Page 16 of Score to Settle
She frowns. “Master plan?”
“You know… a grand plan for how you’re going to take over the world. You seem like the type.”
Harper smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “You think I’ve got my life together? You think I’ve got a plan?”
“You don’t?”
She shakes her head. “I did once, but it sort of crashed and burned earlier this year.”
I raise an eyebrow and she pulls in a deep breath that draws my eyes back down to her tee and the place where her nipples are pushing against the fabric. I force my gaze up.What the hell, Sullivan! This woman will eat you alive if you give her half a chance.
“Earlier this year I landed a dream job. It was an internship for a features writer atInsight. I thought I’d made it. I found a New York apartment I could barely afford and signed a one-year lease. I blew the last of my money on a pair of designer shoes and walked into that office with my grand plan to take over the world.”
“What happened?” I ask.
“I wasn’t cut out for it,” she replies. There’s more to the story, but she pushes on before I can ask. “So yeah, this isn’t the dream for me either, you know? Following you around like some kind ofgroupie. But if I don’t do a good job on this feature, I’ll be fired again.”
Her honesty takes me by surprise. “Seems like we’ve both got a lot to lose if this doesn’t go well then,” I say.
She shoots me another hard look. “So maybe we need to find a way to work together.”
“Hey,” I shoot back. “You’re the one who’s already made up your mind about me. Do you even care what I have to say?”
She scoops a stray lock of chestnut hair behind her ear. “Of course I do. It’s my job to care.”
“Yeah, right.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” she snaps.
“It means, I heard what you said about me.”
“And what did I say?” She folds her arms. The movement pulls the fabric of her tee tighter around her breasts. It’s a fight to keep my eyes from dragging down.
“Last night before dinner. You were on the phone,” I reply. “I would guess you were talking to your friend Mia. Something about me thinking I’m God’s gift to the world and you looking forward to finding outifthere’s anything more to me. It’s pretty obvious you think every one of those stories about me is true and you can’t wait to destroy me.”
If I didn’t know better I’d think Harper looks almost sheepish. “You’re right, I did say that. I didn’t mean for you to hear it and I’m sorry. But in my defense, you were an hour late to our first meeting.”
She’s got a point, but no way am I giving up the high ground.
Harper sighs. “We’re not on the same team, Jake. I’ve been sent to write an in-depth feature on you. My job is to write the truth. If you want what I write to be positive, then you need to let me in and show me you’re a good guy.”
Her words hang in the silence. Anger hums beneath my skin, even if a part of me can see her point. I grit my teeth. Stormingout seems like a pretty good option right now, but I’ll be damned if I’m being chased from my own kitchen. However much I might hate this situation, I’m stuck with this woman for the next five weeks. Something’s got to give.
I push a hand through my hair. “This is getting us nowhere,” I sigh. “You’re right, we’re not on the same team, and we do need to find a way to work together.”
“What do you suggest?” she asks, and even though I can’t be sure, I think something in her softens too.
“We’re going to be spending a lot of time together. How about we set some ground rules?” I reply.
“Like what?”
I think for a moment. “Like, I don’t want to feel like I’m constantly being interviewed. You can ask me two questions a day.”
“Four,” she fires back.
“Three.”
She rolls her eyes. “Fine, but you have to answer them. No jokes or evasion.”
