Chapter 2
Zander didn’t even have his tree up yet, and he was finished shopping.
Except for a few gifts that he might have forgotten, he’d never been this finished before the night before Christmas.
He was about as happy about that as he’d ever been.
And he didn’t think he’d spent all that much either when he considered that he’d bought gifts for nearly thirty people all totaled.
He kept thinking about dinner last night, too. He’d had so much fun with Olivia that he wanted to see her again. She had been the most fun because she said that she was waiting for him to pull out a knife or gun and kill her.
“ That’s what I get for going out with a stranger. I should listen to my head more.” He asked her what her head was telling her. “ That just because you spent all day with someone doesn’t mean that you should be spending the evening with them as well. That’s just insane.”
She’d pointed out the cameras that had them being together and telling him that he’d never get away with murdering her. She was a delight all evening, and when he took her home, he couldn’t believe that she wouldn’t allow him to walk her to the door.
“ There are bushes on either side of my door. And I have no cameras there. You could kill me and put me in the bushes, and no one would ever find me. I’ve told my landlord that they’re overgrown, but he’s like most men, he doesn’t listen.
” He asked her if she thought that he didn’t listen.
“ You listen all right. I bet you could tell me what the first thing you said to me. Not that it matters. But you, being a lawyer and all, you pay attention to things like that.”
“ I do. And I asked you how I was to get you to work for me.” She nodded, and he wanted to make her laugh. “ What if I promise not to kill you when I take you to the door? I swear on my niece’s heart that I’d never harm you.”
“ I’m sure that’s what every murderer would say.” He laughed again. Hard and without thought of how much fun he was having about murdering someone. “ You’re very strange. Has anyone ever told you that before?”
“ No. Not to my face anyway.” She said that it was probably because of all of his money.
“ More than likely. I’m sure that my brothers would think I’m strange for going out with a woman who is plotting her own demise.
Do you date that often? I’m betting that your job keeps you from dating too much. ”
“ You’d be correct. I have two jobs right now.
I figured that no knight in shining armor is going to come my way, so if I want something, I’m going to have to get it for myself.
” He asked her what she wanted. “ A home, mostly, a car that runs when I need it to and not when it’s ready. Nothing much more than that.”
“ What about your utilities and food on the table?” She said if she could have the other two, then she felt like she’d won the lottery. “ I think I know just what you’re saying about that, too.”
The rest of the night was like that. It was as if getting to know her was going to be something that he wanted all his life. She was brilliant and funny. Spoke her mind when she had something to say, and she apparently loved a good game of chess.
“ Not that I play all that well, but I love the way your mind has to work in order to play. Not only do you have to know the moves each piece makes, but you also need to be able to think about what your opponent is going to be doing as well.” He told her that he liked a good game of chess too.
“ Good. Chess is like being a lawyer. You have to keep your mind sharp as a lawyer, and I would imagine that you need to know what your opponent is up to, too.”
“ I’ve never been compared to a game of chess before, but I think you hit it right on the nail.
Thank you for that.” She nodded and got out of the car.
He couldn’t see her going into her place because of all the bushes.
She’d been right. They really were overgrown and full of weeds, too.
He was going to have to look into that before they took over the front of the apartment she was living in.
His day went better than he thought it might.
He’d had such a good time last night that he found himself thinking about how much enjoyment he’d had.
It wasn’t often that he went out with a woman and wanted a second date.
He was cautious, however. He didn’t think that he was falling in love with Olivia, but he certainly had fun with her when they went out.
It was then that he realized that he didn’t have her phone number or her last name.
Christ, he’d surely been slacking on that.
He’d just go to the store and ask her. She was more than likely working today, and he wanted to see her again anyway.
Shutting down his computer, not that he was working that hard on anything, and he headed to the store he’d found her in yesterday.
She was with another customer, so he waited around until she was finished. As soon as she turned the people over to the wrapping department, he made his move. She wasn’t as happy to see him as he was to see her. She looked like she was fighting something, too. Like she was in pain with something.
“ I have a killer headache. You can’t have figured out that you didn’t buy something for someone on your list. Your things haven’t even been delivered yet.
” He said he wanted her phone number. And her last name.
“ Why? You’re not the usual kind of person that someone like me dates.
And it can’t be because you find me charming.
I was rude to you last night, and you know it. ”
“ I found you refreshing.” She pointed out that she wasn’t an air freshener, and he found himself laughing again. “ You’re fun to be around. I have no idea why I enjoy you calling me a murderer, but I do find you to be a lot of fun, and I’d like to see you again. And again if you wish.”
“ What I wish is that I could get rid of this headache and go home to take a nap. What is it with people wanting to buy robes for people on their list? I own one, but I can’t remember a single time when I wore it.
They’re useless. Unless you have a baby or toddler in the house and you have to get up in the middle of the night.
” He suddenly saw her heavy with his child and didn’t know what to make of that.
He realized that he’d missed something that she’d said and asked her to repeat herself.
“ I said, what is it you really want. I’m not going to sleep with you.
I have better things to do with my life than to be a notch on your bedpost. I’m sure you have plenty there as of now. ”
“ You don’t have a very high opinion of me, do you?
” She said that she didn’t know him all that well, but didn’t have a very high opinion of most people.
“ Neither do I, for that matter. I find people to be greedy and mean. And that’s saying a great deal since I have to deal with the public on a daily basis. ”
“ Me too.” She took a pen from her pocket and wrote her number down on a sheet of sticky paper that she had in another pocket.
“ If you don’t call, then I’m going to be right about you.
You’re just like every other rich jerk who thinks that I can be a plaything.
I won’t lose any sleep over it either. My last name is Marsh.
And yes, I’m related to the Marshes that you’ve no doubt heard from, but I have nothing to do with them. ”
“ I don’t know anyone by that name. Are you famous?” She only snorted at him. Delighted, he laughed. “ I’m going to call you and have dinner with you again. I promise.”
“ We’ll see. Just look up my family, and you’ll understand why I’m currently working two jobs and trying to buy myself my own home.
” He promised her that he would as soon as he got home.
“ My next robe buyer is here, so I have to go. You have a good life, Mr. Erickson. In the event that I don’t hear from you again, I want you to know that, despite not being murdered by you last night, I had a good time. ”
“ Are you saying that you wished I’d have murdered you?” She shrugged and told him to look her up. “ I’m going to. And I’m sure that it’s not as bad as you think it might be.”
“ We’ll see.” She greeted her next customer with a smile that didn’t reach her eyes.
He had a feeling that she was going to be spending a great deal of time in the robe department today.
He wondered where she got her charming attitude towards customers.
He supposed that she was just good at her job.
Leaving the store, he wrote down her last name and headed home.
While sitting in his car, he added her phone number and name to his phone list and was happy that she’d been nice enough to give it to him.
As he was pulling into traffic, he thought about how she was so sure that he’d not want anything to do with her when he looked her up.
No, he thought to himself, he couldn’t see himself giving up on her when she had made him laugh so much.
Perhaps it wouldn’t go anywhere, but he was willing to try.
Laughing as he drove home, he thought about how she was the most standoffish person he’d ever met.
She knew how to keep him at arm’s length, and he was sort of happy about that.
She wasn’t going to be the love of his life, but he thought that he could have some fun with her until the right woman came along.
If there was someone out there for him. At this point, he didn’t care.
He was only looking for a good time, and she could make him laugh, and he was happy with that.