** Harper **
How could a mere workday lunch feel like a perfect date, so sweet and romantic and make you not want to ever leave?
Harper loved the way Eli always made her laugh. Loved the surprise ice cream. Loved how he looked at her when she hand-fed him those rolls to him … The short break that was intended to be just a diversion turned out to be such an amazing retreat, and by the time she got back to the office, all the slight unpleasantness over the week felt so trivial that none of them bothered her anymore. In an utterly happy mood, she even accepted the afternoon tea that Wallace brought for both her and Lindsey — why waste time thinking about those awkward consequences when there was so much to enjoy in the precious moment?
She couldn't wait for the business vacation trip to start, when she'd be able to see Eli like this every day and enjoy so many more precious moments to her heart's content.
