Chapter 6
Learn the Lesson: Take the High Road
With a screaming headache, I rolled into work thirty minutes late.
“Morning,” I grumbled to Susie, holding my giant coffee thermos in the air.
“Good morning, Miss Collins. Don’t forget the board meeting in an hour.” Susie’s chipper demeanor made me want to hurl.
“Thanks,” I remarked, rushing into my office to tackle the pile of work I needed to get through before the meeting.
When I opened my laptop, my heart sank. I was greeted with a new email that had just come through titled:Urgent – I need HELP. It was from Dahlia. I took a long breath in and stared at my computer screen for a few seconds.
Here goes nothing.
Harper,
I think I might have fucked up yet again. I don’t know if I should be writing this in an email but saying it out loud seems so much harder. I think I might have messed up even more. I was driving by The Bohemian Hotel on the riverfront on my way home from dropping Noah off at school and I saw Harry’s Camaro pulling up to the valet. I pulled over and watched him get out before helping one of his whores out of the passenger’s side. I waited until he was inside and checking in at the front desk. I felt like I was going to puke. I completely snapped. Once the valet took the car to the garage, I went in and slashed his tires and keyed the ever-loving piss out of his shiny red paint job. I felt like I was on autopilot. It was a total out-of-body experience. What should I do? Should I turn myself in? Do I confess? Are there cameras in parking garages? Am I going to be arrested? Please call me.
-Dahlia
Holy fuck!What a way to kick off the morning.
She was turning into more of a project than I had ever thought possible. How could one client cause so much trouble in only a few days?
Picking up my phone, I dialed her right away.
She picked up in a huff on the first ring. “Harper, thank God!”
“Where are you?” I barked into the phone.
“The Forsyth House,” she answered right away.
“I’m coming to you.”
I threw my laptop into my bag and grabbed my keys.
“Susie, I have an emergency. Please let the guys know I will fill them in later.”
I didn’t wait for my assistant’s reply and rushed for my car. I needed a game plan for this client but I was at a loss. The right thing to do was to just admit she was the vandal, but I hated to think what her douchebag of an ex would try to pull. What if there weren’t cameras? What if the woman he was with had a scorned husband who could have done it?
It only took me about ten minutes to get to the bed and breakfast.
Rushing through the front door, I ran up to the main desk. Lo and behold, who was manning the station but the one and only Rhett Davis.
“Harper? Are you stalking me?” he murmured with a sleepy smile.
“What room is Dahlia in?” I asked in a pant.
He pointed down the hall to his left. “Number three. Is everything all right?”
“I don’t know,” I responded before heading straight to her room.
“Dahlia, it’s Harper,” I yelled through the door while knocking.
“Harper, thank you for coming here.” She opened the door quickly.
I descended onto the foot of the first full-sized bed in the room. “What were you thinking?”