Rex

by Lori Wilde

  “The car broke down,” Sophia said to her mother. “I got a ride home with a co-worker, and I asked him to dinner.”

  “The car?” Sophia’s mother sounded alarmed. “Not again!”

  Mike winced. They were struggling financially.

  “Mother.” Sophia placed a hand on Mike’s shoulder and ushered him into the kitchen. “This is my coworker, Mike.”

  Mike paused in the doorway.

  Sophia’s mother was in a wheelchair, stirring a pot on a stove that was lower than normal. Startled, he realized Sophia’s mother used a wheelchair. He’d had no idea.

  She was a thin woman with blond hair now streaked with silver and eyes as blue as Sophia’s. In her mid-to-late forties, she was still an attractive woman.

  But there was a sadness in her eyes that wasn’t in her daughter’s. A damaged edge that said life had kicked her around one time too many.

  “Mike? That’s short for Michael, right.” She smiled and extended her hand. “So nice to meet you at last. I’m Jannette.”

  “He’s not Rex Michael Barrington, Mom,” Sophia said. “He’s Mike Barr, our handyman.”

  “Oh.” Instantly, the welcoming expression on Jannette’s face shifted to disappointment, but she quickly hid it. “Well, Mike, thank you for bringing Sophia home. You’ll stay for supper?”

  “If you’ve got enough.”

  “Absolutely,” Jannette replied. “Sophia, honey, why don’t you set the table?”

  The food was delicious. Mike had no quibble with Jannette’s cooking, but he couldn’t shake the feeling she secretly disapproved of him.

  He glanced up from the meal to find her studying him with a frown. In response, he gave her a big grin, but she did not return his smile.

  “So, Mike,” Jannette said at last. “How long have you been working as a handyman?”

  Aha, he thought. Now we get down to the nitty-gritty. A handyman wasn’t good enough for her daughter.

  “A few months.”

  “Where did you work before coming to Barrington Oil and Gas?” Jannette asked.

  “Here and there.”

  “I see. How old are you?”

  “Mother,” Sophia said in a shocked tone.

  “Thirty-six,” Mike drawled.

  “And you’re still working as a handyman?”

  “Mom! Save the third degree. Mike and I aren’t dating. He just gave me a ride home.”

  Jannette smiled an apology. “I’m sorry to put you on the spot, Mike, but you must understand. I’m a single mother, and Sophia is my only child. I want the best for her.”

  He nodded. “I understand, Mrs. Shepherd.”

  And he did. The modest house, the meager surroundings, the wheelchair. He didn’t know the whole story, but her motives were easy enough to figure out. Jannette wanted a way out of poverty for her daughter. In her eyes, marrying a rich man was her golden ticket.

  “Thank you for dinner,” he said after they had eaten cheesecake and sang happy birthday to a blushing Sophia. He noticed she didn’t tell her mother about the glass paperweight he had given her for her birthday. “The food was delicious.”

  “Thank you for seeing Sophia home safe and sound.”

  “I’ll have a look at her car,” he said, his eyes boldly meeting Jannette’s. “I’m pretty good at fixing things. Maybe I can repair it and save her some money.”

  “That’s very considerate of you, Mike. We appreciate it.” Jannette never dropped her gaze. Even though her voice was pleasant, her underlying message wasn’t hard to decipher. A handyman was not good enough for her daughter.

  “I’d better hit the road,” Mike said.

  “I’ll walk you outside.” Sophia got up to walk with him.

  Twilight had gathered while they were inside having supper. Overhead, a few bright early stars shone down. Shu-Shu purred and weaved between Sophia’s legs.

  Sophia reached into her pocket and gave him her car keys. “In case you want to have a look at my car.”

  “I’ll pick you up tomorrow morning,” he said. “About seven fifteen?”

  “Thank you.”

  “The food was great. Thanks for dinner.”

  “I want to apologize for my mother,” Sophia said. “She’s had a hard life.”

  “Nothing to apologize for.” Mike picked up his helmet and straddled the motorcycle.

  “She means well.”

  “I understand. Only the best for her daughter. And that excludes handymen.”

  “Mike, I...”

  Light from the street lamp shone down on her in a hazy glow. She looked so beautiful standing there that his heart caught in his throat, and his head reeled dizzily. Mike had no inkling what was coming next. Sophia took him by surprise.

  She leaned over the handlebars of the Harley, favoring him with a sweet view of her cleavage. With his eyes transfixed, she gently cupped his chin in her palm and kissed him on the mouth.

  Lightly, quickly, like a butterfly kissing a flower.

  He hissed in air.

  Without another word, Sophia turned and fled into the house, shutting the door closed solidly behind her and leaving Mike wondering what in the heck had just happened.

  5

  “Stay away from that boy,” Jannette warned. “He’s bad news.”

  “He’s not a boy.” Sophia stood in front of the bathroom mirror, combing out her damp curls from her shower. “He’s a full-grown man.”

  Her mother sat in the doorway, a frown on her face. Sophia lightly traced her fingers over her lips which still vibrated from where she’d brushed them gently against Mike’s mouth. Her spontaneous kiss had surprised her as much as it had him. The lingering effects had surprised her even more.

  “That’s exactly why you should stay away from him. A thirty-six-year-old man who works in the maintenance department and rides a motorcycle is nothing but trouble with a capital T.”

  “Mother,” Sophia chided, studying her face in the mirror for any signs of wrinkles. “I’m not getting any younger.”

  “So now you’re willing to settle for anyone just because you had a birthday?”

  Sophia sighed. “Mike’s just a friend. Please don’t make it a thing.”

  “Friends can easily turn into lovers.”

  “He is cute, isn’t he?” Sophia said, more to irritate her mother than anything else.

  For the last twenty-nine years, her mother tried to dictate every detail of her life by telling her who and who not to date. Sophia was tired of it. If it hadn’t been for her mother’s illness, Sophia would have clipped the proverbial apron strings long ago. But Mom needed her. How could she just move out and leave her alone?

  “Yes, he is handsome,” Jannette said sharply. “That’s the problem. There’s nothing more dangerous than a handsome man. They’ll lie to you, rob you of your hopes and dreams, then discard you like yesterday’s dust.”

  “Every man isn’t like my father,” Sophia murmured.

  “You’ve got to think about your future and the future of any children you may have. I only want what’s best for you. Please, honey, try to understand. I’m begging you, don’t repeat my mistakes. Promise me you won’t start hanging out with Mike.”

  “I have to. He’s giving me a ride to work tomorrow.”

  “You know what I mean.”

  “Calm down. I’m not hanging out with him. We work in the same building. That’s all.”

  “I thought you liked your boss,” Jannette said. “What happened with that?”

  “I do like him.”

  “But...”

  “There are no buts. Mr. Barrington is a very kind, hardworking man.”

  “And he’s in Brazil while Mike is here.”

  “Yes,” Sophia admitted.

  Jannette shook her head. “Can’t you convince your boss to come home sooner than planned? The next time you speak to him, could you let it slip that his father is really ready to retire?”

  “Mother.” Sophia sighed her exasperation.
“That’s manipulative.”

  “Well, sometimes you have to manipulate a little to get what you want.”

  “I wouldn’t mislead Mr. Barrington just to get him to come home to Rascal.”

  “You don’t have to lie, honey. Tell him his father is eager to start his new life in retirement. That’s true, isn’t it?”

  “It’s not that simple. So what if Rex comes home? That doesn’t mean he’ll fall in love with me.”

  Her mother maneuvered the wheelchair closer and touched Sophia’s arm. “Who wouldn’t fall in love with you? You’re beautiful and talented. You’ve got a gorgeous figure. You’re smart and hardworking. You’d make a splendid wife for any man. Rex will recognize that about you instantly.”

  Sophia shook her head. “Isn’t it underhanded? Plotting to get someone to marry you?”

  Her mother laughed bitterly. "If you don’t plot to get what you want, then you’ll get shafted like I did. I wasn’t smart enough to use my assets to get what I wanted. Don’t make my mistakes. Don’t discard everything you’ve ever dreamed of over some good-looking guy with bad intentions. Don’t throw away all those etiquette lessons I worked two jobs to pay for. Please don’t sell yourself short. You’re special, Sophia. You know how to act like a rich man’s wife, and that’s what you’ll be if you listen to your mother.”

  She stared at her mother in the mirror and felt Jannette’s fingers curl tightly around the sleeve of her bathrobe. Her mother was frightened, Sophia realized. Terrified that she would run off with Mike the handyman on his Harley and leave her alone to fend for herself.

  Her heart ached at the desperation etched on her mother’s face. “Don’t worry, Mom; taking care of your needs is always my priority.”

  “Who said anything about me? I had my shot at romance, and I blew it. I don’t want you to hurt your chance at happiness.”

  “I promise, I won’t do anything stupid.”

  Her mother blew out her breath on a long sigh. “Mark my word, Sophia. When Rex Michael Barrington shows up to sweep you off your feet, you’ll feel like Cinderella at the ball, and all the waiting will be worth it.”

  Yeah, Sophia thought glumly, but what happens at the stroke of midnight?

  Mike arrived on her doorstep at seven fifteen sharp with her car instead of his motorcycle parked in the driveway.

  “You fixed my car!” she exclaimed, running her gaze over him and trying her best not to notice how sexy he looked in blue jeans and a Stetson. Mike wore a short-sleeved chambray shirt and cowboy boots.

  Sophia herself wore a white peasant blouse embroidered with pink and blue flowers and pale-blue slacks. Her cloth belt and low-heeled shoes were a matching pink. She had her hair caught back in a ponytail wrapped with a pink and blue ribbon. She’d dressed for a motorcycle ride to work.

  As happy as she was to see her car in good working order, she couldn’t help feeling a little regretful that she wasn’t getting another trip on the Harley.

  “What was wrong with it?” she asked, stepping off the porch and crossing the driveway to her car.

  “The starter.”

  “How much do I owe you?” she asked, opening her purse.

  “Don’t worry about it.” Mike waved.

  “But I insist. You’ve been so nice.”

  “Please,” he said. “I can’t take money from you.”

  The tone of his voice caught her attention. She looked over to see something akin to guilt in his eyes and was confused by what she saw. What did Mike have to feel guilty about?

  “I may be poor, but I’m proud.” Sophia pulled what cash she had from her wallet and moved to thrust it into his shirt pocket. “I’ll get more from the ATM at work.”

  “Sophia, I said no.” He encircled her wrist with his fingers.

  His touch seared her. Startled, she looked into his green eyes.

  Don’t push it! his gaze said.

  “Come on, Mike, I know working in maintenance doesn’t pay a lot. I make more money than you do.”

  “I don’t need a lot of money,” he said gruffly, letting go of her wrist. “That fabulous meal your mother cooked last night was payment enough. If you feel you must do more, then you can give me a ride home from work this afternoon since I had a friend tow your car to my house last night so I could work on it.”

  “Fair enough,” she replied, stuffing the money back in her purse. “Get in.”

  He climbed into the passenger seat, and Sophia slid beneath the wheel. The car started without a hitch.

  “How’s your mother this morning?” Mike asked after they’d driven in silence for a few minutes.

  “Fine.”

  “Jannette doesn’t like me much.” He said it as a statement of fact, not a question.

  “It’s nothing personal. She’s very protective of me. I’m all she’s got.”

  “She seemed to like me when she thought I was Rex Barrington.”

  “What can I say?” Sophia sighed. “Money impresses my mother.”

  “Like mother, like daughter?”

  “Excuse me?” Sophia flashed Mike a glare as she drove from Sand Mesa Heights onto the freeway. Traffic was thick. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “I saw your doodle, Mrs. Rex Michael Barrington.”

  Sophia inhaled sharply. “I—that was—”

  “Forget it,” Mike mumbled.

  “No, go ahead.” Sophia switched on her turn signal to merge, her heart thumping wildly. “Get it off your chest.”

  He raised his hands. “It’s none of my business.”

  “You’re darned right it’s not.”

  “But you shouldn’t let hard times drive you into marrying a man you’re not in love with just so you can be taken care of financially.”

  Sophia glared and honked her horn at a red convertible that cut her off. “Who says I don’t love Rex?”

  “Oh, come on, Sophia. Give me a break. You can’t love someone you’ve never even met.”

  “That’s not true. People fall in love over the internet, and haven’t you heard about people who fall in love with a photograph of someone? It happens.”

  “Where and when does it happen?”

  “In the old movie Laura, where Dana Andrews falls in love with a portrait of Gene Tierney.”

  “Um, wasn’t that movie about a murdered woman, Sophia?”

  Okay, she had no comeback.

  Mike snorted. “You don’t even know what Rex looks like in person. He could be in the room with you, and you’d never know it.”

  “His picture is on the company website.”

  “It’s an old photograph. His looks could have changed.”

  Sophia snorted. “Not that much.”

  “Maybe he got into a boxing match and someone smashed his face in,” he teased.

  What was he getting at? Sophia slanted him a sideways glance. “Jealous?”

  “Me?” Mike looked amused. “What do I have to be jealous about?”

  Her heart was still pounding at a weirdly fast clip. Was he jealous of Rex? “I don’t care. Looks are not that important to me.”

  “That’s right,” Mike said almost inaudibly. “It’s his money that attracts you. It’s gotta be rough being Rex Michael Barrington.”

  “How’s that?”

  “Never knowing for sure if a woman likes you for yourself or for what you can buy her. I don’t envy the man.”

  “I’m sure you don’t,” Sophia snapped. “Rex works hard for what he’s got.”

  “Oh, yeah. It must be real hard inheriting money.”

  “What is your problem?”

  “Gold diggers turn my stomach.”

  “Are you accusing me of something?” Sophia pulled over on the shoulder of the freeway and stomped on the brake. She put the car into Park and turned in her seat to shoot eye daggers at Mike.

  “If the shoe fits...”

  “You think you know everything, don’t you?”

  “I know your mother’s pushing you to marry a ri
ch man.”

  “What if she is?” Sophia fisted her hands to control her anger. “Is it so wrong to want the best for your child?”

  “Is a loveless marriage what’s best for you?”

  “Who said it would be loveless?”

  “What happened to your father?” he asked. “Why isn’t he in the picture?”

  “That”—she pointed angrily at him with an index finger—“is none of your business.”

  “What’s the problem? Wasn’t he rich enough for your mother?”

  “You don’t get to weigh in on things you know nothing about.”

  “You’re twenty-nine years old and letting your mother run your life. Telling you who’s worthy of your love and who’s not.”

  “I could kick you out of my car. Make you walk the rest of the way to work.”

  “Oh yeah?” He leaned across the seat. His green eyes were quicksand, his rapid breathing heated carbon against her skin.

  Chemistry.

  Hot, messy, explosive.

  It slammed into Sophia with the momentum of a lab experiment gone horribly awry.

  Except this wasn’t a lab and being this close to such a sexy volatile man in morning rush-hour traffic wasn’t an experiment she recommended even to the bravest souls.

  Before she knew what was happening, Mike was kissing her. Right there on Highway 10.

  Hungrily, greedily, he cupped the back of her head in his palm and drew her across the car toward him.

  Her seat belt was in the way. Sophia clawed it off, desperate to get to Mike. He was jerking at his restraint as well.

  His lips sank down on hers again. Smothering her in a delicious warmth. Stealing her breath, stealing her mind, stealing her senses until she was deaf, speechless, and blind with desire.

  Sophia kissed him back, as hard and fierce as he kissed her. She fought a mad urge to rip off her blouse and bare her breasts to him. She wanted him here, now, this minute with a passion that terrified her.

  He smelled so good. Tasted even better. She couldn’t get enough, would never get enough of him.

  Their attraction was not a fluke, not some freak twist of nature, not an aberrant occurrence. This was very real and very, very scary.

  Mike’s quicksilver tongue explored. Sophia parted her lips and eagerly let him in.