Page 62 of Baby For The Billionaire Silver Fox

I worked hard for the next four hours of my shift, rallying in the realness of physical labor. I allowed my thoughts to drift to Nicole, and my mood lifted even more. After work, I walked down the block to the flower shop,Sunshine and Daisies. The bell tinkled as I walked into the colorful floral-scented interior. I didn’t know when I would see Nicole next, but I wanted her to know I was thinking about her. Hell, I wanted her to be reminded of me.

The clerk assured me the beautiful bouquet she helped me pick out would go out for delivery soon. Score another one for small-town businesses and their quick personal touch.

I was walking back to my car at the market when I heard my name. I tensed at the voice but pasted a polite smile on my face and turned.

Mandy had a heavy camera bag over her shoulder and was tottering in high-heeled black boots to reach me. She wore a dress coat and had a Hermes scarf wrapped around her neck. She was struggling with the bag, so I relieved her of it. “Where are you parked? I can carry this to your car for you.”

“Actually, I noticed this cute wine bar across the street here, so I was going to treat myself. Join me?”

I gave her a reluctant nod. “I’ve only got a few minutes though.”

She picked a small round bistro table near the window and shimmied out of her coat. She was wearing a form-fitting knit dress, and when she sat, it hiked up, showing a lot of thigh.

We ordered, and I leaned back in my chair. She was looking at me like I was her next meal. “How is the location scouting going? You must be ready to wrap it up,” I commented.

She shrugged. “I’m not ready to go back to Chicago just yet. My business is not concluded. Besides, I have no pressing reason to go back.” She looked down at the white spot on her finger where her wedding ring used to be and sighed.

“Anyway, how is your day going?” she asked.

“Fine, I just got off my shift.”

She gave me a look that told me she was judging me. “I can’t believe you are working in a grocery store in this little town,” she said dismissively.

It was my turn to shrug. “It suits me just fine,” I answered. I was not going to get into why I was working here.

“But you’re smarter than that. You have a real talent for handling money. You’re wasting yourself here.”

“It turns out I’m no longer addicted to stress and ladder-climbing.”

She sipped her wine and looked out the window. She perked up when the flower shop door opened. “Wow, some lady is about to be very happy. That bouquet is beautiful and enormous!”

I shifted a little in my chair. “The gentleman must know how lucky he is.”

Mandy snorted. “Or he’s got some apologizing to do. Not a bad plan. Think of the makeup sex.” She took another sip of her wine and ran her tongue over her pouty bottom lip.

I didn’t comment and just watched the delivery van head toward Nicole’s place.

Mandy got annoyed and finished off her glass. “I’ve been hearing you’re going to run for mayor. What a great idea.”

“I am not running. That’s a rumor,” I said flatly.

“Oh, but you’d be good at it, darling. You’ve always been super-organized and neat, to a fault even. Though I know that’s from your military training. You understand current events and people like you in this town.”

“It’s not going to happen.”

“But why? It’s much more challenging than working at a grocery store, for Pete’s sake, and think of the prestige. I’d love to associate closely with the mayor,” she winked.

“But not the grocery store clerk?”

She frowned. “I don’t think of you as a grocery store clerk, but I guess that’s what you’ve become.”

She thought I’d sunk to a new low, and it was almost funny. But I didn’t really care what she thought of me.

Her eyes went big, and her mouth settled in an exaggerated O. “You didn’t lose all your money in the stock market or something, did you? Oh my God, tell me you still have all your wealth.”

She looked panicked. Surely it wasn’t out of sudden concern for me.

“No need to fret on my account, Mandy; my riches are intact.”

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