Chapter Twenty-Two
JULES
I sat at my desk,surrounded by stacks of paperwork and a lingering headache. The clock on the wall read 5:00 p.m., and I was more than ready to pack up and call it a day. The cactus on my desk was looking a little droopy and thirsty. Not dissimilar to me. I rubbed my eyes, which were tired after a day spent trying to figure out how we might fund Chase’s renovations. My earlier guess had proved correct—we couldn’t do it on our own. We needed outside financing, and I was trying to determine how much. But I thought I’d pondered the problem enough for one day.
Before I could gather my things and head home, a soft knock on the door startled me. I straightened in my chair as Harper peered into my office, a curiously hesitant smile on her face.
“Hey, got a minute?” she asked.
My stomach fluttered. I had a feeling I already knew what this was about. A few days ago, Eli confessed that he’d told her about us, and that he wanted to tell his othersiblings about us too. He made a suggestion I thought was perfect.
Ever since, I’d been wondering how to handle it from my end. The no-romance rule might have been Helen’s, but I suspected Harper would back her mother on this. And Harper was my boss, which didn’t fill me with confidence about the situation. I’d been trying to deny that this dithering was absolutely not my style. Was it because I knew that Eli and I hiding our relationship was wrong?
Of course it is, you idiot. And now it’s time to own up to it.
I smiled as warmly as I could. “Of course. Everything okay?”
“Hopefully.” She slipped inside, closing the door behind her, and sat on the chair in front of my desk. “I’m terrible at small talk, so let me get to the point. Eli told me. About you two.”
“Oh.” Even though it was what I’d expected, I stumbled for words. “I… we were going to tell you. I just?—”
“It’s okay,” Harper interrupted, holding up a hand. “Eli beat you to it and swore me to secrecy. Figures he couldn’t keep his mouth shut.”
“I’m sorry,” I said, straightening in my chair. “I know this puts you in a difficult position. I want you to know it won’t affect my work or our professional relationship in any way.”
Harper’s lips quirked in a half-smile. “Relax, Julianne. I’m not here to discipline or fire you.”
I sent her a smile that was only a little shaky. “I’m very glad to hear that.”
She shrugged, her gaze drifting to the financial reports spread across my desk. “I’m still processing, I guess. But no, I don’t mind you seeing each other.”
“You don’t?”
“Not as long as it doesn’t affect your job performance,which you just assured me about. Though I’m not thrilled about keeping secrets from Mom.”
I winced. “Yeah, that’s not ideal.”
Harper’s eyes met mine, a mix of amusement and exasperation in her expression. “You two picked a hell of a time to complicate things around here.”
A laugh burst from me, though I didn’t disagree with her. “Trust me, it wasn’t exactly planned.”
“With Eli? I’m shocked,” she said dryly.
We shared a knowing look, and for a moment, I felt a connection with Harper that went beyond boss and employee.
“So,” I ventured, “what happens now?”
Harper stood, smoothing her dress. “Now? We figure it out as we go. Just… be careful, okay? Both of you. You’re going to have to come clean to Mom sooner or later.”
I nodded, understanding the layers of meaning in her words. “I know. Eli and I are both uncomfortable with keeping this relationship on the down-low. I think neither of us really expected it to work out.” I laughed, and it came out slightly dazed. “But it has. We’ll figure out the best way to talk to Helen about it.”
She opened her mouth, then hesitated as if she didn’t know quite what to say. “Julianne, this place has a long history, and Mom had a bad experience with another couple who worked here and got involved with each other. I know you and Eli aren’t them, and times have changed, but you two need to approach Mom carefully about this.”
Guilt twisted within me, but we were on the road to full disclosure at last. “We will. Eli told me he’s working on a plan.”
“Oh joy. Make sure he shares it with you first, okay?”
Both of us burst out laughing.
