“I better go before I lose my nerve. See you tomorrow.”
I made my way over to the restaurant to wait for Francine to arrive. All I knew about her was that she had long dark hair and rather generous breasts. Warren’s words, not mine. She’d seen a picture of me so I assumed she would find me first. And when I saw a woman walking toward me that fit Warren’s description, I smiled to greet her. Warren hadn’t been lying. It was hard not to notice how big her breasts were, but that was mainly due to the fact that she was wearing an almost see-through blouse. I had a feeling that she wanted me to notice that about her. The neckline was fairly wide and loose, and when she bent down, pretty much everything was on show.
“You must be Francine. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
She laughed. “How did you know? Let me guess; Warren told you to look out for the girl with the big rack. I wouldn’t put it past Warren to say that.”
“Oh, no. I just saw you smiling at me, that’s all,” I said nervously. “I’m Reed by the way.”
“Oh, I know. Warren told me all about you. So, you didn’t notice my breasts first?” she asked. Why on earth did she keep talking about her breasts? I was doing my best not to stare at them either, but it wasn’t easy with her constantly bringing them up.
“I . . .”
“I’m just kidding,” she said and laughed. “They’re my finest assets. What would you say is yours?”
“My what?”
“Your finest asset. I hope it’s your backside. I do have a thing for a man with a nice backside. Stand up, let me see.”
I found myself turning red. This woman was too much for me, and already people were staring. Why had I chosen such a quiet restaurant for this date? I shook my head and tried to laugh it off, but she insisted, and I knew she wasn’t going to let it go unless I stood up. Finally, I stood and turned around.
“Oh yes, very fine. Very fine indeed. So, save any people today?” she said.
“Uh, well, I’m not sure. I hope so,” I said. The conversation was not flowing at all. She was just throwing questions at me that didn’t at all even seem to relate to the previous question. Also, she kept touching adjusting her bra as if she wanted me to look at her chest.
“Oh, you doctors are so modest. I’m sure you saved someone today. How much money do you make, anyway?”
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, you’re being modest again. Come on, let’s get some wine in you. I’ll get the answer out of you later. Waiter,” she yelled. “A bottle of your house red. And make it quick.”
I tried not to groan. If this was how the first five minutes had gone, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know how the rest of the evening was going. I wanted to run away, but the waiter was already back with the wine. He poured me a glass, and I eagerly took a few deep sips.
“Oh, a man that likes to drink. I like you already.”
“So, Francine. What do you do?”
“What do I do? Other than drinking wine and staring at men’s backsides?” she said and laughed. I laughed politely with her. “I’m into fashion.”
“Oh, nice. What side of the business are you in?”
She laughed again. “I buy clothes. I support the fashion industry that way.”
“You buy clothes? I don’t understand.”
“I’m hoping to crack it in the fashion industry. I was hoping to be a model, but with these knockers, I don’t stand a chance. Although I was thinking of creating my own label for those that are a bit more endowed, if you know what I mean. I’ll get there one day. For now, I just spend all the money I got from my divorce on clothes. Learning about the business and all that, you know.”
“Oh, right,” I said. “Well, that’s nice.”
“It is nice. It’s a lot of fun. I don’t think people truly understand the value of looking good and how important it is. I mean, you should know. In a way, you’re like a fashion stylist too.”
“I am?”
“Yeah. You make people look good from the inside, and I want to make people look good from the outside. It’s all the same at the end of the day.”
Was she really comparing the health industry to the fashion industry? The conversation carried on the same for the next half hour. Mostly it was just her telling me about herself, and asking me about how much money I made. Eventually I couldn’t take it anymore. I excused myself and went to the bathroom, and when I came back, I looked at her and sighed.
“This is such awful timing, but one of my patients has taken a turn for the worst, and I have to go and see him. That’s the perils of working as a doctor of course.”
“Oh no. Should I come with you? I don’t mind.”
I shook my head. “No, you better not. It’s a home call, and he won’t want anyone else there but me. The last time I was there for hours, anyway. I’m terribly sorry. Why don’t you stay and order something on me?”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m sure,” I said. I reached for my wallet and took out enough money for her to have two of everything and put it down in front of her. “I apologize.”
She looked at the money and smiled. “Don’t you dare apologize. As long as you call me back so we can try this again some other time.”
I somehow managed to say goodbye without answering the question. I got home and sighed. What was Warren thinking? Did he have no idea what sort of women I liked? Although I wasn’t sure what kind of women I liked, either. I just knew it would be someone that was absolutely nothing like Francine. I drove around for a while, just trying to clear my head. My first foray into the dating world hadn’t gone quite as expected. Then I made my way home.
“Wow, you’re home early,” Kennedy said. She was doing the dishes when I walked in and turned to smile at me. “Trin has just gone to sleep. Does this mean the date didn’t go well?”
I laughed. “It was worse than I thought it would be, and I thought it was going to be pretty bad.”
“Oh dear.”
“I left before ordering any food.”
“Oh, that sounds bad. Come on, sit down and let me warm up the food for you then. You must be starving.”
“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” I said.
“Well, I want to. Anyway, I want to hear all about this date,” she said.
I sat down and smiled at Kennedy. She was obviously very used to caring for someone, and I could imagine why the old man she had worked for before had hired her. I felt instantly better just being in her company. She put a plate of food in front of me. I took one bite and grinned.
“Oh wow, this is amazing.”
“Thank you,” she said. I notice that her pale skin flushed pink at the compliment. “It was a new recipe I wanted to try out. I’m glad you like it. Now, enough about me; tell me about the date.”
“Well, she spoke mostly about her breasts.”
“She did what?”
I nodded. “I’m not joking. Almost every conversation topic went back to how big her breasts were. And let me just mention that it was not me who kept changing the conversation to this. Oh, she also made me stand up so that she could assess my rear end. And she wanted to know how much money I made. Oh wait, one more thing, she buys clothes for a living. She got money from her divorce and her job at the moment is to buy clothes to make herself feel better. She also said that I was a fashion designer because I make people’s insides look better.”
Kennedy burst out laughing. Her hands flew to her mouth as she tried to stop herself from giggling. I shook my fork at her. “I’m glad you found it funny.”
“I’m sorry. But that’s just the most awful thing I’ve ever heard. She doesn’t even sound real. Are you sure this wasn’t just some prank?”
“I wish it was. But I think that people like her actually exist in this world. If that is the indication of how my dating life is going to be, I don’t think I want to be a part of it.”
Kennedy shook her head. “Don’t say that. This is no indication at all. In fact, just imagine how nice t
he next girl is going to seem next to her. Anyway, you’ll find someone soon.”
“How can you be so sure?” I said.
She smiled. “Because you’re quite the catch.”
I looked up at her and caught her eye, and for some reason, we both went silent. She looked away, and I quickly continued to eat. Then she cleared her throat and stood up.
“Well, I better get going. Have a wonderful weekend, Reed, and I’ll see you on Monday morning again. I’ve had a great first week.”
I smiled nervously. “Thanks again for everything, and for staying so late. Have a good weekend too.”
“Oh, before I forget. Trinity and I made chocolate cake today as a surprise for you. But, there may or may not be two slices missing from it.”
I laughed. “Oh yeah? That sounds amazing. Thank you. That’s a great surprise.”
She blushed slightly. “Well, uh, enjoy it. Uh, good night.”
As she walked off, I wondered what had happened. One minute we were getting along great, the next things had gotten strange with us. Had she meant what she had said about me being a catch? Is that what she thought about me? I shook my head. I was clearly not someone she’d be interested in. Kennedy was gorgeous and completely out of my league. I could imagine her going out with someone like my brother Ryan, but not someone like me. I finished eating and made my way over to my daughter’s room. She was fast asleep and looked extremely peaceful. I kissed her forehead. “Good night, lovely girl.”
Chapter Ten
Kennedy
Two weeks had passed since I’d met Reed and Trinity at the grocery store, and I couldn’t believe how quickly they were starting to feel like family to me. It just felt normal to have them around all the time, and I felt comfortable with them. This was unusual for me because it usually took me a lot longer to feel comfortable around someone. I was on my way to meet Camille for dinner, and looking forward to some girl time with her. I hadn’t seen her since I’d started working for Reed.
“Hey, gorgeous,” she said when she saw me.
“Good to see you. Ooh, is this mine?” I said as I pointed to the wine glass on the table.
She chuckled. “Yeah. I hope you don’t mind. I desperately needed a glass myself.”
“Do I mind that you ordered me a glass of wine? Of course not,” I said as I sat down beside her. I took a sip and smiled. “Ah, this is good. So, why do you need a glass so badly? Rough week?”
She nodded. “Remember that big wedding I told you about? Well, it happened today.”
“Today! How did it go?”
“The build up to it was so nerve wracking. For goodness sake, the woman wanted a unicorn ice sculpture as people walked in.”
I laughed. “What? That’s crazy. And kind of cool.”
“You wouldn’t think so when you saw how much that thing cost her. They decided, like a week before might I add, to go for a whole fire and ice theme. So they got married around ice sculptures in this cool room, and everyone was wearing these furry jackets. The décor was all cool blue and white. And then, the reception room was the fire. Fireplaces, red and orange décor. Everyone could wear their skimpy outfits and all that. I’ll be honest; I thought it was going to flop. There were just so many last minute changes, and she kept coming up with new ideas each day. She was driving me absolutely bonkers. But . . . we did it. And it turned out great. I swear, that wedding could’ve easily have ended up as the biggest disaster ever. But thankfully it turned out perfectly. And that, my friend, is why I need this glass of wine now.”
“You need a bottle of wine more like it. Congratulations! You must be so relieved. I hope you’re taking Monday off at least. You deserve a break.”
“Nope. Another wedding is already in the pipeline. A small and intimate affair. So at least this one should be a lot easier. I’m actually looking forward to it. The whole thing is going to seem like a piece of cake after the last one I did. Now, tell me about you. The last time I saw you, we were talking about how you didn’t have a job. Now, two weeks later, you’re all settled in a new one. Are you enjoying it? Or has the little girl turned out to be a brat?”
I chuckled. “She’s an angel. And it’s going so well. I cannot believe how much I’m enjoying it. They’re a great family and so easy to get along with. It’s even better than it was with Mr. Wentworth. Also, the money is great, which doesn’t harm.”
“This guy must be well off then.”
“Reed? He is. But you wouldn’t think so by talking to him. He’s very down to earth, and his daughter doesn’t seem to have any idea that she is rich. She’s so sweet. I’ve completely fallen in love with her.”
“Oh goodness, for a second I thought you were going to say that you had fallen in love with him.”
I laughed and found myself blushing at the thought. “No, not with Reed. With the daughter. You would too. She’s adorable. And she’s taken a liking to me. Apparently she said no to all the other nannies that he had interviewed. So that’s really nice.”
“Wow, you really like her, hey? I hadn’t ever pegged you as someone who enjoyed being around children.”
“Neither did I. So I’m either really good with children and I didn’t know it, or else I just hit the jackpot with her. I’m just so grateful. I probably wouldn’t have lasted very long if I didn’t like the child. Anyway, I think the difference is that this is not just some man who doesn’t want to spend time with his child. This is a man who loves his daughter dearly but who also has a very important and busy job. I can respect that.”
“Are you sure you’re not in love with him?” Camille teased.
“No, I’m not. He’s my boss. But I do thankfully get along pretty well with him. I’ve spent a bit of time with him in the evenings just before I head home and he’s really nice. His job is very interesting too. I have no idea how he’s been doing all this alone for so long.”
“Didn’t have a nanny before too?”
“He did, but still . . . it can’t be easy.”
“Any idea why the mom left?”
“I have no idea. It’s not something I can ask him. Trinity told me that she doesn’t know who her mom is, so I’m assuming she left when Trinity was very young. Breaks my heart.”
“You sure you don’t like him?”
I shook my head. “No, he’s my boss! Anyway, he definitely doesn’t like me in that way. He went on a date the other night.”
“Oh yeah? So he’s seeing someone?”
I chuckled as I thought about his horrific date. “No, he’s not. The date was disastrous. He came home before he had even ordered food.”
“Oh no. I hope you had some food ready for him?” she teased.
“You mock. But that’s my job. So yes, I did.”
“I think you should sleep with him.”
I’d just taken a sip of my wine, and I almost spat it out. “What? Why is the conversation even going this way?”
“Tell me,” she said as she broke a piece of bread and smothered it in butter. “Do you find him attractive?”
“Well, yes. He’s gorgeous. But I don’t see what this has to do with anything.”
“Actually, it has to do with everything. I have a funny feeling that there is a lot of sexual energy in the air with the two of you. And there is one great way to cure sexual tension. Have sex of course. Ken, why have you gone so red?”
“I haven’t,” I said while fanning my face. “It’s just very hot in here. And you, my friend, are absolutely insane. I cannot believe that you are trying to get me to sleep with my boss.”
At that exact moment, the waiter arrived at our table. I felt my face burn even brighter as he had clearly caught what I had just said. I tried to pretend like it didn’t happen and quickly ordered something off the menu without even looking at it. When he was gone, Camille burst out laughing.
“That was so embarrassing,” I said. “Also, I have no idea what I just ordered. I just wanted him out of here. Great, now he thinks I’m trying to sleep with m
y boss.”
Camille laughed. “This dinner is panning out to be even better than I expected,” she said.
I threw her a dirty look. “You are so exasperating. You know that?”
“So, does that mean you’ll sleep with him?”
“No, it does not mean that.”
“Come on; you haven’t been with a guy in forever. I think it’s time.”
“I don’t just sleep around with any guy. You know that. I’m not that kind of person. I’d like to wait until I meet the right guy. Or at least be dating the guy. Can you imagine how awkward things would get if I slept with him?”
Camille sighed. “I still think you should do it. But you do make a valid point. It probably would be kind of awkward.”
“Yes, it would be. Now, can we stop talking about my sex life in the middle of a restaurant and move on to other things?”
She chuckled. “That’s a pity. I was so enjoying watching you squirm.”
After a bit too much wine, and a few more embarrassing conversations I was sure the waiter had heard again, I made my way back home. I made myself a cup of coffee and then flopped onto the sofa. I was about to turn the TV on when the phone rang.
“Hello, Kennedy speaking.”
“Hey, Kennedy. It’s Reed.”
I sat up straighter at the sound of his voice and eagerly tried to push away all thoughts of having sex with him. I cursed Camille for even putting those thoughts in my head.
“Oh, hey, Reed, what’s up?” I said trying to sound as casual as possible.”
“I’m sorry to call you so late.”
“No problem at all,” I said. “I just went out for dinner with my best friend. Little bit too much wine, so excuse me if I slur a bit.”
“Ah, I could use a glass myself, actually. But nah, you’re not slurring. Anyway, the reason I’m calling is I wanted to see if you were free tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Do you need me to look after Trinity?”
“Oh no, I’m not working tomorrow. But Trinity is insisting that you come over. I told her it was your day off too, but she begged me to call you. Of course, if you’re busy you totally don’t have to come. I’m not sure what we’re going to do, but we’ll figure out something on the day. Please don’t feel obligated, though. I just promised Trinity that I would ask you.”
Dirty Daddy (A Single Dad Romance) (The Maxwell Family) Page 6