Free Love Through LimeLight by Farrah Abraham Page B

the pure white of his smile makes my stomach do
flip-flops. He’s got an amazing presence and somehow I feel as if he is wiping
away some of the grit I’ve been gathering, dealing with sleazy people.
    “This is sad but true, Ms. Fallon Opal.”
    The way he says my name makes it sound like a prayer. I
shiver with pleasure, immediately wanting to hear it again. I get the feeling
that I could easily become addicted to this man and the charm he oozes
effortlessly.
    The waitress comes back with a silver tray. She leaves it
with Harper and walks away without even looking at me. I tilt my head to the
side. “Well, that was rude.”
    Harper shakes his head while setting the tray between us. I
realize it’s laden with dark roast coffee and various creams and sugars. There
are also bags of various kinds of teas but the coffee is what catches my
attention.
    “She wasn’t trying to be rude. I knew that you must be tired
of all of the attention you get, so I told her not to fawn over you. You know
that the wait staff is quite excited just to see you, right?”
    I blow out a breath and reach for the cup he offers me. Just
from the smell, I can tell this is high-quality coffee. I bet the cream is
fresh as well. “This courtyard is filled with important people. Why would
anyone be excited to see me, of all people?”
    Harper laughs and I notice that he is setting up a cup of
tea. He uses a comb to spoon in a generous dollop of honey into it. “I’m
surprised you don’t know. You’re special, Fallon. You’re something more than
the liars and schemers here. You’re pure.”
    My blush deepens and I’m not sure what to say. I’ve been
called a lot of things in my days as Fallon Opal, movie star. “Pure” is not one
of those things.
    I continue to sip my coffee, taking in the scene before me.
Harper has us sitting in the perfect spot along the fountain. We are close
enough to be seen by anyone who bothers to take a look so nothing improper
could be happening. However, there is an air of…secrecy around us that would
prevent anyone from interrupting.
    “This is nice,” I whisper into my cup without thinking.
    Harper responds with the same whimsical tone as I had used
without thinking about it. “You’re right. It really is. I’m not sure why, but I
feel very relaxed when I’m with you. As if you’re a great balance for my mind.”
    I don’t know what to say to that. The way he talks about me
is otherworldly. I’ve had guys say nice things to me before. Don’t get me
wrong. But somehow, I have always felt as if those things were shared with some
kind of intent. As if they meant what they were sharing…but they still wanted
something in return.
    From Harper, I get the feeling that all he wants in this
moment is this moment. He isn’t asking for my time or even my attention.
Just for me to share the same space with him while I enjoy a cup of coffee.
    The orchestra starts a song that signals the end of the
gala. While I know a few people will stay past the time that was printed on the
invitations, for the most part, the networking efforts will be wrapping up
soon. Which means that Harper might also be leaving.
    I don’t want that. I know he has to go but when he is near
me, I feel…peace.
    I want to hold on to that for as long as possible.
    But what can I do? I finish my cup of coffee and turn to
him. “It was only for a short time, but I really enjoyed sitting with you.”
    He nods, setting his cup down on the tray. Before I even
have to ask, he takes mine too and sets it down beside his. “I was hoping…that
we could do it again sometimes. If you’d like.”
    That hastily tacked on “If you’d like” makes me want to
giggle. I want nothing more than that but the shy, unsure way he asks is so
different from the way he’s handled everything else leads me to believe he’s a
much more confident person than that. I decide to reward his openness with some
of my own and take his hand.
    “I would really like