Page 13 of Protection for Rowan

Apple seemed confident about remaining single, but so had he a few months ago. Seeing Rowan had changed everything. She could be the one. It was weird thinking that way. He’d pushed off the idea of having a partner, butnow he was sure he wanted Rowan in his life for a long time.

He should check himself and make sure he wasn't rushing into the relationship, but that was why they were making plans to hang out. If things went well, they could actually end up in a long-term relationship. Instead of scaring him, the idea of being with Rowan for decades made him excited.

Chapter 10

On Monday,Rowan finished with her last client and did a little shuffle-skip dance as she closed the door to her office. She was excited to see Shine this evening and couldn't hold it in any longer. She checked her email and saw a note from the board that oversaw air traffic controllers. Of course, the man she'd declined recommending he keep his job had lodged a complaint. It happened. She'd received complaints over the years and knew what to send to the group to assure them her findings were based on tangible evidence and not some made-up bias.

Based on the jobs she gave evaluations for and who historically had those jobs, of course, she rejected more men than women, but the number of men applying was about eighty percent of the total. Though, she had declined to recommend one woman for a pilot position because she had some deep-seated issues. Any bias the guys thought she displayed wasn't bias, just her doing her job.

It took her a moment to attach the file she'd already prepared. Of course, they took the complaints seriously,and so did she. Everyone she’d had issues with had big problems in their lives that needed time and attention. Some people could work through the issues, but some, like the most recent man she’d turned down, needed a lot of help.

After turning off her computer, she headed out, locking up before turning to walk out to her car. The lot was empty, and her mind went back to the man who she'd seen out in the lot a few days earlier. Had that been the man who she'd failed to recommend for the job? It could have been him. She hadn't gotten a good enough look at the guy in the lot to know for sure. Plus, the man in the lot had a beard and mustache, which could have changed the guy's looks.

He wasn’t there right then, so she pushed the man from her mind and headed home. When she was about a mile away from her house, she called Shine. Excitement skittered through her as the phone rang. She couldn't believe that she'd found him and that he wanted to see her.

“Hello, beautiful.”

His greeting took her by surprise, and laughter spilled out. "Hey, I'm almost home."

“Good. I’ll be over there in about twenty to thirty minutes.”

“Awesome.” She had time to shower. Not that she really needed to, but she wasn’t sure what they would be doing, and she wanted to be clean enough that if they got close, she wouldn’t be embarrassed.

“I’ll see you soon. I just need to shower before coming over.”

“That sounds good. I’ll be ready.”

She didn't know if he was showering because he wanted to have sex or if he had gotten dirty at work. Itcould have been both, but she didn't feel comfortable asking.

When she got home, she hit the shower, excitement filling her. They might not be relationship material, but if they were, she was going to make an effort.

After her shower, she dressed in something comfortable but still cute. She had on a dress that hit a little above her knees. The top wasn't super low cut, so her boobs weren't at risk of flying out if she bent over, but she had enough skin showing to be enticing.

The doorbell rang and she let out a squeal. She hurried to the door, trying not to look way too eager, but she was excited and it would be difficult to hold it all in. She pulled open the door and froze as she took in how good he looked in his green T-shirt and dark shorts. She wanted to get those off him, but knew she needed to behave.

After a second of dumbfounded silence, she stepped back. “Come in. You can put the food in the kitchen to the left.”

“Thank you. I need to refrigerate one bag. The rest can sit out.”

"Sounds good. How was your day?"

Shine groaned. "The guys hounded me, and I had to tell them about everything. Not that I mind telling them about you, but I know how they are."

“How are they?”

“Pranksters. I mean, I don’t think they’re going to try to play a trick on me about the crash, but they are practical jokers.”

“Would they really do something like that?”

He shrugged. “Yeah. They would. Maybe. Then again, they aren’t malicious. They seem happy that I’m seeing you.”

“So you told them about me?”

“It was hard not to. We try to really know the guys on our teams. It’s easier to trust someone in situations when you trust them with everything.”

“Yeah. Trust is an interesting phenomenon. I’ve seen groups totally destroyed from lack of trust.”

He turned to face her, then leaned against the counter and crossed his legs at the ankle as he crossed his arms over his chest. "It was time. We've been through a lot."

---