Page 2 of Russian Daddy

“I’m sorry. I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Torin Tasios. My mother is…”

“Marta. Wow. Imagine that.” She grins. It’s so nice to see a smile on her face for the first time.

“You know my mother?”

“Very well, actually. I’m a teacher. I work with your mom. Well, for your mom. She and I are very close friends. She’s a wonderful person.”

“But she’s never mentioned me?”

“Oh, no. She’s told me a lot about you. I’ve even seen pictures of you but you were, well, younger. Maybe if I saw you in the daylight and under better circumstances, I would have recognized you.”

“Hey, since you know my mother and all, maybe you wouldn’t mind giving me a lift the rest of the way.”

“Oh, gosh, yes. I’m sorry. You must be freezing after walking all this way.” She presses the key fob to unlock her car doors. “I don’t usually offer rides to strangers, but since I know who you are now, it’s not a problem. I’m sorry, let’s just get in.”

She seems so confused by everything that’s happened, and she’s second-guessing everything. This is normal, I think. In my line of work, I’ve seen guys survive close calls, and they act just like this. It shakes you and makes you question everything you’ve ever believed about the world and your place in it.

“Listen, I know what you’re feeling right now. Your adrenaline is pumping and you feel a little dizzy. As you start to come down from that, it’s gonna be hard to focus and you’re gonna feel kind of insecure. That’s all normal and it’ll go away. You’ll feel like yourself again by morning. I promise. Now, tell me. What were you doing out here all by yourself?”

She nods and takes a moment to digest what I’ve said to her. I hope it makes her feel better. I don’t even really know her, but I can’t stand to see her this way. This girl should never have to worry or feel insecure. She’s too good for that.

“I stayed after school to work on a project and time just got away from me. Before I knew it, it was pitch black out here. I normally don’t stay this late. We’ve attracted some bad characters over the past few years. This little town isn’t as safe as it used to be.”

“And you’re from here?”

“No. I was looking for a job after college and that’s how I found this place.”

“I feel like I would have remembered you if you had grown up here.”

“Well…” She shrugs and blushes a little.

“Well, what?”

“No offense but I was probably in diapers when you left town.”

A hearty laugh rises from deep in my gut. “That’s true but you said you’re friends with my mother, so I’m guessing you don’t mind being in the company of people who are older than you.”

“To be honest, I prefer it.” She smiles, but as she reaches for the gear stick, I see that her hands are still shaking.

I reach down and cover her hand with mine. “I know you’re shaken up. What happened must have been very scary for you, but you don’t have to be scared anymore. I promise. Uh, sorry, what’s your name?”

She laughs again and says, “I’m sorry. Boy, am I socially awkward or what? I’m Tess Maxwell.”

“I don’t think you’re awkward at all, Tess. In fact, I think you’re perfect.”

“Perfect? No, that’s not me. Stick around and I’ll prove it.”

“That’s a deal. I won’t be going anywhere for a while.”

“So, what brings you back to town, anyway? Your mom never told me what you do for work.”

“That’s the thing. I’m taking a bit of a sabbatical. I was in security for a pretty large-scale operation, but I recently got a big promotion. It’s a lot to handle, and it was just time for a break from the pressure.”

“Considering how well you just handled those two guys, I wonder if your bosses will be alright without you.”

“They’ll survive. People like them always do.”

“Sounds kind of intriguing.”

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