CHAPTER ELEVEN
“So am I allowed to work now?” Ransom couldn’t help throwing that jab at his manager.
“Gimme me a break, boss. You’ve been back on the job two weeks now. When are you going to let up?” Trevor shook his head as he reached for the pile of charts. “Aren’t you ever going to forgive me?”
“For turning me into a prisoner in my own home? Maybe not.” Ransom chuckled. “But then again, maybe some good might come out of it.”
“Hey, some good already has. You made a friend, didn’t you?”
Ransom gave him a wry grin. “I guess you could say that.”
Trevor shrugged. “I guess I could. What else would you call it?”
“I’d call it fate.”
Trevor dropped the charts back onto the desk and turned toward him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just what I said.” Ransom’s tone was enigmatic. That was as much as he was going to say. He got up and walked toward the door. “I’ve got some business to take care of on the road. Be back in an hour.”
The fact was, Ransom was becoming more preoccupied with Solie with each passing day. It was a worrying thought. Not since high school could he remember being so obsessed with a girl. And he hadn’t even kissed her yet.
But that would soon change. The next time he saw Solie Felix he’d steal a taste of her succulent lips or he wasn’t Ransom Kent.
He’d been back in Fort Lauderdale two days now but, as luck would have it, the issues had been waiting on the table and he’d been too swamped to run over and check on her. Today, though, he didn’t want the evening to pass without hearing her voice or, better yet, seeing her face-to-face.
And once he had her in his sights again, who knew what would happen?
When Ransom got home that evening Solie’s car was nowhere in sight. The disappointment left a bitter taste on his tongue but he swallowed it and went on inside. He was a big boy. He could wait.
But the evening seemed to pass way too slowly for his comfort. He’d spent the past two hours killing time, watching television, but there was just so much of that you could take. Finally, when King Tut began to whine he took the opportunity to throw on his jogging gear and take the dog for a walk. They circled the park six times before he felt like they’d had enough. Then he headed back up the street toward home.
As luck would have it, just as they were two gates away from Solie’s house Ransom saw her car pull into the driveway. He quickened his steps, intent on catching her before she went inside. He got there just as she slipped the strap of her handbag over her shoulder and slammed the car door shut.
“Hey, how're you doing? Long time no see.” Ransom smiled and went up to take the grocery bag from her hand, King Tut close behind him.
“Oh, hey. You’re back.” Solie gave him a tiny, restrained smile and dropped her eyes.
Ransom didn’t know what to think of that. He’d been all excited but she didn’t even look happy to see him. Had he misread her signals? So the feeling wasn’t mutual?
Apparently not. Instead of letting the handle of the grocery bag slide into his hand Solie held on tight then she gave a slight shake of her head and lifted her face to look up at him. “Thank you, Ransom,” she said, her voice soft, a hint of strain about her lips, “but I can manage. It’s not heavy at all.”
She dropped her eyes again then turned and began to walk toward the front door. There she paused and turned to stare at man and dog still standing in her front yard. The tiniest of smiles graced her lips. “Have a good evening.”
She waved and then let herself in but not before Ransom saw a strangely wistful look in her eyes.
Even after she’d gone inside he still stood there staring at the now closed door, baffled. Talk about a cool reception. But there was something more to all this. What the hell was going on?
***
“For someone who’s got a new love interest you’re one depressed-looking girl.” Kyra didn’t hold back when it came to telling the world what she was thinking.
“Solie’s got a love interest?” Dominic looked up from his computer screen to peer over at the two women standing by the reception desk. “How come I’m just knowing about it?”
“Because you’re not one of us, Dominic. Stay out of this.” Kyra fixed him with a glare that would deflate any man.
Any man, that is, except Dominic. He was like the Bobo Doll that you punched and it came bouncing back for more, even though he looked nothing like the short, squat, smiling Bobo Doll. Tall and reedy, he looked like an absent-minded professor with his wild brown hair and horn-rimmed glasses. The funny part was, sometimes he acted like one, too, getting himself lost in a good book, totally forgetting that he was the receptionist. There’d been quite a few complaints from visitors who arrived at the desk only to be ignored. Dominic was lucky he’d held the job down this long.
But he was a good guy, quick to share words of wisdom. And with all the reading and philosophizing he did, he had lots of those.
“I was reading something the other day,” he began, pushing his glasses back up his nose with his pinky finger, “that has a lot of insight on what makes for a successful relationship. It said romance is something you should-”
“Oh, no, not more insights.” Kyra threw her head back and in a dramatic sweep she lifted her arm to cover her eyes with the back of her hand. “Oh, Lord, deliver me from this not-so-wise sage.”
“Will you knock it off?” Dominic rewarded her with a scowl then, totally ignoring her, he turned and gave Solie his full attention. “What’s the problem, Sol? Maybe I can help. You know I’m a good listener.”
Solie nodded and gave him a tiny smile. She had no intention of discussing her personal life with him but he looked so eager. How could she let him down softly? “I know, Dominic,” she said gently, “and I appreciate your wanting to help but it’s not that important.”