A feeling of déjà vu came over her. Her heart thumped faster.
She stepped back so he could come in, and he closed the door slowly and locked it. The rainwater glistened on his olive skin.
Oh, boy. This is going to be harder than I anticipated.
“Sorry about this,” he said. “I was determined to get out here to you, but I wasn’t prepared for the rain to come down the way it has.” He wiped his feet on the rug in the entryway. Small drops of water still managed to find their way onto her hardwood floor.
“That’s okay,” Julia said. “Follow me.” She took him into the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”
“No, thank you. I’m fine.” His formal tone made her confidence waver. Almost.
“Well, here’s the business plan,” she said, sliding the folder along the island toward him.
When she’d called him earlier in the day, she asked him to come by to pick it up. As she suspected, it was the only copy he had, so he was only too willing to oblige. She could have faxed or emailed it to him, but he never requested either. She hadn’t told him it had been retyped. He thought she had made the changes to his handwritten copy.
He looked up from the sheets, a frown of confusion on his face. “You typed it?”
“Well, I had my assistant type it,” Julia said. He hadn’t smiled yet. She needed to see his smile. “I took the liberty of reworking the numbers.” She sidled close to him to point out the changes. She was so nervous she passed her fingers through her loose hair to hide their shaking. She’d never taken the assertive role in her personal relationships before. Being assertive had always been reserved for the business world.
She purposely let her thigh brush his, but he shifted away from her. She pretended not to notice. “By applying a little more leverage, you allow your assets to remain intact and available for you in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, you use the bank’s money to finance your expansion, and you can pay them back faster if you have the financial means to do it.”
He nodded his understanding. “Who’s this?” He pointed to the business card clipped to the folder.
“Oh, that’s a friend of mine over at SunTrust Bank. Whenever we get potential clients we’re not interested in financing, I send them to him if I think they’re viable. He reviewed your plan today and wants you to come in as soon as possible to fill out the application for a business loan.”
Both eyebrows rose toward his hairline. “You’re kidding.”
“No.” Julia grinned broadly.
“Wow. Thank you, Julia. I don’t even know what to say.” He waved his hand aimlessly in the air. “Do I owe you anything? I should pay you for this. I—I can’t believe it.”
“Believe it, and you don’t owe me anything. Your plan was strong, and you’re a healthy risk.” He still hadn’t smiled. She’d seen shock and appreciation on his face, but no smile.
“Well, thank you.” He extended his hand to her. She didn’t take it. She didn’t want to shake his hand. She wanted to bury herself in the warmth of his embrace and press her cheek against his hard chest so she could feel the beat of his heart.
“I don’t understand. That’s it?” she asked.
He looked puzzled and lowered his hand. “Was there something else?” Did he really not know? Couldn’t he tell she was extending an olive branch?
Julia ran her palm over the island top before looking Freddie in the eye again. His face was expressionless as he waited for her answer. “This isn’t easy for me, but…um…the night we went dancing, I had a very good time. But when you brought me home, I said some things I shouldn’t have.”
He quirked a brow. “Go on.”
He wasn’t going to make this easy. She took two short breaths to calm her nerves. She hated baring her soul. “When we broke up, my ex really let me have it. He said I’d grown cold and was no longer fun, and I didn’t spend enough time thinking about his needs, among other things. He blamed his cheating and the collapse of our relationship on me, and it hurt to hear those words. When I thought about the years we spent together, our relationship turned out to be a bad investment of my time. I evaluate businesses for a living, make recommendations on whether or not to invest in them, and I’d made the worst investment of my life by staying with a man long past the expiration date on our relationship. When I saw him again, it all came flooding back.”
Freddie’s face softened a fraction. “I saw how upset you were, and I wished I could have fixed it for you. You became a completely different person after you ran into him. Which is understandable. I don’t see him winning the Mr. Congeniality trophy.”
“So you understand?” Relief flooded her system. “He made me afraid of loving again, and I doubted my own judgment. I took out my anger and hurt on you, and it wasn’t fair. I know it wasn’t, and I feel horrible about it.”
Freddie nodded, his eyes thoughtful. “I figured as much at the time, but I’ve also had time to think, and we both need to be honest. He’s your type, not me. I don’t shop at high-end stores or get manicures.” He held up his hands for her to see. “I have callouses on my hands, and my idea of a manicure is taking an old toothbrush to scrub the dirt from under my nails at the end of the day.” He looked down at his clothes and pointed. “This is what I wear to work. Every day. Can you handle that? Can you handle having your friends comment about what your man does for a living? You won’t be able to say I’m a banker or an investor. I work construction. Will you be okay telling people what I do in polite conversation at your dinner parties?”
“Of course! I don’t know a single person who would make a negative comment about your work, and I certainly don’t care about what you do for a living.”
“Come on, Julia.” He shook his head. “We had a good time, and maybe we can go dancing some other night when you’re free, but we both know this isn’t going anywhere. Thanks for your help on my business plan.” He turned toward the doorway.
She said the first thing that came to her mind. “No!”
Freddie stopped and turned slowly toward her. “No?”
“No,” Julia said in a calmer voice. “You’re doing what I did. You’re rejecting me because you’re afraid of getting hurt. You think a relationship between us won’t last because I’ll compare you to my ex or—or because I’ll be embarrassed—really?—to tell my friends about you. That will never happen.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes.”
His face changed into a stony mask. Freddie took two steps forward and slammed the folder on the island. His actions made her jump and her eyes widened in surprise. “I’ve lived it. I want to believe you’re different, and I did at one point, but I’m not so sure. Let’s say I believe you really don’t have a problem dating a blue collar man, we still have to deal with the baggage from our previous relationships. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a better handle on mine than you do. You don’t want to waste your time and neither do I. So let me ask you, what happens the next time you run into that guy? Are you going to fall apart again? Are you going to allow him to control your feelings and make you feel bad about yourself so that you take it out on me?”
“No.” She spoke in a strong voice, to reassure him.
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” he demanded. His eyes flashed down at her. “You believe it now, but what happens when you’re face to face with your past and what could have been?’
“I’ll feel exactly the same way I feel now. I’ll feel relieved that I got away from him and didn’t waste any more time on a dead relationship.”
His expression let her know he still had doubts.
“I’m willing to start over if you are,” she said. She had to convince him she was worth the risk. “We both have issues, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward and help each other heal.” Time for Plan B. “Wait right here.”
Julia whizzed past him and hurried into her bedroom. When she returned, she carried an empty, but complete, set of luggage. She held a s
uitcase in each hand, a duffle bag tucked under her left arm, and she had thrown an overnight bag over her right shoulder. She stepped into the kitchen and dropped all of them onto the floor.
“What—”
“I don’t know how much baggage you come with, but this doesn’t even begin to represent all the baggage I come with.” Be brave, she coaxed herself. Stop being afraid.
Freddie stopped staring down at the bags and looked up at her.
“I’m not perfect. I’ll probably put my foot in my mouth again like I’ve done before, but that doesn’t mean I care about you any less. You said we could go as slow as I wanted. Did you mean it? I just need a little time to get my act together, but I know we’re right for each other. I see it now. Let’s start over.” Her lips curled into a tentative smile. “I’m Julia Newman. I like a man who can make me laugh. I like a man who’s honest and goal-oriented—and muscles don’t hurt, either.” Her attempt at humor elicited a small smile from him. That tiny glimpse spurred her on. “Three years ago, I got out of a long term relationship. It was very painful. Any man I become involved with, whoever he is, has to be patient.”
She stepped closer, gazing up at him, letting him see in her eyes how much she cared about him and needed him in her life. The fear of losing him forever and never knowing where they could take the relationship they’d started instilled a far greater fear in her than the fear of loving him and getting hurt.
“I’m still scared, but if you’ll be a little patient with me, I promise you won’t regret it.”
She waited, holding her breath, hearing her heart beat so loud she wouldn’t doubt he heard it, too. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he enclosed her hand in the warmth of both of his and graced her with a full smile. Everything would be fine. She could breathe again.
“My name is Frederico Mendoza, but everybody calls me Freddie. Maybe I’m the man you’re looking for. I’ve been told I have a good sense of humor. I’m honest, and my goal is to expand my business from a six man crew to a twelve man crew in the next two years.” He spoke quietly, the warmth of his voice enveloped her. “And I think you’re worth waiting for.”
Not caring that he was in his work clothes, Julia did what she’d wanted to do since the moment he stepped inside the house. She buried herself in the comfort of his arms and pressed her cheek against chest.
About the Author
Delaney Diamond (delaneydiamond.com) was born and raised in the U.S. Virgin Islands. She has been an avid reader for as long as she can remember and wrote her first novel at the age of fourteen, which she only shared with her friends. Her writing won her several trophies in high school and a scholarship to help pay for college. In 2008 she started freelance writing, and in 2009 she gave fiction writing a try again, which resulted in her debut novel, The Arrangement.
A diehard foodie, when her head’s not buried in a book, she’s in the kitchen trying out new recipes or dining at her favorite restaurants with friends. She speaks fluent conversational French and can get by in Spanish.
Another great read from Astraea Press!
Joan Smith worked hard not to fidget while she waited at the back of the line that wound its way around the bank’s glossy interior. No fewer than twenty people awaited attention from the bank’s lone teller in the space not designed for such a crowd. To make matters worse, the woman seemed to take the longest time possible to complete even the simplest of transactions for the frustrated customers.
Since she’d opened her account with this bank a little over six years ago, Joan had noted their claim to fame seemed to be super bad service. All that was about to end, Joan thought, as the man being served snatched up his documents and stormed off. For her anyway. She’d opened another account with an online bank a couple years ago. They’d been fabulous. They’d even notified her when this bank had tried to initiate an automated loan transfer from her new accounts based on information she’d given them for one payment. Even though it was a huge pain in the rear end, that’s what had prompted her to finish paying off this loan with cash in person.
“Next.” Her tone dripped with boredom as the teller shrugged and took in the line with a nonchalant air.
When the customers inched forward, Joan fantasized at how wonderful it would feel once she was done with this institution. She had one last payment on the loan she’d had to take out to repay the bank’s hefty overdraft fees incurred after they’d held a deposit without her knowledge. Just thinking of the way they’d drained her checking and savings accounts in less than two days was enough to get her steaming mad. So it was best not to think about it. Especially since they’d covered themselves so well they could legally steal all she had then make her repay them for the trouble. Without some major clout or cash behind her, all that had been left for her to do was suck it up, pay off the debt and move on. After this final payment, that’s exactly what she planned to do.
Another customer stormed out, jarring Joan from her thoughts. She watched the woman shove the door open and stomp her way up the street. Oh yeah. It would be fantastic to be finished with this bank.
“Next.”
The line inched forward and Joan clutched the canvas shoulder bag just a bit tighter since it contained the eight hundred dollars in twenties that represented her freedom from this bank. Even after all these months of large cash payments, she still hadn’t become comfortable carrying so much cash. She slid her hand inside the canvas bag and searched for the reassuring feel of the Ziploc baggie she’d put the money in. It was lodged under her coupon binder and she had to tug it free. Joan had no idea how much she had in change in the baggie, but it had been getting hard to zip when she put the payment in.
Her hand brushed against her camera case. In one last effort to keep from being screwed over yet again, Joan had brought her digital camera with her. The video function was going to be put to good use when she filmed her final transaction proving everything was paid on time and no additional fees had been incurred. Then she’d be finished with this bank forever. She couldn’t help the smile that blossomed on her lips.
“You’re quite mistaken. It is not possible for this account to be overdrawn.”
The cultured tones and hint of an accent drew Joan’s attention to the front of the line where the tall, handsome, strawberry blond man stood arguing with the teller. She’d noticed him before on several of her other payment runs and also in a couple of the local restaurants along Main Street. He’d always been alone and seemed preoccupied with writing in some kind of notebook while eating his food. Joan had never frequented the restaurants she’d seen him in because there’d never been a coupon for any of them. Maybe someday she’d convince herself to do something without a coupon. That day wasn’t today, however.
“Sir, I’m afraid I’m going to have to ask you to calm down. You’re causing a scene,” the teller admonished the man while staring at him over the tops of her wire-rimmed glasses.
“You steal my money, yet I’m the one ‘causing a scene’? You must be joking.” The man had a way of looking down his long, straight nose at the teller that caused the woman to squirm.
Amused because she’d never seen anyone else get the best of the teller before, Joan leaned to the side to get a better view since the customers in front of her were doing the same. No one bothered to pretend like they were ignoring the altercation.
“I demand to speak with your superior right this moment.” The man never raised his voice but his tone was forceful nonetheless. One had to be a complete idiot to continue arguing with him. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what the teller was.
“There is nothing the manager can do. You’ve overdrawn your account. If you’d like to make a deposit…”
Joan frowned, remembering those same words said to her two years ago. Determined not to let the bank get away with this again and maybe because she didn’t want the poor guy to miss any meals, she pulled out her camera and started videotaping the scene.
“A deposit? It is clear, madam
, that you’re out of your mind. Why would I give you one more dollar when you’ve already misplaced the ones given to you previously?”
The woman’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment. “Like I said before, we have nothing to do with your account being empty. You have to watch your spending habits. If you’ll step this way, we have counselors on staff to—”
“Am I to understand that you expect me to undergo counseling because you stole my money?”
“If you don’t calm down, I’m calling security,” the teller warned even though the man had yet to raise his voice.
“Please, call them. Tell them to bring my money with them.”
“That’s it, sir!” The teller picked up the phone and dialed. “I need you to escort a customer out.”
“I’m not going anywhere until you–”
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