Page 7 of Built to Last

“Who am I speaking with?” I’m not dating anyone, nor have I ordered anything.

There’s a hesitation. “Uhm, it’s Jeremiah Dorsey, and I promise you a hot chocolate if you come down and talk to me. I’ll make it a good one.”

Every eye is suddenly on me. Ani’s brows rise as though challenging me to do the right thing.

“You can bring him up here,” Ivy offers. “We have plenty of pizza.”

Heath frowns her way and grabs another slice. “Speak for yourself.”

No. If I bring him up here, he’ll chat, and I need to know what he wants. “I’ll be down in a minute.”

I grab my hoodie.

“He’s a nice guy,” Anika says, looking almost worried.

“I’m not going to blow anything up,” I promise. “He wants to talk, we’ll talk. Unless you think they’re both down there.”

Heath is at the window, staring down. “Looks like there’s only one guy. He’s got sandy hair. Oh, hey. And he’s waving.”

Reid Dorsey would never wave at people.

“It’ll be fine, Ani.” I hope she knows I would rather quit than hurt her project.

I make quick work of the stairs since the elevator only functions about half the time. When I hit the lobby, I’m ready to get this confrontation over with.

I step outside and Jeremiah Dorsey is there wearing a smart-looking jacket and the outfit he had on earlier. He’s paired it with a tartan scarf that makes him appear like he’s modeling a fall look. “Hey.”

He makes me feel like I should dress better.

He gives me a brilliant smile. Like a light up Broadway smile. This man was made for TV. “Harper. It’s good to see you again.” He points down the street. “The hot chocolate place is right down there. They have peppermint mini marshmallows.”

I’ve had enough of street vendors for the day. “I’ll pass. What did you need?”

He winces. “Well, I knew you were pissed. Was it the way he hit on you? Or the whole grocery stores are beneath him thing. They’re not, you know. He goes into them often. He doesn’t like to admit it but he’s human and has the need to cook from time to time. He’s quite good at it.”

“I’m sure he’s a gourmet cook. He probably went to that blue place in Paris.”

“Le Cordon Bleu?” Naturally his French accent is perfect. “Not at all. He didn’t learn to cook in culinary school. He learned it from YouTube because our father liked to screw the nanny and we often went without lunch if Reid didn’t make something. His grilled chicken is why I survived middle school.”

Oh, now I know why he’s here. “I’m not going to like your brother.”

“You don’t have to. But we are going to be working together.”

“Are we? Or are you trying to bring in someone named Lenny?”

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.”

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