Just to be Left Alone (16 page)

In
the kitchen, we assembled thick sandwiches on hearty wheat bread and had tea.
We devoured our meal while swinging on the wooden swing that he built off the
side of the house.

My
stomach tightened when I thought about going back to the apartment that someone
had invaded. I didn’t want to outstay my welcome and knew it was too early in
the relationship to be spending too much time together.

 
When all of this drama was settled, I would
throw myself into this deep feeling I was experiencing and see where the road
would lead me. Conrad didn’t seem to want to pressure anything and definitely
wanted things to be less complicated before taking any further steps. At the
moment, time could stand still and I wouldn’t mind a bit. I refused for this
relationship to be a rebound.

* * * *

Conrad
showed me his shop later in the day and I saw all the metal stacked up in the
rear left corner. There was even a loft area that looked as if it was used for
storage, so I didn’t venture up there. He showed me the piece he was working on
with the blueprint sketched out and I was truly blown away.

His
work was fascinating and mysterious at the same time. He would make millions if
he expanded his resources for advertising them. I mentioned having a co-worker
who was a whiz at websites and wondered if Conrad would want to have one
created for his one of a kind art. After considering it for a while, he agreed
he would consider it, but wanted to do the work for the love of it and not
because it was a money making machine.

He
didn’t mind me watching him work and before I knew it, several hours had passed
as he escaped into his passion. The completed work was just as intricate as the
piece in his bedroom, only a different image was invoked. This one was the
horizon at sea with the pieces being 3-D images of the waves moving before the
sun. We cleaned and wrapped it up so he could deliver it after work the next
day.

Tomorrow,
Conrad was going to drop me off at work after breakfast and then take me home
after work was done for the day. I’d get a pizza delivered for lunch.

We
cooked chicken Alfredo for dinner with garlic bread and laughed at a comedy he
had rented a few days earlier. A few hours later, we cleaned every thing up and
changed into our pajamas.

Heading
for bed, I gave Conrad a thorough kiss before running up the stairs to climb
into his welcoming bed. It took awhile for me to fall asleep because I missed
the warmth we shared from that morning. The cabin grew quiet and I finally
relaxed enough to fall into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Waking
up to him calling to me from downstairs, I stretched and inhaled deeply of
fresh air and maple bacon. I rolled over to absorb his scent from the pillow—even
his pillow was manly. I grabbed my clean work jeans and coral T-shirt before
heading downstairs to the bathroom. I left my clothes by the tub while I
brushed my teeth. Then, I headed to the kitchen to see if he wanted help, but
he appeared to have everything under control and even had the coffee flavored
for me. Amazing how he already knew the foods I liked plus the way I drank my
coffee.

I
had learned a lot about him while we relaxed on the sofa the night before. We
had joked about things we did as children and the kind of people we had dated
in years past. Love was a fickle and naïve thing to experience. I tried not to
delve into the situation with Jason, as it was too heavy of a topic. I ignored
the elephant in the room and kept smiling. We both loved animals and had a
yearning to be something more in our lives. Both of us had grown up with loving
parents and he had a sister that was currently back in school for her
bachelor’s degree in sociology.

I
learned some of the problems his friend Blake had faced growing up as a foster
child in a few different homes. They had met each other at the high school that
they both attended and Blake had come to Conrad’s defense when Conrad had
gotten hurt after being jumped by several football players. They had stuck
together ever since then and backed each other up no matter what they each had
to face.

Blake
was now in construction and landscaping with his own company from the money he
had obtained through a government loan. He was making his final payment to the
government this year from a large job he was undertaking for two parks outside
of the city. They would be for children of all ages, plus a small garden
atmosphere for the parents to relax in as they watched their children. Blake
had even commissioned a sculpture for the larger of the two parks and Conrad
was to design it for him next month.

I
had filled him in on the basics of the girls and he understood Raven’s
reluctance for a new man in her life. Her heart was still under repair from the
last one. He loved Chastity’s spark and Felicia’s fresh vigor for life. We
girls had experienced life together from our first crushes to our separate
careers. He thought we were a force to be reckoned with and knew that we would
still be just as involved in each others lives as we were when we were kids. He
even joked about how fierce we would be as mothers. I agreed with him and had
an immediate picture of Chastity having a little girl with white pigtails and
multi-hued clothes, Felicia with a little red haired boy to cherish and Raven
with an angelic wide eyed daughter who would be just as striking as her mother.

It
was wonderful looking into the past and future all in one easy night with a man
I wanted to be with forever. I had wanted to tell him what I wanted in my
future, except I held back for fear that he would shrink from that image. We
had plenty of time for that subject later.

We
ate while watching the sun rise over the treetops and then I ran to the shower
while he cleared up the kitchen. Still using his shampoo and soap, I smiled as
I got out to dress and brush my hair.

I
heard him humming a classic crooner tune as I made my way to the foyer for my
tennis shoes. I had borrowed a pair of Conrad’s socks and it was nice having a
piece of him with me today. He had even offered to fix me some sandwiches for
lunch. I felt my soul melting at his generosity.

I
fixed my hair in a French braid as he finished dressing and was already packed.
He was surprised that I could get myself together so quickly. I guess his old
relationships had taught him differently. I laughed at that comment and he
blushed.

“I
only meant that most women take longer to get ready and you look fabulous for
only taking thirty five minutes, with a shower,” he fiddled with his belt as he
spoke to me.

“I
understand and I take less time to get ready than Chastity. She’s the diva of
the group. Raven can be ready in the same amount of time as me and always seems
to look flawless. Felicia says it takes longer to control her lion’s mane than
it does to put on her makeup. I love her hair, although she would almost rather
have mine or Raven’s. Her joke is that she doesn’t have it in her to constantly
touch up platinum roots. Chastity always hates when we joke about her hair
because it’s her natural color. We always say ‘Only her hairdresser knows for
sure.’ She of course comes back with a list of her ex-boyfriends that could
vouch,” I said as he opened the front door for me as we left.

We
talked over tons of likes and dislikes as he drove me to work. It was so easy.
Being with him was effortless. Could he be my soul mate? It was too soon to
contemplate that. But after the world settled, I’d get back to that train of
thought.

* * * *

We
drove off in the truck and headed south toward my job. Parker called me to let
me know that he was back in town and would see me at work in a little bit. He
had already spoken to Chastity and knew that I was okay. I thanked him and
mentioned that Conrad was my driver for the time being. Parker agreed upon
ordering a pizza and would even pay for it. We got to the warehouse and I
kissed Conrad senseless as payment for being my white knight. Parker had to tap
on the window to get my attention. I rolled down the window to talk to him.

“Good
morning,” I said as I reached for my bag in the floorboard.

“Obviously!
Are you coming in or are you going to sit here making a scene while we all watch?”
He asked as he opened the truck door.

I
looked around to see the crew climb out of their trucks and head up the stairs.
I blushed. Conrad laughed deep in his belly and patted me on the thigh. I
leaned over to give him one chaste kiss on his open mouth and said my goodbye
as I climbed out of the truck.

I
heard several snickers and a, “What a way to say goodbye” as I got everyone
inside. I immediately went to my office to cool my flushed skin before starting
the coffee pot. Parker came in and handed me a cup before I had even stowed my
bag in my desk drawer.

“I
brought in a thermos, but already started a pot for the guys,” he stated as he
sat down opposite me and flipped through the binder he had carried under his
arm. “Don’t be embarrassed about the guys, even though it was enough to steam
the windshield,” he commented without even looking at me over his binder.

“I’m
sure you’ll inform Chastity about my windshield fogging,” I replied while
sipping from the steamy cup. Of course it wasn’t perfectly flavored. I smiled.

“Probably,
but right now I’m out of sorts with two different jobs on my plate. I have a
conference call over the completion of the failed job I supervised and then I
have to discuss the budget for this current job. I may not resurface for a
while, so keep the pizza safe until I get out.”

We
agreed on the pizza and he headed toward the conference room to make his calls.

The
day went by in a whirl. I did get my pizza while Parker volleyed phone calls
with corporate. I only ate part of the medium pizza and put the other half
aside to save for him. Ramirez kept me informed of the procedures for removing
the support as the workers diligently set at the task. It was loaded on the
truck for disposal with the driver ready to set off to the local dump. After
that was accomplished, I went back to my office to find Parker lounged in my
chair with his shoes on my desk. A slice of pepperoni was hanging from his
mouth as he grinned up at me in embarrassment.

“I
seem to keep finding you at home in my office, do we need to set you up a
matching one next door?” I asked with one eyebrow raised.

“Well,
uh, no. I needed to eat and just found myself getting comfortable when you
happened to walk in. Pardon me, madam for the intrusion on your domain.”

He
bowed as he slid his feet to the floor.

“Thou
shalt do me in with thou chivalry, kind sir. Dost thou need help moving after
thy slumber?” I asked.

He
placed his hand over his heart and said, “I will take whatever gifts thou
bestow upon me.”

I
laughed and replied, “My good sir, dost thou know I am betrothed and not likely
to require thy services?”

“Thy
body would have belonged to me if thou hadn’t thrown me to thy clever
priestess. Now alas, I have been spell ridden and thou belong to another
gallant knight.”

He
acted as if he would swoon, except he ended up laughing.

“I
was going to hug you for all the crap you’re going through right now. Or maybe
it was just me trying to cop a feel, you’ll never know.”

He
wagged his eyebrow and bowed again as he took pizza box out of the office.
Shaking my head I laughed at that for a few minutes before getting back to a
stack of papers that needed filing.

By
five o’clock, I looked up from my work to see Conrad lounging against my
doorframe. I put down my paperwork and slowly walked over to him. I leaned into
him, feeling tired.

I
heard a voice yell out, “Just kiss her.”

I
saw Parker standing close by, with Ramirez.

Conrad
was still looking down at me and then he whispered, “I’d hate to disappoint
them.”

His
head came slowly down toward mine. I felt more than his strength at that point
and wanted to melt us into the door. I heard a yell over my shoulder, but just
waved them away without breaking contact with Conrad. His arms came around me
to pull me closer. I gladly went.

I
opened my mouth to him and my tongue met his. The kiss was hot velvet and I
knew we were fogging up the glass on my office door, but didn’t care about that
or the voyeurs around us. After a long moment, he released me to smile into my
eyes as someone walked by stating it was quitting time. They didn’t have to
tell me twice as I grabbed my things before heading out the door with Conrad.

I
locked up and he drove me home. My nerves didn’t tighten up until I got to my
apartment door. Conrad took the key as I looked at the window of the unit next
door.

“Stop
thinking about it or you’ll have to move out. The manager assured me the other
place was cleaned out and new locks have been placed on your door. If you want
me to install a dead bolt set, then let me know.”

I
stared at him as it sunk in and just nodded. I clumsily stepped away to put my
purse on the counter as I turned back into his waiting arms.

“I
know I’m supposed to feel better, instead I feel open, raw and violated. I
don’t want to run to anyone’s house because I’m afraid to come home. You can
install the locks tomorrow. Just let me know how much I owe you.”

“The
manager insured me that the key would stay in the safe and wouldn’t be given out.
She’s also asked her coworkers to keep an eye on your place for anything that
looks suspicious.”

 
He made things so right that it was weird how
fate had brought him into my life.

“You
have a choice this evening. Choice A is to sit here with your friends and have
Chinese take-out. Choice B is that you and I sit here alone trying not to
ravage each other as we have Chinese take-out. You have the toughest decision
of the night and four people will be calling shortly to see what your decision
is.” He started making ticking noises like a clock.