Page 5 of Ordinary Girl

“You don’t look old enough to have a twenty-two year old daughter.”

She drops her gaze and laughs quietly. Yeah, I’m throwing her a line, but it’s true. Shedoesn’tlook old enough, so I’m guessing she was a young mother.

“I’d only just turned seventeen, when I had her.”

I smile, and I look at her, and all I can see is a woman who’s making me feel things I never wanted to feel. Dinner dates and talking, man, that was never on the agenda. Until now.

“Were you married?”

She holds my gaze, staying silent for a beat or two. “Ana’s father walked out on us when Ana was five. We don’t know why. We don’t know what made him leave us like that, and we don’t know where he went. Neither Ana nor I have heard from him in seventeen years. I’d like it to stay that way.”

Her voice changed, when she spoke about her estranged husband. It became colder, had an edge to it that tells me this woman is tough. She’s been through shit and she’s fighting it.

“He left us with debts I’ve struggled for years to pay off, to people who…”

She suddenly stops. Drops her head again. She can’t look at me, but Iwanther to look at me.

“Bringing Ana up alone, after he left, it was hard. I was still so young, but I did my best to shield her from all the bad thingsand only make sure she saw good.” She raises her gaze, her eyes locking on mine. “I love my daughter.”

“I can see that.”

She drops her gaze again, an air of sadness surrounding her that doesn’t sit right with me. I’ve known this woman for a ridiculously short space of time and yet all I want to do is protect her from all the crap she’s been through. I want to help her. I’m not a total bastard, there’s a nice guy in there somewhere.

“I’m sorry, Skip, you didn’t need to know any of that.”

“Come work for me.”

She looks up, frowning deeply as she stares at me. “I’m sorry…?”

It’s my turn to drop my gaze; take a deep breath. I’m about to break every fucking rule I ever made for myself but, God help me, this one’s under my skin. Enough for me to do this? To tell her the truth…?

“Work for you? I don’t… I don’t understand.”

“Listen, Sofia, I’m – I’m not the man you think I am.”

Her frown deepens even further, and her expression now carries a wariness that sees her sit back; distance herself from me a little, and I don’t want that. I want her to trust me, I’m not a bad man. Until I need to be.

“What do you mean?”

Her voice is barely a whisper, and I don’t want to scare her. That’s the last thing I want to do.

“My nameisSkip Larsen, and Iama businessman, just, not in the conventional sense. I run a biker club. I’m President, of that biker club. The Viking Bandits.”

I watch her expression change again, there’s a hint of fear in her eyes now and that kills me. I don’t want her to be frightened, I want her to feel safe. Shewillbe safe, with me. I’ll make sure of that.

“So, why lie about that? Why try to be something – someoneyou’re obviously not?”

“Because sometimes I like to escape the shit, y’know? Try living a little piece of normality.” I reach for her hand but she pulls it away, and it’s like someone kicked me hard in the gut. It fucking hurts. “You can trust me, Sofia, I promise you that. You come work for me, and I will make sure you and your daughter are looked after. The club needs an accountant, those businesses we run, they need handling. Properly. And the money you’ll earn – I guarantee, you won’t have to worry anymore. About anything.”

Big promises, but I mean every word, I’m not lying to her now, not this time. But she isn’t buying into this, not yet. She turns her head away, looks around the restaurant, she’s wary as hell, and who can blame her? Her eyes are darting this way and that, is she looking for a way out? An escape route?

“Sofia…? Look at me, please.”

She slowly turns her head back to face me. “I can’t work for you. I can’t be a part of something like that.”

“Like what? You don’t know who we are, how we work. Right now, you have no cluewhatyou’d be a part of.”

“I have an idea.”

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