I think her panties are pretty fucking special.
After putting it back in my closet, I collapse on the bed and mindlessly stare at the ceiling as Toto and Baggy curl around me. “She’s the one, guys. She’s the one.”
Chapter nine
Rosanna
Istareoutthewindow like a lovestruck calf, just waiting for Connor’s huge black truck to appear. At some point, Silas came and got his car, but I didn’t see him. And I’m glad of it, too.
Something shows in my periphery, and when I turn to see it better, my eyes widen. “Watch out!”
At the last second, Mr. Wright catches himself and his elbows land none-too-gently on the counter by the register.
“Are you okay? What happened?”
He frowns in consternation, breathing a bit heavily. “I...think I tripped.”
I look pointedly at the floor behind him. There’s nothing there. He’s been a bit unlike himself all day. He’d said he was just a little tired, but I wonder if he’s getting sick. When I saw the sweat bleeding through his shirt earlier, I gently suggested turning the heat down, but he waved me off.
And this is the fourth time today he’s tripped over nothing. My mild concern from the first incident is growing into more. “Are you going to be okay to drive home? Connor’s picking me up, but I’m sure he wouldn’t mind taking you home at all.”
“I’m getting older, Rosanna,” he huffs through a smile. “Not turning into an invalid. I’ll manage just fine, thank you.”
I narrow my gaze. “Hold on. Let’s test your brain. What’s fifty-four plus two hundred twenty-seven?”
“Rosanna,” my boss blusters in amusement.
“You’re right. That was too easy. How about five-sixteenths plus seven-eighths?”
“Rosanna.”
I burst into laughter at his deadpan expression. Guess he’s feeling okay after all.
Pushing his ever-falling glasses up his nose again, he turns serious. “How are you now that Silas is gone?”
Much better than I thought. Who’d have known that losing two hundred twenty pounds would feel this freeing? “I’m still wrapping my mind around it. It’s amazing to me that you never really know a person all the way, even after living with them for so long.” My voice trails off as I think of Silas’s last actions and words.
A warm, slightly clammy hand covers mine, and I look up to see Mr. Wright’s weathered face. Why does he suddenly seem so fragile? His eyes crinkle at the corners, adding to the wrinkles already there. “Or maybe it’s just human nature to believe and hope for the best in people. Even when it isn’t there.”
One final pat and his hand falls away. Wiping the residue on my hand discreetly against my pants, I say, “Wise words, Mr. Wright. Wise words.”
He breaks the slightly somber mood with a smile. “Now, what do you think about this Connor Shay? That’s a fine man, if ever I saw one. And I’ve seen quite a few in seventy-eight years of life, don’t you know. He’s got a heart of gold and comes from a good family.”
“You know his family?” I perk up. He hasn’t really told me much about them. I know he has a dad that sometimes feeds his animals, but that’s it.
“Well,” he hastily backtracks, “I knowofthem. Strong and solid family, they are. They treat their ladies the right way.”
My heart softens and relaxes at that. It makes me feel better knowing Connor’s family is apparently the stark opposite of Silas’s. My boss drags my attention back to him with his next words.
“I’ve been thinking. You need a raise. No, no.” He raises a trembling hand. “You deserve it.”
Wow. I’m shocked and just a little bit giddy. I’ve never had a raise before. “Mr. Wright, I don’t know what to say.”
“Say nothing, Rosanna. Just accept it graciously. Give me a chance to look over the books, and I’ll let you know how much by the end of the week.”
Overwhelmed with gratitude, I walk around the counter and wrap the older man in a hug. “Thank you,” I whisper. “You have no idea how much this means to me.” None at all, because he doesn’t know I’m pregnant yet. It’s been nice keeping it between Connor and me.
A flash of black passes through the glass windows of the storefront, and Mr. Wright pulls away with another pat to my shoulder. “Connor’s here. You go on home, dear, and let that man take care of you.”
