5.

 

“Are you kidding me? This is ridiculous!”

But the representatives had already hung up. Lisa slammed the phone down, sitting down heavily in her arm chair and inhaling deeply, close to tears. The insurance company had just called to let her know that the rental car that she had been promised was not actually going to be available until next week. But her new job was starting that morning. She couldn’t afford to take a taxi. She had already spent as much money as she could for the month without practically being homeless. What was she going to do?

Her eyes wandered to the refrigerator, where she had carelessly stuck Norris’s business card with a magnet after she had gotten home from that confusing day.

She had been tempted every day that week to tear it down and rip it to shreds, but for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to part with it. Whether it was because of this strange, overwhelming attraction that she felt for him, or the possibility that she might need to get in touch with him later, the card was still there in the same place as she had left it, and she felt bizarre surge of warmth course for her every time she looked at it. Of course, it quickly turned to rage, but still, there was an odd fondness she had for the stupid thing. That had to be attributed to the fact that it had come from such a ridiculously handsome man. A handsome man who was also an asshole.

“Well, he did say I should call if I needed anything, I guess…” she mumbled down to her cat, who was weaving between her legs affectionately. Apparently, the outburst had gotten his attention.

With a heavy sigh, she stood and took the card in her hand, holding it delicately as she gazed at her phone. The thought of speaking to Norris again made her suddenly nervous to punch in the number. What if he refused? She wasn’t sure she was even ready to see him again. Everything was so confusing.

But when she glanced at the clock, she realized with a start that she was going to be late for work if she didn’t figure out something soon. And so, she swallowed her pride and dialed the number as quickly as she could, holding her breath until somebody answered.

“Hello?”

Lisa’s heart thudded. She recognized his voice immediately. And she couldn’t have been made happier by the sound of it. Why was she reacting this way?

“Norris? This is Lisa.”

The line was quiet for a moment and then a small, exhale followed by a rumbling laugh reached her ears.

“Oh.”

His rich voice sent a small surge of excitement through her body, but she tried to bite back. She wasn’t calling him to chat. This wasn’t a social call. She needed help. She found herself frustrated again and cut him off.

“I don’t have a lot of time to talk.”

“Lisa. It’s good to hear from you,” Norris said. “How are you? Is everything all right?”

“Actually, everything is very much not all right. Your insurance company screwed me over. And now, if I can’t get to work today, I am going to lose my new job.” Her voice wavered, once again she was close to tears and her only outlet for her frustration was anger. She wished she could stop herself from having such a harsh tone with him, but she had never been more stressed. “I worked really hard to get it. And I don’t know what I’m going to do if I’m not able to maintain it. I really feel good in this line of work. And I need to make rent, you know?”

“Oh, I see. I’m so sorry,” Norris said, his voice changing from positive and optimistic to concerned. “Would you like me to give you a ride somewhere? Or maybe try to rent you a car myself? Though technically I have no idea how to do that…”

“Actually, either one of the possibilities would be great,” she said, mildly surprised by how willing he was to address the issue help her find a solution that worked for her immediately. Maybe he wasn’t really such a jerk after all. Why was she overreacting? More importantly, why was the situation so emotionally charged? He was just a stranger.

“What time do you need to get to work?” Norris asked. “I can come to pick you up the soonest possible. Or maybe send you a cab and pay ahead of time to get you where you’re going? Whatever you feel more comfortable with.”

“I don’t think I trust you sending me a cab. Not because of you, but… Maybe just come and take me. I’ll give you my address. There is really no telling what will happen if you just randomly give a taxi driver some money and hope for them to do what you ask them to.”

Norris sighed softly. “It’s really a shame. People just aren’t trustworthy here? What a terrible place. Things could so easily be so peaceful…”

Lisa was surprised to hear this. She had actually been pretty big fan of Brookside. The crime rate was relatively low (compared, at least, to the rest of the cities in the area). Maybe he was from a different place. It would certainly explain his quirky mannerisms and the way he dressed as if he were above everybody else.

“I mean, you can find some trustworthy people sometimes. You can’t lump everybody together and generalize them, you know,” Lisa said quietly. She always tried to give everybody a chance before writing them off. And when she heard others doing it she defended them. For whatever reason. “But yeah, anyway, I have to be to work in like two hours. It would be really helpful if you could be there before then.”

“Yeah, absolutely. I will be there as soon as I can.”

Lisa gave him the address and soon, she found herself waiting anxiously on the edge of the seat for Norris to arrive.

She hadn’t realized just how much she was anticipating seeing Norris until she found herself waiting for a sign of him. She tried to tell herself that it was just because he was going to take her to work, and she was eager to get started in her new job and make sure that she arrived on time, but some small, secret part of her knew that there was far more to the story than that.

But she couldn’t let herself admit it. That would be too difficult to comprehend. She wouldn’t let him charm her into making her forgive and forget the incident. Especially since there was the real possibility that he was being insincere. She had been screwed over far too many times to count at this point. It was time for her to improve her life, not make it worse. And that meant being as careful as possible, no matter what she wanted. Tammy had told her she had to be a bitch to get what she wanted and that was that.

Once the insurance companies determined fault, she would be able to sue him and move on with her life if it turned out he had just been trying to worm his way into her good side. That was definitely the direction she had been leaning toward. She hated to do it if he was sincere, but if he was just another jerk then what was the harm? All her money troubles would be easily solved, and she would be able to forget this mess.

Who cared if she was attracted to him? Who wouldn’t be? If he was the kind of guy she feared, he probably used that to his advantage whenever possible. the thought made her sick to her stomach. She wasn’t just a pawn to help him get away with murder.

No, she was just going to remain cool and aloof with Norris no matter how hot her instincts for him happened to be. That was the best approach. It was impossible to determine whether or not his intentions were pure or if he was still just trying to avoid issues with his company.

She had a strong fear that maybe he was somehow so caught up in his delusion of grandeur and wealth that he would do just about anything to maintain the façade that he was a successful business person. And of course, that meant making sure that there was no bad publicity about this company, right?

“Lisa?”

She heard his voice before she heard the steady knocking at her door, and Lisa’s heart leapt to her throat.

“Norris,” she said, opening the door quickly. She hoped that he wouldn’t be able to sense the eagerness of her voice, and he greeted her with a friendly smile. The sight of him on her porch was breathtaking, and she was quiet for a few moments before she returned the smile.

“Hi,” Norris said, his voice a welcome, silky sensation to her ears. “Are you ready for work? We can go now. I don’t want you to be late.”

In truth, if they left now they would probably be early, unless, of course, he ended up in another car accident. It was probably better to leave early.

“Yes, I should probably get to work now. Thank you for coming on such short notice. I was having a really hard time talking to the insurance company. They really don’t seem to care about my situation at all. And my friend, Tammy, works right now and I just didn’t have anywhere else to turn.”

“Maybe I should have a talk with the insurance people,” Norris said. “They can’t treat you like that. They don’t know who I am.”

“They don’t know who you are?” Lisa said asked, raising her eyebrow. “You really think it’s that impressive that you own a moving company?”

Norris blinked hard and looked at her as if he didn’t know what in the world she was talking about. Finally, he smiled again and shook his head. “You’re right, I guess they wouldn’t care about something as silly as that. Still, they should really try and treat people better. I’m sorry to hear you are having a hard time today.”

“It’s all right,” Lisa said. “Don’t worry about it, everything will get sorted out and it’s going to be fine. Let’s just get going. I really want to make a good impression.”

Norris nodded and led her to his car. Today, it wasn’t a moving van. It was actually a fairly nice red sports car. She wasn’t sure whether or not she trusted being in a car with this man behind the wheel, and suddenly felt stupid. And right after he had just totaled her vehicle? And to top it all off, it was probably his fault. The insurance companies were still waiting for verification about who was at fault before she got a rental car. That was why she had been forced to talk to him in the first place.

“I’m sure you will absolutely be able to make a great impression. You seem like a very great woman. Everybody is bound to be impressed,” Norris said, opening the car door for her again, just as he had when she had gotten into the taxi. “I’m sure you are going to make a great healer.”

Healer. There was that term again. Why couldn’t he just say nurse or aide? She sighed and shook her head, wondering how it was that he came to be so bizarre. Really, he was so strange. And yet, there was something about him and his mannerisms she just couldn’t help but like. Maybe there was something wrong with her too.

“Thank you,” Lisa said, trying to ignore the strange warmth his words inspired within her. Why did he care what she did? And how would he know anyway? He knew nothing about her. And yet, the compliment left her buzzing pleasantly for a few brief moments before Norris spoke again.

“So, do you want to go out with me? I think this is meant to be.”

He was staring at her evenly, his gaze unwavering from behind the wheel of his car. His handsome face was gentle but serious, and the question hit Lisa like a ton of bricks. Meant to be? What in the world?

“You think what?” Lisa asked, turning her gaze to him in surprise. She suddenly regretted getting in the car with this man. What in the hell had she been thinking? Maybe it would have been better to rely on a taxi after all.

“I believe in fate. Don’t you? And I believe this was meant to happen in the way that it did. So, I want to know if you want to go out with me.”

“That may just be the most direct and abrasive way anybody has ever asked me out on a date before,” Lisa said, staring at Norris from the passenger’s side of the sports car, trying to hold back a small bubble of laughter. It was weird. But it was also charming. And then a small spark of irritation chimed in as she remembered why he was there in the first place. “I’m not going to go out with you. You totaled my car. I could have died. You could have easily killed me!”

“But I didn’t. And that was fate!”

Norris turned to her briefly and flashed her a quick, heart stopping smile. She had to recover for a moment before turning her gaze back to the road, her eyes still burning from the imprint of his face in her mind.

“Well, you can think about it, anyway,” Norris said, returning his eyes to the road ahead of them. “Because I think this is meant to be. I met you for a reason. And I think you probably feel the same way as I do.”

Lisa turned as far away from Norris as possible and stared out the window, fuming. Who the hell was he to make such assumptions? Why was this handsome man so infatuated with her, and why was it that she found herself flattered more than angered by the attention? She hated herself for it, and in turn, decided she hated Norris for it more.

“You really shouldn’t make presumptions like that, Norris,” Lisa said, finally preparing herself to speak the words that had been bubbling in her chest since she first heard the ridiculous notion that his almost killing her may somehow mean they were meant to be together. Was he insane? More than that, it was uncanny how he had been able to pinpoint the reality that she had, in fact, had a premonition of the same kind before their vehicles collided. No, this was just way too freaky. She had to stay away. She had to shut him down. Hard.

“Most women don’t like that,” Lisa continued. “You are moving things far too fast, and it really isn’t healthy. You have to let things like this unfold and take the time that they need so you get to know each other better. What if you started dating me and it turned out I was a serial killer, or I talked with my mouth full or something else that might make you really miserable? You would regret saying things like that and getting my hopes up about us being fated to be together forever. Especially, if it turned out you didn’t mean it.”

She stopped herself, suddenly realizing she was more concerned about his words being insincere than she was about the strangely forward and direct way he had presented such an absurd notion to her. But if she was being honest with herself, it was true. She had somehow felt a strange stirring in her chest on seeing his face the first time. Maybe things were playing out the way they had been intended by the universe. But how was she ever going to know whether or not that was true? It was kind of cruel to play on someone’s emotions bringing fate into it like that.

Still, she wasn’t going to go on a date and find out the hard way that it was all just a delusion. No, she was going to play it smart and keep this man at arm’s length. Who knew what he really wanted from her? He was probably just out to save himself any more trouble with the law. She couldn’t trust a damn word he said.

And in any case, under normal circumstances, why would a man who looked like this be interested in her? He could have been a model or a movie star, and probably had women lining up all around the block just to catch a glimpse of him. And Lisa was as plain as could be and used to bogus guys after her out to get something for themselves.

So there had to be an ulterior motive for his attention, didn’t there? Why would he even give her the time of day? Did he think she was stupid or something? She certainly wasn’t stupid. She wasn’t going to fall for his bullshit. No, she was going to make sure that everything was as safe and risk-free as possible. Especially, now that she had already made the mistake of getting in his car.

“I think that if I was going to date you and you were a serial killer or something, the universe probably wouldn’t have told me that it was okay to ask you on a date. I mean, that’s just me though. It seems to be the logical reality of the situation. My fated mate is a beautiful woman, not a monster.”

“It’s only logical if you believe in fate in the first place,” Lisa said, flustered by the flattering remark and raising a brow at Norris. “How do you know that you’re not just making things up and it’s all just going to crumble as soon as we sit down at the table together?”

“Because I trust in fate,” Norris said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world and she was kind of slow for not really understanding it. “I’m not quite sure why that’s so difficult for you to comprehend.”

“Don’t condescend to me,” Lisa said, shaking her head slowly. “I don’t want you to treat me like I’m stupid just because I don’t believe in silly fairy tale notions right off the bat with strangers who are probably just trying to butter me up.”

“Butter you up?” Norris asked, wrinkling his nose. “I don’t even like butter.”

The absurdity of the statement brought an unintentional laugh to Lisa’s lips and she shook her head. “Who doesn’t like butter?”

Norris shrugged a single shoulder and kept his eyes straight on the road, not offering any more information to her.

“Anyway,” Lisa continued, taking it as an opportunity to reject him further. “I’m not going to go out with you. And I don’t believe in fate. And I don’t think we were meant to be together. I think that’s all ridiculous and crazy.”

“You’re entitled to your beliefs,” Norris said, with a slow nod. “But I think that maybe by the time this grand opening happens, you are going to be there with me. And we’re going to having a blast on a date together that you agree to. Because I think that’s the way the universe wants things to work. And I think that you and I are meant to be together.”

“Really, dude, you have to stop laying it on so thick with girls you just met,” Lisa said. She was angry. Not because he had totaled her car, but because she wanted so badly for him to mean what he was saying and there was no way in hell he possibly could. When something felt too good to be true, it usually was. She had learned that the hard way. And if he was trying to set her up for rejection, she had to act fast. Protect herself. “It honestly makes you sound a little bit crazy and desperate. And I don’t know why a man like you would be crazy and desperate, because you are pretty attractive as far as that goes, but I don’t want you to get the wrong idea here. I’m not talking to you because I’m attracted to you. I’m talking to you because you messed up my car and I need to get to work. It’s as simple as that. Let’s just keep this on the business transaction level only. Stop being creepy.”

Normally, Lisa would be feeling nervous at this point to be unloading all her personal thoughts and beliefs onto a strange man who could clearly do whatever he wanted to harm her. She was as vulnerable as could be, sitting in the passenger side of the stranger’s car with nobody to help for miles.

Who knew what he could do if he were angry and had it in mind to do something bad? And yet, she couldn’t keep the words from spilling out. Something about Norris made her feel comfortable enough to speak her mind fully and entirely so that there would be no miscommunications between them whatsoever. How did she know that he was receptive to it? She just kind of assumed he would be. And her fear of rejection urged her on and told her to put up as many barriers as possible.

Or maybe she just wanted to put him in his place because he seemed like such an ass. Whatever the reason, she found herself surprised by just how easy it was to express herself with him. And she wasn’t even afraid of anything bad happening to her. Was it that she somehow trusted this man? It seemed ridiculous, but maybe that was the case. Why else would she be going off like this?

“I understand, I’m sorry to have made you uncomfortable,” Norris said quietly. “I will stop speaking to you now. But that doesn’t mean that I’m going to change my mind. Instead, I will choose to wait for my belief to come to pass. You’re going to see what I mean soon enough. I know it.”

Lisa shook her head in exasperation and sighed heavily. But she was secretly pleased by the strange and compelling thought that maybe there was a fate, and that if there was a fate, that it could tie her together with a man that made her feel such extreme longing and annoyance all at once. Who knew what was going to happen? But she was suddenly a little bit excited to find out.