Rescued by the Billionaire (Billionaire Romance Novel) (4 page)

“I can eat almost anything. Where do you live?” he questioned her.
 

“I live outside of St. Louis City limits, by South County Mall. Are you familiar with the area?”
 

“I sure am.” Dave purchased the mall; it was just one of the commercial properties he owned. “There’s a great little authentic Mexican restaurant near there. We could have lunch there if you’d like.”
 

“Okay, that’s perfect. I’m off Sunday’s and Monday’s, but you work Monday, don’t you?” she asked.
 

“I do, but we could go out to lunch on Sunday if that works for you.” He paused, giving her a chance to answer.
 

“Yeah, that’s fine. What time?”
 

“Oh, how about one o’clock?” Dave suggested.
 

“Sounds good. Did you want to meet there?”
 

“No, I’ll come pick you up,” he demanded. “Just text me your address and I’ll be there.”
 

“Will do. I’ll talk to you later.” Kelly concluded as she climbed into bed and nestled up under the overstuffed comforter.
 

“Well, nice hearing from you. Sleep tight.” Dave said.
 

She smiled as they said their good-byes and hung up. He was pleasant, the thought of dating him caused an electrical charge to course through her body—he even insisted on picking her up. In her past, she had to meet the guy there or go pick him up; this was a delightful and welcomed change. As she drifted off to sleep that night, she dreamt of their lunch date and how she might say the wrong things or spill her drink on herself. When she woke up, she recalled the dreams and wondered why she was so apprehensive. What made him so different? Yes, he owned a business,
had money and seemed nice, but there was just something about him.
 

On her way to Dawn’s to drop off Emma, she debated whether she should tell her friend about her Sunday plans now or wait until later. Dawn liked to push her for details, but she wouldn’t have much time to fill her in on everything. She waited until after work. That morning was like any other day, she dropped Emma off—who was feeling somewhat better—kissed her goodbye, and drove to work. The previous night’s conversation between her and Dave ran through her mind. She was astonished that he didn’t care she had a daughter; in fact, he seemed as if it was a pleasant surprise to him.  
 

“Mornin’ Kell.”
 

“Hey, come here!” She whispered.
 

Heather followed Kelly over to their lockers, curious to see what she wanted. “What’s going on? And why are we whispering?” Her friend asked.
 

“I don’t want Brian to hear us. I took Emma to the doctor, and he said she’s okay. It must be a virus or something, and that her back and knee pain and swelling are from her playing on the floor all the time.”
 

“Well, that’s good!”
 

“Yeah, and I wanted to tell you something else.” Kelly went on with a huge grin plastered across her face, looking around to make sure no one else overheard. “I have a date on Sunday!” she exclaimed, still whispering.
 

“You do?” Heather asked, matching Kelly’s whisper. “Who is it?”
 

“That guy.” She waited to see if she would remember. Heather’s face remained stone-like; her memory failed her, but that seemed to happen a lot these days. Her friend’s pregnancy brain made her forgetful most of the time. “That ONE guy? He left me the big tip the other day.”
 

“OH! Right!” Heather recalled the man. Her face lit up, “Kelly, he’s
so
cute! I’m so happy for you! Where is he taking you?” She quizzed, eager to learn about their date.
 

“Here, come with me while I get clocked in and I’ll tell you all about it.” She promised, making her way over to punch her time card.
 

“So, I was reading Emma a bedtime story last night when she asked me, “Momma, when are you going to meet your prince charming?” which made me feel sorry.” She nodded her head, waiting for her friend to continue. “Well, after I put her to bed, I called him. His name’s Dave, and he’s nice. We’re going to that one Mexican restaurant that’s across the street from South County Mall.”
 

“That’s awesome!” Heather said.
 

“Oh, I’ll be right back. Sarah just seated someone in my section.”
 

As Kelly’s shift came to an end, she couldn’t wait to tell Dawn and Derek about her date that Sunday. She rushed to Dawn’s house, jumped out of the car and ran to her ray of sunshine, who was already coming out the front door to greet her.
 

“Emma Buggy!” Kelly exclaimed as she picked her daughter up and gave her a big hug. “How was your day, are you feeling any different?”
 

“Almost, but my back is sore and my knees are still a little swollen, but I’m much better than I was yesterday. How did work go?” she inquired.
 

“It was fine. Where’s Aunt Dawn?” She asked as they made their way back inside the house.
 

“She’s in the kitchen making dinner. It smells good. Is it okay if we have dinner here?”
 

“Yes, you can stay,” Dawn answered, wiping her hands on a kitchen towel at the doorway of the kitchen.
 

Kelly looked up and smiled at her best friend. “If Emma Buggy
really really
wants to.”
 

“I do! I do!” She shouted.
 

“All right,” Her mom approved, hugging her.
 

“Oh boy! I’ll go let Uncle Derek know that you said we’re eating dinner here tonight!” she yelled, heading out of the house.
 

Kelly watched her walk into the garage before she turned to her friend and smiled. “I didn’t want to say this in front of her, but I can’t wait to tell you something!”
 

“Well follow me into the kitchen. I’ve got to stir up the meat so it doesn’t burn. We’re having tacos for dinner.” Dawn instructed as she led the way.
 

She followed her, “Okay, so I need to ask you a big favor. I realize that you don’t watch Emma on my days off, but I was wondering if you could keep an eye on her Sunday afternoon for a few hours.”
 

“Sure I can. Why?” She asked as she diced up tomatoes.
 

“I’m going on a date!” Kelly squealed.
 

Her best friend turned around with her mouth hanging open, “With who? It’s not that loser dishwasher from your work, is it? What’s his name? Jessie, who’s always hitting on you?”
 

She laughed, “Oh my God, no! I wouldn’t go out with him in a million years! Remember that good looking customer I told you about a few days ago? It’s him.” Kelly’s smile beamed across her face.
 

“The dude that gave you his business card?” Dawn asked.
 

“That’s him!” She set the table, “Anyway, I called him last night, and he said he’d like to take me out to lunch. He offered taking Emma and me both out to lunch, but I informed him I don’t let her meet anyone I’m not familiar with.”
 

“Where are you guys going to go?”
 

“That Mexican restaurant, right across the street from South County Mall. I explained my days off work are spent with my adorable baby girl, so he promised that he wouldn’t occupy my whole afternoon.”
 

“What time?”
 

“Around one o’clock. I won’t be long. Could you watch her for me?” Kelly inquired.
 

“Sure, just make sure you’re careful.” Her friend warned. Derek and Emma were coming into the kitchen.
 

“What are you talking about?” Derek questioned.
 

“Nothing, I’ll tell you about it later,” his wife promised.
 

The women busied themselves with making plates while everyone else took a seat at the table.
 

“These are good Aunt Dawn!” She complimented, as she took a heaping bite out of her taco.
 

Her aunt laughed, “Well thanks, Emma Buggy. They’re your favorite, huh?”
 

“Oh, I meant to ask you earlier when was the last time she had her ibuprofen?” Kelly asked as she sipped her glass of water.
 

“She had some about an hour after lunch. She should be good until bedtime.”
 

After dinner, they headed home to begin their nightly ritual of getting scrubbed up and off to bed. Once Emma was asleep, she went to her bedroom to put together clothes for her luncheon. She was nervous about picking out the wrong outfit so she prepared several of them and invited Dawn over to help her decide on the perfect date wear.
 

When Sunday came, Dawn arrived at Kelly’s two hours before her rendezvous. She blew her friend away as she ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off. Kelly scampered throughout her house, trying to find her favorite pair of heels as Emma played with her kitchen set. Dawn’s eyes whipped back and forth, following Kelly’s sporadic movements as she tracked down her pumps.
 

“Boy, you sure are in a frenzy, aren’t you?” Dawn asked, searching for the lost heel.
 

“It’s just that he’s a great guy and I want to impress him. I don’t understand where this other shoe could be!” Shoes continued to fly out of the closet she was searching through.
 

She laughed as she watched her friend cast the matching pump to the side with all the others.
“Is this the one you’re looking for?” Dawn asked, dangling it off of her finger.
 

“Yes!” She replied, snatching it from her while rolling her eyes as she hurried to get ready for her date. “You were going to let me keep searching for that thing, weren’t you?” Kelly laughed.
 

“I can text you in the middle of your lunch to check in and see how things are going. If they’re not well, you could use it as your excuse to say you need to leave. If they’re having a great time, just tell me you’ll be home later.”
 

“That’s an excellent idea. Thanks,” she said as she hugged her best friend. “I’m so glad you think this stuff up for me. Okay, now help me with my hair.”
 

As they fussed over her blonde locks, the doorbell rang. It was Dave, and he was about 10 minutes early.
 

“Oh no!” She cried as she tried to finish up in the bathroom. “Go stall him.”
 

Dawn went to the front door to greet him. She was curious to see what this dude was like. She had never seen her in such a tizzy over a guy before. Dawn’s jaw dropped when she opened the door and saw the tall, handsome and well-dressed man staring her in the face.
 

“Hi, I’m Dawn.” She introduced herself, extending her hand.
 

“Nice to meet you. Dave Carr,” he said returning the handshake.
 

“Um, Kelly’s still getting ready. She’ll just be a few more minutes. Would you like to come in?”
 

“Sure.” He accepted the invitation, making his way into the house.
 

Dawn walked into the hallway and told Emma that she needed to talk to her mom for a minute and to stay in her room. Emma smiled and asked her to close the door.
 

Chapter Three
 

As Dave looked around, he noticed that Kelly’s home had a Midwestern feel to it. At least a dozen picture frames showed Emma at various ages. He smiled; his mother only had a few 8x10’s of him—his kindergarten picture, eighth-grade ceremony and high school graduation. It was a breath of fresh air to see that there were some moms who actually adored and admired their children. Based on the phone call he had with Kelly, he could tell that she was dedicated to her daughter and extremely protective of her.
 

The flower printed cotton blend sofa was centered in the middle of the cozy living room, facing a 32-inch flat screen television. He saw an afghan draped over it and wondered if Emma’s grandmother had perhaps made it for her. Light brown end tables occupied each side of the couch,
both furnished with lamps that had beige lampshades. Her living area was modest and stylish. Toward the hallway, there was an old table—probably once used as a desk—where two picture frames sat. One of them was a man, the other a woman. These must be Kelly’s parents, he thought to himself.
 

“Can I get you anything to drink?” Dawn offered as he glanced around the room.
 

“No, thank you.” He smiled politely at her.
 

“Sorry, I took so long,” Kelly apologized, coming down the hallway.
 

She looked stunning. Dave drank in her appearance as she made her way over to the coat rack to grab her purse. She was cute the day that he’d met her while she was working, but out of
that work uniform, she was drop dead gorgeous. She seemed to have a certain glow about her as her blonde hair flowed over her shoulders, encompassing her face. He stood to greet her, but his words escaped him.