Page 26 of Guarding My Love

“You managed to have me lose my train of thought. But it’s back with a hit of caffeine. I seem to date losers.”

“I don’t see where you would attract men with no future.”

She laughed, not a funny sound. “Not those kind of losers. Just the kind of men that want a type and I seem to fit the mold.”

“It’s not a mold I’ve seen,” he said. “Which is fine with me.”

“Let’s say I tend to date older men. Established men who like someone pretty on their arm but don’t listen to what comes out of their mouth to even know it’s intelligent. Though after all my fumbles in front of you, you probably think I’m a ditsy blonde.”

“Not at all,” he said. “I think you’re someone coming into your own, even if it’s later in life. You shouldn’t be knocked down when you keep getting back up and trying.”

She started to sniffle. “Thank you for that. I mean it. Don’t run if I cry. I’m not that kind of a person, but I guess hearing you say that just pushed me to keep going.”

“I’ve got two sisters and a mother. They’d both slap me if I ran when a woman cried.”

“Good,” she said. “The short version is, I date these men and think they are more mature and will be willing to settle down, which is what I want. I just want something I never felt I had. A family of sorts. But they don’t want what I do, and in the end, I’m the one that looks like a fool.”

“I don’t think anyone is as harsh as people are on themselves.”

“You’re right. I believe that. Landon, my ex. He was forty-five. Successful. Had a nice apartment in Tribeca. If you asked me what he did for a living, I couldn’t tell you other than I’m sure he got the job from his father. He liked to flaunt his money around and show me off. He never listened to me. He didn’t always treat me well.”

“Why did you stay?” he asked.

“I obviously didn’t. But he dangled the carrot of the ring. I said I was going to leave a few times. Not because I didn’t get the ring, but because I didn’t like the way he made me feel. He’d change and I’d think there was hope until there wasn’t. The night I left...never mind why or what happened. The point is, I left and had nowhere to go. No landing spot. I got a hotel room and stayed there for a few weeks until I could get into an apartment. Then I decided a change of pace was better once I knew I wasn’t going to lose my job.”

“Why did you think you’d lose your job?” he asked.

“Because the person who hired me was someone I was introduced to at one of the parties I hosted for Landon.”

“And he threatened to get you fired?” he asked. The appalled look on his face just warmed her in a way she’d never felt with a man before. That there were men out there willing to stick up for her.

“He did. But come to find out, my boss thought he was a douche and actually promoted me for leaving Landon. I thought he was joking when he told me.”

Foster laughed. “Good for you.”

“And when that happened, I thought, let’s see what other good could come of this. They told me I could work remotely for this position and I decided to give this a try.”

“What do you do?” he asked.

“I work in marketing for an international corporation. So my hours can vary depending on the projects I’m on. I’m kind of like a consultant for companies that purchase services.”

“Sounds like you’re good at your job to get that kind of responsibility.”

“I am,” she said. “I’ve got my MBA, but it seems men I date don’t even ask what I do let alone my education. So there you go. You’ve seen me at my worst and now you know those things too. Already several steps ahead of anyone I’ve dated in years. Not that this is a date. There I go putting my foot in my mouth.”

“Seems you’re flexible enough to do it often,” he said. “And for some reason, I don’t mind it.”

9

DOING SOMETHING DIFFERENT

If Charlotte was being honest, the least he could do was speak his mind too.

Would he be as honest as her if she started to ask questions?

Probably not. But he wouldn’t lie if he could avoid it.

“Thanks for that,” she said. “I feel as if all I do is say thank you or I’m sorry. Not really the best first, second, or third impressions.”

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