Page 58 of Nothing to Tell

The ring came again.

Filtering the sound through the fog of increased blood pressure was a challenge.

As though he sensed her mental disarray, Bastian kissed the top of her head, reminding her he was right there with her.

“It’s the phone,” he murmured, leaving her with nothing to lean on.

Bastian walked out of a sliding door into a room she hadn’t seen.She couldn’t follow, he needed to take that call, and she needed to get her senses back.

She finished cleaning up and opened the drawer Bastian had been aiming for before… anyway.Among other things, she found a small notepad and a pen.She wrote down her number, then went upstairs to text for a cab.

Didn’t take long to jump back into last night’s dress.Clutch in hand, she ran back downstairs to the kitchen just in time to see Bastian closing the sliding door behind him.

“Sneaking out on me again, Sweet?”

Smiling, she shook her head, wishing for a hair tie.“I’m not sneaking out,” she said.“I have to get home and ready for the day.There’s a few things I want to get done at the office.”

“We could take the day off,” he said, crossing to the island.

“There’s no need for that,” she said.“Our families think we spent the night together.We’ve done our duty and given ourselves cover for the week.”

“I was thinking about that,” he said, picking up the notepaper.“What’s this?”

“My phone number,” she said.“Just in case.”

“Of what?”

Huh, rejection.Ouch.

It wasn’t like she was asking for a dinner invitation.A way to communicate should be the minimum required for their fake relationship.That way if his mom did any more scheming, he could warn her in advance.It was too much to hope that he’d pick up the phone just to confide in her.What about practicalities?The reality of both families believing there was something between them?

“We have to coordinate our breakup.My sister and her fiancé know where you work and how to get in touch with you.”To her horror.“Your mother showed up at my work, and she’s met Damon.We’ll have to coordinate in case any of them come across each other.Our stories have to match.”

“My mother’s having a dinner party on Tuesday,” he said.“Would you consider joining me?Save me from being fixed up by her cronies.”

Harper nodded.This was mature and sensible.Knowing what was coming up, and what was expected of them, reduced the chances they’d be caught unawares.

“Yes, I’ll be there.”

“You have a launch next weekend, don’t you?”

Impressed that he remembered, there’d been no intention to invite him along.

“Yes, but it’s Sunday night.”She winced.“You’ll have to work the next day.”

Not deterred, little phased him.“That’s okay,” he said.“I’ll make it work because it’s my parents’ anniversary the following weekend.”

“You need company?”

“I have to give a speech,” he said.“And the next weekend will be your birthday.”

And how did he know that?Maybe it had come up while they were dancing, sometimes she zoned out when her head couldn’t believe reality.That dimple was intoxicating all by itself, never mind the incredible man it belonged to.Sometimes she couldn’t keep up.

“It’s not a big deal.There’s nothing planned,” Harper said.“For my birthday.There never is, it’s just another day.”

He folded the paper with her number and tucked it into his back pocket.

“One day at a time,” he said, coming to join her.“Now we know we’re together for at least the next month.No need to start thinking about our breakup yet.”