More of You

Chapter 2

Harper's day had gone from bad to worse, she leaned back in her chair spinning as she tried to think of a way to overcome the hurdle that was Mr. Pacer. She was convinced that he was determined to make her life as miserable as possible because she was a woman. He was one of those old school men that believed that there was no place in construction for a woman. It was like she had fallen back in time by fifty years when she dealt with him.

She perked up when she heard the bell that meant that the office door had opened, maybe it was someone who would be able to take her mind off of her current problem. She gave a weary sigh when she heard Luke's voice as he greeted Trudy who was preparing to leave.

Harper turned her chair around and slumped into it in an attempt to hide, hoping he would cruise right by her office and go straight to his, then she could sneak out when he wasn't looking. Normally she didn't go to such lengths to avoid him, but she was still embarrassed by what had happened that morning. She knew she owed him an apology, but he was so utterly frustrating as a human being, and he knew what to say to rattle her. He knew all of her pet peeves, and he loved to use them against her.

Harper sensed him standing in the doorway to her office but she remained silent, waiting for him to move on, only he didn't. He stood there silently waiting, so with a dramatic sigh she turned her chair and looked up at him.

"You're like a bad penny," she said as she threw her pen on her desk.

He grinned, not the least bit put out by her less than welcoming greeting. "You were trying to hide again, weren't you?"

He walked into the office and sat a warm cup of her favorite hot white chocolate down in front of her. He was the only one who ever bought it for her, everyone else bought her coffee. She picked it up and cradled it in her hands, savoring the smell of it before she took her first sip, closing her eyes at the richness. He knew how to rattle her, yes, but he also knew some of her favorite things, and he always knew when to use them to get himself out of trouble or make her feel guilty.

"Next time you need to park your car around back, it gave you away." He sat in her guest chair, throwing his dirty boots up on her desk as he settled in for a little chat. He knew it drove her nuts, and he watched her as she ground her teeth in an attempt not to say anything at the mud that crumbled onto the corner of her desk.

She sipped her chocolate and took a deep soothing breath, remembering that he had bought it for her, but when he leaned forward and knocked a chunk off mud off of his boot she almost screamed. "How on earth do you find women to date, you're a Neanderthal."

"They generally don't know that on the first date, it takes them a few to work it out and by then..." He shrugged, sipping his coffee.

"They need a few of those shots I mentioned earlier?" she finished for him.

They sat there sipping their drinks, silently watching each other. With anyone else it would have been uncomfortable or awkward, but not with her and Luke, they had known each other too long to worry about manners.

"Why are you working so late?" he changed the subject.

"I might ask you the same thing," she countered.

"I have a problem with a client." He frowned as he thought about it.

"So do I," she admitted. "What's your problem?" She sat her hot chocolate down on the desk and absentmindedly reached up and unwound her braid from her neck, releasing the band that held it and easing her fingers through the thick ebony mass, massaging her scalp as she thought about Mr. Pacer and the trouble he was giving her.

His attention was captured by the lights in the parking lot turning on as dusk turned to darkness.

"Well, she's a woman-"