Page 53 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

Tonight, could make or break my company’s future.

Harlow looped her arm through mine as we crossed the room.

“You need to relax,” she whispered. “You look like you’re about to face a firing squad.”

“Feels that way.”

She squeezed my arm as we approached the table.

“Mr. and Mrs. Clark, thank you for taking the time to meet with us.”

We shook hands, and I stepped aside. “This is my fiancée, Harlow Bennett.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” She extended her hand across the table.

“The pleasure is all mine, dear.” He chuckled, and I hated that I was so nervous. “I was starting to think Brooks made you up?”

There was a smile on her face as she glanced at me. “No one was more surprised than me when he asked me to marry him, but Brooks likes to take his time. If he commits to something, whether business or personal, he wants to make sure it’s going to last.”

I nodded in agreement, thankful she was such a natural at this. “That’s always been my approach,” I said smoothly, even though it felt like I was sweating bullets.

We took our seats, and I loosened my tie as we sat down.

“So, tell us about yourself, Harlow.”Richard rested his chin in his hand. “We want to hear everything.”

She picked up her water, swirling the ice around in her glass. “Brooks and I dated years ago when we were younger, but life happened, and we had to go our separate ways.” She smiled lightly and paused like she was trying to figure out what to say next. “We recently reconnected, and well, I’ll spare you all the little details, but here we are.”

Carol’s eyes lit up. “How romantic.”

Harlow shrugged while I sat there wondering how she could make such a simple sentence sound like the best love story they ever heard.

I sat there, half-listening and trying not to show how mesmerized I was that she was pulling this off so smoothly. Harlow answered every question perfectly and laughed at the right moments. She complimented Richard on his taste of red wine and managed to get Carol talking about her passion for traveling.

I watched it all unfold with a mixture of relief and something else. I knew she would be good at this, but she was doing better than I imagined.

Carol tilted her head to the side. “You two make such a lovely couple.”

Harlow blushed. “Thank you. I can’t wait to start making beautiful babies with him. I’m an only child, so I’m looking forward to filling the house with noise. There is nothing more special than family.”

I choked on my wine and quickly brought my napkin up to my mouth.

Richard’s laughter boomed across the table. “You might want to go easy on him. He looks like he’s scared to death just thinking about it.”

Harlow patted my back as my cough finally died down. “Oh, we’ve already talked about it. Isn’t that right, honey?”

I played along. “I can’t wait to get started.”

Harlow was a natural, and I had a feeling that by the end of the night, the Clarks wouldn’t be the only ones enamored with her.

“Do you have children?” she asked, keeping her attention on them.

Carol beamed. “Two boys and one girl. Actually, our eldest recently had a baby. We are officially grandparents.”

Harlow gasped, clutching a hand to her heart. “Congratulations. Please tell me you have a picture.”

Carol reached for her phone. “You bet I do.”

She made them feel like they were the most important people in the room, and they were eating it up. I’d spent months trying to win Richard over, and ten minutes with Harlow, and she had him wrapped around her finger.

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