Chapter Seven

“I’m fine, Mom.” I leaned my body up against the wooden beam in the entry of our hotel lobby. It stopped snowing overnight and the city was finally able to sand their roads. The minute we heard the news Nolan changed into his business suit and packed his bags. His meeting was about a half an hour away and he still had an hour to make it in time. 

I looked like the Vivian Ward to Nolan’s Edward Lewis. Okay, maybe I didn’t look like a prostitute, but I definitely looked like a slob with my layers of over-sized jackets, gloves, and beanies next to Nolan’s suit and tie. 

My mom called just when we made our way down to the lobby to check out. I hadn’t updated her on my trip since leaving California and she was growing concerned for my well being.

“Harper, your father is saying to stay where you are. He’ll fly out there to get you.” 

“Mom, it’s okay.” Nolan nudged my shoulder to get my attention as he walked towards the car. I picked up my bag and trailed after him. “I’m on my way to a car shop now. They’ll have it fixed in no time and I’ll be home in a couple of days. No worries.” I breathed heavily between each sentence. Running in the cold wasn’t something I was accustomed to.

“Are you sure, dear?” I could clearly hear my dad in the background talking about how horrible my car was and my mom repeated it as if it were her own words. “How many times have I told you to get rid of that piece of junk? It’s not fit for a single female living across the country.”

I closed my eyes and shook my head. “Mom, I gotta go. The tow truck is here.” She hesitated at first and then finally said goodbye. I exhaled a long and irritated breath when I jumped into Nolan’s truck. 

“So, is that all you see me as? A tow truck?” He laughed. 

“Sorry.” I tossed my phone into my bag and buckled myself in. “If I told them I was riding along with a stranger who picked me up off the side of the road…” I looked at him with wide eyes. “I should have never told my parents my car broke down in the first place.”

Things between Nolan and I were still a little weird. After our late night conversation at the hotel bar we went back to the room to sleep and that was the end of that. Nolan had a moment of vulnerability and I chose not to open up quiet as much as he did. I knew he was thinking about it just as much as I was. 

I’d never spent the night alone in a hotel room with a stranger, so I was awake most of the night skimming through chapters. I memorized a few of the questions hoping I had enough time to seamlessly incorporate them into our conversations. I didn’t even know if I’d get through all twenty one questions. We were on our way to the next city where we were planning on splitting ways. That would be the end of that.

I leaned my elbow on the arm rest as I stared out at the soft white snow on the sides of the road. There had to be someway I could extend our time together. 

“Do you mind coming to my meeting?” Nolan asked. His concentration was on the slippery road ahead of him. He only glanced over when I hadn’t responded. “I was going to drop you off at a car shop before my meeting, but that was before this whole thing,” he waved his hand around referring to the snow storm. “…happened.”

This. Was. Perfect. I could go with Nolan and it would give me more time. Maybe not enough time, but I could figure that part out later.

“I’m not sure,” I pretended to be uneasy about it. “I’m not exactly dressed for the part.” 

“It’s fine, don’t worry. It’s not like a corporate thing or anything.” 

“Oh.” I sat back relieved. 

“If you don’t mind I’ll just go into the meeting and you can wait…around…maybe do some shopping in the area.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “Sounds good to me.”

“Hey, so, I’ve been meaning to ask you something.” My lips tensed as I turned from the window to face Nolan. He looked over at me again, briefly. “I just thought I’d ask since we’ve, you know, gotten to know each other a bit. Why are you moving back to the East Coast?”

I waited a few seconds to answer. I still hadn’t figured out the proper way to say it without sounding bitter.

“I moved to L.A after college hoping to land a job, but the market was a little more shallow than I was hoping it would be. Unfortunately, no job equals no money.” It was the first time I talked about my struggle and didn’t completely break down in tears or have an urge to rip something off the wall. “I guess going back home is the safest bet right now.”

“Sometimes the safest bet is the best bet.” Nolan smiled reassuringly. 

A spark went off in my brain as I remembered one of Alexander Nottingham’s questions. 

“Yeah, yeah…” I muttered and proceeded to clear my throat. “I guess I’m grateful for my family…I’m sure you’re just as grateful for something too, right?” I was smiling on the inside. Practicing the questions a night before really helped.

“Of course, family.” Nolan looked at me like he had no doubt about his answer. “I guess my mom skipping town was a good thing in a weird and twisted way. It knit us a little bit tighter.”

“Knit us a little bit tighter.” I laughed as I mocked his drawl. “You sure are from South Carolina.”

“Mhmm,” Nolan shook his head. “If you weren’t going home to the East Coast I’d think you were from the Valley.”

My jaw dropped just before we both laughed and I playfully smacked his arm. “Oh come on!” 

The funny thing about Nolan was that I thought I had him figured out, but his colors ran deeper than the surface. With each new shade I was discovering I noticed something different about his physical features.

When he talked about his nieces and nephews I couldn’t help but envy how light and soft his hands appeared. They were large with long fingers, just like any man’s, but something about them told a story of how gentle they touched. It was only after he mentioned his mother that I noticed how deep his blue eyes really were. Almost hypnotizing. 

And now, knowing that he was a family man I realized how his face sat on a perfect structure. A clean cut jawline speckled with stubble.

“What’s wrong?” He looked back and forth between the road and me. His brows were furrowed and his smiled crooked. He’d caught me staring at him.

“Nothing.” I shook my head. My cheeks flushed with a burning sensation as I turned back towards the window.

It almost took us the full hour, but we made it to Nolan’s meeting just in time. The city we drove into was lively despite the weather. Crowds of people walked around in winter coats completely unbothered.  

I was a little confused when Nolan pulled into a shopping area. It seemed like a strange location to have a business meeting. 

“Fletcher’s?” I stared up at a large sign above the neighborhood market place. “Wait.” I gripped his arm as he shifted the gear to park the car. A smaller sign in front of the parking spot read:

 Reserved for Nolan Fletcher.

“Hold on one fucking second.” I stared ahead at the store and then back at him. “You’re Nolan Fletcher? As in Fletcher’s?”

Nolan laughed. “No I’m Nolan Fletcher the third, grandson of Nolan Fletcher…as in Fletcher’s.”

“You have to be kidding me.” I let go of Nolan’s arm and sat back in my seat. “I use to shop at Fletcher’s in L.A. I was genuinely devastated when I realized I won’t be able to shop there anymore. Wow, Nolan Fletcher picked up a woman off the side of the road.”

“No, no, no.” He shook his head. “Don’t you go and think you can just write an article about me.” 

If only he knew.

“Oh,” I tried to look appalled. “You’re not anyone famous. You just happen to be related to an American tycoon.”

Nolan narrowed his eyes at me. “He’s hardly a tycoon. Who uses that word any way?” He rolled his eyes as he pulled the keys out of the ignition. “Tycoon.” He laughed. “Gramps would love that.”

Nolan stepped out of the truck and slipped on his sports coat. 

“So, is this what you meant by management?” I asked as I jumped out of the truck and followed him inside. “You manage a chain of neighborhood marketplaces that just happen to be owned by your family.”

We were interrupted by a group of people saying hello as he entered the store. He waved, smiled, and nodded to each one. “Since I’m the only one in the family without anything tying me down,” he spoke through the side of his mouth. “I’m responsible for traveling to each of our stores to get updates and make sure everything is running smoothly.”

“So pretty much you’re the Prince Harry of the family.”

“I guess you could say that.” 

“Mr.Fletcher!” A broad shouldered man walked out in front of us. “So good to see you. How was the drive?” 

Nolan shook his hand. “Great!” He turned to the woman next to him. “Do you mind showing my friend around while I’m in the meeting?”

She nodded and pulled me away to the main store area while Nolan and the man went into a back meeting room. 

“I’m Jenny.” She stuck out her hand to shake. “You must not be from around here.” She giggled as she looked at my attire. 

“No,” I smiled. “Just passing through.”

Nolan’s meeting lasted a little over two hours. I knew this because I stared down at my phone every ten minutes until he walked out. Jenny made sure to tell me every last detail imaginable about every section of the store. That wasn’t it. She went on to tell me how she landed the job and how it’s changed her life in the last three years. 

“Oh God, Nolan.” I practically yelped when I saw him. “I never thought I’d be so happy to see you.”

Nolan looked at me then Jenny and then back to me. “Isn’t Jenny such a doll?” He smiled knowing full well she’d talked my ears off. 

“Mr. Fletcher, you’re so kind.” 

Nolan and I headed back to the car. 

“Well, that was something, huh?” I gave him a look.

He shook his head. “I didn’t exactly tell you because I didn’t want this to happen.”

“Okay, okay, that was the last time. I’m sorry.” I held up my hands in defeat. 

“Let’s try to find an auto shop.” He tapped at his GPS screen. I felt my heart beat stop for a brief second. I was hoping by now I would have found a way to extend my trip with Nolan. I was finally getting a vibe that this whole twenty one question thing might actually work.  “Perfect! There’s one down the street.”

He switched the gears on his truck and drove over. 

We pulled into the auto shop lot where a mechanic came and unhooked my car. He was an older African-American man that couldn’t possibly be taller than five foot seven. He introduced himself as Al and took my car back into the garage. Nolan and I waited for the diagnosis in a tiny little room attached to the shop. 

It had been about half an hour when Al finally came into the waiting room. Nolan had stepped away to take another business call, so I was by myself. 

“Ma’am it looks like there’s a few loose parts. A couple of wires came undone, but we’ll have it fixed and oiled up in no time.”

My eyes widened. This couldn’t be the end of my trip with Nolan. I looked over Al’s shoulder to see him hanging up his call and walking back towards us. In a panic I reached into my purse and pulled out any loose dollar bills I had and handed it to Al.

“Please Al, please tell that man that my car can’t be fixed.”

“What?” He looked confused by the cash pressed up against his chest. “I’m sorry, you don’t want me to fix your car? Why bring it in?”

“I don’t have time for questions Al! Just take the money for your time and tell the man my car can't be fixed!”

Al mumbled under his breath as he collected the money and shoved it into his overall pockets. “Well, okay then…” 

Nolan walked in and noticed the devastated look on my face. “What’s wrong? How long will it take?”

“I’m sorry sir, but it looks like the car can’t be fixed.” Al did a horrible job at sounding convincing if you ask me, but Nolan seemed to buy it.

“What?” He looked at me confused and then back at Al. “There has to be something you can do?”

“I don’t know what you want me to say.” Al looked at me and shook his head before he walked away.

“That was weird.” Nolan stood motionless. 

“What am I going to do?” I sat back down and held my head in my hands. “How am I suppose to get home now? My parents were so right.”

Nolan walked back and forth until he came up with an idea. “Hey, you said your dad would be able to fly here right? Maybe he can come and you could box up your stuff to ship there?”

Thankfully my hands were covering my eyes as I rolled them. Nolan wasn’t as stupid as most guys I knew. Damn him for being logical.

“Wait, you said you have a stop in New Hampshire right?” 

Nolan nodded. 

“You think you could swing a state over to drop me off?”

He laughed uneasily. “I have quiet a few stops to go before I get there. I’m sure you wouldn’t want to wait that long. Your family will be worried.”

“It’s no big deal.” I brushed off his comment. “Besides having my dad come out here would be a waste. Not to mention how expensive shipping these boxes would be.”

“Yeah, you’re right.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I guess if you don’t mind the long trip than I don’t mind the company.”

“Deal.”