CHAPTER FOUR - DREAM
I had been given the lunch shift that day, which was fine with me. I hadn’t slept well the night before; nightmares of Nick had kept me awake half the night. By the time I’d been exhausted enough to fall to sleep, dawn had been on the horizon. The later start time had allowed me to get at least a few hours of rest.
As I was tying my apron, Liza approached with a smug smile on her face. “You’ve apparently made quite an impression on someone,” she said, pointing to a booth in the back where Chance sat alone.
My stomach flipped at the sight of him and I subconsciously smoothed my hair back from my face. “Um, we’re the only diner in town. Plus, he is just here to talk over the tutoring job he offered me.”
“Hmm, too bad. I thought maybe he was here to throw you over his shoulder and give you a good roll in the hay,” she said, waggling her eyebrows at me.
I laughed and smacked her with my order pad, shaking my head as I approached Chance’s booth.
“Hey there. Can I get you something?” I asked.
He looked up at me and his blue eyes pinned me to where I stood. “How about a slice of pie and some coffee?” he asked.
Oh, I’ve got a slice of pie for you, I thought to myself naughtily. Jesus, what was wrong with me? Here I was, barely out of an abusive relationship, and this complete stranger had me thinking all kinds of dirty thoughts. I cleared my throat and smiled.
“Let me grab that for you, and I’ll be right back.” I hurried into the kitchen and cut a slice of pie. I poured him a fresh cup of coffee and put it on the tray and returned to the table.
I leaned up against the booth and waited until he’d tasted the pie. Even the way he chewed was sexy. “So when do want me to start?” I asked, needing to speak before I started imagining what else his mouth would look good doing.
“I guess as soon as possible. She’s having difficulty reading. She’s gone through some significant trauma and doesn’t talk a lot. Her teacher and counselor think she needs some special attention and I’m hoping it will give her confidence as well. Maybe bring her out of her shell.”
“I think we’ll get along great. From what I saw, she seemed to be a sweet girl.”
“Yeah, she opened up to you about her doll the other day. I haven’t seen her do that with anyone, so you must have the special touch.” He looked me up and down, as he said the words and I wondered what his touch would be like.
I blinked a few times and pushed away the thoughts. I had to be professional working with his daughter, and she was a special case having been through trauma. I didn’t need to complicate things with thoughts of sex; not for the little girl, or for myself.
“Did you and your wife divorce?” The question seemed to confuse him a bit, but then he shook his head.
“Star’s not my daughter, she’s my niece. My brother passed away, and then her mother grieved herself into an unfit situation. I took her in about three months ago, so this is a new situation for her. She was in the system awhile since I was away, so I’m not sure what’s she’s been through because she doesn’t share much, but it was enough to make her stop talking, and she doesn’t trust people easily.”
“Oh, I’m so sorry. It sounds like she’s really had a hard time. I am trained to deal with children in delicate situations though, so I think we’ll be fine.”
“Yeah, I wish I’d just hired you on the spot yesterday, but I thought I better think about it a while. I can’t be too careful with her, it seems. I feel like she’s a little China doll that’s going to break.”
“Well, you seemed like an old pro the other day.”
“Thanks. I’ve been told I’ll get the hang of it.”
So it really was just him and her. It took a special man to take on his brother’s child that way, especially since he was all alone without anyone to help him. Most men wouldn’t take on such a responsibility. I could feel my infatuation growing, along with the warmth between my legs.
“Well, I’m off Friday evening if you’d like me to start then, but there’s a girl starting here next week, so I can get Liza to make sure I’m scheduled off two nights a week if you like. Maybe Tuesdays and Thursdays would be good?”
“Friday is good, I don’t see any point in waiting, and if you’re worried about a schedule, any two nights during the week will work, and it can even vary if you need it to. I’m not picky, really. I do most of my work during the day since I work from home. I can pay fifty dollars per session. It seems to be the average rate for someone with experience.”
“Excellent. Well, I’ll see you then.”
Chance wrote his address on an order ticket and we agreed on a time for me to come over. I walked back over to the counter to where Liza was standing with a grin on her face. “What?” I asked.
“Oh, nothing,” she said, looking at me sideways.
“No, seriously, what?” I asked again.
“You really don’t see how he looks at you? Like he wants to lick you like he’s licking that fork over there?”
I watched his tongue dance over his fork before he placed it on his plate, and I was instantly wet. It had been way too long since a man had paid any attention to my needs. Nick had always been about his own pleasure, and that had usually included causing me pain. I allowed myself a brief moment to wonder what it might be like to be spread out underneath a man like Chance, and I had to stifle a groan.
I shook my head and picked up the coffee pot, stepping around the counter to refill the few customers in the place. “You’re ridiculous,” I said to Liza as I turned, and heard her chuckle behind me.
Chance finished his dessert and paid his check, offering a smile and a nod as he walked out. “See you Friday,” he called back before the door closed behind him.
I felt a sudden rush of nerves. I was more than qualified to tutor Star in reading, and yet for some reason I was questioning my decision to do it. Why was that?
The bells on the door sounded, and I turned to greet my new guests and caught something out of the corner of my eye. It was a black car with a light on the front, just like my ex owned through the force. He had been a cop for fifteen years and had more connections than a mob member. I froze in panic. Had he found me?
“Dream?” Liza stepped around in front of me and then turned her head as if to see what I was staring at. “Dream, are you okay? What is it?”
“Do you see that black car?”
“The one with the extra light?”
“Yes, that one. Do you know who that is?” I hoped that it was some local I’d never seen, but I wasn’t sure I’d get that lucky. My ex had found me time and time again, and each time, the abuse had been worse.
“Read the door, Dream. It’s just one of those boys over from the next county. He’s probably just passing through. They do that about once a month to take people over to the penitentiary.”
“I thought it was Nick’s people for a moment. I’m so sorry.”
She turned me toward the ladies’ room. “You go in there and wash your face and take a few deep breaths. You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
“I feel like I’ve seen one.” I walked into the bathroom and looked in the mirror. I did look pale, but I couldn’t help it. I would rather die than face that man again. I took a paper towel from the dispenser and wet it, then I slapped it on the back of my neck.
I had to pull myself together. I couldn’t fear him the rest of my life, and that’s why I’d come to a place he’d never find me to start over. I’d make damned sure I had a good life here and was lucky I’d found people willing to help me. Even if I had to live on the streets, I’d promised myself that I’d survive. Once a little time had passed, he’d forget all about me, and I’d be able to stop looking over my shoulder. I just prayed that time would come sooner than later.