Vegas Baby

“Uh-huh,” she said, sounding unconvinced. “I’ll just take it that it makes you a whole lot of money.”

“I don’t know about that. More that it makes me more than the average salary.”

“That’s what rich people always say.” She crinkled her nose, but she was still wearing a smile. It made her heart shaped face that much softer and kind. I should make her smile more often, maybe it would help erase the stress written so clearly across her features.

Our dessert finished too soon and then it was time to go. I couldn’t help but wonder, as I was paying the tab and sliding the server their cash tip, what the hell kind of spell this woman put on me.

Chapter Eleven

~Nicole~

From the moment that James had walked into the door of my work, I had expected some sort of throw down. Some overdramatic yelling match where my worst nightmares came true. After all, everyone else in my life had always put themselves first, so why wouldn’t I expect a perfect stranger to do the same?

But instead I got one of the loveliest dinners I had in a while and possibly the best conversation I had since Vegas.

Was that sad? It felt like it was probably sad. But what could I say? I had a hard time trusting new people and making friends. Yet somehow, this intimidating man with the stony stare put me at ease.

I was almost mournful when it was time to go. The thought of sleeping in my cramped, cold car, buried under a near mountain of blankets wasn’t really all that appealing. At least my stomach was full of quality food and I could rest well knowing that my little bean had a fantastic meal that wasn’t chock full of preservatives.

The walk to the car was much less awkward then when I first got in. It seemed like the ice had broken between us, as usually happened over carbs.

“So, do you have any plans for the weekend?” He asked as I buckled up.

“No, not really,” I answered honestly. “I might go to the library and read.”

“That doesn’t sound like a half-bad time.” He said. “So what address am I putting in?”

I stared at him a moment, all of that awkwardness coming back. For the tiniest of moments, I thought maybe he was just making a weird attempt at a joke. But then I realized that he must have forgotten that I was living in my car at the moment.

“Just right back to my work.”

“Ah, I see. Taking the bu-” He stopped mid-sentence and his eyes went large. “Right. You live in your car. You told me that.” He let out a small string of curses then fell silent for several minutes and I was almost afraid to ask him what was happening, but then he turned to me with such a serious look on his face that I fell silent.

“That’s unacceptable. I’m not going to have the mother of my child sleep in a car while I’m in town. Especially on a Friday night.” His jaw tensed several times as he struggled with his words. “You can come to my hotel, and we’ll hunt for a place this weekend.”

“Um, I don’t know if that’s a good idea.” I didn’t want him to get me wrong, I was incredibly grateful that he had done what he had done for me. I would also be eternally in his debt for his gracious reaction. But I didn’t know if spending the night with the same stranger who got me into this mess was exactly a wise decision.

What if this turned out to be all a front? What if he was going to axe murder me, or have a hitman take me out now that he knew? Unlikely, sure, but I had never known a person not to put themselves first ahead of everybody else, so how could I know if this guy was any different?

But he took my hand, dwarfing it again between his large palms just like he had in Vegas.

“Nicole, I recognize that you are a strong woman, and that you’ve fought very hard just to get here. I recognize that this is your body, and your decision on carrying the child was up to you. But I am putting my foot down.

“As long as I am here, as long as we are working together to divorce, I want you safe. I’ll sleep on the couch if I have to, but you’re not staying in that car for another night.”

I deflated slightly. I hated being told what to do, but at the same time he was right. It couldn’t be good for my little bean for me to be sleeping in a car all the time. And to be honest, I was almost always tired because I never slept very well. It was cold and my back hurt, and I was always on high alert for if someone else tried to break in.