Page 32 of One Night in Paris

I couldn’t think of anything else, so I prepared to go home. It was a little later than usual, especially for a Friday when I usually tried to leave around six. But this had been an interesting week, with it being Harper’s first week in the office, and I’d been more distracted than usual, so I had a few things distracting me.

Harper. She’d done extremely well this week. Every task I’d given her, she’d surprised me with how well she’d done. Well, not that I didn’t expect her to do well, but it went above and beyond. I’d been right to think she’d be able to catch on and fit right in here.

But then, Trevor had also been right, to a degree. I still had no problem thinking that Harper and I were capable of datingand working together, but she needed to complete her training and become comfortable working here. I’d done my best to keep everything entirely professional, but it hadn’t been easy.

Now, I was wishing I’d at least had the nerve to ask her out before the week had ended. Picking up my phone, I thought about calling her. But if she’d already gone all the way back to her apartment, she probably wouldn’t want to come back this way now.

I could go to her…

Just then, I heard movement outside my office. Gathering my belongs, I peeked out and saw Harper still hard at work at her desk. Chuckling under my breath, I headed over to her, thinking I was one lucky bastard that she hadn’t left yet. She noticed me looking and gave me a small wave and a smile.

“Hey, Logan.” She swiveled in her chair to face me. “Just finishing up a few things. How’s it going on your end?”

“It’s going,” I joked. Stopping in front of her desk, I glanced down to see what she was doing and saw that she was plugging the numbers for the Lawrence project into the shared spreadsheet. This girl was on top of things. “How was your first week?”

Her face lit up, making me instantly delighted. “It was great.” Her voice was chipper, her face glowing. Leaning back in her chair, she said, “I like working for you better than working as a waitress at the diner. I definitely don’t miss that mean old biddy, Dotty.”

Snickering, I nodded along with her. I remembered the woman in question and didn’t think I’d want to work for her either. “Well, I’m glad you like it here. I’m not the best boss in the world, but I try to be fair.”

Raising her eyelids, Harper gave me a surprised look. “You’re a great boss, Logan. I’ve learned so much from you already, and it’s just the first week.” Harper grinned up at me. “I’m really gladI got this job. I’m looking forward to next week and everything else that is to come.”

Finding myself staring into her eyes, I looked away. It wasn’t often that you found someone who was just as dedicated to their work as you were. The fact that this person happened to look like Harper didn’t hurt either.

“I just hope I’m able to keep up.” Her tone sounded slightly doubtful.

I needed to quash that idea immediately. “Harper, you’ve done exceptional. I’ve been so impressed with everything that you’ve done for us so far.”

Her cheeks turned a bit pink. “Thank you so much, Logan. I appreciate that.”

“But it’s late. I think this stuff can wait until Monday.” Knowing our system automatically backed up everything, I pushed her laptop closed. “Harper, I was wondering if you’d like to grab dinner with me tonight, to celebrate the end of the week?” Doing my best to sound casual, I held my breath, waiting for her answer.

A few moments passed before she said, “I’d love to.”

“Great.” A wave of relief mixed with excitement washed over me. “Then let’s go.”

About twenty minutes later, after another exhilarating ride with Harper in one of my sports cars, a different one this time, I found myself walking into an upscale Thai restaurant, Harper next to me. The urge to grab her hand was overwhelming, but I wasn’t sure how she felt about that right now. This was the first time we’d gone out since I’d become her boss. Making her uncomfortable was not on the menu.

The waitress showed us to a table near a window that looked out onto the busy sidewalk. People bustled by, mostly on their way home from work, I gathered, based on their clothing. Harper smiled at me from across the table, the dim lightingcasting a warm glow on her face. I could get used to sitting across from a woman so beautiful.

The restaurant was elegantly decorated with sleek black and white furnishings, stylish pendant lights, and fresh orchids on every table. The sound of soft music and the clicking of chopsticks filled the air.

Looking at the menus, we continued our conversation from the office. “So what do you think about working at an architectural firm?” My eyes wandered over the choices as she answered. My growling stomach demanded I choose an entrée, but I was definitely tuned in to what Harper had to say.

“I really like working for you.”

The waitress came back with cups of sake, giving us a few more minutes to look at the menu.

Harper continued. “It’s so different from being a waitress. All I ever did at the diner was bring people food, which was easy, and people do have to eat, I guess. But now, I feel like I’m actually doing something important, something meaningful.”

Understanding exactly what she meant, I nodded. No, we weren’t brain surgeons or rocket scientists, but architects did do important work. Especially on the projects we worked on to help low-income communities. Harper had gotten to work on a few of those earlier in the week.

“What’s been the highlight of your week?” Settling on the ginger soy glazed salmon, I set my menu aside.

Tapping her chin, deep in thought, Harper finally said, “My favorite was when you let me sit in on a meeting with those clients for the new university building, and I got to see the design development for the project we’re working on.” Harper’s eyes began to shine. “I never thought I’d get that opportunity so soon. And I’ve been learning so much about the different projects we have going on.”

Feeling proud of her, I said, “That’s great, Harper. I knew you’d do well. Your keen eye for design elements and attention to detail is impressive.”

Smiling, her cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “Thanks, Logan. I couldn’t have done it without your mentorship and encouragement. You’ve been great in helping me understand the technical aspects of building design, like Building Information Modeling and how to understand the different building codes.”

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