“If they’re so outdated, why do you still use them?” She took the phone and typed in her number before handing it back, a grin on her full lips. “Wouldn’t it have been easier to just program your number into my phone to begin with?”
“With your track record, you’d have just lost the phone. Consider it a public service. Replacing your phone would have been much harder.”
I saw the tip of her tongue peeking out, but she seemed to think the better of sticking it out at me. It was too late, though.
I’d seen her tongue and it had sent my mind racing to the nearest gutter. My dick reacted to the images waiting for it in said gutter, of what that tongue might feel like on it, but I breathed through the impending erection and reminded myself that she was nothing but a potential client.
A playful swat to my bicep brought me back to reality. “I’ve never lost a phone, I’ll have you know. The only thing I’ve lost this year is your card.”
“Joke’s on me then.” I smirked, but for some reason, Andrew’s warning played through my mind. She hadn’t lost anything this year except for my card. Surely, that had to mean something, but so did running into her again.
Instead of heeding his ridiculous warning, I finished the other hot dog she had generously gotten me and turned back to her. “Tell me more about being a guidance counselor. I’m not afraid to admit that I got sent to mine back at school more than once. I had a knack for getting in trouble and they thought the poor woman would help me. I’ve never thought about things from her perspective before.”
Elsie laughed but nodded. “It’s an interesting job for sure. I’ve been doing it for a few years and most of that time was spent at one school, but more recently, I was helping out for a colleague on maternity leave.”
She regaled me with stories of the kids she’d seen, not making fun of them but just telling me about them and the challenges they’d faced. At some point, I saw Andrew speaking to a different woman than the one he’d left me for, but he seemed fine, so I didn’t bother motioning him over.
In between telling me stories, she asked about my job but, refreshingly, not about my family or upbringing. I noticed she didn’t mention hers either, but since this was only our second conversation, I didn’t bring it up.
I sure as hell wasn’t ready to tell her anything about that, and I figured she felt the same way. When the brunette from the food truck stepped outside, I noticed the line was all but gone.
“That was fast,” I commented before realizing that obviously, more time had passed than I’d noticed since sitting down.
Elsie looked up, blinked a few times, then shrugged. “Beth mentioned that sports arenas clear out fast after a game. Most people have plans after or whatever, but she thought it was worth it to come for those few who might want to grab an immediate bite to eat.”
“Makes sense,” I said, crumpling up my plate and holding my hand out for hers. She’d finally gotten around to eating while telling me about her job.
With both plates in hand, I got up and offered my free hand to her. She took it, climbing lightly to her feet and releasing my fingers immediately before dusting off her ass.
“I’d better get back to helping Beth, but I’ll speak to you soon?”
“Sure, I’ll be in touch about a house,” I said.
“As long as you don’t lose my number, you mean.” She smiled. “Have a good night, Taydom. Thanks again for being so willing to help me.”
A giggle rang out behind her when she took off toward her friend. I watched her go. Andrew walked up to me and raised a brow, his gaze flicking between mine and Elsie’s retreating back.
He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to.
“Shut up,” I growled and fished my keys out of my pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 11
Elsie
“Why do you need another pack of highlighters?” Beth groaned as we stood in front of the stationery aisle. “You already have two.”
“When you see the size of my textbooks, you’ll understand.” I opted for more of the bright colors over the pastels and added them to my cart. “Besides, whose school supplies are we shopping for?”
“Yours, thank God. I had more than enough of school in the twelve mandatory years to last me a lifetime.” She flicked her curls over her shoulder. “You’re a better person than me for volunteering for more of that torture.”
“I like studying,” I protested. “I’m going to miss it once I eventually graduate.”
“I think you need your own help,” she joked. “But here, have some more pens.”
I laughed, but in all honesty, I’d just been about to add another box anyway. “Thanks. Now we can move on to files and sticky notes. If I can’t organize properly, I’ll never get around to graduation.”
“Oh joy.” Beth clapped her hands together with fake enthusiasm. “More school supplies. Just like I always wanted.”
“Hey, you said you wanted to come.” I shot her a smile. “I appreciate you being here, but you really didn’t have to. As you can see, I’m more than capable of stationery shopping by myself.”
“Yeah, but then I wouldn’t get the scoop on you and Taydom from last night.” She took over control of the cart and propped her elbows on the handle, her eyes never leaving mine. “I might have been too wiped out to talk much last night after the rush, but I’m all ears now.”
“There’s not much to tell.” Unfortunately. “We talked, we ate, he took my number, and he’s going to give me a call about a house sometime.”
“What did you talk about?” she asked. “It had to have been an interesting conversation. You two were at it the whole time I was serving.”
“It wasn’t that long.” I ran my finger along the binders of some notebooks and decided to add some of those to my loot. “It was, what, like twenty minutes?”
“It was more than an hour,” she said dryly. “So spill, girlfriend. What did you talk about with one of the richest men in Dallas that kept him glued to your side for that long?”
“More than an hour, really?” I frowned. “It didn’t feel like it was that long.”
“Trust me. It was. An hour that felt like two lifetimes from the inside of my truck, but never mind that. I want details.”
“We really didn’t talk about much. We joked around a little. I told him about being a guidance counselor and he answered some of my questions about his job.”
“It looked a lot more intimate than that from where I was standing. He couldn’t stop looking at you.”
“Bullshit,” I said. “I looked around all the time, and even if he had been looking at me, it was only because we were having a conversation.”
Beth sniffed. “No, I don’t think so. It definitely looked like it was about more than that.”
“It wasn’t. He’s going to help me find a house. That’s it.” Surprisingly, he also seemed to be a nice guy. It was contrary to what Beth had told me she’d read about him, but I’d always been one to form my own opinions about things and people. “He was really cool about it, too. Considering who he is, I thought he would be pissed about me losing his number or not calling him immediately, but he laughed the whole thing off.”