Page 53 of He Has Charm

After my long-ass shower, I’m clean and refreshed and ready to be myself again, the guy I know. After sitting at the end of my bed scrolling through texts, I realize I have a free Sunday afternoon. Instead of accepting any of the half dozen invitations to do various activities with assorted teammates, I want to do something better.

I return to the kitchen. My heart beats a little faster when I see her, her hair curtaining her face as she leans over her computer screen, which is on the kitchen island.

“Hey there, Harper, what are you doing?” I take a seat on the rocker set in a corner of the kitchen. I think of it as the old-fashioned corner, with a fireplace and hearth rug, while the rest of the kitchen is sleek and modern.

She looks up, her green eyes slamming into my heart and her long auburn hair shining in the morning sunlight. My chest tightens. It’s both uncomfortable and satisfying at the same time. And very confusing. Still. Shit. But I keep moving, staying in the moment.

“You’re not working, are you?” She blinks, then smiles and shuts her laptop with a snap.

“I’m always working, Knight. You’re the project, remember?” Her tone is teasing and I love when she gives me sass. Almost as much as I love when I give her sass and she rambles on and on.

“How about an excursion?”

“What did you have in mind?” She’s wary and I grin.

“Children’s Hospital. A spontaneous visit.” Her face lights up like Christmas, the glow almost as bright as when she opened that box of foolish shoes. What a puzzle she is, all practical and hardworking on one hand, but hiding so many surprises of fiery passion and impulsiveness.

“Let’s do it,” she says, “but on one condition.”

“What’s that?” Anticipation ratchets up my excitement and I know my mind is going places she’ll never go, but that’s the plight of a filthy-minded guy—most guys.

“We have to go to a store first and buy toys. No way can we show up empty handed.”

“Deal.” It’s not the same as stopping at a sex toy store to buy something for later, but it’s a beautiful and kind idea, causing heat to spread through me.

Either I’m an incorrigible pervert or she’s getting to me, and I’m not sure which it is anymore.

* * *

After picking up two bags of gifts because it’s all we’d be able to fit in my car, we drive my Porsche through the relatively quiet streets of Boston to the children’s hospital in the medical district out past Fenway Park. Harper navigates with her usual efficiency, but there’s a lightness to her and I like to think I’m responsible, that my gift touched her. She’s wearing her shoes now with black dress pants and a jade-green sweater that sets off her hair and eyes, making them so vivid I want to kiss them.

It was almost a shame she had to put a coat on, a long black wool coat more practical than anything, but it’s cold today.

“Today’s a good test of the heater in this fucking car.”

“I don’t know why I let you take this car.” She laughs and shakes her head. “You’re just lucky there’s no snow.”

I give her a mock horrified look. “Okay you talked me into it.”

“Into what?”

“I need to trade in the sports car and drive an SUV like everyone else around here.”

“Hold on until the end of the season, Maddox. The way you’re going you’ll be able to afford both cars and a big place with a multicar garage to keep them.” She treats me to a brilliant grin.

My chest tightens. After a beat of concern over my heart, I internally scoff because it’s an emotional clenching of muscles, something I’m not used to, but I’ve experienced this before. A long time ago in high school when I was too young to defend myself.

Though I wasn’t too young to be committed to staying single. I’ll never forget breaking that girl’s heart, along with a little piece of my own. Mom helped me chalk it up to learning and I know all teens go through it somehow or another. But I’m an adult now and I have no business even thinking of dragging Harper through something like that. I know better. I need to shore up my defenses.

“There’s the garage on the left.” She points and I swerve the car and downshift to slow as we enter the driveway with the kind of smooth motion that the low-slung car was made to execute. I hope she’s right about my outlook because I would miss this car.

Inside, we approach the reception desk and Harper asks for visitors’ passes to the children’s ward.

“Who will you be visiting?” The friendly older woman asks. I step up.

“This is a surprise visit,” I say. “I’m with the local hockey team—” The woman’s eyes pop wide and she shoots to her feet, nearly knocking the glasses off her nose.

“You don’t have to tell me who you are, Mr. Knight. What a wonderful surprise.” Harper nods at me in approval as the woman fusses and makes arrangements for someone to meet us in the general common area where the kids who are able to can play and take breaks and socialize. She says they’ll gather as many children as possible to meet us there.