Her parents were always the same. Why she felt compelled to tell them about Galen at all must mean she hoped for more with him. She hit the elevator button. There was no way she’d ever tell him that.
She beat traffic the rest of the way home and walked into the lobby of her building, stopping at the front desk. She told them about Rocco and how he wasn’t welcome. Security had her wait in the lobby while he went up and within moments, Rocco descended with the security guard. She hugged her waist, but walked over to the side so they could talk before security escorted him out. She kept her head down. “Rocco, why did you send me flowers at work today?”
He reached for her, but she stepped back. “So you got them?”
Natalie glared at him. It was time to be serious and she crossed her arms. “Look, I don’t know what you think, but I have a date today. I don’t need or want flowers from you, and I don’t want to see you again.”
Rocco stepped closer. “Natalie, I owe you far more than I’ve given.”
None of this made sense. Exes don’t just show up. She ignored the cold goosebumps growing on her arm and kept her head high. “Whatever you’re going through, I’m not interested, Rocco.”
“Natalie.” Galen’s voice from behind her boomed.
She turned around and motioned for him. The moment he came close, she took his hand. “Galen, I’m glad you’re here. I’m almost ready. We just have to go upstairs for a few minutes.”
Galen stayed next to her. “Who’s this?”
She wrapped her arm fully around Galen’s and looked into his eyes. Galen was twice the size of Rocco and all muscle, but she felt comfortable near him. “Rocco, my ex from ten years ago. He’s leaving now.”
Rocco then stepped back finally. “Natalie, I’ll catch you later.”
She shook her head. “Please don’t. Goodbye.”
They waited in silence for Rocco to leave the building and then she walked with Galen to the elevator. The doors closed, giving them privacy. “Was he bothering you?”
Being with Galen sent a thrill down her spine. She relaxed and led him off the elevator toward her apartment. “No, yes. I had security ensure he wasn’t near my apartment, but he’s confusing me. Who shows up out of the blue like that? I was clear that he isn’t welcome here. Anyway, I’m up for our date and ready to go. I just need to change.”
He winked as she unlocked her door. “Good, because I have plans to impress you.”
“And I’m totally game, Galen.” She let him inside without a worry and closed the door.
Tonight was the start of something great. She refused to let anything or anyone from the long ago past mess with her now. Galen was exactly who she wanted.
Galen was very aware that the security guards watched him and Natalie leave her apartment building. He was glad that they had helped with her ex. Outside, she waited until he joined her and he led her toward his SUV. He held the door for her and she climbed in, her bare calf visible below the hem of her emerald green dress. “Normally I bail when I see other men buzzing around a woman.”
“Really?” She ran her hand over his bicep as he leaned against the SUV. “No wonder you’re left with the bad girls who make a beeline for you.”
He closed the door and came around on the driver’s side, getting behind the wheel. “How did you know that?”
She turned her pretty head toward him and cocked her shoulder slightly. “You said you don’t date good girls.”
And the truth was plain. Despite her teasing smile, Natalie was, at heart, one of the good ones. No other woman would have worn a disguise for almost a year to hide her natural beauty so that she could help care for her parents. He started the engine and drove out of her parking lot. “Why do you wear your gold cross every day?”
Natalie adjusted her chain and the gold cross seemed to grow bigger over her dress collar. She let it go. “Because it reminds me that I can be kind and forgiving. Believe it or not I used to have a bad temper.”
His eyes widened, “Hard to believe.”
She laughed and nodded. “It’s taken a lot of time but I’m getting better. No more cussing when I’m stuck in traffic.
The way she said cussing made him pause. He pressed his lips together and then said, “That’s a tough one for anybody, even with God’s help.”
She shrugged and asked, “Do you not believe in religion at all?”
The last thing he needed was a preacher. His gaze narrowed. “Why do you ask that?”
She shrugged and looked out the window. “I don’t know. When you let us go early on Good Friday, you said you were hitting the bar with your brother. So you just seem the type to reject religion.”
His family was one of the rare ones that went pretty regular growing up in Paris, but as an adult, he’d not bothered. “I’m Catholic, technically, but I don’t go to church or anything. I was confirmed at the Vatican with the pope and my mother has the pictures, I’m sure. I figure I’ll find out later what happens when I leave this world.”
