Page 7 of Protective Mountain Man

“And home is near your repair shop?”

“Home is above my repair shop. That’s where I live.” He opened his container and pulled out a sandwich. “I got you a chicken salad sandwich. I wanted to ask what you liked, but I didn’t have your phone number.”

“Chicken salad is perfect,” I said. “Did you have to ask them to make it?”

He thought about that a second as he took a bite, chewing and swallowing before speaking. “Everyone was asleep. I snuck into the kitchen and saw these big containers of chicken and tuna salad in the fridge. I just scooped some onto bread to put a couple of sandwiches together. Oh, and the chips.”

I opened my container to reveal a handful of chips inside. They were the type of potato chips that restaurants served at lunch, not the standard processed stuff found in packaged potato chips.

“I brought a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and some corn chips from home,” I said. “This is a thousand times better.”

That brought a smile to his face. Well, the closest thing to a smile I’d seen from him. Beneath his facial hair, I caught the corners of his mouth twitching upward a little.

“Glad I could help,” he said.

“I know the feeling.” I lifted the sandwich to my mouth and prepared to sink my teeth in. “It took me an extra semester to graduate college, and moving back home over Christmas was kind of a step back. I had my own place in Chapel Hill. Now I’m in my childhood bedroom applying for jobs night and day to put my degree to use. It’s not going well. That leaves little time for…well, much of anything.”

With that, I bit into the sandwich. It was delicious. Amazing. I closed my eyes and moaned, it was so good.

When I opened them, he was watching me, and I suddenly felt self-conscious. I grabbed the napkin from the stack he’d set on the dashboard in front of us and wiped daintily at my mouth.

“Didn’t you just graduate a few weeks ago?” he asked.

“Yes, three weeks ago, but I started putting feelers out during my last semester. Plus, I did an internship last summer at an investment firm in Adairsville.”

“Investments,” he said. “So you’re in finance.”

Nodding, I wiped my mouth again for good measure, then I reached for one of the potato chips. I waited to take a bite until after I’d spoken.

“I don’t have my certification yet, so I’m not an actual advisor, I just…I’m looking to get some entry-level experience. But Seduction Summit doesn’t even have banks.”

“There are some in Adairsville,” he said.

“A few.” I nodded. “The bank where I worked last summer isn’t hiring right now, and I’ve checked the others. I have a resume in with one. The other two said thanks, but no thanks.” She sighed. “They want you to have experience. But how are yousupposed to get experience when no one will hire you until you have experience?”

“The age-old dilemma.” He shrugged. “So you start your own business. But that’s probably not something you want to tackle right now. You could work remotely.”

I scrunched up my face. “I could, but there’s something about being there, working with people who do this every day. I learned so much last summer. But I may have no other choice.”

“Sounds like a dream to me. Working in your pajamas. No boss breathing down your neck.”

“There are benefits to it.” I took a deep breath and let it out. “And I guess I should keep an open mind.”

The truth was, I didn’t have much of a choice. If nobody local would hire me, I had to start fanning out my search.

“Or you could move to a bigger city,” he said. “I’m sure Charlotte or Raleigh would have plenty of opportunities.”

I held in a wince. His words were actually painful, I was embarrassed to realize. I’d just met him. How could I be hurt by the fact that he was suggesting I move two or three hours away?

“That would suck, though,” he said. “I just met you. How am I going to get to know you if you’re on the other side of the state?”

That comment had me practically glowing. I didn’t even hide my smile as I chewed a big bite of my sandwich. I probably looked goofy, but I didn’t care. He wanted to get to know me.

That was the best news I’d heard in a long, long time. Maybe ever.

6

BROCK

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