What really spooked him was he knew Carrie wasn’t Patricia. Patricia had been his mother all over again, demanding of his wealth and status and time to tell her how beautiful she was. Carrie wasn’t Patricia, who she was and what she felt shone right from her bright blue eyes. It made her more dangerous than Patricia had ever been. Carrie wouldn’t ask for or demand his money. She’d want his heart and she
couldn’t have what he didn’t have to give.
Chapter Seven
It had been two weeks since Rafael had picked her up and dropped her off at home, without speaking more than a handful of words to her. Now was going to be the first time she would see him since that day. Only two days after she had started working he had flown out to New Orleans and he had gotten home late last night. The array of closed circuit television below the front desk showed his car pulling into the garage. Taking a deep breath she was glad she had given Oliver the night off and only Roger was in the security room, Dirk was walking the property.
Rafael stopped when he saw her at the desk. Hesitating only a moment before nodding, he began to move to the elevators. Her hands clenched and she swallowed her fear.
“Mr. Castillo, one moment please.” She was proud of how calm she sounded.
He seemed to consider her words for a long moment before he turned and walked to the desk. “Yes?”
She practically shoved the envelope across the desk. “For the clothes, sir.” Unable to look at him a moment longer she dropped her eyes and stared at her clasped hands so tight they were nearly bloodless. He said nothing, only the sound of his walking away across the echoing foyer was loud to her. Still, she kept her head down and then the elevator doors opened up and then closed again. Taking a few deep breaths, she lifted her head and saw the envelope containing the check was gone, only the notes of Rafael’s cologne lingered. Sighing, she almost collapsed into the only chair behind the desk. She felt boneless. Not a single word beyond his acknowledgement of her. He was treating her like just an employee. The actions spoke more clearly than any words and she needed to remember that was all she was to him.
The next morning she was dragging, as she had the last two weeks. It was hell to be up so early to get the twins across town and back for work. She had just woken the twins up and they were fighting in the bathroom when a knock sounded on the front door. An extremely large man with a full beard and dark black eyes was waiting. He was dressed in the vest that designated he was a foreman at one of Rafael’s worksite. A bright orange vest that had Castillo Construction on the front and back.
“Ms. Whitney, I’m Hank Swanson. I’m here to pick up the boys. Mr. Castillo is having them work on my site, we just broke ground yesterday. We’re only about two miles away, the boys can catch the bus in the morning or if they’re okay with getting there at six with me then I don’t mind picking them up seeing as they’re on my way to work.”
Her head felt too fuzzy to take it in. “I don’t understand. Why are they going to your site? Did they misbehave on the other site?”
“No not at all, John told me they did good work, that’s why I’m willing to take them on. From what I understand Mr. Castillo was concerned about you driving back and forth, from the other site to here again.”
His words made her feel faint. After last night’s cutting why was Rafael concerned about her? She wanted to figure it out but her sleep-deprived mind was screaming to go back to sleep. Giving into the sleep part of her brain, she nodded her acceptance. Knocking on the door to the bathroom she told the twins and stumbled off to bed. Resetting her alarm to give her another hour and a half of sleep she was out in seconds.
She woke up minutes before her alarm went off and wondered frantically if she was late. A fumble for her cell phone told he she wasn’t and she sighed in relief. Then the phone rang in her hand, nearly scaring her to death. Seeing her best friend’s name she let out a little cry of joy. Bethany was more than her best friend, practically her sister, her casual offer of letting Carrie into her home had been heartily backed by her parents and Carrie didn’t want to think of what her life would be like without Bethany in it. “Bethany! Hey, stranger how are you doing?”
“Stranger my ass, you have my number too bitch, you could have used it.”
“You have got to be kidding, you and Jim were disgustingly lovey dovey for the last few months. You run off to Vegas to get married a month ago and you really think I’m going to take the chance of disturbing you two from doing god knows what. No thanks.” Carrie also winced as she realized she had been hiding from Bethany and her family for the last few months. Shame had kept her from letting on how badly things had gotten.
Bethany laughed without a note of chagrin, “Oh yeah, it’s been a good few months. Now that is interesting, that’s the first time I’ve ever heard a note of wistfulness in your voice. Is my little girl growing up and has her eye on a man?”
Carrie buried her face in the pillow and opened her mouth to deny it. Instead a sob came out, surprising them both.
“Holy shit! Who is he? Where the fuck do I find him? I can be in Dallas in two hours, fuck three hours. I got my gun girl, it’s a twenty two, it just means no one will give the shot a second thought.”
Hearing Bethany sound so serious made Carrie giggle nervously through the tears, she loved Bethany. It didn’t mean there weren’t times her friend scared the hell out of her. “Bethany, you are not going to shoot Rafael. It’s not anything he did, this is all me and my stupid feelings. He’s been a perfect fucking gentleman.”
“Hmm, that sounded pretty bitter right there. Why don’t you tell me what happened and didn’t happen and you let me decide.”
Rolling out of bed Carrie pulled out a suit and started talking as she dressed. Glad she had started taking her showers at night to allow her to sleep later. Turning on her flat iron she sprayed her hair and set the phone down as she finished to brush her teeth and give Bethany time to think over what she’d said. Wiping her mouth and her face she stuck out her tongue. This was her fault, not Rafael’s teeth, she needed to remember that. “So, like I said, it’s all my fault. There won’t be any shooting.”
“Well, given everything you said a full shot doesn’t sound quite right. However, a careful graze would give him some real time to think over everything and see what an idiot he’s being.”
“Bethany, you are out of your mind. He’s not an idiot, I am. He didn’t do anything wrong.”
“Maybe not, but it’s obvious he wants you and he’s not acting on it. Doesn’t make any sense, you are gorgeous, sweet, funny and even if you have a temper we all agree can be a might touchy all those things outweigh the temper thing. So, why doesn’t he want you?”
“I don’t know and it doesn’t matter. He doesn’t want me, end of story.”
“You should ask his brother, he might know.”
“I’m not going to call Javier and ask him why his brother doesn’t like me. I’m not in junior high.”
“Then you have only one option.”
“What?”