by B Ivy Woods
“I’m sorry. I don’t know what happened back there. Guess I was lost in my thoughts.”
“How about a penny for them?” Jules asked. “Are you thinking about what to do about Flint?”
“That’s what’s always on my mind,” Rae explained. “I can’t help it at this point.”
“When is the next time you see him again?” Rae glanced at Eve before looking forward.
“Wednesday. He might stop by the office to talk to Danielle.”
“Well, that gives you four days to think it over. And we have your back no matter what you do.”
That earned a smile from Rae. “Thanks. But y’all think I should, right?” She looked around and saw the other three women nodding their heads, so she shook hers. “Of course.”
Liv nudged Rae and said, “Don’t forget, not only are we here for you no matter what you decide, if you invite him and he comes, we’ll all be there to go off on him if he tries something that you don’t want. Now, if he tries something you do want, please take it to your bedroom and keep it quiet.”
Jules gasped, and Rae and Eve burst out laughing. The foursome got several strange looks from people in their general vicinity, but they didn’t care.
Rae couldn’t keep the tears from falling from her eyes. “Liv, I needed that so very much. Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.” Liv winked, and the four continued their strolling down the street.
After enjoying some time with her friends, Rae walked up the stairs to her apartment and opened the door. Glancing at the clock and a package she was supposed to have mailed off two days ago, she noticed that it wasn’t too late to run some errands if she got to it now. She put her bag down on the couch and heard it fall on the floor as she walked into her room. She waved it off and walked into her bathroom.
Not wanting to get her head wet, she snatched her shower cap off of the hook behind her door and hopped into the shower and washed before jumping out and getting ready for the rest of the day. Rae had already decided that although she had a car, she would walk to run her errands today because it gave her a chance to get more exercise, and Arlington could be a pain to drive around in and find parking. She redid her ponytail, threw on a red T-shirt and ripped denim jeans, and figured that her white sneakers would be the perfect finish to the outfit.
She walked into her bathroom to check out the look one more time and decided that it might be worth adding a touch of makeup. Rae put on a tinted moisturizer, mascara, and lip gloss before she walked back into the hallway.
Seeing her phone and purse on the floor, she grabbed them and threw her phone in the pocket, where she usually kept it.
“Now, where are my keys?” she asked herself as she rifled through her bag. Not finding them, she surveyed the room, but still didn’t see her keys. Thinking since her bag fell on the floor, they might be under the couch, so she got down on her knees to check.
“Got ya,” she whispered while sitting up. She grabbed the keys, the package, and some reusable shopping bags that she kept near her front door, placed them in her purse, and walked to her door. Thinking better of it, she snatched her black zip-up and opened the door. After locking it, Rae decided that her first stop should be the post office since it would close soon. The sun was brighter than when she had been out before, so she dug through her bag, trying to find the pair of sunglasses she swore she left in it. Rae then thanked herself for being lazy and not unpacking her bag because the glasses were still there. She placed them over her eyes and headed to the post office.
Grateful that the post office was only a few blocks from her home, she was there within fifteen minutes, which was ten minutes before it closed. There were several people already in line when she entered the facility, so she waited her turn until she handed over her package to the postal worker at the front desk. She paid her bill for postage, thanked the worker, and walked out of the post office.
The walk to the supermarket would take longer than her journey to the post office because she had to pass her apartment to get there. She pulled her headphones out of another pocket in her purse, found a playlist she liked, and let the music keep her company on her way to the supermarket.
Strolling to the corner of the block where her apartment was, she saw something flash out of the corner of her eye. Rae turned to her right but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Thinking it was strange, but figuring there was nothing she could do about it, she kept walking to the store. She reached the store in no time, found a basket, and got to work getting the groceries she needed for the week. What she didn’t realize was how much she was loading the basket until it became too heavy. When she was ready to pay for her things, she rolled her eyes at herself while looking at the basket. She muttered to herself about how she should have driven her car to the supermarket because getting these groceries home would be a pain. Deciding that it wasn’t worth the back pain, Rae set the basket on the ground and proceeded to push it with her foot once she was standing in line for checkout.
As the line moved, she nudged the basket along. A tap on her shoulder almost made her jump two feet in the air. She glanced over her shoulder, and her heart leaped into her throat.
“Didn’t know you liked to go grocery shopping in the middle of the day on a Saturday too.”
12
Flint would shop for groceries at the same time and the same store as her.
“I didn’t know that either. In fact, I assumed you would just have your groceries delivered or something.”
“Nope. I find grocery shopping relaxing when it’s not crazy busy.” Rae glanced at his shopping cart and noticed that most of the things he bought were kind of healthy. She smirked at the fact that he still drank the same beer after all of these years.
“And this is how the world knows you’re a weirdo, Mr. West.”
Flint chuckled and Rae placed her stuff on the conveyor belt. It didn’t take long to ring up Rae’s items and as she was grabbing her things, Flint’s voice stopped her.
“I can help bring the bags out to your car. Just give me a second to pay for the things I bought.”
“Thanks, but I didn’t bring my car.” Rae mentally facepalmed herself because now she knew he would insist on bringing her and the groceries home. Rookie mistake.
“I can drop you off at your house. It wouldn’t be an issue.” Bingo.
“That isn’t necessary.” Her back said otherwise while she was holding the bags, still talking to him instead of walking back to her home.
“Seriously, it’s no problem. I’m happy to take you home. Let me help you put the bags in the cart.” Rae stared at his hands for a second before her back won, and they placed her bags into his cart. After that, Flint turned his attention to the cashier. She waited for him to finish paying for his things and caught the tail end of his conversation with the cashier.
“I’m sure I’ll see you some other time,” he said with a smile and he turned his attention to Rae. Even though she knew she had no reason nor any right to be jealous, she felt a small tinge in her bones. It wasn’t something she was expecting, and she knew better than to act on it, but it caused further conflicting thoughts in her mind. She shifted her body weight as she sent a glare Flint’s way.
“Are you ready to head out?” Flint asked with a small grin. Now that he smiled at her, Rae could tell the difference in his interaction with her and the cashier. This smile was more genuine versus the polite smile he had given just a few seconds before. Rae nodded her head and chastised herself as they strolled out of the store and to his car.
“Here I am,” he said as he stopped the shopping cart behind a black sedan.
Rae stopped suddenly a couple of feet away. “Wow. I’m shocked you don’t have a jeep or a truck.”
“I used to, but figured a sedan would better suit my needs at the moment,” he said as he arranged his groceries in the trunk.
He strolled around to open the passenger side door for her and then set her groceries in the back seat to not m
ix them up with his.
“Thanks for doing all of this,” she said once he’d settled into the driver’s seat.
“Don’t mention it. I was hoping to talk to you anyway.”
“Oh?” Rae turned toward Flint, waiting for him to continue.
“There are a couple of things I wanted to touch on. You’re receiving text messages again? Since when?”
Rae nodded and said, “When you were helping me move.”
Flint paused. “So either someone is watching you or me, or both of us, or they are stealing our messages.”
“It sounds like it, but I hate to seem paranoid.”
He glanced at her before turning his attention back to the road. “I don’t think you’re paranoid at all. Something is up.”
“Do you have any idea who could do this?”
Flint shook his head and said, “No, but I think one option we should look into is installing some sort of security system at your apartment.”
Rae whipped her head and stared at him at the mention of the term we. “We?”
“Yes. Even if you don’t want to date or don’t have feelings for me, I want to make sure you’re safe.”
“The text messages stopped once I blocked the number and didn’t pick back up until we connected again.”
Flint stopped at a light and turned his full attention to her. “So, it’s definitely because of me.”
“If I had to guess, yes.” The thought of it pained Rae to admit it out loud.
“If we didn’t see each other, then whoever it is would leave you alone.”
All Rae could do was nod.
“I think we might have our answer, then.”
Rae didn’t respond right away. But when she did, she had no idea if she would regret these words later. “Why are we just giving in to their demands?”
Flint looked at her with an arched eyebrow, so she continued. “Why are we letting whoever this is win? If we want to hang out with one another, we can hang out with one another. We are adults, and whoever is doing this has no right and can kick rocks.”
He considered this before saying, “You’re right. I think if we’re going to continue whatever it is we are doing, you should still get some sort of system that will help protect you.”
Rae nodded and a few moments later, Flint was pulling his sedan behind Rae’s car. He got out of the car, walked around, and opened the door for her.
“I see some things never change.”
“Hmm” was the only noise Flint made as he was trying to gather her groceries out of the back seat of his car.
“You still open doors for me, drink the same beer, use the same cologne.”
Flint stood up to his full height and started carrying Rae’s groceries toward her apartment. She bit back what was on the tip of her tongue. She would have told him she could handle it by herself.
“My father would have some strong words if I didn’t open doors for women, and I’m shocked you remember what beer I drank and what my cologne was.”
Realizing she had thrown herself into a trap with no way out, she told the truth. “It’s hard to forget many things about you, Flint.”
She could tell he hadn’t expected that response because his mouth opened once before snapping shut. He then smiled at her.
Rae opened the door for him and led him to her kitchen, where he placed her groceries down on the island.
“Seriously, thanks for all of this. I know this was out of your way, but I appreciate it.”
Flint waved her off. “It was my pleasure. I’ll see you around.” He turned to leave her kitchen before her voice stopped him.
“Hey, I’m hosting a housewarming party in a few weeks. You’re more than welcome to come if you want to. I can send you an invitation if you’re interested.” That didn’t come out as smooth as she’d intended, but she couldn’t complain that much.
Flint thought about it for a second before replying, “I would like that, thanks. I think I can make it.”
“I can also order a camera or something, and maybe you can hook it up before the party?”
“That works if you want to wait that long.”
Rae glanced at her front door from where she was standing in the kitchen and then looked back at him. “That should work fine. I’ll make sure I always lock the doors and all that jazz for now, and we can set up the camera next weekend.”
“Sounds like a plan. It was nice seeing you, Rae.” His eyes never left hers.
“Likewise, Flint.” With that, he left.
And Rae leaned back against her counter, wondering what had just happened between them. She couldn’t shake the magnetic pull she had toward him. And she didn’t want to, either.
A couple of weeks later, Rae was on her way back to her office when she was startled by her phone buzzing in her hand. She knew that anyone that could see her would see the confused look on her face and wonder what was wrong. She wasn’t shocked to see a message from Flint since they had been chatting a lot recently. It was his question that puzzled her. Her fingers flowed over the letters on her phone as she typed out a reply to Flint’s question.
Rae: What do you mean you want me to attend an event with you?
Flint: I want you to attend an event with me if you are free. Tonight. Please.
Rae: This isn’t super last minute or anything.
She looked up at her computer clock and saw that it was 1:47 p.m. She could attend an event tonight if she wanted to, even though it was interrupting her plans to spend some quality time on her couch with Ben and Jerry.
Flint: I’m sorry. I wasn’t planning on going either, but a colleague couldn’t attend and had two tickets, so I jumped at the opportunity.
Rae: Why not take your dad?
Flint: Because I want you to come. Are you telling me you wouldn’t want to come face-to-face with Rep. John Clarkson?
Just like that, Ben and Jerry were put on ice as she mentally prepared herself to attend this event that Flint sprung on her.
Staring at herself in the mirror in the bathroom at work, Rae felt nerves in the pit of her stomach. Why was she even going to this thing? Rae eyed the dress that she had on and knew it was perfect for the occasion, but that had just been by chance. The dark short-sleeved green dress hit just above the knee, and she’d chosen nude heels with gold jewelry to finish the outfit. Thanking her lucky stars that she wore this dress today, she refreshed her makeup, adding a touch of a dark burgundy lipstick before removing the clip that had been holding her hair up all day.
After fluffing her long brown hair one more time, she gave herself one glance over, grabbed her purse and brown jacket, and walked out of the bathroom. Once she reached the entrance to her office building, she double-checked the information Flint had given her and hailed a taxi. She was on her way to a big reception honoring former Rep. John Clarkson at the Ronald Reagan Building in downtown DC. Flint had promised he would meet her at the entrance just off of the Woodrow Wilson Plaza. As the taxi cruised along the streets of DC, weaving in and out of rush hour traffic, she checked her phone to make sure she hadn’t missed anything. Seeing nothing, she texted Jules to check if she might have someone else to talk to while at this event.
Rae: Are you going to the Rep. Clarkson event tonight?
Jules: No. Are you? Since when?
Rae: Yep. As of three hours ago. Flint invited me.
Jules: …
Jules: Interesting.
Rae: ?
Jules: Didn’t know you’d be going. Let me know how it goes.
Rae squinted at her phone as if that would help her understand what Jules meant. When the taxi was a few blocks away from the Ronald Reagan Building, Rae pulled out her phone again to check her makeup.
“Well, this is as good as it will get,” she muttered as the taxi pulled up outside of the building. She walked past several entrances before she reached the one where she was supposed to meet Flint. She placed her coat and purse on the conveyor belt and waited her turn to walk through
the metal detectors. Once she was on the other side, she retrieved her purse, checked her coat, and started looking for Flint.
As she looked for him, Rae noted how majestic the Ronald Reagan Building was. The area of the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center could hold massive events in their atrium alone. The architects designed the building like many of the federal buildings in DC with its limestone exterior, but it was considerably newer. A decent-sized stage was set up in the atrium and overlooked a sea of tables, which Rae assumed meant the event had a sit-down dinner portion of the evening at some point.
“Thanks for mentioning that to me, Flint,” Rae muttered as she continued her quest to find him. He was standing near the entrance of the building, just off to the side from the metal detectors. How she made it past him without either one of them seeing each other was beyond her.
Rae couldn’t help but eye Flint from afar. He must have a tailor on retainer because his suits fit him well. His navy-blue suit fit him like a glove and should be his standard uniform from now on. When he turned around, she saw he was wearing a light blue button-down and a dark green tie, which was an odd coincidence because it matched her dress. Just as she was about to make her way toward him, he looked up and beamed. It was infectious because she smiled back at him.
“There you are,” he said as he stepped in to kiss her on the cheek.
“Hey yourself,” she said. She adjusted her purse strap, and her eyes darted around the room, taking everything in.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
Rae nodded and said, “Yeah, it might calm my nerves.”
“Why are you nervous?”
“I don’t know. It just seems like a big deal to be here. I mean it’s Rep. John Clarkson. Who knows how many lives and people he’s touched. There are many reasons why so many people are here to honor him.”