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      Sebastian was once again struck by the fact that this woman should be able to find a boyfriend easily. He didn’t understand why he was even there pretending to be one. Then again, the same thing could probably be said of him. Life was complicated sometimes.

      “Thanks for coming. And thanks for doing all of this,” she said as she settled into her chair across from him.

      “No problem. Would you like a drink?”

      “Just water for me,” she said with a polite smile. It surprised him. A glass of wine or a martini seemed far more her speed. He didn’t question it, however, and waved down the bartender for her water.

      “Are you packed and ready to go?” she asked.

      “Mostly. What about you?”

      “The same. I feel like I’m not ready, although I can’t imagine what I haven’t packed yet.”

      “Don’t forget the slinky lingerie,” Sebastian said. The sudden image of Harper wearing some kind of silk-and-lace chemise came to his mind and made him immediately regret his words. He didn’t need that vision haunting him over their next week together.

      “What?” Harper’s eyes were suddenly wide with concern.

      “It was a joke,” Sebastian soothed. And that’s what he’d intended it to be, even if a part of him wouldn’t mind if she threw a nice piece or two in there.

      “Oh,” she said, visibly relaxing. Apparently the idea of being his girlfriend for real was not nearly as appealing to her as it was in his own mind. “Yeah, no, I’m packing the ugliest pajamas I’ve got.”

      “Flannel footie pajamas with a zip front?” he asked.

      “Yep. I’ll be dressed as a giant pug dog.”

      Interesting. “Trapdoor for convenience?”

      “No, just a front zipper, but they do have a tail and a hood with puppy ears and a nose I can pull up.”

      “Excellent. Since pugs aren’t my thing, I’m sure the sight of you in that dog outfit will squelch any misplaced attraction that might arise between us.”

      “Perhaps I should buy you one, too. I saw one that was basically a poop emoji costume.”

      “Not Spider-Man or Deadpool? You went straight for the poop emoji?”

      “Yeah, sorry.”

      They both laughed for a few moments and the tension dissipated between them. Sebastian was relieved. He didn’t want either of them to be uncomfortable. It would make the week ten times longer than it would be already.

      “So tell me everything I should know about you,” Harper began. “I’m your girlfriend, after all, so I need to know all the important things.”

      Sebastian tried not to wince at the thought of talking about himself. He hated doing that. He tried to think of what he would share with someone if he were really dating them, but he found he didn’t know the answer to that, either. “I’m from Maine. A small coastal town called Rockport, specifically. I went to MIT. Technically, I’m a mechanical engineer, but I’ve branched out quite a bit after college.”

      “I thought you worked for a medical supply company.”

      Sebastian frowned. That was probably his fault. He liked to keep the details of his work vague. “Not exactly. BioTech is a medical research and development company. My partner Finn and I develop new medical technology.”

      “Your partner? You mean you don’t just work there?”

      “Eh, no. We started the company together out of college. I own it.”

      Harper frowned, wrinkles creasing her forehead. “Are you serious? I offered you every penny I had in savings to go on this trip and you’re the CEO of a company? You probably make more in an afternoon than I do in a paycheck.”

      Sebastian held up his finger in protest. “You offered me the money. I never said I would actually take it. And I’m not going to, of course.”

      “So you’re rich. Why didn’t you say something? Like when Quentin asked about your company?”

      At that, Sebastian shrugged. “I’m not the kind to flaunt it. Finn is the face of the company. I’m the mad scientist behind the scenes. I’m happy with the anonymity. I’ve seen how being well-known and wealthy has complicated his love life and I’m not interested in that.”

      “In a love life?” Harper asked with an arched brow.

      “In a complicated love life. Or, hell, maybe a regular one. I work too much for any type of relationship to succeed.”

      “But you’re going to drop everything and go with me on a trip to Ireland on short notice?”

      Sebastian sat back in his chair and sighed. It would be easy to tell her that he’d had a heart attack and was on mandatory vacation, but he didn’t want to. He didn’t like people knowing his business, especially when it changed how they perceived him. Whether it was knowing he was rich, or sick, or used to be poor...it didn’t matter. He liked private things to stay private. “When you’re the boss, you can do what you want,” he responded instead.

      She shook her head. “I can’t believe you didn’t say anything until just now. What if I hadn’t asked? Would you have waited until someone recognized you on the plane and I looked like a fool for not knowing my boyfriend is a millionaire?”

      “Of course not! I would’ve told you. And you’re one to point fingers, Harper. You’re keeping plenty of secrets yourself.”

      She straightened in her chair and narrowed her gaze at him. “What is that supposed to mean?”

      “I saw you walk out of Neiman Marcus with your friends. Then you ditched them and came back ten minutes later to return everything you’d bought. What is that about? It’s not buyer’s remorse, I’m pretty certain.”

      Harper’s lips twisted in thought as she considered her answer. “I’m trying to save money.”

      Sebastian looked at her with a pointed expression on his face. There was more to it than just frugality, of that he was sure. He’d done his research since they’d met. Her family owned Orion Computers. She lived in a really nice apartment on the Upper East Side. But she only had two grand in her savings account? That didn’t add up in his mind.

      His silence prompted her to keep talking. “I’m having a bit of a cash flow shortage. I’m embarrassed about it, so I haven’t told anyone, even my friends and family. Until I get things straightened out, I’m trying to be smart about my money, but I have to keep up appearances.”

      “Like blowing a fortune on designer clothes and then immediately returning them?”

      “Yes.”

      “Don’t they notice you never wear them after you buy them?”

      She shook her head. “You need a map to get through my closet. СКАЧАТЬ