Trust Me (The Trust Me Series Book 1) Read online

  “Anything for you, sweetness.”

  I smile and nod. “Well, I’m off. See you tomorrow. You okay to lock up?”

  “Of course, I have a few more quotes to finish. I’ll be here for a couple more hours.”

  I look at him sympathetically. “Have fun with that. Night.” I give him a quick peck on the cheek.

  By the time I walk back to the front reception area, the Uber is waiting for me, and before I know it, I’m home.

  As I walk the hallway, music plays loudly in the living room. I step into the kitchen area where I see Sarah cooking what looks to be macaroni and cheese. “We’re having mac and cheese for dinner?” I ask.

  “Yup,” she replies matter-of-factly.

  My phone beeps as I continue to my room to change. I take a deep breath and swallow as a lump begins to form in my throat.

  Aiden: I’m never late, especially if it’s to pick you up. Looking forward to seeing you on Friday, and I hope you like the color pink. Don’t be late. ;-p

  My heart skips a beat when I read the message. He’s looking forward to seeing me? I can’t believe it. I hit Reply.

  Jenifer: My favorite color is pink. How did you know? I’m also never late excluding, of course, times when some moron drives into the back of my car. I look forward to seeing you also. :-)

  I lay back on my bed with a broad smile on my face. Maybe he isn’t so bad after all? Perhaps he’s different from the guys I’ve known. My phone beeps again, and I read the message.

  Aiden: I know everything, Jenifer. You’ve called me a moron again! I thought I was a smart-ass. I can’t be both, Jeni.

  I laugh, remembering my fantasy in the shower when he said exactly the same thing. ‘I know everything.’ Curiosity overcomes me, and suddenly, I feel like a giddy schoolgirl.

  Jenifer: Typical male, thinks he knows everything. And you are both! lol

  Sitting on my bed, I impatiently wait for his responding text. My palms are sweaty as butterflies wreak havoc in my stomach waiting for his reply. My phone beeps, and my stomach flutters with excitement.

  Aiden: I’m anything but a typical male, but I do know everything. lol

  I shake my head with a smile and hit Reply.

  Jenifer: Guess I’ll have to wait to find out for myself if you’re a ‘typical male’ or not. I look forward to it.

  I can honestly say I’m looking forward to seeing him. To feel that energy surge between us once more would be heaven. Even though my guard is up, I’d like to see how this pans out.

  Aiden: I look forward to it as well. I get the feeling that you aren’t a ‘typical girl’ either. I have to go into a meeting now, but I’ll see you Friday. Till then, sweet dreams.

  Sweet dreams make me wonder if he knows I’ve been dreaming of him. No, of course, he doesn’t. How could he? I take in a deep breath and hit Reply.

  Jenifer: Okay, have a good meeting. See you Friday.

  “Dinner’s ready,” Sarah yells.

  “Coming.” I jump up off the bed and walk out to the kitchen. Sarah’s dancing while dishing out our gourmet meal of macaroni and cheese with a sprinkle of chives. She adds a glass of wine to accompany the meal.

  We enjoy our dinner and talk about our day. Then Sarah receives a call from Chris while I take advantage of the quiet in the living room to watch some Netflix.

  An hour later, Sarah runs in, her feet pounding heavy on the tiles in her rush. “Chris has a family barbecue next Saturday, and I’m going as his date to meet his family.”

  My eyes widen. “Wow,” I mumble.

  This IS getting serious, fast.

  “Wow? That’s all you have to say?” she gushes, defensively.

  “You didn’t let me finish. Wow, that’s great news,” I reply, making her smile.

  “I’m so excited.”

  “Meeting the family, huh? That’s a big step.”

  She tilts her head at me. “I told you. This guy’s different.”

  I smile reassuringly at her. “Certainly seems different. He gets my approval.”

  We chat for a few more hours and enjoy each other’s company, something we haven’t done in what feels like forever. Honestly, it’s nice to feel like I’m at a place where not everything reminds me of the past I came from.

  The past I suffered in.

  The past I long to forget.

  When I arrive home from work the next day, loud music is blaring from the television again. “Sarah, the neighbors are going to complain about the noise,” I yell as I place my bag and keys on the buffet, taking out my cell phone. “Still nothing,” I mutter, looking at the screen.

  There’s a perfectly good explanation for why Aiden hasn’t called me. He’s probably been in meetings all day or something, right? I walk into the living room looking for Sarah, heading straight for the television to turn it down, but she’s not in there or in the kitchen.

  “Sarah?”

  As I start lowering the volume on the television, Chris’ voice drones down the hall. “Fuck… Sarah.”

  “Chris, Chris, aah… Chris.”

  My eyes shoot open wide when I realize what the sounds are coming from Sarah’s room. With a smile, the volume goes back up on the television. To help distract myself from what’s happening at the other end of the house, I head toward the bathroom for a shower.

  I honestly wish I was at that stage of a relationship between Aiden and me—I miss that intimacy.

  Man, it really has been too long.

  I finish my meal—alone—and wander into my room, then climb on my bed. Staring at the ceiling, I ponder whether or not to message Aiden. Chris’ advice keeps popping into my head—play it cool. Picking up my phone, I open Instagram and scroll through the feed, reading about my friends’ lives. Seeing their wedding pictures and photographs of their children, loneliness overwhelms me as I feel an ache in my chest. Throwing the phone down and turning over, my face buries in my pillow. Beep. It’s probably my mother. Not wanting to get my hopes up that it could be Aiden, I casually pick it up and turn over to see who the message is from.

  Aiden: Hi, Jeni, hoping your day was a pleasant one.

  Like a love-sick fool, my grin stretches from ear to ear as I let out a huge sigh of relief. It’s almost as if he knew I was dying to hear from him. Those butterflies make another pesky appearance as they flutter in my stomach.

  Jenifer: Hey, my day was just average. How was yours?

  I hold the phone to my chest. With my eyes closed, I imagine Aiden and what he might be wearing. Maybe he’s still in his business suit, or maybe he’s lying on his bed wearing only his boxers. Mmm… let’s go with the latter thought.

  Aiden: My day was a mass of boring meetings and lunch at the Intercontinental. It was an average day for me too. Are you looking forward to Friday’s surprise? ;-)

  My curiosity sparks, and I hit Reply excitedly.

  Jenifer: It depends on what the surprise is. Tell me, and I’ll let you know if I’m looking forward to it or not.

  Changing the subject, I send another message immediately after.

  Jenifer: You know what I do for a job, but what do you do?

  I figure it’s time to find out some juicy details.

  Aiden: Well, well, Miss Taylor, you’re asking all the questions tonight... lol. I work in the family business with my father and sister. We’re in finance.

  “Hmm… finance, huh? Fair enough,” I say matter-of-factly. I know nothing about finance except that my bank account isn’t as large as it used to be after I bought my new car. Super intelligent, smart, and gorgeous. You don’t find that very often.

  Jenifer: Finance, sounds challenging. I’m not good with numbers. Family business sounds like a small company. Do you have many people working there?

  Aiden: It’s a large firm actually. Father has about 200 people working for him. I basically deal with managing financial assets. No, it’s not that challenging. I’m good with numbers, and you’re not good with them, guess that evens us out.

 
A loud sigh leaves me, discouraged and feeling a little inadequate. Reply.

  Jenifer: Guess so. Wow, that does sound like a big firm. Anyway, I have to go cook dinner. See you Friday.

  I feel bad for lying to him, but I’m frustrated at myself for believing I’m not worthy of him. I never want to feel beneath a man again. I’m worth more than that. Maybe he’s leading me on, out of guilt. Guilt because he crashed into my car and he’s trying to make up for that. I started to let myself believe that maybe I could trust him. Why? I’ve only known him for a minute.

  Why do I do this to myself?

  Jason really fucked with my head. God, I hate him for making me this way.

  Beep. I hesitate to look at the message.

  Aiden: Okay, have a nice dinner. I’ll see you Friday :-)

  His answer is short and sweet. I sigh and put my head back on my pillow. I need to talk to Sarah. She always knows what to say. I look at the clock and see it’s way too early to go to sleep. I crawl under my blanket, turn on the television, and start flicking through the channels aimlessly, not really looking at what’s on. Finally, I settle on some documentary about shipwrecks—it’s mind-numbing and just what I need to keep my thoughts away from Aiden O’Connell.

  “Hey, Jeni, you in there?” Sarah asks as she slightly opens my door.

  “You came up for air, did you?” I mumble instantly regretting my outburst.

  She opens the door fully only to see me curled up. “Okay, what’s wrong?”

  I shake my head in denial. “Nothing, I’m okay,” I lie.

  “Spill it, sister!” She looks at me like I’ve said the stupidest thing ever. The door closes behind her, and she walks to the edge of my bed, sitting down.

  My back rests against the headboard. “I’m not going out Friday night.”

  “Oh, did he cancel?”

  I cross my arms over my chest. “No. But he’s taking me out only because he feels guilty for crashing into me and not because he actually likes me.”

  “Did he say that to you?” She looks at me like she can tell where my head is at—that I’m spiraling.

  I roll my eyes. “He didn’t have to. He’s gorgeous. He’s in finance. He drives an expensive car. How am I supposed to believe he’s interested in me?”

  Sarah lets out a small giggle, and I glare at her as she composes herself. “You have way too much time on your hands, and you think too much. You’re letting that previous asshole get in your head…” She taps the top of my head. “Have you ever thought that maybe Aiden does want to go out with you? You’re gorgeous, funny, and most of the time an intelligent woman, except for right now.” I roll my eyes at her. “Maybe he sees the good things in you, and that’s why he wants to take you out, not because he feels guilty. He’s already sent you flowers and a note. If this is all out of guilt, why would he take you out to dinner as well? It doesn’t make any sense. If wallowing in self-pity were a sport, you would be an Olympic champion. My suggestion is to cut it out. And anyway, so what if he’s only doing it out of guilt? It’s a free meal, and you’ll get to spend time with a gorgeous man… what’s so bad about that?” I scrunch my face. “You need to go out with him. If it doesn’t lead to anything, then you’ve lost nothing, but if you never try, then you could’ve lost the love of your life… you never know… take a chance. Jeni, be brave and boldly go where you haven’t gone before.” She puts her hand up displaying the Vulcan sign. “Live, love, and prosper.” She slightly changes the wording of the popular Star Trek phrase.

  I laugh and mimic the hand gesture back to her.

  “You good?” she asks, slightly more seriously this time.

  I nod. Somehow she always makes me feel better. Sarah was with me through all the chaos of Jason. She knows the devastation he created and what state he’s left my mind in. The lack of self-esteem, the bastard took it all from me. She’s been my rock helping to build me back into a functioning individual. She’s always there and has been my biggest champion. Now this chance has come around, and I know she’s going to help me whenever I need straightening out. Sarah hugs me, making me feel calmer about it all as we fall onto the bed in a fit of laughter. She’s exactly what I needed right now.

  What are best friends for?

  When it’s time to leave work the following day, I head down to the repair shop to pick up my car and find Bob cleaning my windshield. “Can I drive her home tonight?” I ask, moving up and down on my toes in excitement.

  “Yep, paint’s all dry. You can take her whenever you’re ready.”

  I wrap my arms around Bob, hugging him tightly. “Okay, get out of here already.” He laughs as he lets me go and holds out my keys.

  “Yes! No more Ubers.” We both laugh as Bob presses the button to the roller door for me to exit.

  Casually and cautiously, I drive home. The last thing I want is my car back in the repair shop again, that’s for sure.

  Chris’ car sits on the side of the street when I arrive home. “Does he ever work?” I mutter to myself while I head inside. But honestly, it doesn’t bother me. As long as Sarah is happy, I’m happy.

  The thought of seeing Aiden today has me smiling as I pull up at work next to Mel’s car. I walk through the main entrance and around to my desk. Staring at my flowers, I pick out the dead ones and put some fresh water in the vase. Mel steps out of her office and walks toward me, a pink envelope in hand.

  Inside is an invitation to her daughter, Skye’s, twenty-first birthday party. “Thanks, Mel. What would she like for a present?” I haven’t actually met her daughter before.

  “Nothing. She doesn’t need anything, hon. Your presence is her present.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “Just say yes you’ll come,” she offers as she hugs me tightly.

  “Of course, I’ll come. You couldn’t keep me away,” I reply, more than honored she thought to invite me.

  “Great,” she beams as she lets go. “All the details are on the invitation.”

  “I’ll be there,” I reply as Mel heads back to her office. I sit at my desk, feeling elated, knowing that today is going to be a good day. My mind shifts to Aiden, knowing he’s coming to collect his car today, so I wander down to Bob’s office and find him leaning back in his chair with his feet up on the desk, and his glasses at the end of his nose, reading the newspaper. I giggle at the sight, the sound disturbs him, and he looks up. “Morning, sweetness.”

  “Morning, Bob. I was wondering if you have the customer pick-up list ready for today, so I can advise them of the times to collect their vehicles,” I ask in my no-nonsense, business-like voice. I need that list if I want to know what time Aiden will be here, but I don’t want him to know why I’m so eager to get my hands on the list.

  He smiles at me knowingly. “Mr. O’Connell’s car should be ready by three o’clock.”

  Damn, busted.

  “There you go, sweetness.” He hands me the list.

  “Thanks, Bob.”

  I decide to call the other customers on the list first, saving Aiden for last. The butterflies in my stomach flutter around in a whirlwind, and my breathing quickens. I finally gain the courage to pick up the phone and dial his number. As it rings, I take in a few deep breaths, but someone else answers his phone. “Good morning, O’Connell Finance, Mr. O’Connell’s office, Daniel speaking.”

  I’m taken aback. Shit! Of course, he has an assistant. Why wouldn’t he?

  “Hello?” Daniel asks again from my lack of response.

  “Hi… sorry. This is Jeni calling from ADF Automotive Repairs. Is Mr. O’Connell available?” I somehow manage to sputter out, sounding like an immature teenager calling their high school crush for the first time. I shake my head rolling my eyes at my own idiocy.

  “Miss Taylor, Mr. O’Connell has been expecting your call. Unfortunately, he’s in a meeting at the moment. Would you like to leave a message?”

  I gnaw down on my bottom lip. An image of Aiden in a boardroom, standing at the h
ead of the table looking down at me flashes through my mind, his stare hard, all alpha, as he starts to slide off his suit jacket.

  “Miss Taylor?” Daniel prompts.

  “Oh, sorry, I’m in my own little world today. Can you please let him know his vehicle will be ready at three o’clock? Thanks, Daniel.”

  “Sure, Miss Taylor, I’ll pass on your message. Have a great day.”

  “You, too, Daniel.”

  “Goodbye, Miss Taylor.”

  I put my head into my hands and shake my head. “Pull your shit together,” I berate myself.

  With a deep breath, I continue on with my work but keep looking at the clock. Time seems to be dragging by so slowly—I’m almost positive it’s going backward. Eventually, lunchtime rolls around, and as I am checking the refrigerator, the general noise of the guys coming in makes me turn around.

  I grab my sandwich and move to walk out, smiling at the rowdy bunch. “You guys loud enough?” I jest.

  Laughter fills the room, giving a fun atmosphere it always seems to have at lunchtime.

  I love working here.

  “When I see you again tomorrow, I’ll be make sure to be quieter… promise,” Tim states with a flirtatious smile and a wink.

  I narrow my eyes. “Oh, you won’t be seeing me tomorrow, Tim.”

  Tim frowns, a look of nervousness flowing through his very soul as I sashay toward the door.

  “Tomorrow is Saturday, you idiot,” Mark announces as he whacks Tim across the back of the head.

  “See. I told ya,” I mock as they continue to laugh, but Tim huffs as he crosses his arms defiantly across his broad chest. He definitely doesn’t like being made fun of.