Opposites Attract (7 page)

Ben closed the binder and laid it on the table.

“Well?” she asked.

“It’s wonderful. Jane is going to love it.”

Francesca smiled. “I can’t wait to start shopping for it. That is your copy.” She pointed to the folder. “I’ve already shopped around and the prices are listed in the back. A few items could be bought at several places, and I listed them and the place that was the cheapest.”

Ben held his hand up. “I don’t care what it costs. You should know that by now.”

“Jane is very lucky to have you.”

“No, I’m lucky to have her.”

It made her so happy to see these two so happy. She’d set them up, but hadn’t known at the time that she was making a match made in heaven. Jane was getting out of a bad relationship and wanted to retaliate against the creep, to make him seethe with jealousy, so Francesca had set her up with Ben as a fake relationship. Only, it was never fake. They were destined to be with one another.

“Have you gotten Toby trained yet?” Francesca had met the yellow lab a few times.
Energetic
didn’t even begin to describe Jane’s dog.

“We’re getting there.”

Ben continued to tell her about getting the dog out of bed with him and Jane. And how the dog was still sneaking up in the middle of the night. Francesca had never owned a pet—she had severe allergies—however, she enjoyed hearing stories about other people’s pets.

* * * *

Pushing the chair in for Dana, Randy glanced around the restaurant. It was a very nice steakhouse. The lights were dimly lit and music played at a quiet but intimate level, making it perfect for a romantic evening. The tables all had a candle on them, white table clothes, and dark hardwood chairs.

Randy took a seat across from Dana, and she smiled at him. She was impressed, and for that, he was glad. The girl deserved a nice evening out. And so did he.

Almost immediately, a waitress appeared to get their drink orders. He ordered a soda for now. He wasn’t sure alcohol was such a good idea. Dana ordered a tea.

“This is a very nice place,” she said. “Have you been here before?”

“No, it’s my first time.”

“Maybe this will be one of the many firsts we will have together.”

He quickly grabbed the water that sat in front of him and took a sip. It was never good when a woman talked about a future right away. Or at least for him it wasn’t.

“How was work today?” she asked.

“Pretty slow.”

“Things were slow at the flower shop as well.”

He nodded. First dates were always awkward, he reminded himself. As Dana continued to talk about her day, he did his best to pay attention. He was thankful when the server returned with their drinks and to see what they wanted to order for dinner. He let Dana go first and then he ordered a steak, baked potato, and grilled vegetables. He couldn’t believe the prices. It wasn’t like he couldn’t afford it, but normally he’d never pay that much for dinner.

As they waited on their food, he looked around. A woman a few tables over with shoulder length blonde hair laughed, catching his attention.

Was that?

No, it couldn’t be Francesca. There was no way they’d be at the same place. But he had to know.

“I’ll be right back, I need to wash up.” He excused himself.

As he got closer to the woman, she spoke and he recognized her voice. It was Francesca, and she looked to be having a fabulous time with an older man, one he assumed was rich. And to think, she’d just asked him to be her date at some wedding. And she wanted to see if there was anything between them. She was never going to change.

He cleared his throat to get her attention. She spun around in her chair and looked back at him.

“Randall. Wow, this is unexpected.”

“It certainly is, isn’t it?” he said with irritation in his voice.

“Randall, this is Ben. Ben, this is Randall.” She introduced them.

“It’s Randy.”

“Sorry, I keep forgetting.” Her smiled faded.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Ben put his hand out to shake.

Randy didn’t take the man’s hand. The older gentleman put his hand down and then excused himself to go to the restroom.

Francesca nodded at Ben as he left, letting him know she was fine. Once he was out of sight, she glared at Randy. “What’s your problem?” she asked.

“You move on fast,” Randy snapped.

“What?”

“Your date. He’s just your type, huh? Rich and older. Aren’t you tired of being someone’s arm candy yet?”

Her eyes widened and he could see the hurt. “He’s not my date. He’s a client.”

“Do you think I’m stupid?” he said loudly.

“Quiet down, you’re making a scene.” She reached across the table and grabbed a binder. “Take a look if you don’t believe me. I’m designing a nursery for him and my friend Jane. He’s surprising her.”

Randy opened the binder and flipped through the pages looking at blueprints and nursery furniture. Oh fuck, had he made a fool of himself. He handed the folder back to her and didn’t know what to say. He raked his hand through his hair and wished he could take the scene back.

“I’m sorry,” he finally said.

She set the binder on the table, and just as she looked like she was about to speak, he heard a different female voice. “Is everything okay over here, honey?” An arm wrapped around his shoulder.

Dana.
Oh crap.
Randy studied Francesca and he could see it was taking everything in her to control herself.

“Hi, I’m Francesca,” she said, holding her hand out.

“I’m Dana, Randy’s girlfriend.” Dana’s tone was full of pride.

“Girlfriend? I didn’t know.”

“I wouldn’t say girlfriend,” Randy added. What the hell? The lady was about to ruin everything.

“It was nice to meet you. Listen, when Ben comes out of the restroom, let him know I got called away.” Francesca grabbed her purse from the floor and before he could say anything, she was gone.

He turned to Dana and asked, “What was that all about?”

“You know, it isn’t nice to ask a girl out when you’re not really interested.” She released his shoulder and then followed the same path as Francesca did.

This was not at all how he’d envisioned his evening. Not only had he hurt Francesca, but he’d hurt someone who was innocent in this whole situation. He had two women to apologize to now.

“You really screwed up, huh?” the older man asked as he came back to the table.

“Yeah.”

“I don’t know you, but I’ve know Francesca for a few years. And she’s one of my fiancée’s best friends. She isn’t who everyone thinks she is. Francesca is one of the kindest people you will ever meet. She did so much for Jane and never asked for anything in return. Everyone seems to think she is only out for herself, but all the girl really wants is for Prince Charming to sweep her off her feet and love her,” Ben explained.

Randy nodded. “I’m beginning to think you’re right.”

Ben chuckled. “Though, I’d hate to be on her bad side.”

“Yeah, it’s not my first time. I should be a pro at it by now.”

“I think you know what to do though.”

Randy wasn’t so sure he did. But showing her how sorry he was would be the first step.

Chapter 9

He has a girlfriend!
Francesca hadn’t seen that one coming. Anytime she liked a guy, they were always taken. But wow, he’d slept with her and had been involved with someone all along. You didn’t get girlfriend status with just a date or two.

Closing the door to her apartment, she walked through the dark room to her kitchen. Still not turning a light on, she opened the fridge and took out a bottle of wine. She started to reach for a glass, but then changed her mind. Pulling the cork out, she pressed the opening to her lips, lifted the bottle up, and took in a nice, long sip.

It wasn’t like Randall had wanted a relationship with her. He’d told her the sex was just to get her out of his system. It was only meant to be a one night thing. And the second time, he’d assumed it was just a booty call. Nothing more. But in all that time, she couldn’t believe he never mentioned the girlfriend. Even in his office, there was no evidence of her. What a creep! Men like that disgusted her. And she’d been stupid enough to sleep with him.

But still, that just didn’t seem like the Randall she knew. When they had dated in high school, he was one hundred percent faithful. He hadn’t even looked another girl’s way. But it had been years since she’d seen him. People changed, and not always for the better.

Francesca took a long sip of her drink. She wasn’t sure she had changed for the better either. She was the one who dumped him, telling him he could never be the man she needed. And for years, she had been living the high life with man after man, waiting on one of those rich men to steal her heart. It hadn’t happened yet, and now she had a reputation.

Francesca took a seat on her couch, still in the dark. She set the bottle in her lap and decided that it was time to change. The life she’d been living wasn’t getting her to where she wanted to be. The first thing she was going to do was get to know herself before she let anyone else in.

She stood and then finished off the bottle of wine. It had been close to empty when she opened it and now it was gone. She debated opening another bottle, but decided a long hot bath would be a better option than drowning her sorrows in wine.

After she got the bath started, she chose some music and lit a few candles. She kept the lights off. Once the tub was full of warm liquid and bubbles, she stripped off her clothes. As the water engulfed her, she began to feel better. Sometimes a bath was just what you needed. Leaning her head back against the tile, she closed her eyes and simply relaxed.

She finally felt at peace, as though the day was being lifted away. Things were going to be fine.

Knock knock!

Opening her eyes, Francesca gazed around. Had she heard someone knock? Then she heard it again. She started to get up but changed her mind. If it was important, they’d call her cellphone. And since she hadn’t gotten a call from the front gate, she assumed it might be her nosey neighbor.

Letting her eyelids drift shut again, she ignored whoever was out there. She focused on the music.

“Fuck!” she heard a male voice coming from her bedroom.

Oh my God, there’s someone in my apartment.
She sat up, her heart beating rapidly as she looked for a nearby towel. She tried to pull herself out of the bath quietly so she wouldn’t draw attention to where she was.

“There you are.” Randall appeared in her bathroom.

Francesca froze. Part of her was relieved to see it was Randall and not a burglar, but the other half was pissed. “Get out!” she screamed.

He looked almost like a deer caught in headlights. “I just wanted to make sure you were okay.”

“By breaking into my apartment?” Did he not remember her brother was a cop?

“It was unlocked and you didn’t answer. I knew you were upset, and I wanted to check on you.”

“But you don’t just come into someone’s house,” she argued. “That’s called breaking and entering.”

“I didn’t break anything, and you’re the one who didn’t answer the door. Your car is out front and I knew you were here.”

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she said, “Did you ever stop to think I was ignoring whoever was there? I am, as you can see, in the bath.”

Oh yes, he definitely knew she was naked. She hated that she noticed the bulge in his pants as he took in the scene in front of him.

“Can you please leave so I can get out and get dressed?” she asked.

“We need to talk.”

“Fine, but not in here.”

“I’m sorry about earlier. I never should have jumped to the conclusion I did about you and Ben. It was wrong and immature. And I know I said hurtful things. In fact, I’ve said a lot lately. I don’t know what comes over me when I’m with you.”

Francesca let out another sigh. “Look, I’ll talk. Just please let me get dressed.”

Randall’s gaze swept over her again. Her nipples puckered and she was so glad bubbles were covering them. The last thing she wanted right now was for him to know how much he affected her. The longer he stood there and she could see the slight erection in his jeans, the more likely she was to lose herself in him and forget everything she’d just sat and thought about.

She cleared her throat, hoping to get his attention—in a different way.

“Okay, yeah, sorry. I’ll wait for you in the living room,” he finally said.

“Thanks, and close the door behind you.”

He nodded and then left. Francesca moaned and sunk deeper into the water. After a few more moments of the bliss of her bath, she climbed out and dried off before covering herself with her favorite terry cloth robe.

In her bedroom, she found that door shut as well. She dressed quickly, all the while telling herself she would not fall into his spell again. Things hadn’t worked out years ago for a reason. Randall and she were not the same people anymore. And holding on to the past would do no good. She had to let those memories go. And move on.

In the living room, she found the lights on now and Randall sat on the couch with his legs spread apart as he leaned against the side cushions. He watched her and she him. She took a seat on the opposite couch, keeping as much distance between them as she could. She had to stay in control of the situation.

“You know, I don’t really know why you’re here. You made it clear you weren’t interested in me. You just had to get me out of your system. I would think I’m out by now. It’s done. So why are you here and not with your girlfriend?”

“First off, Dana isn’t my girlfriend. That was our first date. So just forget about her. It was stupid I even went out with her.”

Francesca huffed. “Okay, let’s pretend for a moment that’s true. Tell me then, why did you care so much when you saw me with someone else? After all, it isn’t like you want to be in a relationship with me.”

“That’s not entirely true.”

“You’re not serious, are you? Since I saw you again, you’ve repeatedly told me you didn’t want to get involved. You keep reminding me I only like rich men and I couldn’t possibly be happy with someone who isn’t.”