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“Thanks, Kyra. How’s business?” Ford took the drinks, then handed over his card.
“Never better. I finally pulled the trigger on that new location. It should be up and running by March. Thanks again for the tip on the property going up for lease.”
Taking a long sip of the best peanut butter and dark chocolate latte I’d ever had, I lifted an eyebrow at her statement, then held back a laugh as his face turned another shade darker.
“Of course. You’re welcome. See you next time.” Ford gave her a quick wave as he pulled away from the coffee stand.
“Well, well. You’re just full of surprises, Mr. Carter. You seem to enjoy offering up all kinds of help, no matter where you go. Which reminds me, you were going to tell me about my car.”
Weaving through downtown Pineville, Ford expertly handled the snow-packed streets. “Chester says it should be ready mid-day. It was something in the carburetor, not too serious and he had the part in stock. And he’s giving you a discount. He’ll have one of his employees drop it off in time for you to drive it home.”
Why wasn’t I surprised by how deftly Ford seemed to handle any problem? Connections with mechanics, inside information on local real estate for pretty coffee stand owners. What was next? A personal banker that would give me a sweet deal on a home loan. Now that would be nice, especially with the way interest rates were being raised every month. So how did I thank him without feeling like I owed him? And I still hadn’t figured out how to handle that kiss from yesterday.
We pulled up in front of Carter Security, entered the ramp for the parking garage, and a moment of panic hit me. What if we ran into anyone? What would they think? “Wait, can you drop me off on the first level?”
“You afraid to be seen with me, Goldie?” Ford didn’t slow down at my request.
“That’s a silly question. And the answer is yes. I don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea about us. And Zak, or the head of HR, are at the top of that list.”
He didn’t respond, just kept driving. I sunk down in my seat and peered toward elevators praying no one was waiting or worse looking in our direction.
“Goldie. It’s fine. If anyone asks, we just tell them the truth. Your car broke down and I offered to drive you.”
Throwing up my hands, I couldn’t believe he didn’t get it. “Ford, stop the truck now!” I was not going to let anyone else, even him, dictate my choices. I’d left one man because of his alpha-like ideals. I was not going to let another believe he could make decisions for me.
Ford didn’t immediately stop, but he did slow and pull over. Placing the truck in park, he shifted toward me. Instead of the anger I expected on his face, he looked confused. “I didn’t mean to upset you. What is so wrong with me driving you to work?”
My head was pounding, and my heart ready to burst, I sucked in a couple deep breaths. “Thanks for stopping. I don’t expect you to fully understand. I guess only a woman would get why I’m upset. The optics aren’t great for me here, Ford. I’ve just returned from medical leave after only working six months. I mean if I could have held off another half year to have the hysterectomy I would have, but I needed it dammit, and now you’ve given me this new, high-profile account, so yeah, I’m just a bit worried about people will think seeing us in your truck arriving for work.”
Grabbing my stuff, I didn’t give him a chance to respond and maybe that was unfair, but I needed to get out and away from him before someone saw us.
“Look, I’m flattered. And that kiss was amazing, but this thing…” I waved my hand between us before I scooted to the edge of my seat and jumped down. “This isn’t going to work for me. Besides, I don’t want you wasting your time with me, when you could be someone who could give you…. Anyway, thanks for the ride and dealing with the mechanic.”
“What thefuuuuck. Goldie, wait!”
* * *
I spentthe rest of the day dodging even the slightest chance of running into Ford. I wasn’t proud of how I handled things earlier. He sent me an email with all the details of the RJI contract. Just reading his name on the screen elevated my pulse rate. How had this happened? I couldn’t have picked a worse time for this list of brand-new problems, and I was tired of being in constant flight or fight mode.
My car was delivered late afternoon along with a reasonable repair bill I had Ford to thank for and the updated document showing the updated outstanding child support Lance owed me was emailed over right before I left. I forwarded it to the PI, closed my eyes, and sent up a prayer for Lance’s health. As mad as I was at him for abandoning his daughter, I couldn’t wish for his demise. I needed to keep my thoughts positive, and my energy reserved for the things I could control.
Later that evening, after Lily helped me make one of her favorite dinners, spaghetti, and mini meatballs with a ton of parmesan cheese, we were cuddled up on the couch watching her favorite show. During a commercial break, she turned to me and asked about Ford.
“So, are you two dating now?”
I hadn’t expected the question. I’d done my best to keep any man I dated out of her life. Unless I thought the relationship would turn long term, I wouldn’t introduce her to anyone I dated. There hadn’t been anyone who I cared enough about. And now she’d met Ford, liked him immediately, and I was stuck. Because, I really did like Ford. Wished for something real with him, but other than obvious sparks between us, I knew any man that would want the same with me would either have to be someone who already had kids, or I knew from the get go didn’t want them.
It was a slippery-slope, and I needed to be careful how I explained it to Lily.
“Honey, we’re not dating. He works where I work. He’s a friend who found out our car was broken and drove me home.”
She scrunched up her nose and rolled her eyes. “Mom, I’m not a kid anymore. I’m ten and I know he likes you. He invited us to pizza next week.”
Oh, she was good, and I forgot about the pizza invite. “Yes, you are getting older. You might think you understand these kinds of things, but it’s complicated. Dating someone you work with is not a good choice.”
She put a finger on her chin and then began tapping. I did the same thing when I was deep in thought. Lord, I loved this child of mine.
“Thinking hard or hardly thinking?” I raise both my hands as if to tickle her. “I need an answer, or the tickle monster will return.”
