“Not that important?” His brows fell again and this time his eyes flashed indignation. It was like they were saying, how dare she prevent him from doing good. “Of course it’s important. You’re my best friend. How could it not be important?”
Solie cocked an eyebrow in surprise. Now where had that come from? Long-time co-worker, yes. Pretty good friends, sure. But best friends? She didn’t know about that. “Uhm, Dominic, it’s okay,” she said quickly, wanting to stem his flow before he got any more ideas. “I’m not depressed like Kyra said. Give me till tomorrow. I’ll be bright and chirpy again. Promise.”
That made him tilt his head and give her a doubtful smile. “Chirpy? I don’t know. That’s not really you.” Then his eyes brightened and he straightened. “Hey, I’ve got a great idea. It’s bound to cheer you up. Why don’t you and me go see the latest Spider-Man pic? I know you love yourself some Spider-Man. Right?” He got up and slapped his hand on the counter top. “Right?” He leaned forward, shoving his grinning face toward her. “Right?”
“Right.” With the way he was carrying on what else could she say?
“All right, then. We’re going to the movies.” He slid his hands off the counter, plopped back down in front of the computer and proceeded to close all the windows he had opened.
“What? You mean now?” Solie stared at him, not believing what she was seeing. She knew Dominic was an impulsive one but, come on, they were at work.
“And what about me? I’m not invited?” Kyra jammed a fist on her right hip and gave him an indignant glare.
Dominic paused, still staring at the computer screen and gave a dramatic sigh. Then he turned, shook his head and began to tut-tut at them. “Ladies, ladies, give me some credit for not being an idiot. Of course we’re not going right now. It’s a work day. I’m closing my windows because I’m leaving early for an off-site meeting. Lyn’s already on her way. She’s going to fill in for me and she'll sign in with her own password. And you,” he jerked his chin toward Kyra, “you know you’re always invited. You’re the life of the party, girl. We ain’t goin’ nowhere without you.”
He hopped off the chair and reached for his leather shoulder bag. “There’s Lyn now,” he said, looking down the hallway. “Right on time.” He stepped around the receptionist counter, looking sleek and debonair as always. “I’ll shout you guys Saturday morning. Now get back to work, you slackers.”
Before Lyn had even slid into his chair he was off, leaving all three women smiling and shaking their heads.
That Saturday Dominic called bright and early as promised and Solie spent an enjoyable afternoon in the company of two people who were lots of fun. And, just like Dominic said, it lifted her spirits tremendously.
The past several days had been rough, wanting to reach out to Ransom, knowing he was probably wondering if she’d gone batty. She’d been more than cool to him the last time they’d met but what else could she have done? How could she have given in to what she really desired with the thick, dark cloud of Raul Escobar hanging over her head? No, best to lay low and fly solo. The last thing she wanted was for her stalker to get jealous and lash out.
Right now it was just too much to think about, too much to deal with. For the moment her best strategy was to just avoid conflict at all costs.
“You’re good now?” Dominic turned away from the cashier and held out two sixteen-ounce mango smoothies to Kyra and Solie.
Solie knew the question was meant for her. “Perfect,” she said and gave him a smile so bright it would leave no doubt in his mind that the movie they’d just watched had done the trick.
“Good.” With a nod he turned and grabbed his own smoothie then, all three, they strolled through the mall as they headed back to the parking garage.
At her car Solie waved goodbye. It wasn’t late, just after eight o’clock, but as fun as it had all been it had still been a bit of a strain to keep grinning when your thoughts weren’t all happy ones. She needed to make it an early night. Sometimes the best thing you could do for yourself was carve out some alone time, time when you didn’t have to fake cheerfulness just to keep your friends happy.
As she drove home, the euphoria of the movie and friendly company behind her, try as she might she could not get Raul off her mind. The man left a bitter taste in her mouth. He’d caused her so much pain and now, just when she thought a new light was…possibly…coming into her life, he’d shown up and was threatening to snuff it out.
She was still mulling over her dilemma as she drove up the driveway and put her car in park. For a while she didn’t move, she was so lost in her dismal thoughts, but then she blinked, snapping back to the present. Time to move. She couldn’t stay in the car forever.
Sliding her hand across to the passenger’s seat she reached for purse then, with her other hand, she flipped the lock open and slid out of the car. Right then all she wanted was the comfort of her bed.
“May I walk you to the door?”
A tiny shriek ripped from her lips as she whipped round to see the tall, lean form of a man in the shadows. Raul!
She gasped and took an involuntary step backward. “Leave me alone,” she said in a fierce whisper. “Stay away from me.”
The man stopped short then cocked his head to one side as if confused. It was then, when the light from the front porch hit his face that she saw who it was.
“Ransom.” She pressed her hand to her heart and gave a breathless laugh. “Oh, my God. You scared me.”
He gave her an apologetic smile. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to startle you like that. I thought you’d seen me walking up the driveway.”
“No.” She shook her head. “Why would you think that?”
He shrugged. “You were sitting in the car for a while. I could have sworn you glanced up into the rear-view mirror. I even waved.”