Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96752 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Jeremiah snaps his fingers. “I knew Ivy wasn’t hanging out for fun. I tried to explain to my brother that she’s a ruthless tech queen, but he’s not that great with a computer. Reid spends almost all his time reading or working on his projects, none of which involve artificial intelligence.”
“I’m sure he reads historical nonfiction and books about art.”
“He likes science fiction.” Jeremiah is studying me, and he’s lost that high-wattage smile of his. “He does love art, though. He spends an awful lot of time at MoMA and the Met. He finds inspiration there. His projects include knitting. I’m trying to convince him it’s okay to knit on set. He was in an accident a couple of years ago, and his hands were injured pretty badly. One of the physical therapists told him knitting might help his dexterity. I think he finds it soothing, but he’s got that masculine thing going.”
I love to knit. I find it infinitely soothing. My grandmother taught me, and she’d said anytime I felt like the world was out of control, I could sit down and find a quiet place in my soul and make something beautiful. “I’m sorry to hear that. The accident, I mean. The knitting, well, I enjoy it, too. I’m not great at it, but I can make a scarf. I do it mostly to calm my brain. I can overthink things. I don’t think there’s anything inherently unmasculine about enjoying making something. But then I work with a hammer and nails and still think I can be feminine.”
He’s quiet for a moment. “Lenny’s been a friend for years. When we ended our show, he lost his job. My brother is trying to find a way to help him out. Reid can be standoffish at first.”
“He didn’t seem to be standoffish until he knew he was going to have to work with me.”
Jeremiah’s eyes narrow. “So it’s about him being smarmy.”
He hadn’t been. “He was… I don’t mind that he asked me to lunch. Look, it’s been pointed out to me that I might have overreacted. I’ll send you some pictures of the renos I’ve done. I’ve been in the business since I was a kid. I can fix pretty much anything. My father didn’t get the son he wanted so he settled for me. Our fun activities included fixing dishwashers and installing toilets and drywall.”
“It sounds like you don’t like it.”
I shake my head because that’s not the case at all. “I do. I like looking at this building people use every day and knowing I made that. But I love the artistic part of renovation and restoration. And I’ve loved Banover Place since I was a kid. It represents something for me. My hopes. My dreams. Getting to work on it, to bring it back to life so there’s a family in it again, it feels like being a part of something special. So I didn’t like the idea that I don’t belong on the team.”
His expression goes soft, and he reaches for my hand, giving it a squeeze. “I am so sorry we made you feel that way, Harper. I don’t have any excuses or explanations. The fact that you felt marginalized is the only thing that matters. I sincerely hope you can forgive us.”
I hate the whole huggy, emotional thing. He’s gotten me to admit what truly bugged me, how vulnerable I felt. Until this moment I thought I was mad.
Mad sometimes is easier than hurt. Mad often masquerades as fear. Fear that I’m not enough. That I’m going to fail.
Maybe I’m getting older and wiser. Maybe Jeremiah is one of those people who brings out the best in the people around him. No matter the reason, saying the truth out loud kind of frees something in me. “Yeah, of course. And I don’t have my crew filled out yet. Most of the guys who work for me prefer the big jobs. They make more. I’ve got a couple of women who know a lot about the time period, but I could use someone with experience.”
“Really?” Jeremiah breathes a big sigh. “You would do that? Lenny’s great.”
This is probably a huge mistake. “He’s got to understand that I’m the boss. Reid can’t try to use him to get around me.”
Jeremiah looks positively giddy. “He won’t. He’s a genuinely lovely man. He’s older and he’s having a hard time finding work. Oh, Harper, thank you so much. I’m sorry it went sideways today. Reid’s upset about it, too, but he takes some time to process. You should probably expect flowers tomorrow. Gifts are how he apologizes.”
I actually feel better. “I prefer cookie bouquets.”
“I’ll let him know,” Jeremiah replies, and there’s something infinitely comfortable about him.
I like him. A lot. It makes me want to give his brother another shot. Not in a “date me” way. In a “we can work together without killing each other” way. “I’ll send you some examples of the work I’ve done. The reno and restoration work. I volunteer with a historical society from time to time and learned from some masters. Last year I restored a spiral staircase in a Brooklyn brownstone dating back to the mid-nineteenth century.”