The bright rays of sunshine streamed through the clear glass window, tickling Addison’s exposed skin as she sat at her wide, mahogany desk. A thick sheaf of creamy paper sat before her, charcoal sketches staining their pristine surface. One by one, she delicately laid them out before her in neat rows.
Now that the show was over, it was time for her and Sabrina to start working on designs for the upcoming season. Over the years, the pair had developed a system. Each drew up a specific number of designs, which they then gave to the other. Each girl selected their favorites and then joined forces to constructively critique each piece until it had reached its fullest potential. Addison’s front teeth slowly sunk into her plump, pink lower lip. There were so many options. It’d be difficult to narrow them down.
“Miss Williams, there’s someone here to see you,” the chipper voice of their receptionist sounded over the black intercom on the desktop.
The brunette frowned, her gaze sliding over to the small speaker. She didn’t have any appointments today.
Deciding to let her curiosity get the better of her, she pressed a manicured finger to the speaker button. “Send them in.”
She immediately regretted her decision only moments later as a tall, lean man came loping into her office, a broad grin stretched across his handsome face. “Good morning,” he greeted, offering her one of the white paper cups encased with a cardboard sleeve.
She stood took it hesitantly, holding it at arm’s length, almost as if it offended her. “What are you doing here?” Harry hadn’t once crossed her mind since the night of the fashion show last week. She thought she had made it quite clear that there was no ill will harbored between them, so why had he bothered to seek her out at work?
“Since you wouldn’t give me the opportunity to take you out for coffee to apologize for my behavior last week, I figured I would bring the coffee to you.” Without waiting for an invitation, he pulled out the chair across from her and took a seat, raising his own cup of coffee to his lips.
Addison stood, frozen in her current position. It was rare that she was ever caught off guard, but his surprise visit had certainly done the trick. Had he seriously come all this way to deliver an apology coffee? How long was he going to sit here? Unsure of what to do, she took a sip of the drink he had offered. It was a grande soy latte with an extra shot. At least he knew her coffee order.
“So,” she said hesitantly, settling back down into her own chair, “thank you…for this.” She gestured to the latte with her free hand, before taking another drink. That was the nice thing about coffee. It had a way of filling the awkward silences.
He nodded, the corners of his mouth turning up into a playful smirk. “You’re welcome.” He paused, his bright green orbs scanning over the sheets of paperwork covering her desk. “What are you working on?”
“Designs for next season,” Addison gathered together several of the scattered sketches, shuffling them into a neat pile. She watched as he continued to scan the remaining drawings. His eyebrows were knitted together in concentration; she couldn’t tell if it was due to interest or simply the angle he was studying at. She was sure it must be difficult to really get an idea of each piece viewing it upside down. She thought of asking his opinion, since he apparently knew a few things about the fashion industry, as he had so presumptuously announced the night before. But on second thought, he might misinterpret that as an invitation to stay and Addison didn’t necessarily want him in her office any longer than necessary.
He nodded once more, leaning back into his seat and crossing one long leg over the other. He offered no feedback or any verbal response.
Addison shifted uncomfortably. She was dying to know what exactly he was getting at by coming here. It was taking every ounce of her self-control not to hurl all of her unanswered questions at him. All she knew of him was his first name. Who was he, really? Why did he come all the way to her office to bring her a coffee and why was he still sitting here when the conversation between them was so obviously tense? The more she thought, the more questions she came up with.
