"Dr. Houston..." the assistant chattered on, then nced up at the gloomy, overcast sky. "Looks like it''s starting to rain."


    Harold focused his gaze. Tiny raindrops were beginning to fall, casting a hazy, enchanting veil over the girl under the streetlight. This was an area ofbs and special factories, deste and sparsely popted. What was a delicate youngdy like her doing here all alone?


    "An umbre,” Harold said softly as the rain starteding down harder.


    "Here you go,” his assistant quickly handed him one.


    "Good luck, Dr. Houston," he added with a cheerful grin. Dr. Houston was tall, handsome, and a rising star in the medical field. The line of women pursuing him could stretch all the way around the equator. For this young woman to catch his eye, she must have been blessed.


    At that moment, Juniper was bored and ying a game on her phone when a tall, dark shadow fell over her.


    She instinctively looked up, her clear eyes narrowing slightly as she met the man''s gaze. What was his name again? Harold something?


    "Fancy meeting you here again," Harold said, tilting the umbre to shield her from the rain. Being this close, he could feel his heart beating even faster.


    Juniper shot him a wary look and scooted away, returning her attention to her phone without a word. He''d blocked her way in the restroom, outbid her at the auction... what now? The way he was staring at her, he definitely seemed up to no good.


    Her guarded reaction left Harold feeling a bit helpless. After all, this was the first time he''d ever taken the initiative to approach a girl.


    "Don''t be afraid, I''m not a bad person," Harold said softly. "We met at the auction."


    “So?" Juniper was getting annoyed. She closed her game and looked up at him impatiently.


    “I just wanted to ask you a question,” Harold said, lowering his voice. "Have we met before?"


    Her face was so familiar, but for the life of him, he couldn''t ce where he''d seen her.


    "Heh.” Juniper stood up abruptly, taking several steps back. "Are you going to tell me I look like one of your long-lost sisters or something?"


    "A sister?” Harold was momentarily taken aback, then a small smile touched his lips.


    "I do have a sister, but you don''t look anything alike."


    Juniper rolled her eyes, convinced this was just some cheesy pickup line. "Stay away from me," she said coldly.


    "I''m really..."


    Harold took a step forward to ask again when two blinding headlights cut through the darkness behind him A car door opened, and a tall imposing figure holding an umbre strode purposefully toward them.


    "What took you so long?" Juniper''s defenses immediately dropped at the sight of Shanley She walked over to his side,ining, you said twenty minutes, and it''s been... a whole minute over."


    "My fault," Shanley said, gently squeezing her hand and passing her the smoothie


    he''d brought. "Who were you talking to?"


    As his gaze felt on the other man, it


    turned to ice. Harold? If he


    remembered correctly, Harold had


    looked at Juniper the same way


    outside the restroomst time a


    mix


    of confusion, interest, anda bint of


    affection.


    Shanley sighed internally. Just when he''d dealt with the major threat of Lue, another suitor had appeared out of nowhere.


    “Mr. Schwartz,” Harold said, stepping forward. His gaze shifted between the two of them, his tone respectful. "I''ve had the pleasure of seeing you in magazines and at the auction."