Chapter Four #2
Hal entered the driver’s side and pulled out of the parkade and into the afternoon traffic with practiced ease.
She observed him from her peripheral and liked his hands.
Sure, she’d felt them tanning her backside, but she hadn’t really looked at them.
Now she could see the strength as they gripped the steering wheel—large, strong, and veiny, they spoke of strength and power, and they were as sexy as the rest of him.
This new situation with him made Hailey question herself.
The sensation of being out of her depth with Hal had less to do with the large expensive interior of the Mercedes, and more to do with its driver.
Hal’s energy and physical size made him seem larger than life.
And suddenly, the car was too small to contain such a big man with such a vibrant, charismatic personality.
His combed, jet-black hair was now ruffled from our time earlier, giving him a carefree vibe. At some point he became aware of me staring at him because the corner of his full lips tweaked up at the corner.
End this Hailey, he’s way out of your league girlfriend.
“Tell me about your dad.”
What do I say about my father? He was the best, although he wasn’t around as much as I’d wished. But when he was, he gave me all of his attention.
“He called me his little princess.”
Hal smiled. “All little girls should be their father’s princess. What else?”
“If it’s all the same to you. I’d rather not talk about him right now; it makes me sad.”
They drove in silence until Hal pulled up in front of the offices for the electric company. He bade her wait while he moved around the vehicle to open her door. With his hand out, Hal assisted her in exiting the sedan.
Hal’s actions seemed completely unnecessary to Hailey, and a bit overkill, but they did show her that the man had good manners.
He did things that her father had done with her step-monster, and it made me wish that I could have it too.
But Hal wasn’t offering me that, at least not in the way my dad did with my step-monster.
Hal was offering me a hand up for the next three months, noble but it didn’t include what I wanted the most, him.
At the counter, Hal paid more than the minimum payment, he paid everything due and prepaid for three months.
Not arguing was a challenge for Hailey. She hadn’t agreed to his terms yet and had no idea how long it would take to get the money to pay him back.
She assumed that this was a loan as paying her bills was not in the employment discussion.
She desperately needed to know whether having a personal relationship fit into all of this or if this was his version of a relationship.
Hailey was too confused to confront Hal with her questions, and instead, stood by, allowing him to do his thing.
Back in the car, Hal’s next turn was in the correct direction to get to her place. “How do you know where to go?” He’d asked no questions of her, not even directions.
“I know more about you than you think, Hailey Carberry.” He offered a wink, lightening the mood in the car.
But he didn’t drive directly to her run-down, three-story walk up, and stopped a few streets over, parking in front of one of those fancy grocery stores that only rich people could afford to shop at.
“Come on, let’s have a shopping spree and while we’re here, we can grab ingredients for dinner.”
“Dinner? You’re making me dinner?”
“I am,” he said with a boyish charm that Hailey found infectious. Matching his smile, she dismissed her many ideas and joined the fun. She followed Hal down each aisle, tossing in items that appealed to her.
Hal added tons of fresh produce and bottles of her favorite mineral water, but how he knew that was beyond her, wedges of cheese she hadn’t eaten in years, tenderloin steaks, and seafood.
At the checkout, Hailey dug her nails into her hands when the clerk gave them the total, which was just over two thousand dollars.
Her confusing thoughts once again warred within Hailey.
Like the electric bill, where did the grocery bill fit in their new arrangement, she wondered, and where would they put it all?
She mentioned the storage issue to Hal as they stuffed bags into the pristine trunk of his Mercedes.
He just gave her his sexy smirk and told her not to worry about it.
But she was worried about it as he’d bought way too many perishables while she’d grabbed stuff from shelves that she could leave on her countertops and table if need be.
Once again, the division between them, became apparent when they parked in front of her building, which looked like a teardown compared with Hal’s business floor and the store they’d just shopped at.
The sensation didn’t fade as she quickly ascended the deteriorated stairs to the third level and opened her apartment, surveying the 500-square-foot dwelling in a single swift look.
Small, worn, messy. Ugh! Hailey deposited the bag in her arm just as Hal entered, carrying four bags.
They made a few more trips to the car and back with more bags.
Every available surface in her tiny home had stacks of bags.
The thought of putting it all away was too much.
Hailey didn’t have the headroom to worry about where to put food and she knew it was ridiculous.
She should be ecstatic to have so much food in her home but where was it all going to be put?
“Nice digs,” he said, looking around.
It wasn’t. It was small and messy, except for her desk, where everything was perfectly tidy and lined up. Had Hal noticed, and that was what he was commenting on in her apartment, just her home office?
“Okay, little girl, it’s time for you to have a relaxing bath while I cook. I’ll bring you a glass of wine, and here.” Hal handed her a bag of expensive organic vegan bubble bath. “I grabbed this so you could relax. Now shoo! This kitchen isn’t big enough for the two of us.
His lighthearted comment brought a laugh from Hailey as she made her way to the bathroom.
She did a little cleanup while she waited for the water to fill and couldn’t wait to immerse herself in the ancient claw-foot tub.
The scents of lavender, lemon, and gardenia wafted from the tub, filling her bathroom with relaxing floral notes.
Hailey’s eyes grew wide as the bubbles rose higher than she knew was possible. Giggling, she sat down in the middle and leaned back, disappearing into a frothy sea of white.
A moment later, Hal tapped on the door, then opened it, wine in hand. “Hailey, are you in there, or did the white sea monster swallow you up?”
Feeling immensely more relaxed, the silly side of her personality came out, and Hailey sprung up on her knees through the bubble wall, roaring like a monster. Water splashed as she filled the tub a little too high and white bubbles clung to her body.
Playing along, Hal jumped back, acting terrified.
“Raww! I’m decaying algae come to shore.
Meet your maker.” Hailey leaned forward with clawed arms. But her knees slipped, and she ended up over the tub and on the floor with a thud.
She opened one eye to see Hal gazing down with concern written all over his face.
“I think the sea monster got me, Daddy.” She said with a forlorn expression.
Hal looked as if he was laughing on the inside but was trying to look concerned for her sake.
“Accountant Daddy will get you if you don’t get back in the tub.” He pulled her to her feet and helped her to step in and settle before handing her a glass of wine. Hailey leaned back in the tub, this time settling back with a contented sigh.
“That was fun. Accountant Daddy, where did that come from?”
“It’s a joke I thought of earlier. I’m glad you had fun; now where is the mop? I don’t want any leaks trickling down to your neighbor’s place.”
“Front closet.”
Hal left and Hailey sipped her wine while contemplating her day. She chalked it up to one of the oddest, and most unexpected days she’d ever had, and it wasn’t over yet. Her mind continued to mull over the question that had bothered her since Hal’s earlier offer in his office.
It would be work, with the added discipline and help Hailey felt she could benefit from, but she had to ask, would it be enough for her, and what was Hal getting out of the deal? Why would a successful, gorgeous man want to interrupt his life with a project like Hailey?
Hal had purchased several bottles of wine after he inquired about her preferences. Taking a tentative sip. Berries, with a hint of chocolate and blackcurrant burst on my palette. She noticed the wine was dark with good legs as it swirled in her glass.
Hal entered with the bucket and mop. “How is the wine?
“Delicious. I love it. Where’s it from?”
“Franschhoek, South Africa. Have you had wine from the region?”
“No,” Hailey frowned, extending her arm to give Hal back the glass. “But there is only one, Black African-owned winery there, which was historically dominated by Apartheid. I won’t support an old regime by drinking their wine.”
Hal had the nerve to smirk at her in her attempt to hand him her wine glass.
“It is a Cab/Merlot from Klein Goederust. Does that meet with your approval?”
Hailey pulled her arm back and glared up at Hal. “Are you a stalker? How do you know so much about me, when until this morning you were just the sexy guy from the diner?”
Hal’s gaze darkened. “You think I’m sexy?”
Hailey burst out laughing. “Like yah, of course. Now your turn. Are you a stalker?”
His look of amusement shifted to something darker, causing her womb to spasm and her entrance to throb.
“I guess it depends on perspective. For the past month, you have been my daily entertainment, and you, my dear, share everything with the cook who works the same shift as you.”
Hailey thought back on all the times she’d served Hal at the restaurant. He always sat near the kitchen and would have been within hearing distance of any personal conversations she had with the other staff members.
“I know when you’re tired, hungry, out of sorts.
Your favorite food is a burger and fries, and you like to watch romance movies while eating pizza, your second favorite food.
I know you like wine, your favorite mineral water.
What I didn’t know is your father had died.
I don’t know all your charities yet, but I know there are too many for you to support and live until we get you on track.
But if you are asking me if I was deliberately stalking you, the answer is no, and I doubt I would have spoken to you outside of the diner if you hadn’t come into my company looking for work.
Now, I will leave you to your bath, and your wine while I get dinner made. ”
Hal closed the door, taking the mop and bucket with him when he left.
Hailey glared at the closed door, as she tossed back the remains of her glass. Sinking beneath the bubbles, she stayed there, her nose peaking above the water line, and her upper body encased in the comfort of the fluffy white cloud.