I haven’t seen anyone this excited since the Prince’s dad when I successfully found his notoriously obnoxious son a match.
“Sure, sounds great.”
“Great,” she calls out before she spins, taking her box with her to the elevator bank.
“Here you are.” Harry returns, passing a small brown parcel to me. “Bike courier came all the way from Soho with this. Good exercise if you’re young enough.”
“Thank you, Harry.”
I already have these things at home, but I’ve learned after a memorable talk with airport customs that it’s best to source them locally now, unless I like having my bags searched.
Harry waves me off as I head to the elevators, pulling out my phone and bringing up Sterling’s number.
“Halliday?” His warm, slightly husky tone sends tingles up my spine as he answers on the first ring.
“Sterling,” I return, his name rolling off my tongue with familiarity despite this being the first time we’ve spoken since meeting yesterday. “Is now a good time for me to come and spend some time with you?”
I’ve collated a couple of potential matches for him, and I want to get a read on his reaction when I broach the topic of his first date with one. He was guarded when we met, despite Sinclair’s insistence that he’s not as closed off to love as he’d like to have me believe.
“Now?” I can hear the frown in his voice. He’s likely searching for a polite way to deter me.
I’ll need a special approach if I want him to open up. His energy yesterday was confusing. Open and inquisitive at times, hopeful even. A contradiction to the answers he gave to my questions. The ones he did answer, that is. Most he avoided, albeit with charm.
“I won’t take much of your time. In fact, just being with you while you work will be immensely helpful for me at this stage. You won’t even know I’m there apart from one or two things I’d like us to discuss.”
“Well—”
“Sinclair told me how busy you are. You’ll barely notice me, I promise,” I add.
Guilt I could feel at using his daughter’s name to sway him never comes. He’s a loving father who will do anything to make his children happy. I didn’t need to read any auras to see that when we met.
And I agree with Sinclair. He seems lonely. I want to help him. Icanhelp him.
If he’ll let me.
“I doubt you’d ever go unnoticed, Miss Burton. I’ll send a car for you.”
I smile as he submits.
“No need. I’ll enjoy the walk.”
“I’ve booked a restaurant for you tomorrow night. She likes seafood but is gluten intolerant. I know it’s a Sunday. Not the ideal night for a first date. Thursdays are my preference.”
“Thursdays?” Sterling arches a brow at me as he places the profile photograph of his first date on his desk and runs a hand over the silver-flecked stubble dusting his jaw.
“Uh-huh,” I confirm.
I’m glad I’ve managed to talk him into a date at all. He’s shot down every potential match I’ve shown him since I arrived at his office. It’s only when his defiance waved a little on one client’s photograph before he excused himself to use the restroom that I made the call to secure the table for tomorrow evening.
I walk around his office, deciding where to place the crystals I’ve bought to maximize their effect.
“Thursdays are the perfect out. You can say you have work the next day if you don’t feel a connection. But if you do, then you only have one more day until the weekend to get through on little to no sleep if you decide to make a whole night of it.”
I spot the perfect place for the small heart-shaped rose quartz next to his desk phone and place it there.
“Although, you’re here, working on a Saturday. So maybe that theory doesn’t count.” I offer him a friendly smile.
“As are you,” he muses, watching me with interest as I rummage inside the brown parcel on his desk and take out what I’m looking for.
