The Billionaire’s Over 40 Love

Chapter 3

Cal wondered what kind of people went shopping at seven o’clock in the morning, especially for children’s clothes. He stood on the sidewalk in the freezing cold October morning air. Atlanta had a way of warming up at noon but staying brisk and breezy in the morning so that it was almost impossible to plan the right clothes to wear to stay comfortable.

Why am I doing this again? She’s going to think I’m a freak. He knew the reason why he was doing it, he wanted an actual chance to talk to Faydra. He wanted to set up a time to sit down and talk without being interrupted by other people.

After the incident at the taco truck, which he was more than angry at Sophia over, he needed the chance to explain himself. That Sophia wasn’t his girlfriend and that Ruby wasn’t his daughter. After he had left Sophia practically in tears at the elevator he’d stormed back to his desk and quickly searched the operating hours of the clothing store, finding that it was open from seven to seven daily.

He’d woken up at his regular time but instead of arriving at the office at seven, he was standing in front of the store. The woman that walked towards him, eyeing him with concern before she started to unlock the door was not Faydra.

“Can I help you?” she asked, clearly concerned about the strange man that was waiting for her.

“Actually, I was hoping to catch Faydra and speak with her. Will she be in soon?”

She was about to respond when she glanced back over him, looking him up and down. A smile seemed to brighten her face. “Well, she’s supposed to be here at eight, but usually she comes in a little early. You’re free to come in and wait if you’d like.”

“That’d be great, I appreciate it,” he said sweetly. He was used to women given in to his charm. He was handsome and raised in the south which seemed to be a deadly combination. And although he knew that fact, he fought the urge to use it so much that it became him. He wanted to be a gentleman and thought that maybe he could learn a little bit more about the beautiful brown-skinned girl from the store owner.

She opened the door and ushered him in. He hung his coat on one of the complimentary hooks by the door. He wandered through the store and found the lounge chairs by the changing area and he promptly took a seat.

“Would you like any coffee?” came the woman’s voice from the back.

“Sure, cream and sugar if you have it!” he replied. A few moments later, she returned with two to-go cups of piping hot liquid in them and handed one to him. He took a long sip and let the coffee run down his throat and coat the sides of his stomach before he looked up. She took a seat in the chair next to him and seemed interested in talking to him.

“I never introduced myself, I’m Candace—store owner. How do you know Faydra?” she asked.

“I came by the store the other day with my niece and I met Faydra, and she really made an impression on me. Very beautiful and intelligent woman.” He leaned in closer as if to tell her a secret, “and if I’m being honest, I haven’t been able to get her out of my head since then. And I ran into her again yesterday at lunch and I didn’t get the chance to ask her out like I wanted to so, here I am.”

Candace giggled.

“Oh! I see. Well, good luck…” she hesitated a moment as if considering whether or not she should say something.

“If you know something that might keep me from embarrassing myself I’m all ears,” Cal said.

“Listen—” she paused realizing she didn’t know his name.

“Call me Cal,” he said with a wink.

“Listen, Cal, I’ll tell you what I know, but only because you seem like a nice and genuine guy. And then I’ll let you decide if you still want to ask her out, okay?” He nodded. “Faydra is one of the sweetest and hardworking women I know, but when it comes to men she’s had a string of bad luck. Her most recent ex-boyfriend, who she dated for almost two years, left her for another woman. And it was an ugly break-up. As much as Faydra tried to act strong, she was very visibly affected. I think she saw a future with him and  since then she seems to resist most advances she’s encountered. Not that she’ll say no to you, just know that if she does—it might be because of that. And ever since then she’s been unstoppable here at the shop and in helping me plan for my expansion. She practically begged me to let her run one on her own once we got it up and running. She’s a strong girl and a very hard worker.”

He didn’t like the idea that she would say no because another man had messed with her head, not that he didn’t understand, but he hated the thought. He could see how much she loved her job the day she’d helped him and Ruby. There was something very powerful and attractive about a woman who could, and wanted to, provide for herself. That was a major difference between Sophia and Faydra—and he figured it was the first of many differences between the two.

Candace and Cal spoke for a while, continuing to talk about Faydra and the new location Candace was planning on opening. The bank had approved the small loan they’d requested, they were just looking for the right spot and logistics to work themselves out.

Two cups of coffee later the doorbell rang out and Cal practically jumped out of his chair,  which caused Candace to let out a chuckle. “Sorry I’m late, traffic was cra—” the word started but never ended as Faydra made her way to the back but stopped short at the sight of Cal standing in the middle of the store. The puzzled look on her face only grew when she found Candace sitting in the chair next to him, grinning.

“Faydra, it seems as though you have a gentleman caller. He’s very handsome and nice—I’ll take your bag. Why don’t you sit and have a chat?” Candace pulled the purse from Faydra’s shoulder and disappeared behind the break room door.

*****

“Hey…” she said hesitantly. “Everything okay with the clothes?” Her confusion was obvious.

“Oh yes! They’re great—I think. Listen, sit. I came here to talk to you.” She walked over and sat down in the chair next to him. He pulled his closer. “I wanted to say, first of all, Ruby isn’t my daughter.” The comment was kind of strange and out of place but Faydra thought she knew where this was going. “She’s my niece, and the woman I was with is my sister. I didn’t have time to explain, I’m sorry, I just got really flustered around you. And I wanted to tell you yesterday but didn’t have the time.” The words flew out of his mouth.