Chapter 21
Unemployed
It was late Saturday evening when Celia was ready for her pizza so Mike brought supper to the hospital. As they ate, he and Vicky sat beside Celia’s bed talking with her. They talked about the house, the weather and Celia’s recovery.
Mike was going to take Vicky back to her hotel. She excused herself to grab a cup of coffee from the lounge while Mike gathered the trash. The pizza was good but there were several slices left.
When Celia spoke, he looked up, “I know you could have eaten that whole pizza. Who were you trying to impress?”
“I could not eat a whole pizza,” he said.
Celia smiled. “Maybe not but you could eat more. You better take that home. I don’t want you passing out while working.”
“I’ll eat it later but I think you’re more worried about the house than you are me. I know how important your share is.”
“Yes, very. Did Martin tell you I’d be staying at his house?”
“Yes. He gave me the security codes so I could come and go.”
“Well, I guess that means he’s finished babysitting me. I doubt we’ll see him around anymore. He’s probably off with that trashy maid.”
“She’s not trashy, and though I doubt you’ll want to hear it, she was concerned about you. She’s a nice, young lady.”
“You’re right,” Celia said, with a smirk.
“How so?”
“I don’t want to hear it.”
Mike laughed, sat the pizza down and pushed the table out of her way. He spoke, in a forthright manner, “Either way, I like her.”
“You would. You’re a man.”
“Now what does that mean? I’ll bet if it was under any other circumstances, you two would get along.”
“I don’t think so. The only thing we have in common is we’ve both slept with Martin.”
Mike knew this was possibly true but hearing her say it like that, well, he didn’t like the reminder. He turned, tossing his cup into the trash, and found it hard to look her in the eye.
“I didn’t mean for that to sound so crass,” Celia said. “She’s not a good topic, but maybe some day, I’ll look back and laugh.”
Mike knew he’d crossed the line talking about Randi so he took the olive branch. “I hope you can. I hope we all can,” he said with a smile. There was a bit of silence before Celia spoke.
“Thanks for doing all this - taking Mom back and forth and bringing me food. She’s not much of a driver. I know Martin would do if he had to but it’s nice that you’re helping.”
“You’re welcome. I like your mother. She’s nice. It’s easy to see how much she cares about you.”
“Thanks. I’m glad Martin offered the house. I love that place and it will make it easier. My apartment is so small there wouldn’t be enough room for Mom. It only has one bed and the couch isn’t anything to brag about.”
“Will you be keeping the apartment or will your things need to be moved into storage?”
“To be honest, almost everything is in storage. I was hoping something would happen to patch things up with Martin or that I could get a better place.”
“It’s hard starting out on your own after being so dependent.” Mike sometimes said what was on his mind without thinking. “I didn’t mean for that to sound like it did.”
Celia laughed. “It sounded like the truth. I was dependent on Martin. I have two credit cards in my name but the limits are low, and as you know, I sold some pieces of jewelry to help with the house. I don’t have much. I had that old junker but kept it parked at Sue’s because I was ashamed to let Martin see it.”
“I was wondering about that car. I’m just thankful you were not driving it when this happened.”
“Me too, but I hate that I ruined your car.”
Mike shook his head. “It wasn’t your fault; it was an accident. That is why one carries substantial insurance coverage.”
“Still I hate it. I wish I could pay you for something but I don’t have any money. To be honest, I can’t afford the apartment. I got a late notice today. I’m not going to be able to get a job until my leg’s better so I’ll just have to cut my losses.”
Mike nodded. “You’ll get on your feet. Lots of businesses are very willing to hire a pretty face.”
“Thanks, but I want a real job. One that pays good money.”
Mike crossed his arms and replied in a very matter-of-fact tone, “I know a place that’s hiring. Have you ever sold cars?”
“No. I don’t know anything about cars.”
“That’s the secret. You don’t have to know anything. You just have to know why people want a car and then use that against them.”
Celia laughed. “You’re kidding?”
“Not really. Of course, the more you know the better you can sell, but the main thing is to get their attention.”
“So that’s where the pretty face comes in handy?”
“Yes, and women would be drawn to you. They would think, ‘She’s a woman; she’ll understand I can’t afford much’.”
“It sounds good but I don’t know anything about cars.”
“Maybe not, but you could start out with a couple of popular models. You would need to learn everything you can about the engine and transmission, tire and wheel sizes, city versus highway mileage, safety features, trunk size, etc., etc. Some of our shops also rent or lease cars.”
“I see what you’re saying but they’re not going to want to hire me while I’m sitting in a wheelchair.”
“I wouldn’t be so quick to dismiss the idea. That might even play to your advantage. The company might think you would attract a customer no one else could. Certain customers might select you over someone with two good legs. It’s hard to understand why a customer chooses the salesperson they do or the car that they drive home.”
“I’ll think about it. Could I earn a lot of money fast?”
“If you can sell a lot of cars.” Mike knew this was what Celia wanted to hear. He didn’t doubt that once she set her mind to it, she could do well. What he didn’t know was how she would react when she found out he was her new boss!
*****
Randi’s patience was amazing when it came to Celia. Martin wondered if she was really that kind or she was worried he would leave her as he had Celia. The thought was so jarring that he pulled back from kissing her.
“What?” she asked.
“I was thinking. I know we haven’t been dating long but I want you to know, if you ever want to yell or curse me out, do it. Don’t hold back. You’ve been amazing about this Celia stuff. I want you to know you can be angry, if you want to be.”
“Sure, but what brought this on?”
“I thought maybe you wanted to tell me how you really felt but are afraid to. I so want this to work between us. I guess I’m thinking too much.”
“I understand, I think. I don’t like that Celia’s moving into your house. I don’t like it one bit but I do understand. Celia needs somewhere to stay that is wheelchair accessible, and right now, she has no one else to turn to. You’re a kind man and what you’re doing is sweet, but, no, I don’t like it. I’d really like to push her into the swimming pool, but I get it.”
Martin laughed, kissed Randi and then pulled back. “You wouldn’t do that,” he said, before kissing her again, “and if you did, you would go in after her and pull her out.”
“I might let her paddle around a while.”
They kissed again. It was nice, too nice. Martin pushed his boundaries as he slid his hand down her waist to her leg. He cupped his hand behind her knee pulling her closer. He could feel her reaction to his touch. She moved closer and pressed her hand to his chest.
“I know what you’re thinking,” he whispered between kisses, “and I can’t wait either.”
“How do you know what’s on my mind? Maybe I just realized I should go in, feed my dogs then go to bed. I have a hot date tomorrow.”
Martin loved it when she teased him. He moved his hand to her ponytail and tugged on it, making her look at him. “Liar. I don’t think you were thinking about dogs.”
“I didn’t say I was, I said maybe I was.” She smiled, and this time when she leaned in, he stopped her.
“I think about it a lot when we’re like this. About how good it will be to hold you, kiss you, make you mine.” The light was growing dimmer, and it was hard to read her expression, but he felt her push him back playfully.
“You’re pretty sure of yourself. I plan on waiting until my wedding night to have sex. I hope you’re a patient man.”
“I am, but I go after what I want.” He tried to kiss her but she pulled back.
“Are you used to hearing the word ‘no’, often?”
“No, but good things are worth the wait.” Again he leaned in but she reached up, turning on the dome light. He guessed she wanted to read his expression, see if he was serious or joking.
Was he serious? Was he tossing out hints? He’d never felt like this - not with anyone. He wanted Randi to be ‘the one’, but he was afraid. Afraid, that once again, he would be wrong.
Randi sighed, gave him the kiss he’d been trying to steal and leaned back. She was going to tell him exactly what was on her mind. “I love you, Martin, and sometimes I want to pinch myself to make sure I’m not dreaming. Not because you’re famous or rich. To me, you’re just a hot limo driver I fell for. But the part that amazes me is how much I feel for you already. It’s scary.”
“I know. I want to take this slow. I want to do everything right. I’m so tired of not having the one I love by my side. I want what my parents have! I want to still be fooling around when I’m sixty. I want to be sure I have it all. I’ve tried and failed several times and I just don’t want to fail again.”
“Me either.” Randi let out a long sigh and leaned in kissing him softly. When she pulled back, she rested her head on his shoulder and nestled into his arms.
“I know it takes putting your heart on the line to learn if things are going to last.” She moved her hand to his chest, rested it over his heart, and for a long moment, didn’t say anything.
Martin tilted the steering wheel back with one hand and pulled Randi closer. He wanted to take her home, wanted to hold her all night and wake up with her body pressed against his.
He closed his eyes, kissed her cheek and wished he could see the future. He never felt like this with Celia. They’d had passion, but no love. His heart began to ache. He wished Randi could be his first. Wished he could go back and turn away the women he’d had sex with. Thankfully, it hadn’t been a lot. More offered, but he’d held back having sex only if he was in a relationship.
There had not been any one-night stands, and as he held Randi, he knew she was telling him the truth. She had never been with a man. He would bet the mansion on it! “I could stay like this all night, but if you need to go, say so. I’d hate to interrupt your hot date.”
Randi stirred in his arms and his heart began to beat faster as she brought her lips to his neck. She meant to only kiss him once, but when he leaned down enjoying her touch so much it hurt, she kissed him once more.
“If it gets much hotter than this, we’ll both be in trouble.”
With this comment she straightened, gave him a soft brush of lips on lips and moved out of his arms. “I love you, Martin.”
She was all but out of the truck when he spoke. “Goodnight Randi. I love you, too.” It was as if she wanted to hear his voice last, to carry it along with her for she didn’t speak but, closed the door and made her way to the house. She turned and looked at him. In the shadows he could only guess she was smiling.
She blew him a kiss, turned and went inside. He had a feeling that something had just happened - something good, something permanent. They were setting boundaries and rituals that would lead them to one of two conclusions - a torrid break up or a happily ever after. He could only hope and pray it would be the latter.