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“Yeah, I could have been doing it all along, but I wanted to be with my kids. Now I realize that I have to do something for myself in order to be a good father, and that something is you.”
“Aw, Alphé. It’s like we’re playing house.”
“Exactly. We need sheets, pillowcases, blankets and pillows and towels and all the stuff you need to live.”
“What about kitchen stuff?”
“Everything eventually, but we just need stuff for the bed tonight,” he said, winking at her.
His self-confidence was a little unnerving, almost making her want to put the brakes on. But why would she do that? To keep the upper hand? She wanted him as badly as he seemed to want her. It was a little early in the relationship though.
“Maybe we need to slow down. I just realized that I feel like I’ve known you all my life, but we just met, and yesterday was our first date.”
Laughing, he grabbed her hand and brought it to his lips. “I was hoping you didn’t notice.”
They got to the marina and pulled in alongside his fishing boat, next to a ladder leading up to the dock. Alphé helped her out and handed her the bags and then climbed out after her.
“Head to the truck,” he said, nodding to the parking lot.
They got in and he started the motor, this time gunning it a little bit so it would backfire, and when it did, she yelped, and they laughed out loud.
“Are you embarrassed to be seen in this truck?”
Frowning, she wasn’t sure what he was driving at. “Why would I be embarrassed?”
“Because you’re a wealthy professional, and I’m a fisherman driving a piece-of-shit truck.”
“Who said I’m wealthy?”
“I googled the income of a medical device salesperson,” he said, contrite.
“Look at it this way, Alphé. If we last, you’ll benefit from my income, okay? If we fall in love, and I can speak for myself that I’m headed in that direction, what’s mine will be yours. And if it bothers you, I’ll quit my job and stay at home and keep house for you.”
“Really?” he asked, his eyes glistening. “I’ve never had this conversation before.”
“Really,” she answered. “I’m not driven to make money, but I want to be successful in my field. I could put a little more effort into it to become the chief marketing officer of the company. I like titles. Once we get through this week and my meetings in Saint John’s Parish, I’m on the road for a couple of weeks. Usually when I travel, I just stay away because there’s nothing to come home to. But now, I’ll come home every night if I can get a flight out or it’s not too far to drive in one day.”
“We’ll both be working our tails off, in other words.”
“Exactly.”
She reached for his hand, at peace, feeling satisfied with things.
“I’ve been alone forever,” she said. “I’ve never lived with a guy before.”
“If we decide to do that, I’ll try to make it a good experience,” he replied, kissing her hand again.
She rested her head back against the seat. “The danger for me is jumping in. I don’t want to do anything that will hurt our chances. You need to get to know me because you might not like the real me.”
“What’s the real you?” he asked, grinning.
“Like I said, I’m driven. I think we’ll get along great because you are, too. But maybe we can help each other have a little fun. Like get a hobby or something.”
They looked at each other and burst out laughing. “Okay, maybe not a hobby, then. One thing I always wanted to do was to fix up an old house.”
“You know I did that already.”
“You did? You mean the house your family is living in?”
