Worth Waiting For (13 page)

She buzzed her administrative assistant.

“Yes, Julia?”

“Set aside whatever you’re working on. I have a document here that needs to be typed into one of the business plan templates. When you’re finished, get Chuck over at SunTrust Bank for me. Tell him I have another business that doesn’t fit our guidelines, but the bank would definitely be interested in taking a look at it. Then send him the plan. Tell him I need an answer today.”

“Yes, Julia.” Her assistant came in right away and retrieved the papers.

After she left, Julia scooted her chair closer to the desk. She decided to satisfy her curiosity about something Freddie had said the night they went dancing. She pulled up an online translator. It only took her two tries to get the spelling correct on the word “
mujer
.” The translator kicked back the English word “woman.”

Julia smiled.

At the club, when he’d referred to her as his
mujer
, he’d been staking his claim. He’d told the bartender she was his woman.

****

It was dark when Freddie made it to her house, and when the doorbell rang, Julia already waited on the other side. She had spotted him running through the rain. She quickly combed her fingers through her loose hair and smoothed the white blouse over her slacks.

When she opened the door, he stood in the doorway, dripping with water from the storm. He wore dirty jeans and a black t-shirt with the arms cut out, the red, white, and blue colors of the Puerto Rican flag proudly displayed on his arm. His hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and droplets of water shimmered against the curls like tiny diamonds.

A feeling of déjà vu came over her. Her heart thumped faster.

She stepped back so he could come in, and he closed the door slowly and locked it. The rainwater glistened on his olive skin.

Oh, boy. This is going to be harder than I anticipated.

“Sorry about this,” he said. “I was determined to get out here to you, but I wasn’t prepared for the rain to come down the way it has.” He wiped his feet on the rug in the entryway. Small drops of water still managed to find their way onto her hardwood floor.

“That’s okay,” Julia said. “Follow me.” She took him into the kitchen. “Would you like something to drink?”

“No, thank you. I’m fine.” His formal tone made her confidence waver. Almost.

“Well, here’s the business plan,” she said, sliding the folder along the island toward him.

When she’d called him earlier in the day, she asked him to come by to pick it up. As she suspected, it was the only copy he had, so he was only too willing to oblige. She could have faxed or emailed it to him, but he never requested either. She hadn’t told him it had been retyped. He thought she had made the changes to his handwritten copy.

He looked up from the sheets, a frown of confusion on his face. “You typed it?”

“Well, I had my assistant type it,” Julia said. He hadn’t smiled yet. She needed to see his smile. “I took the liberty of reworking the numbers.” She sidled close to him to point out the changes. She was so nervous she passed her fingers through her loose hair to hide their shaking. She’d never taken the assertive role in her personal relationships before. Being assertive had always been reserved for the business world.

 
She purposely let her thigh brush his, but he shifted away from her. She pretended not to notice. “By applying a little more leverage, you allow your assets to remain intact and available for you in case of an emergency. Meanwhile, you use the bank’s money to finance your expansion, and you can pay them back faster if you have the financial means to do it.”

He nodded his understanding. “Who’s this?” He pointed to the business card clipped to the folder.

“Oh, that’s a friend of mine over at SunTrust Bank. Whenever we get potential clients we’re not interested in financing, I send them to him if I think they’re viable. He reviewed your plan today and wants you to come in as soon as possible to fill out the application for a business loan.”

Both eyebrows rose toward his hairline. “You’re kidding.”

“No.” Julia grinned broadly.

“Wow. Thank you, Julia. I don’t even know what to say.” He waved his hand aimlessly in the air. “Do I owe you anything? I should pay you for this. I—I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it, and you don’t owe me anything. Your plan was strong, and you’re a healthy risk.” He still hadn’t smiled. She’d seen shock and appreciation on his face, but no smile.

“Well, thank you.” He extended his hand to her. She didn’t take it. She didn’t want to shake his hand. She wanted to bury herself in the warmth of his embrace and press her cheek against his hard chest so she could feel the beat of his heart.

“I don’t understand. That’s it?” she asked.

He looked puzzled and lowered his hand. “Was there something else?” Did he really not know? Couldn’t he tell she was extending an olive branch?

 
Julia ran her palm over the island top before looking Freddie in the eye again. His face was expressionless as he waited for her answer. “This isn’t easy for me, but…um…the night we went dancing, I had a very good time. But when you brought me home, I said some things I shouldn’t have.”

 
He quirked a brow. “Go on.”

 
He wasn’t going to make this easy. She took two short breaths to calm her nerves. She hated baring her soul. “When we broke up, my ex really let me have it. He said I’d grown cold and was no longer fun, and I didn’t spend enough time thinking about his needs, among other things. He blamed his cheating and the collapse of our relationship on me, and it hurt to hear those words. When I thought about the years we spent together, our relationship turned out to be a bad investment of my time. I evaluate businesses for a living, make recommendations on whether or not to invest in them, and I’d made the worst investment of my life by staying with a man long past the expiration date on our relationship. When I saw him again, it all came flooding back.”

 
Freddie’s face softened a fraction. “I saw how upset you were, and I wished I could have fixed it for you. You became a completely different person after you ran into him. Which is understandable. I don’t see him winning the Mr. Congeniality trophy.”

 
“So you understand?” Relief flooded her system. “He made me afraid of loving again, and I doubted my own judgment. I took out my anger and hurt on you, and it wasn’t fair. I know it wasn’t, and I feel horrible about it.”

 
 
Freddie nodded, his eyes thoughtful. “I figured as much at the time, but I’ve also had time to think, and we both need to be honest. He’s your type, not me. I don’t shop at high-end stores or get manicures.” He held up his hands for her to see. “I have callouses on my hands, and my idea of a manicure is taking an old toothbrush to scrub the dirt from under my nails at the end of the day.” He looked down at his clothes and pointed. “This is what I wear to work. Every day. Can you handle that? Can you handle having your friends comment about what your man does for a living? You won’t be able to say I’m a banker or an investor. I work construction. Will you be okay telling people what I do in polite conversation at your dinner parties?”

 
“Of course! I don’t know a single person who would make a negative comment about your work, and
I
certainly don’t care about what you do for a living.”

“Come on, Julia.” He shook his head. “We had a good time, and maybe we can go dancing some other night when you’re free, but we both know this isn’t going anywhere. Thanks for your help on my business plan.” He turned toward the doorway.

 
She said the first thing that came to her mind. “No!”

 
Freddie stopped and turned slowly toward her. “No?”

 
“No,” Julia said in a calmer voice. “You’re doing what I did. You’re rejecting me because you’re afraid of getting hurt. You think a relationship between us won’t last because I’ll compare you to my ex or—or because I’ll be embarrassed—really?—to tell my friends about you. That will never happen.”

 
“You’re certain?”

 
“Yes.”

 
His face changed into a stony mask. Freddie took two steps forward and slammed the folder on the island. His actions made her jump and her eyes widened in surprise. “I’ve lived it. I want to believe you’re different, and I did at one point, but I’m not so sure. Let’s say I believe you really don’t have a problem dating a blue collar man, we still have to deal with the baggage from our previous relationships. I’m pretty sure I’ve got a better handle on mine than you do. You don’t want to waste your time and neither do I. So let me ask you, what happens the next time you run into that guy? Are you going to fall apart again? Are you going to allow him to control your feelings and make you feel bad about yourself so that you take it out on me?”

 
“No.” She spoke in a strong voice, to reassure him.

 
“How do I know you’re telling me the truth?” he demanded. His eyes flashed down at her. “You believe it now, but what happens when you’re face to face with your past and what could have been?’

 
“I’ll feel exactly the same way I feel now. I’ll feel relieved that I got away from him and didn’t waste any more time on a dead relationship.”

His expression let her know he still had doubts.

“I’m willing to start over if you are,” she said. She had to convince him she was worth the risk. “We both have issues, but that doesn’t mean we can’t move forward and help each other heal.” Time for Plan B. “Wait right here.”

Julia whizzed past him and hurried into her bedroom. When she returned, she carried an empty, but complete, set of luggage. She held a suitcase in each hand, a duffle bag tucked under her left arm, and she had thrown an overnight bag over her right shoulder. She stepped into the kitchen and dropped all of them onto the floor.

“What—”

“I don’t know how much baggage you come with, but this doesn’t even begin to represent all the baggage I come with.”
Be brave
, she coaxed herself.
Stop being afraid
.

Freddie stopped staring down at the bags and looked up at her.

“I’m not perfect. I’ll probably put my foot in my mouth again like I’ve done before, but that doesn’t mean I care about you any less. You said we could go as slow as I wanted. Did you mean it? I just need a little time to get my act together, but I know we’re right for each other. I see it now. Let’s start over.” Her lips curled into a tentative smile. “I’m Julia Newman. I like a man who can make me laugh. I like a man who’s honest and goal-oriented—and muscles don’t hurt, either.” Her attempt at humor elicited a small smile from him. That tiny glimpse spurred her on. “Three years ago, I got out of a long term relationship. It was very painful. Any man I become involved with, whoever he is, has to be patient.”

She stepped closer, gazing up at him, letting him see in her eyes how much she cared about him and needed him in her life. The fear of losing him forever and never knowing where they could take the relationship they’d started instilled a far greater fear in her than the fear of loving him and getting hurt.

“I’m still scared, but if you’ll be a little patient with me, I promise you won’t regret it.”

She waited, holding her breath, hearing her heart beat so loud she wouldn’t doubt he heard it, too. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he enclosed her hand in the warmth of both of his and graced her with a full smile. Everything would be fine. She could breathe again.

“My name is Frederico Mendoza, but everybody calls me Freddie. Maybe I’m the man you’re looking for. I’ve been told I have a good sense of humor. I’m honest, and my goal is to expand my business from a six man crew to a twelve man crew in the next two years.” He spoke quietly, the warmth of his voice enveloped her. “And I think you’re worth waiting for.”