Chapter 5
5
PORSHA
T his was adulting. That’s what I told myself as I watched the minutes tick by, waiting for midnight. I was about to spend some alone time with a real man…and I was a nervous wreck.
Okay, so I’d oversold my abilities when I told him to rest up. I had zero experience with men, so it wasn’t like I could do anything that would wear him out. I didn’t even know what “rest up” meant.
But when it reached 11:58 and I still saw no sign of Brock, I wondered if he’d changed his mind about the whole thing. It could very easily be that he’d fallen asleep on one of the lounge chairs by the pool. If so, should I wake him up or just let him sleep?
I could always delay my lunch break a couple of hours, although my stomach was getting a little growly. I could eat the lunch I’d packed, knowing I probably wouldn’t be able to leave my post to go eat in the restaurant.
As the time on my fitness watch ticked over to 11:59, another possibility hit me. This front door wasn’t the only way in and out of the building. Even I had looked at the map and made plans to go out one of the side doors at the end of each hallway of rooms. That way if any of the sleeping guests over on the couch happened to wake up, they wouldn’t see me exiting out the now-locked front door.
Brock could be sitting in his truck in that parking lot right now, waiting for me. I stared out the front window, but all I could see was a sea of vehicles covered in fluffy white powder.
Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to go see. I locked my computer and headed in the direction of the hallway to the right of the desk. It would be cold as heck outside, but I couldn’t risk wearing my coat. If anyone saw me, they’d have questions.
I didn’t look around to see if anybody was watching, instead choosing to walk with deliberate, purposeful steps so that I’d look like I knew exactly what I was doing. By the time I reached the door, my heart felt like it might pound right out of my chest.
It was crazy, considering I didn’t even know if he’d be out there. But I took a deep breath as I pushed my way through the door.
The parking lot was packed. I hadn’t counted on that. SUVs and trucks were the majority, but Brock said he drove a tow truck. That should be pretty easy to find.
Sure enough, at the very edge of the lot was a white pickup with a trailer behind it. The words Seduction Summit Towing were printed on the passenger door. I began walking in that direction, telling myself I’d look foolish if the truck was empty. But as I drew closer, I definitely saw the outline of a person in the driver’s seat. Even closer and I easily made out that the person was bulky, had a beard, and was definitely Brock.
I kept walking, telling myself it was just lunch, nothing more. If it was too much too soon, we could always table the other stuff for later.
“Hi,” he said as I climbed into the passenger seat.
“Hi.” I felt shy. “I don’t think anyone saw me.”
Two foam containers were stacked on his lap. He handed one over to me and gestured toward his cup holder.
“I wasn’t sure what you wanted to drink, so I brought water,” he said.
“Perfect.”
Water probably wouldn’t have been my beverage of choice for lunch, but right now, I needed it. My stomach was so fluttery, I doubted I could eat, but hydrating couldn’t hurt.
“I’m kind of out of practice with this stuff,” he said. “I’ve had my head down, working my butt off at the garage. This time of year, I have a constant flow of skiers coming through town with vehicles not equipped for the steep terrain, so I tow them and fix them. When things die down, I guess I kind of hole up at home.”
“And home is near your repair shop?”
“Home is above my repair shop. That’s where I live.” He opened his container and pulled out a sandwich. “I got you a chicken salad sandwich. I wanted to ask what you liked, but I didn’t have your phone number.”
“Chicken salad is perfect,” I said. “Did you have to ask them to make it?”
He thought about that a second as he took a bite, chewing and swallowing before speaking. “Everyone was asleep. I snuck into the kitchen and saw these big containers of chicken and tuna salad in the fridge. I just scooped some onto bread to put a couple of sandwiches together. Oh, and the chips.”
I opened my container to reveal a handful of chips inside. They were the type of potato chips that restaurants served at lunch, not the standard processed stuff found in packaged potato chips.
“I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some corn chips from home,” I said. “This is a thousand times better.”
That brought a smile to his face. Well, the closest thing to a smile I’d seen from him. Beneath his facial hair, I caught the corners of his mouth twitching upward a little.
“Glad I could help,” he said.
“I know the feeling.” I lifted the sandwich to my mouth and prepared to sink my teeth in. “It took me an extra semester to graduate college, and moving back home over Christmas was kind of a step back. I had my own place in Chapel Hill. Now I’m in my childhood bedroom applying for jobs night and day to put my degree to use. It’s not going well. That leaves little time for…well, much of anything.”
With that, I bit into the sandwich. It was delicious. Amazing. I closed my eyes and moaned, it was so good.
When I opened them, he was watching me, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I grabbed the napkin from the stack he’d set on the dashboard in front of us and wiped daintily at my mouth.
“Didn’t you just graduate a few weeks ago?” he asked.
“Yes, three weeks ago, but I started putting feelers out during my last semester. Plus, I did an internship last summer at an investment firm in Adairsville.”
“Investments,” he said. “So you’re in finance.”
Nodding, I wiped my mouth again for good measure, then I reached for one of the potato chips. I waited to take a bite until after I’d spoken.
“I don’t have my certification yet, so I’m not an actual advisor, I just…I’m looking to get some entry-level experience. But Seduction Summit doesn’t even have banks.”
“There are some in Adairsville,” he said.
“A few.” I nodded. “The bank where I worked last summer isn’t hiring right now, and I’ve checked the others. I have a resume in with one. The other two said thanks, but no thanks.” She sighed. “They want you to have experience. But how are you supposed to get experience when no one will hire you until you have experience?”
“The age-old dilemma.” He shrugged. “So you start your own business. But that’s probably not something you want to tackle right now. You could work remotely.”
I scrunched up my face. “I could, but there’s something about being there, working with people who do this every day. I learned so much last summer. But I may have no other choice.”
“Sounds like a dream to me. Working in your pajamas. No boss breathing down your neck.”
“There are benefits to it.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “And I guess I should keep an open mind.”
The truth was, I didn’t have much of a choice. If nobody local would hire me, I had to start fanning out my search.
“Or you could move to a bigger city,” he said. “I’m sure Charlotte or Raleigh would have plenty of opportunities.”
I held in a wince. His words were actually painful, I was embarrassed to realize. I’d just met him. How could I be hurt by the fact that he was suggesting I move two or three hours away?
“That would suck, though,” he said. “I just met you. How am I going to get to know you if you’re on the other side of the state?”
That comment had me practically glowing. I didn’t even hide my smile as I chewed a big bite of my sandwich. I probably looked goofy, but I didn’t care. He wanted to get to know me.
That was the best news I’d heard in a long, long time. Maybe ever.