Page 35 of Hope & Harmony

“It’s nice of you to help her out.”

“She’s a friend, and I know she’d do the same for me.”

Not that Andi had ever asked. Money was too tight for her to give away her shifts. Every penny counted these days.

“You’re out late,” she said, making small talk. She much preferred her day-shift hours because there was always a steady flow of people in and out to keep her busy. Working these wee hours of the night was the equivalent of watching paint dry.

“It’s been a long night,” he confessed.

“Oh?”

“My business partner was supposed to attend a charity gala in New York this evening, but his flight got canceled, and he’s stuck in L.A., which meant I had to go. So I’ve spent three hours driving up to Manhattan, four hours of making small talk, and now three hours back down here,” he explained.

“Ouch. That does sound like a long ten hours. Are you from Baltimore?” she asked.

He shook his head. “No.”

Andi wasn’t sure why she found that disappointing. The odds she would run into this guy again were basically nil, but a tiny part of her would have liked a better chance of it happening.

There was something about him that felt dangerous yet not threatening.

Yeah…like that’s a thing, Andi.

Regardless, her instant attraction to him was off the charts, which wasn’t something that ever happened to her. She was too busy to be horny. It was a simple, if painful, fact of life.

“I’m actually from New York, which is why today felt like adding insult to injury. Any other weekend, it would have been a simple thing to pop across the city for the event,” the man continued. “But, of course, thanks to Murphy’s Law, I’m inBaltimore this week for work. I got into town a couple of days ago. I would have spent the night at my apartment in the city, but I’m meeting a client for brunch here in Baltimore tomorrow, so I decided to come back tonight rather than in the morning. It was all going fine until the car got a flat.”

Andi glanced out the window. “Oh. Hey, wait. Are you riding in that limo parked across the street?” She’d seen it on her way in and wondered if someone famous was sitting inside.

He nodded. “While the driver is dealing with the tire, I offered to buy us both a bottle of water.”

“That’s very nice of you, um…”

“Joel,” he replied, introducing himself. “Joel McKenna.”

She took the hand he offered, shaking it. “Andi Jennings. Nice to meet you. Have you always lived in New York City?”

“I have,” Joel responded.

“I’ve never been, but I’m hoping to visit there someday. My brother wants to move to Manhattan after he graduates from high school. He’d like to go to college there.”

“Oh? What school?” Joel asked.

“NYU.” Her response triggered the response she expected.

Joel tilted his head. “That’s a great school, but tough to get into.”

“Dylan knows that and he’s got a list of backup choices. But NYU is his dream school. I’m not too worried about him not getting in because he’s working so hard to make it happen. He’s valedictorian of his class, and he scored fifteen hundred on his PSAT.”

Joel’s eyes widened. “Wow. Impressive.”

She smiled, pleased by the compliment. She was so proud of her brother she could pop. “I’m hoping he’ll get some help from scholarships. He’s the brightest, sweetest kid on the planet, and I know he’s going to do amazing things in the future.”

“What does he want to study?” Joel asked.

“International Business and Global Management. He’s tried to explain to me what kind of jobs he could find with that degree and what he’d be doing, but I’m not sure I fully understand it all. To be honest, it sounds kind of boring.” Andi realized she was prattling on too much. Her little brother was her favorite subject, so she tended to go on and on about him.

Joel chuckled. “Sounds like he’s on the right path if NYU is his plan.”

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