d share it with him and he bought me the muffin and a coffee. But that’s not important.” I waved my hand. “His grandfather owns Rhode Enterprises, and he’s retiring in a year and Grayson will take over. They’re a property development and venture capitalist company, and they’re looking for a graphic designer.”