“You are in NYC and yet you forgot to call me before actually arriving.” Davis didn’t sound too happy. Harper held her phone in her left ear, sitting on the bed adjacent to where her friend, Gwyneth, was currently snoring.
Harper didn’t mind that her friend chose the one closest to the window. She was fine sleeping in either bed as long as the air-conditioning was functioning fine.
Davis, her brother, was in New York a few minutes before Harper landed. She didn’t call him on purpose, knowing he’d try to get her to meet with Elizabeth, their younger sister, who had been an addition because of some controversial issues their family faced in the past.
She was a model and with the fashion week calling to both of them, their paths were bound to cross.
But Harper was in no mood for some drama before the show was actually about to happen. Ever since she married her good-for-nothing ex-husband, she had lost contact with all of them except for Davis.
Davis always had her back. Even when they were young. She could count on him and he even took the fall for her once when she happened to cause a ruckus at their parent’s party but decided to play innocent.
“Dave, I hate to break it to you, but there’s no way Elizabeth would be glad to see me. Sans, I prefer not to call you. I know what you had in mind if I ever did that. So, shush.”
“You broke my heart, Harper.” Harper could imagine the feigned hurt expression on his face as she listened to his sorrowful voice. “You know what I need to cure my broken heart over this betrayal?”
Harper chuckled.
“Don’t worry, wherever you are in the world, I’ll make sure to ship it to you. Hopefully, Gwyn and I will have the chance to have a brief shopping spree before our flight back to Seattle.”
“I pray to all the Gods that you shall.”
A moment of silence passed between the siblings, allowing Harper to imagine hugging Davis right now. She missed him.
“On a more serious note, how are you, sis?”
Harper chewed on the side of her cheek, contemplating how she was really doing now.
She wasted her life for 2 years on a man who ruined her with a flick of a finger. Her world came crashing down that day when she found out her ex-husband had cheated on her with Adeline, a well-known socialite.
Harper gave up on her rising career. She turned her back against her family, who weren’t in favor of the marriage, and became a doting and devoted trophy wife.
But after everything that she forsook to be with him, he cheated on her.
It made her question a lot of things. What did she do wrong to deserve such an outcome? Was she not pretty enough? Sexy enough?
Did she lack in taking care of her ex-husband’s needs?
She had almost lost her sanity trying to find answers to these questions, closely bordering on depression.
Yet, one day, she realized it wasn’t that she was lacking in anything or that she wasn’t enough for her ex-husband. She saw her worth and knew he didn’t deserve her.
Harper came to understand that she deserved better than a good-for-nothing, cheating bastard. Hence, she picked up where she left off with her career.
She slowly picked up the broken pieces to make her whole once again. The only sad part about her quest to start all over again was her family.
“Considering I’m in New York, getting invited to the fashion week, I think I’m doing better.”
“I’m so proud of you, Harper Montgomery. And you know, I think if you’re ready, our family would gladly have you back.”
Harper felt the prick of tears forming in her eyes. It was on the brink of falling down, but she sniffed it back.
“I hate you.” Davis laughed devilishly on the other end of the line.
“You can cry, sis. The door is always open for you to walk in. Just a gentle reminder in case you have forgotten.”
“Thank you, Dave.” Harper took a deep breath. “Although I think you are exaggerating. No one would be happy to see me come home.”
“Please. It’s not like they had been subtle about that either. But you are still the legitimate princess of the family. No one can deny that.”
“Ugh. You make me sound so valuable. Why don’t you hate me too, Davis?”
“Ahem, aside from being very talented, you and I are the only sane ones. So, what’s there for me to hate?”
That sent Harper into a boat of laughter. She had to put a hand over her mouth, briefly glancing at her sleeping friend.
Checking the time, she gasped. They only had a few minutes before the gathering at the local restaurant not far away from their hotel.
“I have to go now, Dave. I hope to see you very soon.”
“You’re just running off, but good luck Harper, my line is always open.”
“Jeez, Dave. Too cheesy.” She listened to her brother chuckling, bringing a small smile to her lips. “Take care out there, you little chick magnet. Make sure the ladies don’t fall head over heels in love with your charm.”
“Pfft, that’s inevitable. We are, after all, a Montgomery.”
***
Sporting on her favorite white dress with a collar and hugging her waist, revealing her curves, Harper had pulled her hair into a ponytail.
The sleeve reached her elbows while the length covered enough of her thighs.
Listening to her two-inch silver closed stiletto, Harper hurried her steps. Gwyneth was not handling the jet lag well and opted to sleep for the night.
Harper promised to bring her dinner, but she only replied with a tender shake of her head, saying she’d be ordering room service.
“Have fun,” Gwyn croaked as she left their room, knowing how much this opportunity mattered to her.
After pulling herself together, this was quite a highlight in her life right now. It promised a bright future ahead of Harper.
She was getting back on her tracks and she knew it was still a long way to go, yet she was determined to make her way to the top.
In her hopes of making it on time for dinner with the other fashion designers, Harper matched the stride of the New Yorkers.
While her mind was preoccupied, she failed to see what was in front of her and collided with something hot that spilled all over her chest.
The heat would have made her scream if she hadn’t been in so much of a hurry.
Briefly exchanging glances with the stranger whose eyes bore into hers, letting her swim in the most bluish irises she’d ever seen, Harper felt her heart skip a beat. The cold but soft colors playing in those eyes of his were pulling her in.
It was those kinds of hues that Harper knew spelled danger. However, she found his charm to be irresistible.
A loud beep from a passing car dragged a reluctant Harper back from swimming in the stranger’s beautiful eyes.
Momentarily forgetting about the scorching coffee that had spilled on her, Harper cleared her throat. She opened her mouth in an awkward gesture to redeem herself from total embarrassment.
“Have a great night,” she managed, walking past him while muttering curses at herself.
Following her with his gaze, the stranger smiled to himself, completely amused.