Diary of a Wanted Woman (3 page)

The Sun was bright today beaming down on the side of my face. I regretted my decision to eat outdoors. The umbrella covering the wooden table was not helping very much.

I was starving and the server was taking forever to bring our food. I was rubbing my hands on my pants like I always do when I am anxious.

It was my birthday and it always made me uneasy when this day came. It always brought back bad memories. My parents never gave me anything, and thus I never felt like I deserved anything. However, late at night when my mother was sleeping, my stepfather had a special gift for me whether I wanted it or not.

Stacey and David wanted to take me out to eat to celebrate. That was all that I ever let them do. I was not really into birthday celebrations. It was just another day to me.

However, if they insisted on buying me lunch, I would not turn them down. Besides, they always let me pick the restaurant. I always picked my favorite deli that had the best sandwiches.

Stacy and David were engrossed in a conversation that I paid no attention to. The sounds of their voices were drowned out by the sound of my stomach growling.

“Geez girl you sound like you have two lions fighting in there.” Stacy said laughing.

I patted my belly.

“I know. I didn’t eat breakfast. I had client files and other things to do this morning.”

I have been working hard lately trying to get more business for our company.

You see, Stacey and I are not just close friends. We are also business partners. After college and grad school, we became business partners starting our own interior design company.

Our business has had some minor successes. It was enough to support us, yet we were still looking for that big break that would put our business on the map.

For her it wasn’t such a big deal. She had a doctor for a husband that helped support her and her son on top of a brother that played pro football and would do anything for his sister and her family.

I on the other hand was doing this alone so I needed this business of ours to pick up the pace fairly soon. I’m not saying they didn’t help me when I needed it. It was just not something I was relying on these days. I didn’t take very kindly to charity. I didn’t want to owe anyone.

David stared at me with one eyebrow raised.

“Work pulled you away from food?” he asked suddenly breaking out in this arresting smile.

“What are you trying to say?” I asked.

“I’m just saying nothing tears you away from food,” he replied.

“Are you calling me fat?”

Stacy laughed patting me on the knee.

“No. He is not calling you fat. Are you David?”

He just shook his head focusing his eyes on his glass of water. He knew he had fallen into dangerous territory.

Just then, the server returned bringing us our food. He sat down my BLT sandwich and a refill on my sweet tea. He continued to stare at me and almost dropped the tea in my lap while he gaped at my breasts.

I looked up and noticed him glaring at them.

I didn’t think that I was wearing anything skimpy. It’s just hard to contain these girls sometimes.

He sat down Stacy’s and David’s food still with his eyes trained on me.

“Is there anything else you need or anything I can give you?”

I raised an eyebrow.

David spoke up.

“I think she’s good,” he said giving him his most intimidating stare.

The guy was about to walk away. Then he did a double take at David.

“Hey, aren’t you David Castor.”

David smirked.

“Yes.”

Stacey and I laughed.

“Can I have your autograph?”

David smiled and the guy handed him his notepad and a pin. David signed it.

“Thanks!” he said walking away clearly overjoyed.

Stacey and I burst out laughing again.

“Why does Hannah always attract the weird looking dudes?” David said digging into his last meal.

Seriously the man had a boat load of food. He ordered a double cheeseburger with fries, another order of fries, onion rings, Buffalo wings, house potato chips, mozzarella sticks and jalapeno poppers.

My mouth hung opened as I stared at his “lunch”. With a mouth full of burger, he nudged his head at his mountain of food.

“You want some?” he asked.

I shook my head laughing.

“No, I’m fine over here,” I answered.

He replied taking another bite of his burger, “Suit yourself.”

We continued to eat a little in silence for a while until David broke the silence looking over at his sister.

“So how is the business going?” he said licking his fingers.

Stacey swallowed the last of the food she was chewing and looked at her brother smiling.

“We’ve been doing well,” she lied sitting back in her chair.

It was a bold faced lie. We were far from doing well.

“Actually, we’ve had a few dry spells,” I chimed into the conversation.

Stacey tends to sugarcoat things when in truth our clients’ or rather new clients were drying up.

Stacey shot me a look. She didn’t like it when I suggested to her on various occasions that maybe David could send some business our way. He knew people with loads of money and large houses that needed our special touch.

She had a problem with accepting help from her little brother and she reiterated those feelings to me using her eyes.

I ignored her look.

“You know I was wondering if you had some acquaintances you could swing our way,” I stated taking a sip of my sweet tea.

Stacey just sat there arms folded across her chest with a strand of blonde hair in her face.

David smiled and wiped his mouth with a napkin.

“I was wondering when one of you two would ask me,” he said.

I looked over at Stacey and smiled. She rolled her eyes at me. I just shook my head.
She’ll get over it
I thought. As soon as these million dollar clients started rolling their money into our bank accounts, she won’t care who introduced her to them.

“Of course I could drum up some business for you,” he said patting his sister on her knee.

“I would do anything for my big sister.”

His big blue eyes turned to me. He had a devilish grin on his face.

“As for you, what do I get in return?”

I arched an eyebrow.

“You get the appreciation and gratitude of your sister and her best friend,” I said folding my arms across my chest.

“I guess I can settle for gratitude…for now,” he remarked winking at me.

Just then a cell phone rang. We all reached for ours.

“It’s mine guys,” Stacey said quickly exiting from the table.

David used the opportunity to flirt with me.

“So, how do you plan to show this ‘gratitude’?” he asked munching on a mozzarella stick.

I smiled rolling my eyes.

“By not kicking you in the balls right now,” I replied smiling.

He laughed and then looked at me seriously.

“Let me tell you what I really want you to do with my balls…,” he began but was not able to finish the sentence.

Stacey returned to the table looking distraught and very upset.

“What’s wrong?” I asked very concerned.

“It’s Jonathan,” she said in a huff.

That was all she had to say. I shook my head. Stacey’s six year old little Jon, whom she had right after college, was always in trouble. He drove Stacey crazy. She doesn’t believe in spanking which I totally respect. However, she needs to believe in some form of discipline before she raises a repeat offender.

“What did he do now?” David asked.

“He was fighting again!”

I could tell she was beyond frustrated.

“I have to go pick him up. Come on Hannah.”

Shit! I forgot Stacey was my ride. My car is in the shop for the
gazillionth
time and she has been my ride until I can get all the repairs made. I could have gotten a rental car but as I said, business isn’t doing as well as I would like.

I looked down at my plate that was barely finished.

“Wait…I didn’t finish my birthday lunch!” I began.

Then I saw the desperation in her eyes.

“Okay, fine. Can I at least get two seconds to get a to-go box or something?”

“Why does Hannah have to leave?” David asked. “Stacey, go get JJ. Let Hannah finish her lunch. I’ll take her home.”

Stacey looked at me.

“Are you okay with this?” she asked.

I could tell she needed me to make a decision quick.

“Hell yes! As long as I get to finish my food, I’m good.”

“Good!” she said practically running out of the restaurant.

Then she ran back and kissed me on the cheek.

“Happy Birthday.”

And then she was gone in a flash.

I shook my head and began to chow down on my sandwich.

David and I finished lunch discussing teammates he knew who had just bought houses and could use our help. Apparently they had wives that were itching to spend their money.

Then he reached in his pocket and pulled out a box sitting it softly in the middle of the table.

“What is that?” I asked curiously.

“It’s for you. Happy Birthday babe.”

I hesitated for a minute.

“You didn’t have to buy me anything.”

He smiled.

“I know that, but I like to make you smile.”

I smiled.

“See, that is what I want to see and you haven’t even opened it yet.”

I reached for the box and brought it close to me.

“Nothing weird is going to jump out or anything?”

He raised an eyebrow.

“Open the box Hannah.”

I slowly opened the box and nearly fainted at what I saw.

In the box was a beautiful diamond bracelet. There was a seamless row of round diamonds set into white gold. I don’t know anything about diamonds and what things are worth, but I was sure it cost more than my car.