The Personal Shopper

To:

Hi Ava Darling,

So sorry to hear you won’t be moving forward renting the Georgiana necklace for the gala. I think it would have been a great piece, but I understand how the cost could be a deterrent. In any case, I look forward to working with you on the next project. I have a piece I think you may be interested in for your next event. Please see the attached brochure.

Kisses! Reggie.

I re-read the message a couple of times not understanding what she meant. We just settled on picking up the piece next Friday before the event. Why does she think I am cancelling? I’ve spent months trying to acquire the piec-...Oh no he didn’t!

Before I know what I am doing, I am marching across the hall. The electronic key for my apartment also works on the guest apartment, so I just walk right in without knocking. Well, march very loud and angrily right in.

I go through the entrance hall and stop in the kitchen where he is making dinner.

I just stare at him with daggers in my eyes. “You.” I grit through my teeth.

Parker turns toward me surprised to just see me standing in his apartment. He looks toward the door and then back to me trying to figure out how I got in here. He opens his mouth to say something, “How-” he points toward the door as if to ask me how I am standing in his kitchen uninvited.

“Parker! Did you cancel my Georgiana piece!” I yell at him.

He looks back at me then and just smirks. Ugh! I can’t stand this man!

He doesn’t answer for a moment, and it gives me time to absorb the scene in front of me. Parker is making grilled cheese like he used to always do. Except he always adds in different deli meats and veggies to make it better. Then my eyes take in Parker himself. His very shirtless self.

He is just wearing gray sweats that hang low on his hips. Very low. As in so low now all I can do is stare at that perfect V that is pointing down to his you know what.

I force my eyes back up to his, and his eyes tell me he knows I was checking him out, but I can’t let things get off track.

“Parker. Did you or did you not cancel my order.” I pause because I can’t think straight when he looks like this. It’s like every time I look at him I have to stop and remember why I am angry. “Why are you naked? Can you please put on some clothes?”

This makes him laugh. “You’re the one who just stormed in here without knocking. This is what I wear when I get home. If you are going to barge in here unannounced, you’re going to have to just deal with it.”

He still didn’t answer my question about canceling the order, and then he continues. “Besides. Look who’s talking.”

He nods his head at me, and I look down to what I am wearing. Shit. I didn’t even bother to throw on a robe before I came over. My shorts are super tiny, and I am not wearing a bra under this tank. You can see the outline of my nipples.

I grab the hoodie hanging on the back of his kitchen bar stool and throw it on. Bad mistake. It smells just like him. It feels like he is wrapped all around me. I turn around so he doesn’t see the small smile that appeared out of nowhere on my face.

I put my angry face back on and turn back to him. I lean my head toward him and put my arm out as if to say, So?

He just nods his head, “Yeah.” Then goes back to chopping his veggies. I let out a noise of disbelief and he adds, “I sent you a memo.”

I think back to everything he sent me today. The only thing that comes to mind is the memo that said:

Re-evaluating unnecessary expenses for this weekend’s event.

My mouth hangs open at him for a moment. “Are you calling the Georgiana piece unnecessary? I spent the past month trying to acquire it specifically for this event!”

He just shrugs. He actually just shrugged at me like my month’s work meant nothing. “The return on investment wasn’t worth it.”

I sit down at his counter. “Care to elaborate how you came up with such an assumption?”

He just laughs. “Sure. It cost a shit ton of money and no amount of good PR is worth that price tag, especially when our investors are mostly men.”

I huff out a breath. “Wow. You really have no idea what I do.”

He just shrugs again like he doesn't care. “Well, let me explain it to you.” I pause. “But this might take a while, so make me one of those too.” I nod my head toward his sandwich.

He just smiles at me and begins chopping more for another sandwich. “So? How do you figure wearing a bracelet of that cost could possibly bring in enough money to justify it?”