Page 5 of Honey Sunshine

Then again, what time do I have now after my top clients were sniped from under my nose, leaving me scrambling to make sure my company doesn’t go under overnight?

I worked too hard on building my business from the ground up and striving to do something purposeful with my life to let it all crumble because of my awful luck with love.

It’s only after the man escorts me to his table—thankfully situated at the far end of the restaurant—and seats me like the perfect gentleman he is, that he blurts out, “I’m so, so sorry for interrupting your conversation like that.”

Just as quickly, I shake my head aggressively. “No, no,Ishould be apologizing! If it wasn’t for you coming in, I think I might have had to break his nose or something.”

“I mean,” he replies, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. “It’s the least I can do after hearing your plea for help in the restroom. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I thought you might need some help afterward.”

My brows knit together.

“My...” I trail off. My mouth falls open once the neurons inside my brain finally put two and two together. Even then, I can’t believe it, shaking my head again alongside my hands like a chaotic, broken car wiper. “Wait, Alex didn’t send you?”

He smiles impishly at me. “No . . . ?”

Kill me now!

I need to go home and hang myself.

There’s no way I can stay here for a second longer, much less face the investor I’m supposed to meet without my entire face cringing itself inward. I stare at him, putting both elbows on the table to prop my hands under my chin. “I’m going to order a whiskey bottle, and I want you to smash it on my head.”

“No, there’s no need for that,” he chuckles.

“I’m freaking mortified,” I groan, pressing my head down into my palms in shame. If the world ended right now, I don’t think I’d complain in the slightest.

I take a deep breath and then realize how rude I’ve been as I stare back at the man. “Shit, I didn’t even ask for your name. Uh, I’m Zach. Zach Bower.”

I extend my hand to him and something akin to surprise flashes in his eyes. His lips part slightly into a smile as he takes my hand in his.

Electricity bolts down my spine as our hands touch, sending a jolt of heat through my body, and I try to keep a straight face despite how strange and tingly my entire body is feeling.

“Harvey Cooper.”

And just like that, that heat of electric fire coursing through my body turns to ice-chilling cold in my bones as I gawk at him.

Today’s got to be the worst day of my life!

“Harvey . . . H-Harvey Cooper? As in . . . the investor I’m supposed to meet for lunch . . . ?”

His grin widens, and he lets out a hearty laugh. “It seems so,Honey, though we’ve got twenty minutes till our meeting...”

I moan. “Now you absolutelymustsmash that bottle over my head. Please,” I practically beg.

How in the world is this happening? This has to be a one-in-a-million chance, yet it’s happening. Right here. Right now.

He laughs, and I never realized a voice could be this smooth and rough and sexy all rolled into one.

“No. Honestly, it’s really not a big deal. It was fun,” he remarks, pulling his hand away from mine.

“I feel really terrible for dragging you into this mess.”

What a way to make a first impression. I bet he now thinks I’m some crazy dude who he can’t trust with his money after seeing how messy my personal life is.

Fuck.

“I am so, so sorry,” I apologize again.

He must be moved by the flush of embarrassment on my face, because he tilts his head to the side, a keen look in his eyesas if debating whether to say something or not. Finally, he says, “It truly wasn’t anything that I wouldn’t do for a friend. And I don’t get into business with people I wouldn’t be friends with. However, if you really want to make it up?—”

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