I nodded and filled my mug with coffee.
Xander came up next to me and put his arm around me. “Just keep that in mind. I wouldn’t want you to miss out on something because of a situation from your past that you can’t control.”
“And I wouldn’t want to jump into something because I haven’t learned my lesson from the last situation that I jumped into.”
“Is that what you’re afraid of?”
I opened my mouth to deny that I was afraid, but I couldn’t. I was afraid. If I admitted I felt something for Declan, it would be like last time. Last time I’d fallen hard, very fast. If I did that again, wasn’t I just repeating my same mistake?
“I don’t know,” I told him.
“You’re different and Declan’s different. That already changes everything.” He gave me a nod and added gently, “Comparing apples to oranges isn’t going to work in this situation.”
“Are you rooting for me or rooting for Declan?” I asked him with a smile.
He grinned. “For you both.”
I laughed. “Sure.”
“What? Okay, Declan’s the underdog in this scenario. Of course I’m rooting for him.”
The underdog. Yeah, right. The superhuman billionaire who regularly charmed my pants off. Underdog, my ass.
I said goodbye to Xander, letting him know that I would be home for dinner. He didn’t seem to believe me but despite what he might believe, I was bound and determined to get my life back on track. I needed structure, which was part of the reason I was considering keeping this job.
I also needed a foundation. Something to ease me into this new life I’d somehow started. That was where Declan came in, and I hoped he would agree.
When I stepped outside, I searched for Randy’s car. He normally parked right outside the building and waited for me. But this time there was a large, dark SUV. It looked just like the car we’d rode in when I’d gone to dinner with Declan.
My stomach did a long anxious roll when I considered that he might be inside waiting for me. But after a moment, the door opened, and someone walked around to join me on the sidewalk.
“Randy?”
He grinned at me and pulled open the back door so I could get in. I glanced down the sidewalk, surprised to see another black car, one very similar to ours. Probably someone else, I reasoned. Why would I need two cars?
I hopped inside and waited until Randy walked around to the driver’s seat and got in again.
“Where is your car?” I asked. “Is something wrong?”
“No, something’s right.” He pulled into traffic and then glanced into the rearview mirror to meet my eyes. “I got a call from Mr. Dark on Saturday night. He said you told him that I had been taking you to work every day. He said you’d recommended me.”
I bit my lip. That wasn’t exactly how the conversation had gone. At that point, I didn’t know that much about Declan. And getting Randy involved probably wouldn’t have been smart.
“So he gave you a job?” I asked.
“He gave me an offer.” Randy shrugged. “He told me I could call you and verify that it was legit, but I didn’t want to disturb you over the weekend because I knew that you were spending time with your dad. He insisted I use the car and take the day to make the decision, so I’d have the chance to see you. You know, get your endorsement and all.”
I blew out a breath of laughter. Of course Declan had offered him a job. He knew I trusted Randy and I respected him. His decision to offer Randy a job had probably been twofold. One, he wanted to thank the man who had been helpful to me. Two, he wanted me to be comfortable.
I glanced over my shoulder, almost certain I’d seen another dark car pull out behind us.
“So what do you think?” Randy asked. “Or is Declan Dark a shady guy I should stay far away from? Because I haven’t told Max yet, just in case—”
“No,” I said, turning my attention back to the front. “I mean, Declan—Mr. Dark—has my full endorsement. I’m happy for you.”
“So you think it’s a good job?”
“I think if it makes you happy and it works for you and your family, you should take it.”
“The benefits are amazing. That in and of itself is probably worth it., but then there’s the pay, and…” Randy laughed. “I guess you don’t need all the details. But it’s a good deal. My wife’s gonna flip out when she hears about this and so is Max.”
“You haven’t told your wife yet either?”
“I wanted to get your opinion first. I trust you, Royal. Or I guess I should say Miss Patterson?”
I glanced over my shoulder again, searching the traffic behind us. “No, you can call me Royal.”
“Mr. Dark would probably insist. Is everything okay?”
A feeling of uneasiness crept up on me. The other black car was still there, though not directly behind us. It had dropped back several cars and was moving back and forth between a few lanes.
“Are you the only one who came to pick me up?” I asked Randy.
“Excuse me?”
“I mean, was there someone else? There was another black car parked further down the sidewalk when I came out of my apartment.”
I almost expected him to say it was security. After all, Declan had made sure someone was sitting outside my apartment the entire night. Just in case. In fact, now that I thought about it, it made sense.
“He didn’t mention anything about someone else.” Randy looked in his mirror. “All he said was that I was to pick you up and head straight for Dark Enterprises.”
I glanced behind
