The Girl He Loves: A Second Chance Romantic Comedy Page 8

  Josie asks, “Is it paid?”

  I make the ‘sorta’ sign with my hand. “There’s a stipend to cover gas and meals.”

  There’s an unanswered question hanging heavy in the room. Can I afford to take this opportunity? For me, the answer is: how could I not? This career sounds every bit as good as teaching. It’s helping others in ways I never imagined. And my “criminal record” is a non-issue.

  I try to work out the logistics and talk through the issues with my friends. “Childcare is taken care of with my mom.”

  Paisley adds, “Your increase in gas will be covered, too. That’s good. And maybe you can pocket the difference by taking your own lunches.”

  I say, “Which I would do anyway.”

  Jayne is tapping her finger to her lip. She stops and says, “I can find you work. There’s always inventory and uploading pictures and stuff. Some of which you can do from home. You tell me what hours you want to work, and I’ll make it happen.”

  I want to weep at her generosity. “I don’t know what I can commit to. Weekends maybe? It’s only for three months, and Tyler and I can make adjustments in the short term for a long-term gain.”

  Paisley says, “We should start you a GoFundMe.”

  I groan. “Please don’t.”

  “I’d contribute,” Josie says.

  “Me too,” echoes Jayne.

  I cover my ears. “I’m going to ignore you. You know how I feel about these things.”

  Josie, who’d been putting Pad Thai on her plate, stops and sets everything down before she faces me, hands on hips. “I hate to be the downer in the room, but if you’re doing classes at night and working long hours in the day, you aren’t going to have a lot of time to work for Jayne. Let us help. We can afford it.”

  “I did a quick re-figuring of my budget on the drive home. As I see it, I have a month and a half covered. Maybe I can take out another student loan to cover the difference? I’ll find a solution,” I say with more assurance than feel.

  Josie opens her mouth to protest, I’m sure, when the doorbell ringing stops her.

  “I’ll get it,” Paisley says. She hands me her plate. She comes back moments later leading Dax into the room. He’s carrying a large plastic grocery bag. Tyler is at his heels, clearly thrilled to see him again.

  Dax says, “You’re having a party, and I didn’t get invited. My feelings are hurt.” He feigns a sad face.

  “I deleted your number,” I lie. But I’m peeved he left so suddenly on Saturday.

  And darn him. He looks so good I can’t help but take him in for a moment. I blame the wine. His dark green T-shirt stretches across his broad shoulders, and his jeans are snug across his muscular thighs. I bet if he turned around, his jeans would be cupping his bum in all the right places.

  “You could've messaged me on Instagram, seeing as you follow me.” He winks.

  “Now I’m glad I didn’t invite you,” I say, and hand Paisley back her plate. I don’t get one for Dax, but Jayne does.

  “What’s the occasion?” he asks.

  The room is quiet. I suspect my friends are letting me give him only the information I want him to have.

  But Tyler beats me to it. “Mom got a job but first she has to do something called an enter-ship. I don’t know what that is. It sounds like it has something to do with aliens. And the job’s in Orlando, so she’ll be driving a lot. But Mom doesn’t know how she’s going to pay for everything while she’s on the enter-ship. I guess that means I’ll be staying with Mimi a lot. Because my dad is a deadbeat.” He looks at me wide eyes. “I hope you come back from the enter-ship.”

  I brush a lock of hair from his forehead. “You have to stop saying your dad is a deadbeat.”

  “Uncle Doug said it when he tried to fix the dishwasher before Dax fixed it. He was telling Mimi it was too bad my dad was such a deadbeat and it pisses him off you have to worry about money.”

  I pull him close to me. “First, ‘pisses’ is a bad word. Please don’t say it anymore. And second, that’s Uncle Doug’s opinion about your dad. It doesn’t mean it’s true. I don’t think your dad is a deadbeat. Your dad gave me you. How could that make him bad? Never. It never could.”

  Tyler smiles and leans into me. “You won’t get stuck on this ship, will you?”

  “It’s called an INTERN-ship. That means, while they train me and teach me the job, I work for free. Once I know everything, they start to pay me because then I don’t need someone with me all the time to make sure I don’t goof up.”

  His face brightens. “That’s a relief.”

  I say, “You’re telling me. I’m woefully unprepared to deal with aliens, space travel, and anything that comes with that.” The group chuckles.

  “Can I have more noodles?” he says. I oblige and dump them on his plate. Afterward, he escapes back to the living room.

  Dax says, “Wow, sounds like today was a great day.” He puts his plate on the table. “Looks like I made a good call when I stopped by the store for this.” He opens the grocery bag and takes out three gallons of various flavored ice cream and endless toppings including sprinkles and toffee. Both my favorite.

  Josie claps Dax on the shoulder. “You can stay.” She picks up a jar of maraschino cherries with the stems still on. “Why the stems?”

  He grins. “Did you know Heather can tie knots in the stems. She once won two hundred dollars at a party doing it.”

  I laugh, having forgotten that night. “Maybe I could do that now to get some extra cash.”

  “I’d pay,” Dax says as he loads his plate.

  Is it just me, or can everyone feel the electricity arc between us? I hope not. But going by their goofy grins and winks, I’m guessing they do.

  Instantly, my chest flares up with the heat of embarrassment.

  Jayne to the rescue. “Okay, ladies. We can figure this out so our girl can make her new dream come true.”

  Paisley says. “But first, wine.”

  We all hold out our glasses for refills.

  Then Dax kills the mood when he says, “I can just give you the money, Heather.”

  Chapter 12

  Monday

  “Whoa,” Josie says. “It was nice knowing you.”

  Paisley shakes her head and then says to Josie and Jayne, “Let’s get out of here. I want to be able to tell the police he was alive when we left.”

  Dax looks around the room confused. “What am I missing?”

  My three friends look at me expectantly. I presume they think I’m going to erupt. Had today not been on the spectacular side, I might have already exploded. But today’s been too good for me to want to ruin it with a fight.

  Though I do have enough indignation on behalf of all the single moms out there to put some heat in my words. “Tell me Dax, do you just hand out large sums of money to random strangers? Women you think need it?”

  He looks to my friends, probably hoping for a clue as to how to answer. Chicken. Then he returns his attention to me. “Not the way you put it, but yeah, I do. I’m involved in a few charities that help single parents.”

  “And I could tap into a charity like that if I wanted, couldn’t I?”

  He shrugs. “Sure, there’s a process and you have to qualify. But you’d definitely qualify.”

  “If you handed me some dollars without me having to go through any process, it would be like jumping ahead in the line. Maybe cheating someone who needs it more than me.”

  “No, because me handing you the money doesn’t affect how much I give to those organizations. They still get money from me. You would only be jumping ahead if I used their pot of money. But I’m not. You’re my friend, so I’m offering you money from my wallet. That doesn’t affect the charities I donate to.”

  A lifestyle I’m sure I’ll never be familiar with. “Are you telling me you are so flushed with cash that you could afford to give to your charities and to me and not even blink?” It’s not like I’m asking how much he has in savings, or anything
.

  He nods. “Yeah, I am. Not solely from my league pay, but from endorsement deals, too. Listen.” He holds up a hand to stop me from continuing the argument. “I never meant to offend you. But life has been good to me. I like to pay it forward. If I can help you, that would mean even more to me than helping a person I get to know through reading an application submitted to the charity. Helping you would make me feel good. Would make me feel like the concussions were worth it.”

  His argument takes the steam right out of me. “Thing is, Dax. You giving me money wouldn’t make me feel good. Whether right or wrong, I’d feel obligated. Like, if I were to splurge on a dress for me or takeout, you might resent that a little because those are luxuries I can’t afford, yet I’m taking them from the money you’d be giving me.”

  “I wouldn’t begrudge you those things.”

  I shrug. “Maybe you think you wouldn’t. But I see it all the time. Heck, just go through social media, and you’ll see it. A person who's got extra money and spends it after payday can do something like, I dunno, get a manicure to make themselves feel better. A person like me, who lives paycheck to paycheck, can’t do that because then we’re looked at as irresponsible. We’re not allowed things that make us feel better until we pull ourselves out of the situation we’re in. And I don’t want to have that happen between us”—I face my friends—“or us.”

  Dax nods, his way of processing what I’ve said. Then he meets my gaze and says, “If I had one wish, it would be for that not to be true.”

  Something warm and pleasant courses through me. Maybe it’s because I’m surrounded by people who genuinely care for me. But whatever it is, it fills my cup. “Me, too. Trust me, if it weren’t true, all my problems would be solved,” I joke. “Because I’ve got lots of people who want to give me money.”

  We laugh, my joke having broken the tension.

  “Wow,” Paisley says, “That went way different than I thought it would.”

  “Right,” Jayne says. “I’m relieved he’s not dead.”

  “Me, too,” Dax says and makes like he’s wiping sweat from his head.

  We laugh, and I punch him in the arm.

  Tyler walks into the room. “What’s so funny?”

  I ruffle his hair. “Nothing, adult humor.”

  He raises a lip. “I don’t get adult humor.”

  Josie says, “You will one day. But for now, did you see what Dax brought?”

  She shows him the ice cream and all the extras. His eyes go wide.

  “Can I have more than one topping?” His look is pleading.

  I smile. “Tonight is a celebration and, because you are almost eight, I will let you have eight toppings.”

  Tyler’s face lights up.

  Paisley picks up the ice cream scooper. “What flavor should I start with, Ty?”

  We get Tyler set up with a large bowl of ice cream covered with a mixture of candies and syrup that I’m sure will make his stomach upset.

  “Can I eat this in the living room? On TV is a Ninja Turtle marathon.”

  “Booyakasha,” I say, and we pound fists.

  He pauses before slipping into the living room. He points at Dax. “Don’t leave without saying goodbye.”

  Dax holds up a hand like he’s doing scouts honor. “I promise.”

  “What about us?” Josie calls to Tyler’s backside as he scurries from the room.

  “I see you all the time,” Tyler grumbles.

  Josie harrumphs then winks. “Well, we’ve been replaced by this one.” She jerks her thumb to point to Dax.

  “Message received, loud and clear,” Jayne says. “Let’s scoop some to-go dessert, and we’ll let these two be alone.”

  Dax grabs a hot fudge jar. “Don’t leave on my account.” He goes to the microwave and opens it. No light comes on.

  Dax points to it. “Does this work?”

  “Yes,” I say. “The bulb’s burned out, but it works.”

  “Unlike your garage door,” Paisley says then faces Dax. “She doesn’t park in her garage because the garage door opener jams all the time.”

  I say, “Oh, my Lord, Paisley. What is that about?”

  She shrugs. “Josie said he fixed your dishwasher. I figured he might want to take a look at your garage door opener.”

  Josie holds up one finger. “Didn’t you have a gutter problem, too?”

  I cover my eyes in humiliation. Maybe when I uncover my eyes, my friends will be magically gone.

  I let my hands fall. Nope, they’re still in my kitchen and smiling at me.

  The microwave chimes that Dax’s fudge is done.

  “See, it works,” I say.

  Josie pulls a spoon from the utensil drawer and hands it to him. “We’d like to get to know you better, Dax. Seeing as how Heather is one of our favorite people and we love her and will protect her.”

  Dax pauses, spoon halfway between the fudge and his ice cream bowl. “Message received.”

  Paisley smiles. “That’s good. Because Josie has a stun gun and likes to use it.”

  Josie rolls her eyes. “We’ll leave you to it and then we’ll all grill you at a later date.”

  I cross my arms. “No reason to grill him. We’re friends from college, and he’s here for Bike Week. He’s leaving when it’s over, right?”

  Dax shrugs. “Maybe. I don’t have any plans. I’m between careers and currently trying to figure things out.”

  Josie claps him on the back. “Just use a condom if you happen to find yourself on our friend here.”

  “Get out,” I say and point to the front of the house. I’m all talk. I know Josie means well, and I love her for it. Even if it is embarrassing.

  My friends hug me goodbye as I see them out.

  Afterward, Dax and I stand in my small foyer, the front door behind me, the entry to living room behind him. He wolfs down the remains of his ice cream, arching one brow as he spoons it into his mouth.

  “Why are you here?” I ask.

  He chews, swallows, then says, “Because this is where I want to be.”

  “The way you rushed out of here on Saturday makes me think what you just said isn’t entirely true.” I cross my arms and lean against the door.

  He leans against the wall and kicks one foot over the other. “Something unexpected came up, and I had to handle it.”

  “Most people would say, ‘Something’s happened and I have to take care of it’.”

  He looks into the bowl, frowns, then shows me it is empty. “Yeah, I could have said that, but I know you. You would have thought I had a secret girlfriend or something real nefarious.”

  I squint at him, hoping to convey I think he's crazy. “Nefarious? Like you’re running drugs or something. Don’t be stupid.” I roll my eyes. “And you’re right. I do think you have a secret something-or-other that’s going to show up here and make a scene. Because saying nothing left me to consider all the possibilities.” I point to the living room. “I have a child in there who I will go down in flames to protect—”

  He holds up a hand, a smile on his lips. “There’s no secret anything that’s gonna show up. I’d never put Tyler in any situation that could cause him physical or emotional harm. Never. Can I just say you’re so sexy when you get all momma bear?”

  I clear my throat. “We were talking about your sudden departure and why you’re back again.”

  With a jerk of his head, he gestures for us to go back to the kitchen which, oddly, is more private. Once there, he rinses his bowl and puts it in the dishwasher. A task most women would find sexy because a man cleaning up after himself is a catch.

  Dax says, “Okay, don’t hate me, but I was thinking about our night in the van and I was thinking about how I did some things that weren’t my best. I could do better. I thought maybe we could go at it again, and I could show you my good stuff.”

  “You’re saying I didn’t get the best that night?” I lean against the counter and cross my arms. This is gonna be fun.

 
He does the same. “I thought it was my best. But in hindsight, I think I might have been holding back. Afraid to overwhelm you. I think we should do it again so I can measure the two against each other.”

  Briefly, I press my lips together to keep from smiling. “Are you saying you want to measure my performance, too?” He walked right into that one.

  He straightens. “No, you were outstanding. Actually, better than outstanding. It’s me. I think I didn’t do my best.”

  I make like I’m uncertain. “Problem is, we agreed to a one-night stand, and if we did it again, then… well… you know.”

  “Except it’s a new week. A new line on the calendar. If we gave it another go, then we can call it this week’s one night.”

  I pretend to consider his rebuttal. “So, theoretically, each week we could have a one-nighter.”

  He nods. “Downside to that is it limits us to once a week.” He looks at me from under his brow.

  Dang, he’s so sexy and cute, wrapped up in a fun-loving, easygoing package. He spent the evening with my friends and didn’t look pained once. He spends time with Tyler and appears to genuinely enjoy it.

  And he finds me sexy. That alone is heady stuff. When my definition of self is worn out and haggard, it does something wonderful to my self-esteem to know a man I find attractive thinks my worn out and haggard is sexy.

  “Okay,” I say. “I'd like to know, too, if you can raise the bar.”

  His mouth goes slack. “Seriously, I thought for sure you’d say no and kick me out.”

  I point a finger at his face. “Tyler can’t know.”

  He shakes his head. “Of course not.”

  “And it’s one night.”

  He holds up one finger. “Got it. One.”

  He’s not been good with ‘one’ so far.

  “How long are you in town?” I ask him.

  “The plan was to head to Tampa when Bike Week ends. Six more days.”