Page 75 of He Has Charm

We sit at the kitchen island and I look around, already wistful and missing the bright space. My eyes wander around until they reach hers and we stare. For a tense moment, we communicate in silence all the mutual disappointments, the longing, the need and the uncertainty.

“Where will you go?” she says.

“I’d move in with my mom, but she has her own life with all the retirees in Carolina and I wouldn’t fit in there, would have nothing to do there and no friends there. I could go back to the old neighborhood where I grew up on the Hudson in New York and stay with my sister Laurel til I find a place.”

“That sounds good,” she says, sounding like she means the opposite. I shrug.

“No pro hockey team. I’m not sure what the hell I’d do there. Same for staying with Katy or getting a place in Connecticut near her.”

The truth smacks me like a bullet-train. The place that feels like home is here, the townhouse in Boston with Harper. Because it’s where Harper is, where we’ve made a partnership, a life of sorts and my gut clenches until I want to hurl at the idea of leaving. Leaving Harper, not the townhouse or Boston, although I’ve acquired a soft spot for all of it while I wasn’t paying attention.

“Maybe I’ll stay in Boston,” I say, testing the possibility out loud.

“I’m flying back to New York tomorrow,” Harper blurts and I frown.

“Oookay. I thought you had two weeks—”

“I have some business to take care of.” I wait a few beats for her to share.

“Secret business?” To my surprise, she nods. I think about it as I watch the firm line of her mouth shut tight. Not sure of what to expect except that if she thinks she can ditch me by going to New York, she’s wrong, I revert to my stand-by response. I laugh.

“You’re turning into a real ball-buster, aren’t you? Hanging around with Delaney so much she’s rubbing off on you.”

“I hope so,” she says and smiles.

Twenty-Five

Harper

“I quit.” Ham nods. I knew he’d appreciate me getting to the point. I look around his corner office overlooking other tall buildings in downtown Manhattan and realize that I won’t miss it. I’ll miss him, but not the city. And I certainly won’t miss Godfrey Collins.

“Your resignation is not accepted,” he says. My eyebrows fly up and my muscles tense like he’s thrown a bucket of water on me, surprising my senses.

“The Jett Agency is opening a Boston office and I’d like you to run it. I just signed a contract for the office space which is a block from the Garden over an Italian restaurant on Canal Street.” I know it. It’s the restaurant Maddox and I stopped at on our first day in Boston to pick up food.

“Of course it won’t be ready for a few weeks so you’ll have to work from home for a bit, but I figure you can handle that.” He winks. I let the wink settle in, take effect and I heave a breath, feeling light and then a grin splits my face all on its own.

“What about the new sign on my office door here?” I ask, unable to resist the need for negotiation. He laughs.

“You can take it with you.”

“If you weren’t on the other side of this desk, I’d throw myself at you and give you a giant hug,” I say, standing, my voice shaky. He laughs, rising, and steps around the desk with his arms open.

So I throw myself into them and admit that I didn’t really want to leave anyway. I let go of him and we step back.

“Then why were you quitting? Ready to fess up?” I laugh because he knows. He’ wise like that. Like my dad used to be, a long time ago.

“You jerk,” I say, smiling. “I want to stay in Boston. Or wherever Maddox lands, but I have a feeling he’ll stay in Boston.”

“You have the NHL meets celebrity chefs cooking show deal sealed?” I nod.

“All tied up in a big bow. All it needs is his signature.”

“Shit, that’s impressive. I’m glad I didn’t accept that resignation. I’m assuming you’re still on the clock and this is an agency deal?”

“Of course. He’s still our client. Not exactly an NHL player contract, but we’ve done promotional deals for retired pros before.”

“Yes, we have. I have no problem with expanding in that direction. You know I have a soft spot for ex pros.” He grins. He’s not only an ex pro, but he’d been ripped off by is former agent and was left with next to nothing at the end of his super star career, so Jett had to start from scratch and create a new career for himself to keep food on the table for his family. He did it and he’s dedicated himself to making sure other players don’t suffer the same fate as he did.