Chapter Text
Mom has cancer.
If anyone had told Harvey what those three words would trigger in him, he wouldn’t have believed it.
Just hours before, he would have sworn he’d nod such news off the way he always did when Marcus shared anything about Lily. A simple, “okay, and?” or, if he was feeling generous, a “thanks for letting me know” before he’d change the topic or find an excuse to hang up.
But not this time. The words echoed through the vastness of his mind, imprinting on every surface they touched. Mom has cancer. She is terminal, Harvey. The doctors have given her six months, if that.
Harvey shouldn’t care. She had never cared about him either, might as well be a stranger to him. A damning diagnosis didn’t bridge twenty years of silence.
But… didn't it? God, Harvey didn’t even know anymore. Resenting his mother had been a part of his identity for so long. Now, in the face of this, he couldn’t help but wonder, for what? Yes, she had done a terrible thing—for nothing less he would have held onto a grudge for two decades. He’d sword he‘d never forgive her.
But she was dying.
He couldn’t say goodbye to his dad when he passed. It had been too sudden, too far away. The pain of the loss had hit Harvey all the harder for it. Not being there when Gordon needed him would forever rank as one of his biggest regrets in life, the first thing he’d go back and change if given the chance.
He had a chance now to be there for Lily. A choice. To hold on to a twenty-year-old pain, or to get the fuck over himself and see his dying mother before it was too late. Give her one more chance to get it right.
He called the damn number.
Lily picked up immediately, sobbing and squealing like Harvey was a lottery win. Some might say so—he hadn’t thought Lily to be one of them.
One conversation was never gonna make up for twenty years of bitterness, but it did break the ice. Lily cried the whole time, apologizing and monologuing about how she loved Harvey, always had cheered him on from afar. How proud she was. It stirred something within Harvey that he had no idea where it came from, a pain that strangled his heart and throat until he could barely talk anymore.
Agreeing to come to Boston to see her again had taken no time to consider—suddenly, he felt like a twelve-year-old kid again, desperate to be held by his mother. He jumped into the car and texted Donna to deal with his absence at work tomorrow.
He didn’t even tell Marcus, didn’t request his presence as a buffer in case things went awry. No distractions. He and Lily would hush it out, or they wouldn’t. Either way, the voice whispering what if would get its answer.
Lily waited by the front door for him. He hadn’t seen her since his dad’s funeral. She had gotten older, that was for sure. The cancer had turned her pale and too skinny; a red headscarf replaced the brown mane she had before the chemo. To see her so small, so weak, so vulnerable… it was hard to believe there had been a time in his life when he thought he would rejoice at such a sight. Now, he fell into her arms, his eyes prickling with heat as she sobbed into his shoulder.
He couldn’t regret the choices he had made that kept them apart, not when she had done so little to rebuild that bridge either. But he sure as hell would regret letting that linger between them now. She wasn’t the perfect mother by any means, but hell, he was far from the perfect son, too.
Nothing had changed in the house. He hadn’t been prepared for the wave of nostalgia that swept over him upon seeing the artifacts of his childhood: old pictures and horrible drawings. Memories of him and Marcus running through the living room brushed his leg. This was so surreal.
Lily offered him a coffee, Harvey requested something stiffer, and then, they got talking. About their lives. Mostly Harvey’s. She knew where he lived, where he worked, his achievements—what she wanted to hear about were the people in his life. Who was close to him, whom he loved.
His honest answer was much shorter than she wanted it to be; he recognized her disapproving expression even softened by age. Less ripe with judgment than it used to be, yet brimming with sadness.
“I hoped you might have found someone as special as you are,” Lily said. He was special alright—‘specially bad at maintaining romantic relationships. They weren’t skills he had invested much time or effort into developing. Turned out that was a dealbreaker for anyone he’d care to give it a shot with.
“I don’t need a relationship to be happy,” he said.
“Are you happy?”
Should have seen that follow-up coming. He had, in fact was armed with the of course I am on the tip of his tongue, and yet, the weight of the pleading hope in her eyes stole the words out of his mouth. Even his smile grew too strenuous to hold on to.
That was ridiculous. He had everything he wanted. The job, the money, the status. That was happy. Not like anyone felt ecstatic every second of every day.
He managed to nod. “Sure.”
Lily patted his hand. Though she stayed silent, he could hear her disbelief. Harvey let it pass.
They—Lily—talked for so long, he ended up staying the night in his childhood bedroom. Now that was something he hadn’t expected to ever happen again, but it was almost… nice. Familiar. Down to the anxious thoughts, though this time around, they no longer circled around how to tell his dad what things he had witnessed—their sole focus was Lily. The diagnosis that left no room for hope. A few months was all they had. Harvey wouldn’t let another parent die alone.
So when Lily invited him to one last Christmas with the family, he agreed. Even took the days around the holiday off. It would be the first time they all were together again: him, Lily, Marcus, Katie, Haley. One family, ignoring each other’s flaws and strained history for a few days. Harvey could do that.
The hills of snow grew taller the deeper he ventured into New England on the 22nd of December. Lily’s house was just outside the city, a stone's throw from the Harvard campus. When he went to law school, Harvey hated the proximity, hated the risk of running into her, being confronted with his previous life when he had sworn never to come back. Last thing he had wanted was for Lily to speak to him then.
She never did. Never tried to find him. Never explained. He kind of wished she had.
If she had told him then everything she said two weeks ago, if she had apologized and made amends, things might have turned out differently. His life now was great—but what would it have been like without the pain and resentment he had carried with him? Better? Or would he have lacked the drive to be the best altogether and still be a glorified desk clerk?
He pushed the wonderment aside when he pulled into the driveway; no amount of thinking could change the past or provide him with answers.
The cold air bit his skin. He rubbed his hands together as he conquered the slippery stones leading up to the front door, walking through the mist his breath left in the air.
He saw Lily’s approach through the glass insert of the front door. Her headscarf was green, showing white stars and candy canes, matching the long green dress that hung on her boney figure.
“You made it!” she exclaimed, her eyes glassy when they met his.
“Hi, Mom.” That word still felt strange out of his mouth, though it no longer tasted sour. More melancholic.
“Oh, it’s so good to see you again. Come inside, it’s freezing out there.”
Harvey did. He had no chance to peel himself out of his coat to spare Lily the touch of winter before she pulled him into her arms. Even hunched down like this, he tried to relax into her touch, tried to ignore how frail she felt. Like he could pick her up and throw her over his shoulder with no effort whatsoever.
She asked how his drive was—good—and if the weather gave him any trouble—no—as she led him to the living room. Untouched as it had been on his last visit, it now hosted a large, heavily decorated Christmas tree that poked into the ceiling. Lit up Christmas garlands covered every available surface, their old stockings hung from the windowsill, the same place they had hung thirty years ago. In the middle of it all, Marcus and Katie.
He accepted the hug Katie offered first; Marcus’s was briefer, accompanied by too heavy pats on his back. “Who would have thought we’d end up back here, huh?”
Who would have indeed. Nothing like cancer to reunite a fractured family.
Soft notes of festive music filled the space. Peaceful. Too much so.
“Where’s Haley?”
Usually, she couldn’t wait to say hello. With her relentless energy and constant chatter, peace was rarely on the docket. Adorable for a few hours, and efficient birth control for the rest of the time. He loved that kid, but he respected Katie and Marcus’s nerves for dealing with that energy every day even more.
“Her sitter took her to the Children’s museum for the afternoon so we could do some last-minute shopping. He’s gonna drop her off here any minute now,” Katie said. Right. Shopping. Gifts. That was something people usually did for the holidays.
It had been so long that he had spent this time of year with anyone, he had forgotten about that. The only one who got gifts from him was Donna, and she bought them herself with Harvey’s credit card. Good thing he came here early to rectify this mistake before Christmas morning got embarrassing.
“How is Mike holding up?” Lily asked. Harvey frowned. Who?
“He’s doing well. I think. He seemed fine this morning.”
“But that kid has a poker face that rivals Harvey’s,” Marcus said.
“Who is Mike, and why are we worried about him?” Harvey asked.
“He’s Haley’s favorite sitter,” Katie said. “A freaking godsent, I’m telling you. He always makes time for her. And a really sweet guy, too.”
“I see.” Interesting collection of words here. How many sweet kids would need Harvey’s level of poker face? What for? And why would they entrust their child to a struggling man even Lily knew to worry about?
The doorbell chimed.
“That’s gotta be them,” Katie said and disappeared into the hall. Harvey braced himself for a tiny tornado to knock him off his axis.
Instead, clacking steps approached. Behind Katie, a woman—had to be Harvey’s age—with honey-blond hair, carrying a pie dish, turned the corner.
“Hi. Merry Christmas,” she said. Three days early and almost apologetically sounding.
“You made it!” Lily threw her boney arms up.
“Trina,” Marcus said cooly. “I didn’t realize you were coming over.”
“Lily invited me for dinner. Thank you so much. I brought my famous pecan pie.”
Famous where? Her own home or was she a local celebrity baker? Harvey sure had never seen her, much less heard of her.
Marcus wordlessly took the dish out of her hands and walked into the kitchen.
“My pleasure, honey,” Lily gushed. “Harvey, this is Trina, my next door neighbor. Trina, this is my eldest son Harvey. He’s a single, very successful lawyer in New York City.”
Harvey’s gaze shot toward her. She couldn’t be serious. He came here to actually bond with his family for the first time in forever, and she tried to set him up with the neighbor? What, was that her way of making sure he’d come back here, by giving him a girlfriend next door? Last thing Harvey wanted to think about was dating when she was dying!
Still, he shook Trina’s hand because he did have some manners, no matter what some colleagues—Louis—might claim. Whether Trina was in on Lily’s plan, he couldn’t tell. She sure didn’t look as stunned as he felt at having his relationship status dropped into an introduction.
“Nice to meet you,” she beamed. “I love New York. My family lives in Staten Island. I visit when I can.”
Harvey fought against the urge to crinkle his nose. Staten Island was not New York. Not really. It was a garbage dump that some people populated for its suburban prices and easy access to heroin.
“Okay,” he said because what else was there to say? My condolences? He didn’t care enough to fake pity.
“Trina divorced her husband a few months ago. I didn’t want her to be all alone this close to the holidays.”
A recent divorcee. How tactful.
This would be a long night.
“It’s okay,” Trina chuckled, tucking a stand of hair behind her ear. “I mean, I’ll see my family over the holidays. But thank you. It means a lot that you thought of me.”
“Of course! Now, please, sit.” Lily ushered the neighbor to a seat. Her hand wrapped around Harvey’s elbow and tugged him along. “You sit here, honey. So you two can get to know each other better.”
Wow. Subtlety was a lost art. He must have gotten his cunning from his dad, or Lily had lost her touch these past years. He didn’t think he’d have to talk about boundaries with a dying woman, actually expected her to be protective of their remaining time together, but here they were.
“Excuse me for one moment,” Harvey said and followed Lily into the kitchen.
She stirred a wooden spoon through something boiling, humming to herself. Probably celebrating a plan she thought well-executed. What a display of misplaced confidence.
“Something you want to tell me there, mom?”
Lily threw him a glance over her shoulder. “What do you mean?”
“Did you invite the neighbor for any specific reason today?”
Lily strained against the emerging smile. A useless effort, given that her intentions were clear as day. “You said you have no one in New York.”
“I have people.” Not having a romantic relationship was hardly a burden. He preferred his independence.
Lily leaned against the kitchen counter. “I want you to be happy, Harvey. You deserve love in your life. Maybe that can be Trina. She is nice, and caring, and she’d move back to the city for love, I’m sure.”
Not gonna happen.
Nothing wrong with her, she was pretty enough, but Harvey prided himself on knowing instantly when he met someone special. There was something about them that drew him in from the first moment, a wittiness, a bite. He had known within two minutes of meeting Donna that they were a good match. Even if it turned out to be—mostly—platonic, they were an unrivaled team at work.
“I don’t want to be set up.”
“Oh, Harvey. I know you don’t. But it would make a dying woman very happy, knowing you weren’t so alone anymore.” She briefly cupped his cheek before focusing back on her cooking. Seriously? Playing the cancer card was low.
The doorbell rang again. Geez, this place was busier than Penn Station.
“I’ll go,” Harvey announced, just to escape his fate of having to make small talk with the neighbor for a little longer. Maybe she would strike up a conversation with Marcus and Katie in the meantime so that Harvey didn’t have to bother playing nice at all.
A wall of cool air hit him when he opened the door. He stared right into the blue eyes of a man, ever so slightly shorter than him. Dirty blond hair poked out under the red hat. Despite his soft features, his jawline was sharp enough to cut ice. Even with reddened cheeks and nose, he was a vision to behold, practically glowing in the moonlight.
Holy shit.
“Uncle Harvey!” Haley squealed. A light weight crashed into his legs and squeezed him. The fresh snow on her jacket permeated through Harvey’s pants. A shudder shook through him.
“Hey, Haley. Come on in.” He pulled the pink hat off her messy, wet hair.
She ran inside with no consideration for the trail of dirty footprints she left behind. Kids. That must make this man Mike, the babysitter. Harvey didn’t know what he had expected, a nerdy college kid perhaps, but certainly not a gorgeous, grown man.
Mike stepped past him with nothing but a polite smile. At least he kicked off his shoes before he followed the path of slush Haley had left.
“Sorry we’re late,” he said; the voice out of his pretty mouth was much deeper than Harvey had anticipated. “We got held up building a snowman.”
“It’s so big!” Haley freed herself from her mother’s arm to skip over, tugging at Mike’s sleeve. “Show them pictures!!”
Smiling, Mike handed her his phone. Harvey was her first point of call. She reached her arm up, even got up on her tippy toes, to prove the three snowballs were stacked higher than she was tall. Well, she was only three feet, but still. Good effort from her. And Mike, who still had barely looked at Harvey.
“Did you have fun, angel?” Katie asked when it was her turn to admire the fruits of their labor. Haley nodded animatedly.
“I’m glad. Thank you, Mike.”
“Sure thing,” he said. “Anyway, I should—”
“Stay for dinner?” Lily cut in as she carried out a basket full of bread. “I agree.”
The guest list clearly wasn’t exclusive, although rewarding Mike with dinner for being out in the cold, entertaining a toddler, was more appropriate than pity-inviting the neighbor. Mike must have worked up an appetite, assembling that snowman.
And perhaps Harvey could find out what had the others so concerned for him, when Mike seemed perfectly put together. Slightly rugged from the weather, but still. Handsome. Pretty, even.
“Oh, that’s okay—”
“I made too much food. You’d be doing me a favor,” Lily insisted.
“Stay,” Harvey said before he realized he had made the choice. Finally, Mike acknowledged him. His gaze pierced through Harvey, like he couldn’t believe he had just said that. Offended or surprised? Hard to say, yet.
“Mike, this is my eldest son, Harvey.”
Harvey reached out before Lily had finished enunciating his name. “Pleasure.”
Mike’s hand was cold when it slipped into his, vanished after the tiniest of squeezes. His “hi” barely reached Harvey. What, was he shy? How sweet.
“Go on, take a seat,” Lily prompted.
“Sit with me, Mike,” Haley demanded, tugging at his sleeve. The smile that spread on Mike’s face as he regarded her was soft as velvet, downright adoring. No wonder he had earned the title of favorite sitter; he seemed to genuinely care. Or he was that good of an actor. Harvey’d find out.
“Sure. Why not. Thank you,” Mike said and took of his bright blue rain jacket, revealing a scruffy looking gray sweater. He disappeared in the hall to hang it up.
So he had manners too, huh? He might be too sweet for Harvey. Too wholesome, with his kid-loving, snowman-building, polite charm. Shame.
Harvey carried the platters of food over, let Lily arrange them on the table. When he ran out of excuses, he surrendered himself to his fate of being stuck with the neighbor.
Mike sat opposite him, unfortunately keeping his gaze low—just because Harvey wouldn’t corrupt a sweet guy didn’t mean he couldn’t enjoy his pretty face.
The neighbor, on the other hand, lacked coyness altogether, blabbing on and on about how nice it was to have dinner together, that she always wanted a big family of her own. Even if Harvey had considered pursuing her, if just to please Lily, that would have been the final nail in the coffin.
If one night turned into nine months, she would be the type to want to play happy family, and that wasn’t Harvey’s style. Neither was abandoning a hypothetical kid—best not to risk it.
Hooking up with men was much safer.
“So, are you enjoying your break, Mike? He’s at Harvard Law,” Lily added, eyes on Harvey. Now that explained the need for the aforementioned poker face.
“Nice. I went there too, some time ago,” Harvey said.
“That’s obvious.” It came out quick, as if Mike had it cocked and loaded, as if Harvey mentioning his education had been inevitable—and yet, Mike flinched, seemingly at himself, shoulders riding up to his ear. Adorable.
“You’re one to talk. I daresay you’re not the youngest in your class either.” Yes, his face was young, but he wouldn’t pass for a twenty-something college graduate. The lines were carved too deeply into his forehead.
Mike’s shoulders relaxed down his back. “I took an academic break for a few years.”
“Doing what?”
“Running a drug empire. But that got boring, so I figured, why not switch sides?”
Next to him, the neighbor—what was it again, Toni?—coughed, hitting her chest as if she was choking on her food. Harvey only huffed. Looked like he had judged too soon. Sweet, Mike might be, but wholesome? Probably not. Not enough to be above an innocent flirt over the holidays, hopefully.
“He’s kidding!” Katie said. “He was a carer for his grandma.”
Oh. How noble. “Was, as in…?”
“She passed away a few months ago, yes,” Mike said.
“My condolences.”
“Yeah. Doesn’t mean you guys have to take pity on me,” Mike said to the rest of the table.
“We wouldn’t dream of it,” Katie said.
Mike’s hum reeked of sarcasm.
Two things were clear: one, they absolutely took pity on Mike. He might be a good babysitter, but inviting him for dinner and worrying about his well-being? No, they cared. The worry might not be misplaced since this appeared to be Mike’s first Christmas without his grandma, whom he must have been close to.
Two, Mike was uncomfortable with said pity, but not enough to turn down the invitation. The question was why. Did he care that much about Haley? Didn't he want to cook for himself? Or was there some merit to their worry and he appreciated not being alone, as long as the pity was subtle? Harvey would find out.
“So. How is law school going, Mike?” he asked. Common ground to break the ice and all that.
“Are you trying to sound like my grandma or does that come naturally with age?” The hint of a smirk pulled at Mike’s lips. Lippy. And this time, he owned it. As he should.
Normally, Harvey would punish jabs about his age. Now, he inched his foot forward; it didn’t take much for it to find Mike’s, clad in a slightly damp sock. Mike’s gaze pierced through him upon the touch.
He didn’t withdraw. Neither did Harvey.
“It’s going okay. A little boring.”
“Boring?” Not a word that was often associated with law school. Nerve-racking, more like. Stressful. Exhausting. But Mike shrugged like he meant what he said, like constantly being in the hot seat didn’t bother him one bit. “Harvard must have lost some steam. Sure wasn’t boring in my days.”
“I’m sure that’s it,” Mike said like he knew something Harvey didn’t. What was he hiding?
Much as Harvey wanted to probe, peel back a layer of this mysterious onion sitting across him, Lily shut down the ‘shop talk’ before he could find out anything of worth. The new topic she proposed was, once again, New York City, and outed Mike as a native New Yorker, too.
A fact the neighbor was thrilled by.
“Oh my God, samesies!” she squealed like there weren’t eight million people living within the city bounds.
“She’s from Staten Island,” Harvey supplied. Mike’s eyebrows drew together, he briefly lost control of his face. So much for the Harvey-level poker face.
“That does technically count,” Mike said curtly, offering a forced smile before he met Harvey’s eyes again, amused. Sharing the joke like a secret alliance; them, together, against everything else. “Let me guess. South Manhattan.”
“What can I say. I like quality.” Harvey teased his toes up Mike’s ankle, slowly, to test the waters. Mike’s toes curled upward as his leg leaned into the soft touch.
Either he was a straight man with a healthy, secure relationship to his masculinity, or he didn’t mind the lingering touch for other, much more interesting reasons. One thing was for sure: Harvey wanted to know more.
Easier wished than done, with Trudy next to him chattering on and Haley demanding Mike’s attention.
So when after dinner, he overheard Marcus asking Mike if he was still okay to take Haley ice-skating tomorrow, Harvey cut off what’s-her-name’s ramblings about what a relief her divorce was to ask: “Can I join?”
Silence.
All eyes were on him, widened to varying degrees. Marcus’s were narrowed. “Since when do you ice-skate?”
Details. He was exceptionally graceful in all other aspects of life. What difference did some ice make?
“New experiences are fun.” Especially at the side of a handsome man giving him cloudy signals Harvey was dying to clear up. “I haven’t spent quality time with my niece in a while. Right, Haley?”
Haley gasped her excitement. Her sticky fingers clutched his hand. “Yes! I want Uncle Harvey to come!”
“Okay,” Mike said. “If you’re taking her, I guess I’m not needed—”
“Course you are. You’re the expert. Unless you mind?” If he did, Harvey would have his answer. He didn’t bark up trees that didn’t enjoy the sound.
Mike’s gaze swept over him like a tidal wave before their eyes locked once more. Harvey loved when someone didn’t shy away from eye contact.
“Guess that’s settled,” Mike said, his voice low. Raw.
Excellent.
He ignored Marcus’s side eye and insisted on walking Mike to the door. Host duties and all that. If he stayed here, he might as well earn his keep.
He watched Mike hide his messy hair under his black hat. “Can I pick you up somewhere tomorrow?”
“Getting into a car with a stranger? Who do you take me for?” Mike said dryly, though he lost the battle against the smile that gave him away.
“Am I a stranger?“
“I‘ll meet you here. I don’t live far away, and the train stop is closer to here anyway.”
“Did you just say train stop?”
“Yes?”
“No. I can drive.”
“The red-line is the most convenient way to get to Boston Common.”
Uh huh. Not to mention more crowded, full of people sweating under their thick coats and spreading their seasonal diseases around.
He said as much to Mike.
“You don’t have to come,” was Mike’s response.
“Do you not want me to?”
“I didn’t say that. I just already have one child to take care of, so if you’re gonna be a baby about perfectly fine public transport, you better pay me double.”
That could only mean he did want Harvey to come. How good to know.
“You’re lippy given that we just met.”
Now that delighted Mike. “Figured a Harvard-educated lawyer can take it.”
“Trust me. I can take whatever you wanna throw at me.”
Mike’s lower lip caught behind his tooth. So he had understood it exactly as Harvey meant it, and it didn’t seem to bother him—on the contrary.
“Noted,” Mike said lowly.
“I’ll see you tomorrow.” Harvey opened the door into the pitch black cold that had him shiver.
“Good night. Harvey.”
Either Harvey was going crazy, or Mike smiled when he said his name. The authentic, infectious sort.
Tomorrow ought to be fun.
He rode the high of Mike’s returned interest back to the living room—or tried, until Marcus grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him back into the hall.
“What do you think you’re doing?” A vein bulged out of his neck, the way it always did when something upset him. It was funny when they were kids. It still was now.
“Going ice skating, apparently.”
“Harvey, he just lost his last living relative. He is vulnerable.”
Was that really what Marcus thought of him? That he preyed on the weak and desperate? Hell, if he did, he’d be in there securing the neighbor—Trish?—for the night. Mike didn’t seem vulnerable. He was sassy yet sweet, caring but challenging. In other words, the most intriguing person Harvey had met in a while.
“If he were scared of falling, he wouldn’t get on the ice.”
“Did he get on the ice, or did you freeze the ground underneath him?” Marcus all but spat.
Okay. Damn. Apparently, the others’ pity had escalated into protectiveness. Mike was hardly a child. He must be in his early thirties—old enough to make his own choices, that was for sure.
“I’m not gonna force him into anything, if that's what you're worried about.”
“Look,” Marcus sighed, running a hand down his face. “Trina is a nice person. Too nice for you, probably, but if you spend some time with her, that would make mom happy. She’s actually looking for someone to share a bed with. Mike is still finding his feet after his loss. Don't take advantage of it.”
Hm.
Maybe Harvey was a dick for attaching himself to Mike and Haley’s outing. He didn’t mean to exploit vulnerability. He wouldn’t. Contrary to what Marcus seemed to believe, he did take no for an answer. Just, Mike hadn’t said no. Not in words, not with his eyes, not with his body. He hadn’t shied away from teasing Harvey about his age; he would have said if he didn’t want Harvey there, right?
Still, he supposed in the spirit of Christmas, he could try and find something interesting about… was it Tina? Doing anything to please his mom felt weird and foreign, but he supposed that was what he had come here for.
Reluctantly, he took his seat next to her and tried to fake an interest in her oh-so-special pie recipe she wouldn't shut up about. His thoughts wandered back to Mike. His face, his pointed teases, the wit they let on—the neighbor’s fingers sneaked onto his thigh. For fuck‘s sake.
Harvey moved his leg away. Didn’t stop her from finding other excuses to touch him. A brush over his arm here, allegedly picking lint off his shirt there.
At the end of the night, Tiffany? slipped him her number, reminding him once again she’d be in New York for the rest of the year.
Harvey threw it into the trash.