“Ah, I get that.” I took another bite, chewing as I watched Beth work. “It sure looks like she’s in her element there. Personally, I hate having people in my office when I’m trying to get shit done.”
“Same here.” She let out a wistful sigh. “Well, back when I had an office and work to do. I’m taking a break to finish school, but I’m going to miss the kids.”
“The kids?” I snapped my fingers. “Right, so you’re doing your doctorate in education?”
Chuckling as she shook her head, she looked right into my eyes for the first time since we’d sat down. “No, it’s not a bad guess, though. I’m studying psychology. I used to be a guidance counselor at a local grade school.”
With her gaze still set on mine, it was easy to see her passion for what she did. Light came into her eyes and her expression softened. “Psychology, huh? That’s admirable. I don’t know if I could sit around listening to other people’s problems all day. I mean, I know it’s much more than that, but that’s the general idea, right?”
“It’s about helping people, and that’s something I love to do. Everyone needs a little help sometimes. There’s no shame in it, but a lot of people seem to believe there is. I think it makes people stronger when they can admit to needing help.”
“I wholeheartedly agree.” My fingers itched to touch the soft-looking skin on her face, to cradle her cheek, and kiss her to show her just how completely I agreed with her. “Yours is a profession I have a lot of respect for. I sure as hell wouldn’t be able to do it.”
“You help people, too,” she said. “In your own way. Finding someplace for people to live and raise their families must feel pretty incredible.”
“It does.” I felt that same light I’d seen entering her eyes minutes before coming into my own. “I think I got addicted to it the first time I showed a house and it sold. These days, I don’t get to help people find homes nearly as often, but finding space for them to grow or expand their businesses is pretty fucking exhilarating too.”
“I can just imagine,” she said, and I really believed that she could.
“Speaking of which, did you find another realtor to help you out? I was expecting to have heard from you by now.”
Her cheeks grew pink and she suddenly seemed to find her untouched food extremely interesting.
Internally sighing, I shoved the rest of my hot dog into my mouth and chewed through the irrational stab of disappointment in my gut. When I’d finally swallowed, she still hadn’t said anything.
“It’s okay if you have,” I said. “I just hope you’ve found someone who has your best interests at heart.”
“I haven’t found anyone else,” she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth so fast, they almost became one. “I lost your card.”
Hearing that pleased me more than it should have. “Well then, since you can’t be trusted with numbers, give me yours and I’ll give you a call.”
“Really?” She arched a manicured brow. “You’d still be willing to help me? Aren’t you, like, super busy or something?”
I nearly choked on a laugh. “Yeah, I am busy, but I’m also willing to help you. It is my job, after all.”
“True.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, shifting to face me. “Thank you, I’d really appreciate your help. I’m sorry for losing your card.”
“That’s okay. There’s a reason those things are outdated.” I straightened my leg and dug into the pocket of my jeans to pull out my phone. After tapping in my passcode, I handed it over. “Here. Give me your number.”
“If they’re so outdated, why do you still use them?” She took the phone and typed in her number before handing it back, a grin on her full lips. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just program your number into my phone to begin with?”
“With your track record, you’d have just lost the phone. Consider it a public service. Replacing your phone would have been much harder.”
I saw the tip of her tongue peeking out, but she seemed to think the better of sticking it out at me. It was too late, though.
I’d seen her tongue and it had sent my mind racing to the nearest gutter. My dick reacted to the images waiting for it in said gutter, of what that tongue might feel like on it, but I breathed through the impending erection and reminded myself that she was nothing but a potential client.
A playful swat to my bicep brought me back to reality. “I’ve never lost a phone, I’ll have you know. The only thing I’ve lost this year is your card.”
“Joke’s on me then.” I smirked, but for some reason, Andrew’s warning played through my mind. She hadn’t lost anything this year except for my card. Surely, that had to mean something, but so did running into her again.
Instead of heeding his ridiculous warning, I finished the other hot dog she had generously gotten me and turned back to her. “Tell me more about being a guidance counselor. I’m not afraid to admit that I got sent to mine back at school more than once. I had a knack for getting in trouble and they thought the poor woman would help me. I’ve never thought about things from her perspective before.”
Elsie laughed but nodded. “It’s an interesting job for sure. I’ve been doing it for a few years and most of that time was spent at one school, but more recently, I was helping out for a colleague on maternity leave.”
She regaled me with stories of the kids she’d seen, not making fun of them but just telling me about them and the challenges they’d faced. At some point, I saw Andrew speaking to a different woman than the one he’d left me for, but he seemed fine, so I didn’t bother motioning him over.
In between telling me stories, she asked about my job but, refreshingly, not about my family or upbringing. I noticed she didn’t mention hers either, but since this was only our second conversation, I didn’t bring it up.
I sure as hell wasn’t ready to tell her anything about that, and I figured she felt the same way. When the brunette from the food truck stepped outside, I noticed the line was all but gone.
“That was fast,” I commented before realizing that obviously, more time had passed than I’d noticed since sitting down.
Elsie looked up, blinked a few times, then shrugged. “Beth mentioned that sports arenas clear out fast after a game. Most people have plans after or whatever, but she thought it was worth it to come for those few who might want to grab an immediate bite to eat.”
“Makes sense,” I said, crumpling up my plate and holding my hand out for hers. She’d finally gotten around to eating while telling me about her job.
With both plates in hand, I got up and offered my free hand to her. She took it, climbing lightly to her feet and releasing my fingers immediately before dusting off her ass.
“I’d better get back to helping Beth, but I’ll speak to you soon?”
“Sure, I’ll be in touch about a house,” I said.
“As long as you don’t lose my number, you mean.” She smiled. “Have a good night, Taydom. Thanks again for being so willing to help me.”
A giggle rang out behind her when she took off toward her friend. I watched her go. Andrew walked up to me and raised a brow, his gaze flicking between mine and Elsie’s retreating back.
He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to.
“Shut up,” I growled and fished my keys out of my pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 11
Elsie
“Why do you need another pack of highlighters?” Beth groaned as we stood in front of the stationery aisle. “You already have two.”
“When you see the size of my textbooks, you’ll understand.” I opted for more of the bright colors over the pastels and added them to my cart. “Besides, whose school supplies are we shopping for?”
“Yours, thank God. I had more than enough of school in the twelve mandatory years to last me a lifetime.” She flicked her curls over her shoulder. “You’re a better person than me for volunteering for more of that torture.”
“I like studying,
” I protested. “I’m going to miss it once I eventually graduate.”
“I think you need your own help,” she joked. “But here, have some more pens.”
I laughed, but in all honesty, I’d just been about to add another box anyway. “Thanks. Now we can move on to files and sticky notes. If I can’t organize properly, I’ll never get around to graduation.”
“Oh joy.” Beth clapped her hands together with fake enthusiasm. “More school supplies. Just like I always wanted.”
“Hey, you said you wanted to come.” I shot her a smile. “I appreciate you being here, but you really didn’t have to. As you can see, I’m more than capable of stationery shopping by myself.”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t get the scoop on you and Taydom from last night.” She took over control of the cart and propped her elbows on the handle, her eyes never leaving mine. “I might have been too wiped out to talk much last night after the rush, but I’m all ears now.”
“There’s not much to tell.” Unfortunately. “We talked, we ate, he took my number, and he’s going to give me a call about a house sometime.”
“What did you talk about?” she asked. “It had to have been an interesting conversation. You two were at it the whole time I was serving.”
“It wasn’t that long.” I ran my finger along the binders of some notebooks and decided to add some of those to my loot. “It was, what, like twenty minutes?”
“It was more than an hour,” she said dryly. “So spill, girlfriend. What did you talk about with one of the richest men in Dallas that kept him glued to your side for that long?”
“More than an hour, really?” I frowned. “It didn’t feel like it was that long.”
“Trust me. It was. An hour that felt like two lifetimes from the inside of my truck, but never mind that. I want details.”
“We really didn’t talk about much. We joked around a little. I told him about being a guidance counselor and he answered some of my questions about his job.”
“It looked a lot more intimate than that from where I was standing. He couldn’t stop looking at you.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “I looked around all the time, and even if he had been looking at me, it was only because we were having a conversation.”
Beth sniffed. “No, I don’t think so. It definitely looked like it was about more than that.”
“It wasn’t. He’s going to help me find a house. That’s it.” Surprisingly, he also seemed to be a nice guy. It was contrary to what Beth had told me she’d read about him, but I’d always been one to form my own opinions about things and people. “He was really cool about it, too. Considering who he is, I thought he would be pissed about me losing his number or not calling him immediately, but he laughed the whole thing off.”
“So you gave him your number?” she asked. “Why would you do that? Why not take his again?”
“Why would I take his again?” I countered as I loaded some lever-arch files in with the rest of my stuff. “He took mine. Problem solved. You said he would be the best person to help and he’s going to help.”
“Yeah, but now you’ve given up all the power already. You could have made him work for your number at the very least.”
With a shake of my head, I laughed until a woman farther down the aisle shot me an annoyed look. “It’s nothing more than him looking for a house for me, Beth. I don’t need any power in that relationship. All I need is the money to either buy or rent whatever place he comes up with. If I even like it, that is.”
Her face fell. “But you said you liked him.”
“I said I found him attractive. That doesn’t mean anything.” More than attractive actually. Having spent some more time with him, I’d also learned that he was attentive, kind, charming, and witty. All of which were qualities that I liked in a man. “Trust me. There’s nothing going on between us.”
“Could there be?” she asked, hope sparking behind her eyes. “He wasn’t the only one who couldn’t stop staring. I really thought I saw some chemistry between you two.”
“I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel anything with him.” I’d felt a lot, but I was pretty sure he didn’t feel the same way. He’d been polite, friendly, and pleasant enough, but he hadn’t said or done a single thing that was flirtatious or otherwise indicated any kind of mutual attraction.
For a guy like him, I wasn’t surprised. Despite my more voluptuous shape, I didn’t have any body issues. I was really pretty confident for a bigger girl.
Did it mean that I pranced around in barely there skirts or in bikinis on beaches full of people? No, but I couldn’t imagine I’d do that even if I lost the weight.
I loved my fuller hips and breasts, and though I didn’t necessarily love the jiggling of my stomach or thighs, I didn’t really look at them often enough to hate them either. The point was, though, that despite how I felt about myself, men like Taydom didn’t look at me.
I was girl-next-door pretty. The bright emerald of my eyes and sleek black hair I’d inherited from my mother, along with the heart shape of her face and full lips, guaranteed that I got some attention, but I wasn’t a stunner, and I was perfectly happy with that.
There was no changing it anyway. My body type was what it was, and no amount of dieting or exercise when I’d been younger had changed it, so I lived healthily but had stopped obsessing about the extra weight.
“What’s the problem then?” Beth interrupted my thoughts. “You felt something with him and I’m convinced he felt it too. I was an outsider to your conversation, and as an outsider, I feel like I’m in a better position to judge body language.”
“You were a biased outsider who knew that I thought he was attractive. I love you for it, Beth, but you’re not completely objective.”
She huffed out a breath as we moved slowly down the aisle. “I might not be objective, but I’m not blind, either. There was something there. I’m telling you now. Mark my words.”
“Fine, consider them marked. It’s nothing, though. I promise. He’s just a nice guy and he’s really good at his job.”
“Sure, I can agree with you on the last part, but nothing I’ve read suggests he’s a nice guy. If anything, he’s known to be an aloof, evasive dick who gets things done. No matter what the cost.”
I rolled my eyes at her. “Are you listening to yourself? That’s what you’ve read. Isn’t the press known for embellishing and creating mystery in order to sell their stories?”
“Maybe.” She sighed and placed her hands on the handle of the cart, no longer nudging it along with her elbows. “But I don’t think that’s it. I’ve read a ton about this guy, and they’ve all reported the same things.”
“He probably just knows what to say and how to act to sell news.” Taking a bulk pack of sticky notes off the shelf, I turned to survey what we had so far. “I think we’re almost done. You want to add some ice cream before we take off?”
She gave me a bright smile. “Of course I do. Who wouldn’t want ice cream? It’s hot as hell outside.”
I laughed. “You make a good point. We’d better get some extra for our freezers too.”
Saying those words made me think of something else I’d been considering but hadn’t mentioned to her. Beth and I spent most nights these days staying over at each other’s houses, and the more I thought about it, the more I realized she’d be the perfect roommate.
“When I find a house,” I started, not really knowing how to broach the subject, “would you like to move in with me? You could save on rent and it’d be fun living together.”
“It would be fun,” she said, but her tone made her answer pretty clear. “But I’m fine in my little two-bedroom house. It’s more than enough for me, and better yet, I don’t have any responsibilities. My tiny lawn could go for a month without being mowed, and I never have to worry if I have nothing but wine in my fridge.”
I couldn’t help but feel a frisson of relief running through me. I’d been living on my own for a while now and I
hadn’t really wanted to give that up. “That’s fine. I just thought I’d offer. You’ve done so much for me and—”
Her hand flew up to clamp over my mouth. “Stop it with all that already. You do just as much for me, and everything I’ve done, I’ve done because I wanted to. You don’t owe me anything, least of all a place to stay.”
“You would save on rent,” I offered.
She rolled her eyes at me. “The truck’s doing well enough that I can afford it. I appreciate the offer, babe, really. You’re welcome to stay with me whenever you like, and I expect the same privileges at your place, but you don’t have to worry about me.”
My phone chiming distracted both of us.
Beth’s eyes lit up. “Is that him?”
“I don’t know yet.” I laughed. “Give me a second to get it out of my purse.”
Practically bouncing beside me, she waited impatiently to read the message, which was from the him in question. “It’s Taydom.”
“I knew it.” She gave her butt a wiggle. “I knew he liked you.”
I turned my screen toward her so she could see for herself that there was nothing going on between us.
Unknown: See? This is what you do when people give you their number. You reach out. Are you free tomorrow sometime so I can get an idea of what you’re looking for?
“Girl, how is that not flirting?” She stared at my phone and jabbed a finger at it. “That’s totally flirting. Don’t message him back right away. Wait a day or two. Take back the power.”
“I told you I don’t care about the power.” I turned the screen back and typed a fast reply, sending it off before she could make me doubt myself.
Me: Sure. Tomorrow would be great. Since my time is flexible right now, what time works for you?
Chapter 12
Give Me The Weekend Page 7