Change in Harmony

Allison's dream of teaching music and dance has led her to New York City, where she can finally make a name for herself. Everything runs smoothly until the day she meets Nate, an intriguing and arrogant man, and her world turns upside down.

Nate’s job at Silver Script Ad Agency has always been a breeze for him. He's always known what people want, but when his newest client decides they need something different, he has to completely change his formula. To make things worse, he can't seem to get Allison, a beautiful, eccentric girl out of his head.

When Nate’s past life threatens to destroy the budding relationship he has with Allison, he is willing to go to the ends of the earth to make things right, something he’s never done before. Can he convince her that he’s changed, or will he be left to pick up the pieces?

 Nate kept glancing at his phone, hoping it would ring. It was the last day before he would be kicked out of his apartment, and no one had accepted his application yet. There was something about having pipes freeze—flooding the place below—that had managers running the other way.

Five more minutes and he would call them. Nate watched as Erin walked past and went into Debra’s office. He narrowed his eyes. She wasn’t going to get another account, was she? She’d already scored all the best clients that Silver Script Ad Agency had pulled in. He glanced around his cubicle to see if there was anything he needed to take to Debra, but he’d already had a meeting with her earlier that morning. He’d just have to find out about it at the meeting later.

He ducked as the blonde girl from Accounting walked past. He was supposed to call her last night and had forgotten. It was probably for the best. He couldn’t remember her name. Hannah? Hailey? Something with an H.

The buzzing of his phone jerked him out of his thoughts. He scrambled to pick it up, his heart beating rapidly. He needed this apartment. “Hello?”

“Is this Nate Sullivan?” a gruff voice asked.

“Yes, speaking.” Nate drummed his fingers on the desk.

There was a rustling of paper. “Everything seems to be in order. The apartment is yours, but I need you here to sign papers in the next hour or I’ll have to give it to someone else.”

“Wait—what? You’d just give it to someone else?” Nate glanced up at the clock.

“Look, this is New York City. I have a list of at least ten other applicants, and all of them are qualified. If you’re not here in an hour, I will give it to the
next person. Bring your deposit.” The call ended abruptly and Nate stared at the phone, baffled.

He jumped up and shoved his papers into his briefcase. There was still another hour of work, but Debra knew he needed an apartment. She’d let him take off. He shut his laptop and set it next to the papers he’d have to work on that night. So much for the basketball game he’d hoped to attend. He slipped his coat on
and grabbed his bag. With any luck, he’d be able to hit the subway just right and get there with plenty of time to spare. Though, getting the deposit would be a little trickier.

After one more quick glance around to make sure he hadn’t left anything he’d need, Nate rushed over to Debra’s office. He stuck his head in, noting the annoyed looks from Erin. “Hey, I need to take off. I finally got a call back for the apartment.”

“Good luck. I’ll see you in the morning at the meeting.” Debra leaned back in her chair.

Nate waved and hurried toward the elevator.  There were a few other people waiting, so he changed directions and went for the stairs instead. His footsteps echoed off the walls as he ran down the five flights of stairs. Good thing he was used to taking the stairs for exercise, but it also took time he didn’t have.

The receptionist called out a goodbye as he rushed past, but he didn’t stop to flirt like he normally did. He simply waved as he pushed his way out of the building.

The streets of New York were packed as usual. Normally, it didn’t bother him. He lived and breathed the large city life—the people, the traffic, the noise. But today they were all in the way of getting his dream apartment. A place he could have to himself instead of sharing with a crazy roommate. That was the one
bonus of getting kicked out of his other apartment. He wouldn’t have to deal with a roommate anymore.

After several attempts for a taxi, Nate cursed and headed for the subway, taking two steps at a time. A quick glance at the map told him which train he needed to be on, and he sprinted toward the correct stop. There was only a minute until the
next train, and he had to be on it. He nearly tripped on a child who stood
staring at a post.  He ignored the calls from the parents, knowing if he went back, he’d have to wait another ten minutes for the next train.

He ran down the steps just as the train pulled up, but as he ran for the door, the strap on his bag broke and fell to the ground, sending papers and his laptop in all directions. The bag was only a few months old. He crouched down, and shoved things back in the bag. The laptop looked like it was okay, but he wouldn’t
know until he got home to check it out. Several of the papers had footprints on them from people walking back and forth.

A woman knelt on the ground to help him pick things up. Nate rocked back onto his feet, surprised that someone had stopped. It wasn’t until she handed him a handful of receipts that he realized he’d just been staring.

“Thank you.” He took the receipts from her and put them in his pocket, making a note to himself to throw them away when he got home.

“You’re welcome.” The woman wore layers of shirts, pants, and a pair of ballet slippers. Her feet had to be freezing. Her brown hair was piled up on the top of her head, with a few strands that had fallen loose.

Nate nodded and turned away to watch for the next train. He still had time to get to the apartment, but time was ticking. While he waited, he took the strap and tied it through the loop and made sure it wouldn’t break again.

Someone played a flute behind him. When he turned to find where the music came from, he saw that it was the woman who was playing. No wonder she had so many layers on.
It had to be freezing down here all day. He shook his head. This was New York. She could have found a job anywhere, and yet she chose to stay down here and play. She winked at him and continued playing. Nate smirked and turned away. He was thankful for her help, but he had other things to think about.

Ten minutes later, Nate stood on the train as it pulled away. He watched the woman as she played. A few people had gathered to listen, but most passed by. Such a waste of time. The music was meant to lighten the mood, but no one even paid
attention. He pulled out his phone to check the time. He’d be cutting it close, and he still had to pull out cash for the deposit.

The moment the train doors opened, Nate was out and running for an ATM. The machine would only give him a little at a time, before he had to go find another one. He cursed himself for not ordering more checks when he’d run out.

He made it to the apartment in Chelsea with only a few minutes to spare. He pulled out his phone to check his hair and straightened his sports jacket before buzzing to go in. It was a few seconds before the same gruff voice he’d heard on the phone answered.

“Yes?”

“Hey, this is Nate Sullivan. I’m here with the deposit.” Nate took deep breaths, trying to relax before he went inside. He took in the rich decor in the main hallway. The bright colors and chandelier told him this was exactly where he wanted to be. No more dingy apartments with broken pipes.