He gave her a shy smile before leaving her office, and Candice rested her head on the chair and stared up at the ceiling. As usual, being near him made her heart break into a sprint and sent her emotions spiraling. Who was this female neighbor? Candice was overcome with jealousy when she thought about some unknown woman traipsing over to his house bearing fruit. With the way her luck was going, the woman was probably gorgeous and single.
“Stop it, Candice,” she murmured. “He’s not yours.”
The reminder made her sad, and before Candice went back to work, she stood and closed her office door. She needed to be left alone in her little corner of the world, away from prying eyes and to stop herself from looking for David every time someone walked by. Candice sighed as she returned to her desk. It was already shaping up to be a long week.
Candice closed the filing cabinet and glanced at the clock on the wall. It was nearing six in the evening, and the building was eerily quiet. She’d waited late on purpose, hoping to bypass seeing David in the parking lot after work, and now that enough time had passed, she was ready to go home.
Her office door had remained shut all day except for during Aaron’s regular visit when he arrived and a couple of postal carriers. It was nice not having the distraction of seeing people walk by her door all the time, but it was also kind of lonely. She turned on a radio when the quiet became too unbearable, but she did manage to get a lot of work done since she wasn’t constantly on the lookout for David.
Candice was cleaning off her desk when someone knocked on the door. She guessed it was Aaron since he worked late most days of the week, so when she called for her visitor to enter and David walked in, she nearly choked on the piece of gum in her mouth. She noticed he’d loosened his necktie and opened the top two buttons on his shirt. His long sleeves were rolled up to his elbows, and his hair was slightly disheveled.
“Hello again,” he said.
He was so handsome, and Candice was finding it hard to take a normal breath. After all the hard work she’d put into avoiding him throughout the day, here he was right in front of her again, and the emotions she kept trying to suppress came rushing back to the surface.
“Hey, David. Working late?”
She gestured to his rumpled attire and hair, and he laughed softly.
“One of our delivery trucks was running late, so I stayed to help Braxton unload it since everyone else already clocked out.”
She noticed a couple of small smudges on his cheek and neck, and she had to physically force herself not to go to him and wipe them away. Touching him again was absolutely out of the question because she knew it would be her undoing, and she needed to stay strong.
“I was just fixing to head out too,” she replied, hoping he would take the hint. “Was there something you needed?”
She put her cell phone inside her purse and took out her car keys, but David didn’t budge. Instead, he shut the door and came even closer.
“Yes, I need you to let me take you out to dinner this weekend,” he said with a smile.
Candice couldn’t believe what she was hearing. Did he really just ask her out after she’d made it clear they couldn’t be more than friends? She wanted to be angry, but her heart thumped happily, and the butterflies in her stomach did somersaults when she thought about going on another date with him.
“David, we discussed this.”
He nodded. “I know, and I promise I’m not trying to make you angry. I thought a lot about what you said, and I understand the way you feel, but I hope you can understand my reasoning for being so persistent.”
Candice tilted her head and gave him a quizzical look, and David sat down in one of the chairs across from her.
“Candice, I feel like we may have something really special here. I know I may seem like the type of guy who would never settle down because I’ve done a lot of traveling, but that’s just one very small part of who I am.”
His gaze was intense, and there was a seriousness in his tone that commanded attention. He leaned forward and put his arms on top of her desk, and Candice leaned back in her chair, trying to put some distance between the two of them.
“I don’t have children, and I’ve never lost a spouse, so I can’t pretend to know what you’re feeling, but I know you have Sarah’s best interests at heart. If that means you and I can only be friends, then I’ll learn to live with that, but I need you to know that I’m not giving up on us becoming more.”
His sincerity and honesty touched her heart, and she didn’t know what to say.
“I’ll keep my distance from you and Sarah as much as I can, and I won’t be pushy. You can turn me down every time I ask you out, but I have faith that someday soon, you’ll feel what I’m feeling. I guess what I’m trying to say is that I’ll keep fighting for us, no matter how long it takes.”
She wanted so badly to give in and rush into his arms, but that wouldn’t be the sensible thing to do. She admired his perseverance, but she still didn’t feel comfortable risking her heart after losing Barry and spending the past year trying to piece it back together again.
“So, I’ll ask again. Candice, would you like to go out to dinner with me this weekend?”
He looked so hopeful, and the last thing she wanted to do was dash his good mood, but there was no other way. “David, I’m sorry, but no. I just can’t, not right now.”
He didn’t get upset or try to persuade her to change her mind. He started smiling, and he was actually quite calm.
“It’s okay. I’ll try again tomorrow.” He winked at her as he stood to leave, and she couldn’t help but laugh at his stubbornness.
David opened the door and gave her one last smile before he left, and when he shut the door behind him, Candice shook her head in disbelief. She had to admit that his fierce determination was exciting, and she was secretly looking forward to finding out what his next move would be.
Chapter 13
David
“You’ve got to be the most hard-headed person I’ve ever met.”
David chuckled at Braxton’s comment the following Thursday afternoon as he prepared to leave work. Three days had come and gone, and three times, he’d received a “no” from Candice each time he’d asked her out. Today was the fourth day, and he was getting ready to head to her office for another try.
“Not hard-headed. Just confident,” he replied.
Braxton shook his head. “I tell you what. If she says yes, I’ll buy the drinks at the pub tonight. If she says no, then the tab is on you.”
David reached across his desk and the two of them shook hands. “Deal!”
As soon as Braxton left, David went to the adjoining bathroom in his office and checked his reflection in the mirror one last time. He hated to get his hopes up, but he had a good feeling that today would be the day. At first, Candice was resolute in her decision not to go out with him, but he’d noticed over the past couple of days that she’d softened a bit. She smiled more and even giggled a time or two when he asked her out, and even though she eventually followed it with a no, he still felt like he was making progress.
David left the office and walked the long corridor to Candice’s. It was 4:45 p.m., so he was a few minutes early, but he wanted to get there before their coworkers filled the hallways since he’d caught Megan and a couple others snooping a time or two when they discovered him in Candice’s office. Her door was open, and he peeked inside to make sure she was alone before knocking on the doorframe.
“Come in,” she called without looking up from her computer.
David propped against the doorframe and admired the view. Today, she wore her hair up, and as a few loose tendrils caressed her neck, he wished more than anything he could do the same thing. Her light blue blouse accentuated her tanned complexion, as did the pink lipstick on her beautiful, full lips. He sighed contentedly. She was absolutely stunning.
“A little bird told me you like Italian food, and I know a great little Italian restaurant in Salt Lake City that h
as the best pasta carbonara and mushroom risotto. Why don’t you let me take you there sometime—say, tomorrow night?”
Candice slid her eyeglasses to the tip of her nose and peered at him. “Would that little bird happen to be Braxton Lennon? Because, oddly enough, he was in here this morning, and the conversation just happened to turn to our favorite foods.”
David feigned a look of surprise. “Imagine that. What a coincidence.”
Candice laughed as she pushed up her glasses and returned to her work. “So, I’m guessing you’re here for your daily ‘no.’ Has anyone told you lately how stubborn you are?”
David sat down across from her. “Actually, someone told me that just a little while ago, but I don’t consider myself stubborn.”
Candice continued typing on her keyboard, but he noticed the edges of her mouth trying to curve upward. “I guess cocky would be a better word then? Or arrogant? Or how about pretentious? That’s a cool word.”
David laughed out loud. “No, I’m none of those things. Let’s just say I’m very goal-oriented.”
And there it was, a smile. She also blushed, and David’s heart beat so fast, it nearly thumped right out of his chest. However, her smile didn’t last long when something went wrong on her computer, and she became agitated.
“I swear, this thing hates me,” she groaned. “This is the third time today the screen has frozen up on me, and I don’t know what I keep doing wrong.”
David stood and walked around the desk, and Candice moved back from the computer so he could look at it. “This happened to me several times while I was in Texas. The computer I had at Owens Industries gave me fits all the time. I used to tell my boss I believed it was designed by Satan himself.”
She laughed, and David swallowed hard when he felt her warm breath on his skin. His hands started shaking, but somehow, he managed to press the right keys to unlock the screen. “If it happens again, just press these three keys at the same time and hold them down for a few seconds.”
Candice leaned forward to observe, and they were so close, her hair brushed against his cheek, and he could smell the faint scent of her perfume, an intoxicating vanilla scent that made him light-headed.
“Thank you, David.” She turned to look at him, and he didn’t miss the glimmer in her eyes when she noticed how near he was. Her lips were parted slightly, and he wanted so badly to give in to the urge to kiss her, but her phone rang and jolted him back to his senses.
David moved away from her and walked to the door while she answered the phone. He took a couple of deep breaths to calm his nerves and waited patiently while she talked to the caller for what seemed like an eternity but was, only a couple of minutes. When she hung up the phone, they stared at each other for a few awkward seconds before David managed to get his tongue detached from the roof of his mouth.
“So, how about that date? Are you hungry for some Italian food?” he teased.
Her cheeks reddened as she propped her elbows on her desk. She laced her fingers together and gave him a tentative smile. “David, you know I can’t do that, but thank you for asking. I hate to keep telling you ‘no,’ but I really just want us to be friends.”
Maybe his mind was playing tricks on him, and he just wanted to believe it so bad that he was starting to imagine things, but he could still detect some hesitation in her voice. She seemed unsure of her answer, and she looked genuinely troubled over rejecting him again. Perhaps he was getting his hopes up over nothing, but he wouldn’t give up as long as he felt he still had a chance.
“Then I guess I’ll just have to try again tomorrow,” he replied. “I hope you have a good evening, Candice.”
She nodded and smiled. “I hope you do, too, David.”
He held his head high as he walked out her door. Today wasn’t the day, but it was coming. He just knew it.
Chapter 14
Candice
“Help!” Candice yelled later that evening.
After a couple of exhausting minutes trying to balance three full grocery bags in her arms, her front door finally opened.
“What in the world?” Whitney asked. “Why didn’t you ring the doorbell?”
Whitney took a couple of the bags and held the door open for Candice, who walked in and tossed her purse on the table in the foyer. “You know how uncoordinated I am. I was lucky to make it to the front door without dropping something or tripping over my own feet.”
Whitney followed her to the kitchen where they set the bags on the counter and began unpacking them.
“I’m sorry I didn’t hear you. I was helping Sarah with her bath,” Whitney explained.
As if on cue, Sarah came running into the kitchen, dressed in her favorite purple pajama set and fluffy house slippers.
“Hey, Mommy!”
Her long hair was still slightly damp, and when she hugged Candice, the familiar aroma of her strawberry-scented shampoo brought a much-needed smile to her face.
“I’ve missed you so much today,” Candice exclaimed while hugging her tighter. “How would you like some spaghetti tacos?”
A big smile spread across Sarah’s face as she bounced happily. “My favorite! Did you buy some strawberry ice cream too?”
Candice reached inside one of the paper bags and pulled out a big container of strawberry ice cream. Sarah was overjoyed, but Whitney’s face paled, and she looked like she might hurl all over the kitchen floor.
“Spaghetti tacos is bad enough but pairing it with strawberry ice cream? Where do you two come up with this stuff?” she asked.
Candice laughed as she put the ice cream in the refrigerator freezer and retrieved a package of ground beef from one of the grocery bags. “I thought you might feel that way, so I bought this to make some boring old regular tacos for you, just in case you decided to stay and eat dinner with us.”
Whitney grinned. “Well, aren’t you little miss Susie Homemaker tonight? What’s gotten into you?”
Candice shrugged as she grabbed a couple of skillets from a drawer underneath the stove. “Nothing. I just wanted to do something nice for you and Sarah. I know I’ve been working a lot of overtime lately, and I appreciate you staying late with her.”
Whitney leaned against the counter and gave her a curious look. “It’s no problem. Now, tell me what your good mood is really about. Did something happen with you-know-who?”
Candice roughly shook her head to silence her while pointing to Sarah. “No, I was just craving some tacos. Sarah, sweetie, why don’t you go watch some cartoons while Aunt Whitney and I get dinner ready?”
Sarah put her hands on her hips and gave her an exasperated look. “I know, I know. You have grown-up talking to do.”
Candice and Whitney tried to control their laughter as Sarah turned on her heel and walked to the den but not before she gave them a dramatic eye roll. When she was safely out of the room and they could hear the television playing in the living room, Whitney gave her a devilish smile.
“So, something did happen with David. Tell me everything.”
Candice turned her attention to cooking, hoping Whitney wouldn’t notice the way her cheeks flushed. “There isn’t much to tell. He’s asked me out every day this week, and I’ve had to tell him no every single time and remind him repeatedly we can only be friends.”
Whitney removed a package of shredded cheddar cheese from one of the grocery bags and dropped it on the kitchen counter, where it landed with a dull thud. “You did what?”
Candice refused to look at her, not wanting to see the incredulous look on her face or have to listen to her try and explain the multitude of ways she was wrong. She kept her eyes glued on the skillet and her focus on frying the ground beef. “He’s a wanderer, Whitney, and I’m not about to get my hopes up or Sarah’s. His work has kept him on the road most of his life, and he’ll probably end up moving again if the right opportunity comes along.”
Whitney retrieved a large pot from one of the cabinets and started filling it with water for the spagh
etti noodles. “Did he tell you that?”
Memories of her day at the park with David flitted through her mind and filled her heart with longing. “He said he’s tired of traveling and he's ready to settle down, but I have a hard time believing that.”
Whitney placed the pot on a burner on the stove and turned on the heat. “I know you’re afraid of getting hurt, Candice, and I get that, but I worry about you. I don’t want you to close your heart off to the possibility of falling in love again. I know it’s risky, but it could also be one of the best risks you’ll ever take.”
Candice stirred the meat in the skillet, barely paying attention to what she was doing because her thoughts were so consumed by David. “But what about Sarah? You should’ve seen them at the park, Whitney. They had so much fun together. It’s one thing to risk my heart but something else entirely to risk hers being broken if it doesn’t work out.”
Whitney put the noodles inside the pot of water and stirred them with a wooden spatula. “I wish I could give you the answers, sis, but I can’t. All I can tell you for certain is that I have a good feeling about this. I’ve seen you smile more this past month than I have in a long time, and I doubt David would be so persistent if he wasn’t serious about being with you.”
Candice mulled it over as they prepared the remainder of their dinner in silence. Whitney didn’t try to interrupt her train of thought, but she didn’t miss the casual glances in her direction either, or the way she smiled as if she could read her mind.
“Sarah, would you like to set the table?” Candice called.
A few seconds later, she heard the sound of Sarah’s padded footsteps pitter-pattering on the hardwood floor as she ran to the kitchen. “Yes, ma’am!”
While Sarah grabbed a stepstool and retrieved some plates inside an overhead cabinet, Candice and Whitney put the spaghetti and taco meat in two bowls and brought them to the dinner table along with the cooked taco shells, fixings, and drinks. As soon as Sarah said grace, the three of them dove into their meal. There was very little conversation until they were finished, and Sarah’s freshly washed face and hands were covered in so much spaghetti sauce, it took Candice four tries to wipe them clean. “I think it would be easier giving you another bath,” she said, with a laugh. “Or dunking you in Aunt Whitney’s swimming pool.”
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