Chapter 11 Xavier
Xavier
"Wow, you were able to get an appointment quickly.
It usually takes at least a couple of weeks to get into any pediatrician.
" Rosalee's brows furrowed and her lush lips pushed out into a small frown, which morphed into a smile when Violet smiled up at her.
"It's because you're such a special girl," she cooed and followed me inside the squat brick medical building.
I should've felt bad that Rosalee didn't know who I was, but it was refreshing.
She didn't know I was rich and powerful, but she was attracted to me anyway.
She also didn't like me very much, which was a novel experience.
Despite being a growly bastard most of the time, most people liked me—well, they pretended to like me—which made it impossible to know who was genuine and who was being mercenary. "I guess we just got lucky."
She shrugged it off and kept her focus on Violet while I filled out what I could of the paperwork. Five minutes later, we were ushered into a small examination room and joined by an elderly man with a fluffy white beard. "And who do we have here?" he asked as he focused on his patient.
"This is Violet," Rosalee offered with a kind smile. She really was beautiful when she smiled, which was all the more reason I needed to keep my distance and be even more of my usual self. The less she smiled and the more she scowled back at me, the better.
For both of us.
Thirty minutes later, the DNA swabs were complete, and Violet had a clean bill of health that put her at just over ten months old, with another appointment scheduled to make sure she was making all her milestones. "When should we expect the results?"
"Three days is our standard. We'll call when they arrive, and you can pick them up or log into a system to access the results." Dr. Porter flashed a friendly smile as he answered.
"I'll need, um, formal results for legal proceedings." I rubbed the back of my head, a nervous gesture I'd tried to get rid of for most of my adult life.
"No problem. You can still access the results online, but you'll have to pick them up in person."
It wasn't ideal, but I nodded. "Thanks again for everything." I couldn't get out of the medical building fast enough, and when I burst through the entrance door, I noticed I was alone.
"Don't wait for us or anything," Rosalee mumbled under her breath. "She's totally easy to carry with paperwork, a diaper bag, and her carrier."
"Shit. Sorry." I took the baby in her carrier to relieve the burden.
"Don't worry," she sighed with a smile. "It is my job, after all." To prove her point, Rosalee sat in the back of my truck with Violet.
Dammit, she threw me off with every interaction.
As much as I liked that she didn't bow to my every whim, I realized I was out of practice in dealing with people—with women—who weren't courting my attention.
"I'm sorry, Rosalee. I'm out of practice dealing with people.
" She said nothing in response to that, but her gaze stared a hole through my face in the rearview mirror.
"How about I take you both out for breakfast to show I'm not a complete monster? "
"Sure," she shrugged and averted her gaze.
Dammit. She was a nice woman and didn't deserve my bad attitude.
I decided to take her to my favorite place to eat when I ventured off the mountain.
Belles & Boots was your quintessential small-town diner, complete with fifties-style uniforms, a jukebox just before the bathrooms, and freshly made pies every single day.
"Wow, this place is a throwback." Rosalee looked around with wide eyes and a rueful smile. "You eat here?"
I nodded. "Not often, but only because I don't leave the mountain very often."
She nodded and said nothing as we settled into a booth by the window, keeping her attention on Violet while I checked out the menu even though I knew exactly what I wanted.
"Mr. Holloway, it's so good to see you here in town!"
I pasted on the smile I only used in town these days and extended my arm to take the mayor's hand. "It's good to be here, Mayor Miller. How are local politics treating you?"
He shrugged. "Good days and bad, but more good than bad, which is all we can hope for."
"Exactly." The old man was more like Santa Claus than a mayor, which only made me like him more than the average person.
Too bad he wasn't the only person to stop at the table. Several people came by to say hello, to remind me about my various charity obligations, and a few stopped by to impress me with investment opportunities.
The waitress came to take our orders, and when she was gone, Rosalee looked at me with humor glinting in her golden-brown eyes. "Are you famous or something?" Her gaze bounced around the room as she finally noticed what I had the moment we stepped inside the diner.
All eyes were on us.
"This is a mountain town, and plenty of people end up lost or stuck up there, and I'm usually the one to rescue them." That was most of the truth anyway.
Rosalee accepted the answer easily, her gaze glued to the menu, alternating between the list of menu items and Violet's curious gaze. "So, did you love outdoorsy stuff as a child? Is that how you ended up doing mountain rescues for a living?"
"What little boy doesn't love to rip and run outside?" It wasn't much of an answer, and Rosalee's disappointment shone through vividly.
"Never mind."
I reached out for her and stopped abruptly. "I told you it's been a long time since I've done this with anyone other than my brother."
She shrugged as if it didn't matter to her. "Okay, how about you just tell me what you want me to know?"
That was a good option, honestly, and I appreciated it, but that just put me on the spot, and I had no idea what to say and what to hold back.
"What kind of training did you have to do for a job like yours?" she asked around an annoyed sigh. "Did you have to spend a month in the wilderness with nothing but a stick and a lighter, and whoever comes back is officially Mountain Man of the Century?"
Her ridiculous question teased a loud laugh out of me.
The sound startled Violet as much as it shocked me, and a few more sets of eyes turned our way.
"Not exactly. I did always love the outdoors, but after high school I went to college, earning my undergraduate degree as well as an MBA.
" Ignoring the surprise in her eyes, I continued the story before I changed my mind.
"I did that whole thing, hated it, and used my Mountain Man of the Century credentials to secure this job. "
Her lips twitched, but she held back the smile. "Hilarious."
"Thanks," I chuckled. "I, too, find myself hilarious."
Rosalee rolled her eyes. "Seems like a very cool job, but it must be hard only seeing people when they're scared and hurt."
I never really thought of my job in that way, but it was completely accurate.
"I'm just there to keep them calm and get them to safety.
That's what I have to focus on in order to achieve that objective.
" Her words gave me pause and made me look at her a little differently.
Rosalee didn't say things just to make conversation.
She looked at me with interest, as if she were genuinely interested in what I had to say.
With her, it was nice being anonymous. Not like at Triple Horn, where I was just a hot body and a good fuck.
Not like the rest of the world, who saw me as someone who could do something for them.
She saw all the pieces of me, the whole man, and though she wasn't completely sold on me, she wasn't in awe of me either.
"Your job is very cool, and it suits you since it doesn't require a lot of conversation," she laughed. "Your parents must be proud."
Another laugh escaped. "Nope. They're disappointed I didn't stick with the more lucrative corporate route."
Her face twisted into an uncharacteristic frown. "It's not all it's cracked up to be, is it?"
I shook my head, pausing while the server poured two cups of coffee and a glass of juice. "Only to those who haven't spent any significant time in that environment."
Surprise flashed in her eyes, and then a kindred smile. "Exactly."
Her words intrigued me, and I found myself doing something I hadn't done in years. I asked Rosalee about herself. Usually, this led to more questions, usually about me and my life, but she'd already gotten a few answers, and now I wanted some as well. "What was your corporate job?"
"You didn't look at my background and employment history?"
I shrugged even though I hadn't read them at all. "I prefer the details not in the police report," I joked.
"I was a professional executive assistant," she sighed, as if it were a mistake and not the chance of a lifetime most people would see it as.
"I spent time working for a record exec, a studio head, and even an investment banker.
Each and every one of them believed that my body was part of the services provided.
" She shook her head and gazed out the window.
"It took me too long to walk away and find another way to use my skills. "
"Why did it take you so long?"
"I don't know," she shrugged it off. "I guess I felt like I had to give it a try since I worked hard to get my degree and they were otherwise good jobs.
I didn't want to be a quitter, but I had to be.
" Her sadness was palpable, and I resisted the urge to reach out and touch her.
Comfort her. "We're both on our second careers," she grinned, but the darkness still lingered in her eyes.
I couldn't help but return her smile. Rosalee wasn't like most women at all. They all saw me as giving up my wealth and power because it was all they saw, while she saw my second chance as something interesting and worthwhile.
I raised my coffee mug in the air. "To second chances and starting over."
The corners of her mouth curled into an alluring grin. "I'll drink to that."