Chapter 4

Thomas opened the door and immediately started to slam it shut. “Wait! I just want to see her for five minutes, that’s all.”

Thomas pulled the door back open. Steve looked like shit. He almost wished that Angela was here to see him looking like a bum. He was unshaven and his eyes were bloodshot. He had on a t-shirt that said, “Los Angeles Dodgers” and a pair of faded blue jeans. Thomas guessed he didn’t have any big Saturday night plans.

“She’s not here, but even if she were, she wouldn’t want to talk to you. Give it up and get a life, loser…and shave, maybe.”

“Do you know where she is?”

“Do you think I would tell you if I did? She’s way too good for you, asshole. She finally figured that out.”

“I’m not seeing Kim.”

“I don’t give a shit if you are or not. Whether Kim sent that text by mistake or not doesn’t matter. She did Angela a favor, getting her away from you.”

“Why are you so intent on keeping her miserable?”

“What the fuck are you talking about? I’ve done everything for her since her husband died…everything. She doesn’t need you. She has me…for everything she needs.”

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

Thomas leaned in close to Steve’s face and said, “How I feel is none of your fucking business. All you need to know is that she is my best friend and I will do whatever it takes to protect her from scumbags like you…got it?” His tone was low and vicious and his eyes focused on Steve’s face, filled with a passionate hate. “You don’t want to get on my bad side,” he spat.

Steve didn’t flinch. He waited for Thomas to finish and then he said, “You’re not going to get away with keeping her a prisoner here. Even if she still refuses to see me, she’s looking for a place…to get away from you.”

Thomas laughed. It was a creepy, almost frightening laugh and totally inappropriate for the moment. He slammed the door in Steve’s face, and Steve could still hear him laughing when he got to the elevator.

**

Angela left Joanne only after having the cowboy promise her that he wasn’t a serial killer, show her his I.D. so if anything happened to her friend she could report him to the police and lastly taking a photo of him and Joanne together on her phone. The cowboy complied because it seemed he was smitten with her pretty friend, but he acted like he thought she was a little bit crazy. After telling Joanne she loved her and to stop drinking now because she’d had enough, she left the club. She sent a text to Steve while she waited for a taxi that said, “Starbucks in Nob Hill? I’m ready to talk.”

She was getting into the back of a cab that pulled up when she got one back. It said, “Absolutely! Thank you.”

“Don’t thank me yet. We’re just talking, okay?”

“Okay. Thank you.” She smiled at the second thank you.

When Angela got to Starbucks, Steve was already waiting for her at a table outside. She almost didn’t recognize him and when she did, it made her heart hurt. He was wearing an old t-shirt and jeans and looked like he hadn’t combed his hair or shaved in a couple of days. His eyes were bright red like he hadn’t slept either. He stood up as soon as he saw her. “Jesus, you’re so beautiful.” She felt her face color and before she could say anything he said, “I’m sorry. I know I look like shit.”

She laughed. “I was thinking slightly pathetic…I’m not sure you could look like shit if you tried. You’re too hot.”

He pulled a chair out for her. “Good to know you still think I’m hot,” he said.

“Your actions didn’t change your looks. Will you order me a Grande Vanilla Latte?”

“Absolutely,” he said. She watched him go inside. She’d purposely sent him away because the desire to touch him was so strong she wasn’t sure she’d be able to fight it for long. When he got back with two coffees, he sat hers down and took his seat on the other side of the table. That was good…out of her reach.

They stared at each other for a long while before Angela finally said, “I got your email. That was a very sweet letter…but…”

“I know,” he said, “It’s the actions that matter, not the words. I promise you baby, I haven’t had anything to do with Kim.”

She nodded. “I would love to believe you. It’s hard for me to describe the feeling I had when I saw those pictures and that text on your phone.”

“You don’t have to describe them. When it all happened, I put myself in your place. Just imagining it caused me physical pain. I know it’s soon Angela and I know that you’ve been through a lot…but I am falling head over heels for you. I haven’t been able to function this last week, knowing how upset you are. I would never do that to you…never!” The look in his eyes was so intense and so sincere. Angela wanted to take him into her arms and hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay. But, there was still that part of her that couldn’t bear the thought of being hurt…again.

“Like I said, I want to believe you…and I’m leaning towards it, obviously, or I wouldn’t be here.” He smiled and shook his head again as he looked at her.

“You’re so damned gorgeous. I don’t know where you were tonight, but anyone who laid eyes on you was a lucky son of a bitch.”

Angela laughed. “I went out with Joanne. Some guy hit on me and asked me why I was alone. It made me think about how badly I don’t want to be alone lately…how badly I want to be with you.”

His eyes lit up and he reached for her hand. She pulled it back and said, “But…I still need a little time. I need to take baby steps. I can’t just jump back into this. It happened too fast. I need to take a step back and decide if I really trust this before we go any further.”

He nodded. “That’s fair, and it makes me feel better. I’m going to prove to you that you can trust me, baby. I’m never going to hurt you. I’m going to show you that you can believe that.” Angela nodded then and stood up. Steve stood up too. “Can I take you home?”

“No, I’m going to take a cab,” she said. “Baby steps, remember?” He looked disappointed but he nodded again.

“I need to say one more thing,” he told her.

“What’s that?”

“Thomas…I don’t trust that guy. Something is way off with him.”

She furrowed her brow. He sounded like Joanne now. “What do you mean?”

“I went to his loft tonight to see if I could talk to you. He warned me to stay away from you and then when the conversation…if you want to call it that…was winding up, he started laughing. It was bizarre and totally inappropriate. I’m worried about you being alone with him so much.”

“Thomas wouldn’t hurt me. He’s a little intense sometimes. I’m sorry he talked to you like that…but you don’t have to worry. You don’t know Thomas like I do.”

“Just be careful,” he said. “Can I kiss you goodnight?”

Angela could feel her insides shaking at the thought. God, she wanted him so bad. She leaned in and pressed her lips softly to his. He tried to deepen the kiss and it took every fiber in her body to work up the strength to take a step back. “Baby steps,” she told him again. He grinned. She melted.