Chapter 4
Tyler
“Mr. Bassham, we’re ready to leave for your appointment whenever you are.”
Joe throws the papers he was reading onto the desk and digs his thumb and forefinger into his eyes. “I just need a few minutes, and I’ll be out.”
I give him a curt nod. “No rush, sir. We’ll be in the living room.” I leave him be and rejoin the couple of guys working with me today. “Matt, you’re with me. Bill, you stay here and keep the house secure.”
Matt has a Cheshire grin. “Looks like being the boss runs in the family. Happy for you, man.”
I let out a low chuckle and beam internally.
Matt’s a good guy and saved my life a few years ago when Ella, Jack’s wife, was in some trouble.
One of the men who were after her tried to shoot me, but Matt intervened and was shot instead.
Thankfully, he made a full recovery, but I’ll be forever grateful to him.
“I’m ready.” Joe joins us in the living room, and we all spring into action.
Matt and I flank him as we walk out to the SUV.
Matt circles the vehicle to climb into the driver’s seat as I open the door for Joe to the backseat.
Once he’s settled, I slam the door, and just as I’m opening the front passenger side for myself, the same feeling from a few days ago slithers over my skin.
With my hand on the door handle, I turn quickly, fully expecting someone to be standing nearby.
The eerie feeling grows the longer I stand there.
I hold up my finger to Matt through the window, telling him to give me a minute, then stalk across the lot and slip through the tall hedges.
On the other side, I glance up and down the row for anything out of the ordinary.
There’s no one, nor is there any indication anyone was there besides some disturbed mulch, but that could’ve been caused by the landscaper.
Shaking my head, I spin around and head back to the SUV and pull open the door, climbing inside.
“Everything okay?” Matt asks.
Looking out the window one last time, we start to roll out of the driveway. “Yeah, I think so.”
He grunts in response and turns onto the street.
Thirty minutes later, we’re pulling into the parking lot of a small restaurant in East Nashville.
I turn in my seat to face Joe. “I’m going to escort you in, and Matt’s going to stay out here.”
Before I even finish my sentence, Joe’s shaking his head. “Absolutely not. This is confidential business.”
I stifle the annoyed sigh that fights to leave me. “Sir, we have all signed NDAs. Nothing we see or hear can be shared, or I have no doubt you would sue us for every penny we have and probably ones we don’t.”
Joe harrumphs but doesn’t argue.
Once we’re parked, I step out, surveying the lot, waiting for that same uneasy feeling to resurface.
When it doesn’t, I open the door for Joe to exit, shutting the door behind him and following him into the restaurant.
The hostess shows us to a table situated in the farthest back corner.
I assume this was requested to keep this meeting away from any prying eyes.
I look around the place, which is mostly filled with senior citizens.
Pretty sure no one in here gives a shit about this meeting.
Joe takes the seat at the back of the table, allowing him a view of the whole restaurant. He glances up at me. “You can go, Tyler.” His condescending tone grates on my nerves.
With a curt nod, I stalk back across the restaurant and take up station near the door. The table is partially obstructed, but I have enough of a view that I should be able to see if I’m needed.
I pull my phone from my pocket. Ian texted me to see if I wanted to go to the gym later this evening, and my mom texted me to ask if I was coming over for dinner tomorrow night.
Hating that this is the extent of my social life, I let my mind wander to the woman at the coffee shop. I wonder what her life is like. Does she have someone who texts her regularly and tells her they’re thinking about her?
I shake my head at my lament and text them both that I’ll be there, then pocket my phone again. Before I can even lock my screen, my mom calls me. I let out a sigh of annoyance before answering the call.
“I’m at work, Mom. What do you need?”
“Tyler Evan Matthews, don’t speak to me like that. I don’t care if you’re almost thirty, I’m still your mother.”
My mom is the best. She got pregnant with me at seventeen, so for the first nine years of my life, it was just the two of us, since my biological dad didn’t want anything to do with me.
My grandma helped a lot, and my cousin, Jack, when he was home from the military, but my mom and I are very close.
She eventually met my stepdad, Tim, who I love, but we’ve both worked hard to keep our bond strong over the years.
I’m more amused than annoyed with her scolding, but I can’t help but give it back to her. “Trust me, you remind me often enough. As I said in my text, I’ll be at dinner tomorrow.”
She sighs dramatically. “Fine. I miss you. It feels like you’ve been too busy for me. I haven’t seen you in forever.”
Now, her texts and calls all make sense.
She isn’t wrong. I haven’t had a chance to spend time with her lately, as I’ve been busy with work. “I’m sorry, Mom. I’ll make sure I come over more often.”
She hums. “You’re a good kid. I do have to ask…is there a certain someone keeping you away?”
I groan in frustration even as the voluptuous mystery woman pops into my mind. I sure am thinking a lot about a woman I’ve never spoken to. But she’s said exactly two words to me, which apparently is all I need to be captivated for days.
I still kick myself for not talking to her in the coffee shop. She’s taking up so much space in my mind, I swore I saw her on the sidewalk the other day as we were leaving Joe’s house, but when I turned around to get a second look out the car window, the person was gone.
“No, there’s no one. Unless you count working out with the guys.”
“Fine.” Disappointment drips from her tone. “I’ll leave you alone. For now. I finally convinced Jack to settle down. I hope I don’t have to wait until you’re in your forties, like I did with him.”
“Can we please talk about my love life later?” I grind out.
I love my mother, but today isn’t the first time she’s brought this up.
I’ve told her multiple times that I don’t know if I want kids, so she shouldn’t count on grandkids.
She tells me she doesn’t care about that, but she doesn’t want me to be alone, and she wants me to be happy, which I can appreciate because I also don’t want to be alone.
I had one serious girlfriend in my early twenties when I was hanging out with that terrible group of friends.
However, once I stopped associating with them and started working with Jack, I ended things with her.
Besides that, I’ve had only a handful of random hookups over the years, along with some casual dates that never went anywhere.
I would be lying if I said watching all the guys around me pair off over the last few years hasn’t made me a little more interested in pursuing something more serious.
If only I had gotten the chance the other day.
My mother’s voice brings me out of my regrets momentarily, though I’m sure they’ll return. I don’t know why this woman enchanted me so much. Maybe it was the depth behind her eyes as she gazed up at me when she passed by.
Or maybe you just thought she was really fucking hot.
“Tyler, are you going to answer me?”
I shake my head of those thoughts. “Sorry, I got distracted.”
“Clearly. I asked if you’d gotten Tim his birthday present yet.”
“Not yet. I’m going shopping this weekend. Is there anything I can do to help with the party?”
Tim’s turning fifty, and my mom has been planning a huge party for him for months.
“Nope, I actually feel like I have everything under control and ready to go. I’m so excited!”
Movement across the lobby of the restaurant catches my attention. A man walks into the restaurant and speaks with the hostess in a low tone. She gestures for him to follow, and they walk toward the corner where Joe’s seated. Joe stands and shakes the man’s hand before they both take their seats.
Distractedly, I say, “Okay, sounds good. If you think of anything I can do, let me know. I gotta go, but I’ll talk to you later.”
“Okay, hun. Be safe, and I love you.”
“Love you, too, Mom.” I disconnect the call and narrow my eyes. That man looks incredibly familiar, but I can’t place where I know him from.
Deciding it doesn’t really matter, I take a seat on the bench to wait for the meeting to be over. All the while, wondering if the universe could be gracious enough to grant me another chance encounter with my mystery woman.