Cole’s looking for a babysitter? I need a real job, but then again I need a lot of things right now, and judging from the knots in my stomach Cole is at the top of the list.
CHAPTER 7
Anna
“Drop something?” Cole says as I reach down to the floorboard in front of my seat, pretending to look for something as we pull out of the driveway.
“No, it’s just right here,” I say, hiding my hair tie in the palm of my hand waiting for the moment I pretend to find it.
The car stops. Cole’s being a gentleman and not moving until I find it, but that’s exactly what I don’t want right now.
“I got it,” I say, pulling my body up, but sliding my legs forward. I want to stay as low as possible as we pass my house. If my dad sees me I know Cole’s phone will be ringing right away.
Cole finishes backing up before switching gears and taking us forward…and right past my house. I lean forward and fiddle with my backpack in-between my legs.
“Everything okay down there?” He turns and smiles at me.
“Yeah, just getting situated.”
Luckily he doesn’t stop this time, but my heart is still pounding inside my chest. Oh how I wish I could sit in the back seat where California allows tinted back and rear windows, but Benjamin is under thirteen years old so there’s no way we’d ever think of endangering him.
We’re down the block and I breathe a well-deserved sigh of relief as I look in my side mirror just in time to catch my dad stepping outside. What a close call, but we’re gone now. As long as my dad doesn’t call Cole’s cell phone I’m good-to-go.
“Ready for some air?” Cole says as we sit at a light in the turn lane for The 1.
I smile remembering how back here in California we refer to our highways almost as living, breathing beings. The 5. The 405. The 1. The 1 of course being PCH. PCH being Pacific Coast Highway, the most magical stretch of highway in the entire United States.
“I’m ready,” I say, and the top of Cole’s Maserati glides back effortlessly.
I lean sideways and look into the back seat so I can see how our little passenger is doing.
Benjamin is looking adorable with his swim trunks already on. He’s got on a tank top and he’s wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers that are way too big for his cute little head. He’s in complete contrast to Cole.
Cole is practically bigger than his seat, and he makes everything around him look small, including me, which I really enjoy. He may have a convertible, but it’s still a man’s car, and judging by the looks of things a very, very rich man’s car.
His posture is straight and erect as his arm extends to the manual transmission gearbox. As the light turns green he pulls it down into second and we take the turn effortlessly. I watch his fingers and hand as he works the stick shift through the gears as we pick up speed. I can’t help but imagine it’s my hand, but in my fantasy it’s not a stick shift I’m holding.
“How does the pier sound?” he asks.
“Sounds great. I haven’t been there since the Farmers Market years ago.”
I love Malibu. There are celebrity sightings galore, plus great restaurants and plenty of other things to do. My girlfriends and I used to come and watch the surfers, but today there’s only one guy I’ll be watching. Make that one man.
And even though he is a man, it doesn’t feel strange to me at all. I’m used to guys around my own age, but he’s just so relaxed, fit, and in control that it puts me at ease. I actually feel more comfortable with a guy who’s thirty-seven years old than I do with a guy who’s my own age of twenty-one. Go figure.
But it’s not the age difference that makes it work. It’s him. He carries his age so well, which is why he doesn’t really carry it at all. That California tan makes him look more experienced, more knowledgeable, and worldlier. And I’m not the only one who notices.
We pull up to a stoplight and a bright red BMW pulls up next to us. There are four platinum blonde Barbie look-a-likes and they’re doing everything they can to get Cole’s attention. The girl in the front is practically hanging out of the car as she twirls her hair around her finger. The one in the back has a bra on that’s got her fake tits pushed up so high she could eat off of them, or at least star in her own porno over in the San Fernando Valley.
I look over and realize that we’re centered in our lane, but this car full of girls is over the line and into ours.
I hear Malibu Barbie’s bubble gum snap, but Cole is no bleach blonde Malibu Ken. He doesn’t even give them the time of day.
“How’s the job search going?” he says, leaning to his right, and away from his window to talk to me.
The girls give a bitter face and then the light turns green. “Your loss!” they yell, but Cole is totally oblivious, because he’s focused entirely on me. I can see his eyes through his Ray-Ban Aviators, and they’re locked on mine. He’s looking at me so intently it’s like the fate of the world depends on my answer.
“It’s okay. It’s a tough market out there, so it’s going to take a little longer than expected.”
“If you need any help, let me know,” he says, before looking back at the road in front of him as he pulls away from the light. He’s straightened up in his seat now that we’re in motion again. I like that he’s a safe driver. It makes me feel protected and assured, and I know Benjamin appreciates it too.
“Thanks. Are you working in finance these days?” I’m eager to find out what he’s been up to since I left for college.
“Yes and no. I still follow the markets pretty closely, but I’m not nearly as active as I was the last few years.”
“Market conditions change?” I ask, hoping I’m not prying.
“Not so much the market, but me. My life has changed a lot.”
“Got ya,” I say, leaving it open for him to decide whether we continue down this conversation path or not. He doesn’t as we pull into a parking spot.
“Hungry?” Cole asks.
“I am actually. Skipped breakfast.”
“Perfect. I know just the spot.”
CHAPTER 8
Anna
Cole takes us to this amazing spot right along the water. I didn’t even know it existed, and I used to read a lot of reviews of new restaurants in L.A. Maybe it’s new. It’s got a perfect beachy vibe. It’s quaint and I absolutely adore it.
“Excuse me for one second,” Cole says. “Would you mind keeping an eye on Benjamin?”
“Of course not.”
“Thanks,” he says, before making his way towards the bathroom.
The waiter arrives not more than ten seconds after Cole disappears.
“May I bring you some drinks, Madame?” I look at his nametag and see “Jean-Paul.” Wow, he picked a French place.
“Can I please have a sparkling water?”
“Certainly. And for your husband?”
“Oh he’s not…he’s not…going to start with alcohol either. He’ll have a water also.”
“And for you, monsieur?” he says, looking at Benjamin.
“May I please have an orange juice?”
“You certainly may,” he says. “I’ll be right back with your drinks.”
I watch as Benjamin opens his little beach backpack and digs through it. He pulls out a bottle of sunscreen and a fisherman’s hat, causing my heart to melt. Just when I think he can’t be any cuter, he squirts some sunscreen into his palm and rubs it around all over his face. He stops before announcing, “I’ll just be right here.”
I was wrong. He could get even cuter.
“Can you come here real quick, first?” I ask.
“Am I in trouble?” he asks.
“No, no, no…nothing like that. It’s just that some of the sunscreen didn’t get rubbed in.”
“Oh, okay. Thank you,” he says as I work the sunscreen into his face after he moves in front of me. There are globs everywhere and I just want to reach forward and hug him he looks so cute. I get him all straightened out before giving him a
pat on the behind, sending him on his way.
My eyes open wide, as I catch myself. I’m probably out of line giving him a pat like that, but he didn’t seem to mind at all. It just came so naturally for me, and he’s already off working on a sandcastle no more than ten yards from our table.
“I see Benjamin’s having fun.” I turn to see Cole settling back in next to me.
“Yeah, he’s such a cute kid.”
“He’s a great kid. I’ve never seen a little guy that well mannered. I know I certainly didn’t have my energy levels under control at that age. I was a terror on two wheels.”
Cole laughs.
“What?”
“It just occurred to me that that’s how you and I got properly acquainted after all these years. He ran into you, so I guess he can be a terror on two wheels too. Maybe we’re more alike than I realize.”
“Your drinks, sir,” the waiter says. “A water for you,” he says, setting down Cole’s water. “An orange juice for the young man,” as he places the orange juice down. I feel my pulse quicken, and my anxiety is confirmed as he says, “And for your wife.”
“Thank you,” Cole says.
The waiter disappears to the back room.
“Well, I thought I was coming for the seafood, but I guess I got more than I was expecting.”
I blush.
“To my wife,” Cole says, cutting the tension slightly with his joke as he offers a toast. He seems totally at ease with the humor of the situation, and it helps in relaxing me as well.
I smile awkwardly at first, but I can’t hold back my real smile when I see he’s just taking the whole wife thing and running with it. “Um…to…her?”
Our glasses clink and the cool water refreshes us on a warm summer’s day.
“Benjamin seems to be enjoying himself,” he says, turning his head slightly to keep an eye on him.
“Yeah, he’s a good kid.”
“Excellent kid actually.”
I have so many questions, but I’m not sure where to start. Most of my questions are for Cole, but I have a few that I can’t deny are for myself.
Why am I falling for this guy so fast?
That’s the most pressing and most obvious one.
“Will he stay with you, or go to his grandparents?”
Cole turns slightly to look at me, before turning back to keep an eye on Benjamin, who has moved further back from the shoreline and is just a few feet from us now. Cole is doing a great job not letting him out of his sight except for when I watched after him when Cole went to the bathroom.
I look around and see kids everywhere. They’re running around out of control. Some are playing with their food. Most parents don’t even seem to notice them, but not Cole. He’s watching Benjamin like a hawk, and as much as I’d like those eagle eyes of his on me, I’m impressed that he’s committed to Benjamin’s safety. I know it’s much, much more important that he watches Benjamin closely and I’m happy with the glances he gives me in-between.
“Yes. I’ve already started the paperwork. I should have him in just a couple weeks.”
“Wow. I didn’t know it was possible to do it so quickly.”
“I’m very fortunate to know some nice people who can help me speed up the process.”
Judging by the type of restaurant we’re in, the kind of car he drives, and just about everything about Cole, I can see he’s the type of guy that others would gravitate towards.
“Do you enjoy the ocean?” he says, calmly changing the subject. But I’m anything but calm as he reaches forward to take a drink, his arm grazing mine.
I look down at my arm with my peripheral vision. I’ve got goose bumps already, and to make matters worse as he leans back in his chair I feel his thigh brush against my knee. It’s not like he’s trying to tease me. I don’t think so at least. It’s just that he’s such a huge guy and he takes up so much space, at least that’s what I tell myself.
“I do. I was a swimmer in high school. I practiced in the ocean from time to time.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. Two hundred freestyle.”
“That a great idea to train in the ocean. You have the added tide to swim against.”
“Thanks for reminding me,” I laugh, remembering how tough some of those training sessions were.
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yeah, it was a nice way to stay in shape and make friends.”
“Health and relationships. Two of the three building blocks.”
“What’s the third?”
“Wealth.”
He says it in a calm way. He’s not bragging, he’s just very matter-of-fact.
“Because with wealth we can better take care of our health, and it gives us the chance to spoil the people who are important to us. It’s an opportunity to let them know how much we appreciate them.”
I narrow my brow, not sure how I feel about that comment.
“What do you mean?”
“I’ll give you an example. A personal one.”
“Okay.”
“When I was younger my sister had protruding ears. They were very noticeable. She got teased a lot. It took me awhile to understand there were only so many bullies I could put in their place over the course of a single day. But it wasn’t even about that. I wanted my sister to feel good about herself. I wanted to give her what she wanted, and I knew if only I could do that, then not only would the bullying stop, but her self-esteem would improve as well. I needed money to do that.”
“But weren’t you too young?”
“That’s the great thing about being young. I was naive. I thought I could make enough money. I thought it was my job as her older brother.”
“Isn’t that your parents’ responsibility?”
“Probably, and not necessarily at the same time. I never saw it that way. I saw it as my responsibility to help those who were close to me.” He takes a sip of water, but doesn’t finish the story. Now I’ve got to know.
“Were you able to get the procedure for your sister?”
“I was able to, thankfully.”
“Did she feel more confident afterwards?”
“Well fortunately my sister is a strong woman. Self-belief is something she developed right about that time in her childhood, and it’s stayed with her ever since. She took all that negative energy from being bullied and channeled it. By the time I made enough money to get her braces, she said she’d rather use the money to help other people. She said she’d actually grown stronger thanks to everything that happened, and didn’t care what people said anymore.”
“So what happened?”
“I gave her the money and she refused it.”
“She refused it?”
“Yes, she had raised enough in the same amount of time.”
“So she got her ears fixed?”
“She said after struggling for that long, she learned to like the difference. She said by that point she realized there was never anything wrong with them.”
“What did she do with the money?”
“She started a program for inner city kids here in L.A instead.”
“How did I not hear about this?”
“She doesn’t talk about it much.”
“I’ve never heard of it.”
“Just the way she likes it.”
“Cole!” a man says coming up from behind us quickly.
Cole stands to greet him with a handshake, only taking his eyes of Benjamin for a fraction of a second to make eye contact with the man.
I recognize him instantly. He’s one of those actors you know you’ve seen, but you can’t put your finger on where.
And that’s just it with Cole. I can’t put my finger on this guy. Who is this guy who does things with my dad? Why are there so many things about him and his family that I don’t know about, but want to? And why can’t I stop thinking about him?
CHAPTER 9
Cole
“I like to surf when I get the chance,” I say as w
e walk along the beach after lunch.
Benjamin made friends with an older couple’s golden retriever at the restaurant and now he’s walking him along the beach just in front of us. It gives us time to hang back and get to know each other better.
Billionaire's Babysitter: An Older Man Younger Woman Romance (A Man Who Knows What He Wants Book 20) Page 3
