Page 26 of One Night in Paris

I knew he was right, but I couldn’t shake the feeling of inadequacy. Maybe he was right about my job, too. Maybe I did need to do something to get a better job so I wouldn’t have to go through this embarrassment again. It had never crossed my mind before to consider working in an office, but I knew how to answer the phone and type. Surely, someone could use someone with my skills.

“I’d love to stay here and talk to you all night, Harper, but I think we both have to work tomorrow. Are you ready to go?”

Nodding, I said, “Yeah, I’m ready. Thanks again… for everything.”

Grinning at me, Logan took my hand. “You’re welcome, Harper. Can I give you a lift home?”

“Oh, uh, I don’t know about that,” I stammered, walking with him out of the bar onto the busy sidewalk. This was a classier part of town, but there were still plenty of pedestrians wandering around. No one shady, though, like in my part of town.

“Why not? I’m sober,” Logan assured me.

“It’s not that.” Thoughts of my shitty apartment building came to mind. This guy drove a car that probably cost more than my building was worth. When he saw where I lived, he’d probably never want to talk to me again.

As if sensing my concerns, Logan leaned in close to me. “Harper, I don’t really care where you live. I just want to make sure you get home okay.”

With that, I conceded. “Okay. Yeah. Sure.”

Tugging on my hand, he led me over to the waiting car, and we got inside.

On the way to my apartment, my thoughts returned to the embarrassment of my declined credit card. I really needed tofind a way to get my shit together. Perhaps telling Logan about my mom would be a good idea, but then, I didn’t want him to pity me either.

“Turn left here,” I told him as the streets around us got darker and the buildings became more dilapidated. “I stay here with my roommate when I’m working, but if I can, I go home to my mom’s in the suburbs.”

“That sounds nice. You and your mom are close?” he asked as I pointed out the building.

“We’re best friends.” Hearing the hitch in my voice, I quickly looked away, not wanting to get emotional.

Looking at my building through fresh eyes, I realized what a dump it really was. The brick exterior was dingy and covered in graffiti, and the windows were filthy with trash piled up all over the outside. While we were sitting there, an older guy wandered out of the building, walking like he was strung out.

“I’ll walk you in,” Logan said, turning off his car.

“No!” I practically shouted at him. “That’s okay.”

“Harper, I’m a gentleman. The least I can do is walk you to your door.” He glanced around outside, and I figured he was afraid I’d get mugged.

I’d done this plenty of times without his help, and I was a little afraid that his car would get stolen, but I found myself nodding. “Okay.”

Inside, the hallways were poorly lit and reeked of stale cigarette smoke. The elevators were always out of service, so we had to climb the creaky stairs to my third-floor apartment. I started apologizing, but Logan said, “Harper, it’s fine,” about ten times, so I stopped.

When we came to my door, I fished the keys out of my purse, not sure if I should kiss him or what. After all, we’d already had sex, but this was a first date technically.

Before I could decide what to do, Logan said, “I have something I want to ask you.”

Raising my eyebrows, I took a moment, pondering what it could be before I asked, “What’s that?”

He took a deep breath and let it out slowly before saying, “I need an assistant, and I think you would be perfect for the job. I can pay you much better than what you’re making at the diner. I think you’d really like it, too.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Wait, are you serious? You want me to work for you?”

He nodded. “Absolutely. You’re intelligent, reliable, and you have a great work ethic. I think you would be a valuable asset to my team.”

With my mouth hanging open, I stood there, staring at him, trying to process. Was this the opportunity of a lifetime, just falling into my lap? If so, I had to make sure I didn’t mess it up.

Was he just offering me the job because he felt sorry for me? Or because he was attracted to me? Or did he really think I could do this?

I had to ask. “Logan, you know I have absolutely no experience doing anything other than waitressing, right?”

Logan shrugged. “I know that, Harper. But I’ve seen you waitress, and you know how to handle stress. You’re great at multitasking. And you clearly already know how to handle an asshole boss.”

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