Page 8 of Without Apology

CHAPTER THREE

Peyton

Upon arriving home at midmorning on Saturday after my night babysitting my nieces, both Cooper and I took a nap. I think he was as happy as I was to climb into bed, his on the floor to the side of mine. Finally, we could get some uninterrupted rest. Watching a trio of girls under the age of eight was tough work. Not that I would trade it for anything, but Aunt Peyton needed some sleep where I wasn’t waking up every hour, paranoid I’d heard one of them get out of bed. How did parents do it?

Once I’d recharged, I spent time cleaning my small two-bedroom house. I’d bought it five years ago because of the large, fenced backyard. The house itself was quaint and cozy with the perfect amount of room for me and Cooper. It was located in a quiet cul-de-sac in a family-friendly neighborhood only five miles from my sister’s house.

After cleaning and then cleaning some more, I admitted to myself I was procrastinating about applying for the CFO job. I’d already made up my mind. Just needed to do it, especially since I couldn’t shake the thought of Jeff getting the position. I brought up the posting on my laptop. Finally deciding I didn’t have any choice but to apply if I wanted to protect my team and continue working for Maddox Consulting, I went ahead and filled out the application, attaching my résumé. At least the formality was out of the way. But I needed to speak with George on Monday to make him aware of my application. I could only hope he hadn’t made the decision already. More importantly, I hoped he’d be understanding of my inability to fly for travel.

At three o’clock my cell phone rang with a number I didn’t recognize. I almost let it go to voicemail, but at the last minute, I realized it could be Brexy.

When I greeted hello and his sexy British accent hit me, I grinned.

“Hello, Peyton.”

“Hi, Simon.”

“How did you know it was me?”

I could hear the humor in his voice sparking mine. “I’m not sure how many British guys you think I meet on a daily basis in a Coppell, Texas, grocery store, but the numbers are in the single digits.”

He chuckled. “Lucky for me. I was hoping you’ve recovered from last night and may be free for dinner this evening?”

“I am, as a matter of fact.”

“Would it be terribly rude to ask you to pick the restaurant? I have my own vehicle now, so I can pick you up at your house if that’s acceptable.”

His formal tone had me smiling. Normally, I met a first date at the restaurant for fear of being trapped if it wasn’t working out, but something told me I wouldn’t have that issue with Simon. “I don’t mind picking the restaurant. How do you feel about barbeque?”

“Sounds good. Is seven o’clock agreeable?”

“Sure. I’ll text you my address.”

“Brilliant. See you then.”

Yeah. Brilliant. He’d called.

***

By the time the clock turned seven, I’d let Cooper out one last time to do his business. It was good I’d done so because the knock came at my front door right on schedule. Immediately upon meeting Simon, I’d figured he’d be the punctual type.

As I opened the door, I realized he was even more handsome than I remembered. This time he was dressed in slacks and a long sleeved, button-down shirt, dark blue in color that set off his eyes. Tailored looked damn fine on the man.

“Hi,” I breathed, happy I’d taken the extra effort to put on a dress tonight and tame my brown curly tresses into some semblance of style, leaving it long and down my back.

Capping off his perfection was the fact he immediately dropped his hand to pet Cooper who’d come up, curious about our guest. Simon once again seemed oblivious to the amount of hair he’d get on his clothes for the effort. “Hi to the both of you. How was your night making cookies with your nieces?”

“A bit like a three-ring circus, but well worth the effort. They’re good girls. Come in while I grab my purse.”

He stepped inside and glanced around my living room. “You have a lovely home. Very colorful.”

His observation was an understatement as I loved color. But a decorator I was not. Instead, I simply picked things which made me happy. This was why I had a country type table with Japanese art on the wall and a modern light above it all. And my sofa was covered with bright pillows. I might not ever travel the world, but it was represented in my home.

“Thank you. I made a reservation. It’s about a ten-minute drive.”

He offered his arm. “Excellent. Lead the way.”

I loved the way he opened the passenger-side door of his black Mercedes first, but couldn’t keep myself from smiling when he got into the driver’s seat and turned on the wipers while trying to find the lights.

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