by Lacey Wolfe
“Hi, I’m Francesca,” she said, holding her hand out.
“I’m Dana, Randy’s girlfriend.” Dana’s tone was full of pride.
“Girlfriend? I didn’t know.”
“I wouldn’t say girlfriend,” Randy added. What the hell? The lady was about to ruin everything.
“It was nice to meet you. Listen, when Ben comes out of the restroom, let him know I got called away.” Francesca grabbed her purse from the floor and before he could say anything, she was gone.
He turned to Dana and asked, “What was that all about?”
“You know, it isn’t nice to ask a girl out when you’re not really interested.” She released his shoulder and then followed the same path as Francesca did.
This was not at all how he’d envisioned his evening. Not only had he hurt Francesca, but he’d hurt someone who was innocent in this whole situation. He had two women to apologize to now.
“You really screwed up, huh?” the older man asked as he came back to the table.
“Yeah.”
“I don’t know you, but I’ve know Francesca for a few years. And she’s one of my fiancée’s best friends. She isn’t who everyone thinks she is. Francesca is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. She did so much for Jane and never asked for anything in return. Everyone seems to think she is only out for herself, but all the girl really wants is for Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and love her,” Ben explained.
Randy nodded. “I’m beginning to think you’re right.”
Ben chuckled. “Though, I’d hate to be on her bad side.”
“Yeah, it’s not my first time. I should be a pro at it by now.”
“I think you know what to do though.”
Randy wasn’t so sure he did. But showing her how sorry he was would be the first step.
Chapter 9
He has a girlfriend! Francesca hadn’t seen that one coming. Anytime she liked a guy, they were always taken. But wow, he’d slept with her and had been involved with someone all along. You didn’t get girlfriend status with just a date or two.
Closing the door to her apartment, she walked through the dark room to her kitchen. Still not turning a light on, she opened the fridge and took out a bottle of wine. She started to reach for a glass, but then changed her mind. Pulling the cork out, she pressed the opening to her lips, lifted the bottle up, and took in a nice, long sip.
It wasn’t like Randall had wanted a relationship with her. He’d told her the sex was just to get her out of his system. It was only meant to be a one night thing. And the second time, he’d assumed it was just a booty call. Nothing more. But in all that time, she couldn’t believe he never mentioned the girlfriend. Even in his office, there was no evidence of her. What a creep! Men like that disgusted her. And she’d been stupid enough to sleep with him.
But still, that just didn’t seem like the Randall she knew. When they had dated in high school, he was one hundred percent faithful. He hadn’t even looked another girl’s way. But it had been years since she’d seen him. People changed, and not always for the better.
Francesca took a long sip of her drink. She wasn’t sure she had changed for the better either. She was the one who dumped him, telling him he could never be the man she needed. And for years, she had been living the high life with man after man, waiting on one of those rich men to steal her heart. It hadn’t happened yet, and now she had a reputation.
Francesca took a seat on her couch, still in the dark. She set the bottle in her lap and decided that it was time to change. The life she’d been living wasn’t getting her to where she wanted to be. The first thing she was going to do was get to know herself before she let anyone else in.
She stood and then finished off the bottle of wine. It had been close to empty when she opened it and now it was gone. She debated opening another bottle, but decided a long hot bath would be a better option than drowning her sorrows in wine.
After she got the bath started, she chose some music and lit a few candles. She kept the lights off. Once the tub was full of warm liquid and bubbles, she stripped off her clothes. As the water engulfed her, she began to feel better. Sometimes a bath was just what you needed. Leaning her head back against the tile, she closed her eyes and simply relaxed.
She finally felt at peace, as though the day was being lifted away. Things were going to be fine.
Knock knock!
Opening her eyes, Francesca gazed around. Had she heard someone knock? Then she heard it again. She started to get up but changed her mind. If it was important, they’d call her cellphone. And since she hadn’t gotten a call from the front gate, she assumed it might be her nosey neighbor.
Letting her eyelids drift shut again, she ignored whoever was out there. She focused on the music.
“Fuck!” she heard a male voice coming from her bedroom.
Oh my God, there’s someone in my apartment. She sat up, her heart beating rapidly as she looked for a nearby towel. She tried to pull herself out of the bath quietly so she wouldn’t draw attention to where she was.
“There you are.” Randall appeared in her bathroom.
Francesca froze. Part of her was relieved to see it was Randall and not a burglar, but the other half was pissed. “Get out!” she screamed.
He looked almost like a deer caught in headlights. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“By breaking into my apartment?” Did he not remember her brother was a cop?
“It was unlocked and you didn’t answer. I knew you were upset, and I wanted to check on you.”
“But you don’t just come into someone’s house,” she argued. “That’s called breaking and entering.”
“I didn’t break anything, and you’re the one who didn’t answer the door. Your car is out front and I knew you were here.”
Letting out a frustrated sigh, she said, “Did you ever stop to think I was ignoring whoever was there? I am, as you can see, in the bath.”
Oh yes, he definitely knew she was naked. She hated that she noticed the bulge in his pants as he took in the scene in front of him.
“Can you please leave so I can get out and get dressed?” she asked.
“We need to talk.”
“Fine, but not in here.”
“I’m sorry about earlier. I never should have jumped to the conclusion I did about you and Ben. It was wrong and immature. And I know I said hurtful things. In fact, I’ve said a lot lately. I don’t know what comes over me when I’m with you.”
Francesca let out another sigh. “Look, I’ll talk. Just please let me get dressed.”
Randall’s gaze swept over her again. Her nipples puckered and she was so glad bubbles were covering them. The last thing she wanted right now was for him to know how much he affected her. The longer he stood there and she could see the slight erection in his jeans, the more likely she was to lose herself in him and forget everything she’d just sat and thought about.
She cleared her throat, hoping to get his attention—in a different way.
“Okay, yeah, sorry. I’ll wait for you in the living room,” he finally said.
“Thanks, and close the door behind you.”
He nodded and then left. Francesca moaned and sunk deeper into the water. After a few more moments of the bliss of her bath, she climbed out and dried off before covering herself with her favorite terry cloth robe.
In her bedroom, she found that door shut as well. She dressed quickly, all the while telling herself she would not fall into his spell again. Things hadn’t worked out years ago for a reason. Randall and she were not the same people anymore. And holding on to the past would do no good. She had to let those memories go. And move on.
In the living room, she found the lights on now and Randall sat on the couch with his legs spread apart as he leaned against the side cushions. He watched her and she him. She took a seat on the opposite couch, keeping as much distance between them as she could. She had to stay in control of the situation.
“You know, I don’t really know why you’re here. You made it clear you weren’t interested in me. You just had to get me out of your system. I would think I’m out by now. It’s done. So why are you here and not with your girlfriend?”
“First off, Dana isn’t my girlfriend. That was our first date. So just forget about her. It was stupid I even went out with her.”
Francesca huffed. “Okay, let’s pretend for a moment that’s true. Tell me then, why did you care so much when you saw me with someone else? After all, it isn’t like you want to be in a relationship with me.”
“That’s not entirely true.”
“You’re not serious, are you? Since I saw you again, you’ve repeatedly told me you didn’t want to get involved. You keep reminding me I only like rich men and I couldn’t possibly be happy with someone who isn’t.”
“Well, can you?” he asked.
“Can I what?”
“Be happy with someone who can’t give you everything your heart desires. If I recall, that’s what you wanted when you left me.”
Francesca bit her lip and stared at her hands a moment. “I thought it was. But it hasn’t brought me happiness. Money is good, but it isn’t everything. I know that. I didn’t only want a wealthy man, I also wanted someone who loved me as well.”
They sat silently for a few moments. Glancing up, she saw Randall’s gaze was intense and focused all on her. She didn’t know if he just had nothing to say or if his mind was going a mile a minute like hers.
“Could you ever be with someone like me? I get my hands dirty every day. I don’t like fancy restaurants. My ideal Friday night is a cold beer and a movie. I have no desire to live some fancy life and waste my money on stupid things like expensive cars or on a seventy dollar bottle of wine, when I can pick up perfectly good wine for three dollars at the local supermarket. Is that a life you could live?”
“I think so.”
“I like you, Francesca, a lot more than I’d like to admit. But I don’t want you to sacrifice things you want to be with someone like me who might be able to give you what you want.” He paused a moment, then added, “What if I told you right now I could actually give you those fancy things? That I’m loaded.”
“I know you’re not.”
“But if I was. Would I be perfect for you then?”
She smiled but didn’t say anything. Randall stood up and her smile faded. “Are you leaving?”
“You gave me my answer.”
“I didn’t say anything,” she argued.
“Exactly. You smiled, telling me my suspicions were true.”
Francesca stood and placed her hands on her hips. “I’m sick and tired of you thinking you know me. I smiled because I was thinking when it came to you, money doesn’t matter. Even if you were rich, I wouldn’t care. No, I don’t have the same desires for a Friday night like you do, but maybe we could have met in the middle and compromised. But you’ll never see me as anything else.” She paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “And I have no one to blame but myself. I dumped you years ago for that reason and have been living the rich life. And I like it. But for the right person, I could give it up.”
Randall licked his lips, and for a moment she thought maybe he’d grab her, press his lips against hers, and make love to her. God, she just wanted to feel him touch her. Whenever they connected, she felt whole and as though the world had stopped moving. He made her complete.
He took a step toward her, and she braced herself for the passion. But then he spun around and left. The door shut behind him and all was silent again. It was as though he hadn’t even been there. She plopped back down on the couch. What a turn of events. He’d come here to apologize and when he left, she was now the bad guy.
Chapter 10
Sitting across from her brother Adam at Sweet Muffins Bakery, Francesca listened to him talk about work. The past week had been very entertaining for him. He’d had all sorts of calls from cats in trees to a woman who needed an alien arrested for abducting her. She knew Adam was just trying to make her feel better. He’d never been one to want to just sit and listen to her problems, but he did what he could to try and put a smile on her face. Right now, however, nothing was going to make her feel better until she figured things out.
She’d bumped into Randall a few days after their last fight. They’d both been at the same gas station. Neither of them spoke to the other. Just looked. She wanted to go over and talk to him but knew it was best not to. Until she sorted things out for herself, she couldn’t try and work things out with him. He’d said a lot of things that made her think. And she needed to figure out if she could settle for the life he had to offer her.
Francesca hadn’t seen him again. This could be the break she needed. But was it what she wanted?
“Francesca, you there?” Adam waved his hand in front of her.
“Sorry. My mind is elsewhere.”
“Shit, you want to talk, don’t you?” He rubbed his forehead.
She laughed. “No, Adam. This is something I have to do on my own.”
“Look, sis, you’re perfect the way you are. You don’t take shit from anyone. Don’t sacrifice who you are for anyone.”
“Even if I think I might love him?” She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“If he loves you back, then you wouldn’t have to sacrifice.”
“Love sucks.”
“So, you do love him?” He raised an eyebrow.
“I never stopped. But you’re right. I suppose it’s time for me to stop thinking about how I need to change and who I have to be and find out if he can accept me for who I am.”
Adam sat back in his seat and took a sip of his coffee. “It’s going to take a special man to put up with you. And I will say that I think he is the one who can do it. Heck, he’s still around, that should tell you something.”
Francesca sighed. “Maybe. I just need him to see me for me and not who he thinks I am. If money is such an issue now, won’t it always be? How do I get him to understand I don’t care?”
“If he can’t see it, then it’s his loss. Want me to play bad cop and pull him over and give him a talking to?”
Francesca burst out laughing. “God, no! Talk about embarrassing. I don’t think I could ever look at him again, and I’d have to leave town.”
“What’s so funny over here?” Amy asked as she took a seat next to Adam.
“Your future husband. He wants to pull Randall over and give him a talking to.”
Amy poked Adam. “You better not.”
“I wasn’t really. It was an offer,” Adam said.
“I feel bad for our kids.”
Adam pulled Amy close and wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s skip the wedding and get started on those kids.”
“Eeew, I’m out of here.” Francesca stood, pushing her chair back.
“If you need some real advice, call me. I’m always here.” Amy laid her head on Adam’s shoulder.
“Thanks. Because he is no help.”
“Hey! That story about the woman and alien thing had you smiling.”
Francesca shook her head. “It’s never a dull moment with you. Glad you found a woman who can put up with you!”
She began to leave when Amy called out. “I still have you down for bringing a guest to the wedding. I expect a certain someone to be there.”
“We’ll see.” She pushed her way through the door and out into the bright afternoon. She was happy that her brother had found someone to be so happy with. Nothing else mattered for Amy and Adam except one another. Perhaps she and Randall could have that as well.
* * * *
Randy stood outside the shop and listened to Mr. Arnold talk about the latest car he was rebuilding. Usually he enjoyed hearing the man’s stories, but today had been a horrible day. If it could happen, then it did. And he had a finger wrapped up to show it. He had been damn lucky it hadn’t been chopped off when the hood suddenly fell from the car he was
working on. There was still a chance his finger was fractured.
He’d fallen several times in the shop over things out of place. The phone had rung non-stop from customers calling with questions. He had a full day ahead of him tomorrow, and tonight he was on tow-duty. The guy he had hired needed the night off for a school event for his kids. Sometimes he thought owning his own business was one of the worst mistakes he’d ever made. All the pressure was starting to get to him.
He hoped tonight was uneventful. Since he couldn’t relax with a six-pack, he planned to at least relax with a movie.
“Well, once I get her all shined up, I’ll drive it up here for you to see,” Mr. Arnold said.
“Awesome. I can’t wait to see it. Sounds like you’ve got quite the project ahead of you though.”
“Oh, I do. But all I’ve got is time.” Mr. Arnold laid a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t forget to take some time for yourself, boy. Life is short. Enjoy it.”
“Thanks, sir. I’ll try.”
Mr. Arnold nodded and then went toward his vehicle to head home. Randy went back into the shop to turn everything off and make sure the phone was set to forward to his cellphone. Once that was all done, he went out the back door and walked up the hill to his house.
The first thing he did when he got home was take a shower to wash away the grime from the day. After that, he rummaged through the fridge before deciding on a sandwich and a whole bag of chips. Plopping down on the couch with his food, he turned the TV on and flipped through the channels. A movie that he hadn’t seen was beginning on one of the movie networks. Finally, this day was starting to look up.
His phone rang. Grunting, he answered. It was someone wanting to know his hours of operation. He really needed to invest in one of those fancy answering machines at the shop where callers could press one to reach him and then he could include all that other nonsense people called about on the message.
His sandwich was gone and half a bag of chips before he was full. Randy kicked his feet up so they rested on the coffee table and did his best to concentrate on the movie. There was a blonde actress in the movie and each time he saw her from behind, his mind immediately went to someone else. Someone he was doing his damn best to get over and forget. He was sure things between them weren’t going to start up again. They couldn’t be in the same room without fighting. Some people just weren’t meant to be together, no matter how much they wanted to be.
