amargosa h.s.

chapter 2

Winnie was surprised when Harry asked if she'd like to have lunch with him. Even though she had only been at Amargosa for two days, she could already tell that Harry very much preferred to keep to himself. One would think that after who knows how much time alone Harry had had for who knows how long, he'd be thankful for a little company, but that just did not seem to be the case.

Instead, the most she'd get from him was a gruff greeting when he offered her food or a short answer anytime she asked a question. His answers would always be short and quick before he'd put his toothpick back between his teeth, give her a small nod, and go off to do some other project around the property.

She'd never met someone like him before. At home in New York, at the shows and galas she used to attend, people loved to flaunt themselves. Dress up in expensive clothing, drink champagne, rattle on about their business deals and endorsements. It was the world she grew up in, the only world she knew.

Everything about Harry, Amargosa, and Death Valley Junction was so different. The desert was a sprawling field of nothing, so unlike Manhattan and its endless amount of people, lights, and buildings. The hotel itself, with its white adobe walls and single floor height was so different to the New York City skyscrapers. Death Valley Junction, sitting at a population of 2 as far as Winnie could tell, was obviously just the complete opposite to the busiest city in the world

Harry was also so quiet and rough around the edges. His shirts and jeans covered in dirt by the end of the day, his calloused hands, and his stubble all stood in stark contrast to the men Winnie was used to, with their hair gelled to perfection and their pressed suits adorning their bodies.

But it was so refreshing. Something about Harry felt like a change that Winnie needed in her soul. She needed to be reminded that people outside of the New York City elite existed. People who didn't care about her connections, her family, her career. Honestly, he didn't seem to really care about her at all.

Except--Maybe he did care. A little bit, at least. He cared enough to let her stay in Amargosa even though it's closed. He cared enough to cook her meals every day. He left her alone and minded his own business, sure, but that didn't have to mean he was completely apathetic to her.

Winnie decided, after Harry had walked away from her hotel door and back down the hall upon hearing her say she'd love to join him for lunch, that she was determined to be a friend to Harry. He didn't seem to have anyone, here in an empty town running an empty hotel, and even though she planned on leaving to LA in just a few days, she felt she could at least become someone Harry could keep up with. Maybe they'd write letters after she'd left. She wasn't sure if the hotel had a working phone, but if it did, maybe even a phone call could happen every once in a while. She'd have to wait and see.

Winnie slipped on some white flats to match her white sundress and stepped out of her room. Harry had said he had lunch set up on the little patio table outside the main hotel door, so she headed in that direction.

As she makes her way outside to the front of the lobby she quickly comes to a halting stop and almost trips over her own ankles. She can see on one of the little patio tables where a couple of sandwiches and some fruit have been set out, but instead of sitting there waiting for her, Harry had elected to occupy his time pulling at weeds in the little garden patch next to the tables.

She kept her eyes trained on his body as he gripped and yanked the invasive plants out of the dirt, muscles obviously rippling even through the dark blue t-shirt he had on. His biceps bulged a little with each pull, and she could feel a swarm of butterflies making a nuisance in her lower belly. Her skin suddenly felt hot. Well, hotter than it had been with just the sun heating her up. Her eyes sat and stared wide, her fingers starting to curl into fists as she struggled to remember how to breathe. God, what was this man doing to her, and so quickly?