She handed it over, the corner a little creased from her tight grip on it. Stark tucked it into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. “I’ll take a look at your gallery online. I’m looking for some artwork for my office, and I have a specific idea in mind. Do you accept commissions?”
“Yes,” she said. “Absolutely.”
“Good. I’ll have my assistant contact you to set up a meeting with me next week. We’ll go over what I’m looking for and discuss price. Nice to meet you, Ms. Brandt.”
He stood, and Harper stumbled to her feet, shaking his hand again when he held it out. He picked up his coffee, nodded to Hazel, and left the coffee shop. The minute he was gone, Harper sank back into her chair, staring at Hazel when her boss joined her.
“Well?” Hazel looked almost giddy. “What did he say?”
“He’ll have his assistant contact me to set up a meeting next week to discuss a commission,” Harper said.
“Holy shit!” Hazel gave Harper a hard hug before sitting in the chair next to her. “That’s awesome, Harper.”
“I mean, I don’t have the commission yet, but…”
“You’ll get it,” Hazel said. “Especially when he sees your gallery online. I’m so happy for you.”
“This is because of you,” Harper said. “Thank you so much, Hazel.”
“Nonsense,” Hazel said. “Stark noticed your art right away. Just remember me when you’re super famous and super rich and living your best life in some mansion out in North Falls, all right?”
Harper laughed. “I think we might be getting ahead of ourselves, just a little bit.”
Hazel shrugged. “Nothing wrong with dreaming. Now, get your cute butt back behind the counter and finish stocking the back shelf. You’re not famous yet, girl.”
Harper burst into laughter before grabbing her sketchpad and heading toward the counter. She couldn’t wait to tell Nathan about this.
Chapter 28
Nathan opened his front door, shooing Katy Purry back with his foot and smiling at Harper. “Hey, gorgeous.”
“Hi!” Harper pushed past him, carrying a wine bottle and a six pack of donuts. “You sure you don’t mind me coming by again tonight?”
“Not at all,” he said as he followed her into the kitchen. She dropped her jacket on the chair and started opening cupboards.
He watched in amusement, loving the way she just made herself at home. Pretending that Harper lived with him was a harmless little fantasy, right?
“Do you have any wine glasses, or are they packed away?” she asked.
“Packed away,” he said.
She grabbed a couple of glasses, “Okay, we’ll pretend these are wine glasses.” She handed him the bottle of wine. “Open this, would you?”
“Sure.” He opened the wine as she grabbed a couple of napkins and flipped open the lid of the donut box.
“Do you like donuts?” She eyed him up and down. “Or is your body too much of a temple to fill it with sugar?”
“It’s all about moderation, right?” he said with a grin.
“That’s right.”
He poured wine into both their glasses. “Not that I’m complaining, but why the odd combination of wine and donuts?”
“Because as a kid, my dad would take me down to The Cake Whisperer and buy me a donut to celebrate special occasions, and as an adult…” she took her wine glass from him, “I fucking love wine.”
He laughed. “What are we celebrating?”
“Well, two things, really. The clinic is doing better and -”