LITMIR.BIZ

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he still felt awkward. But she really did need a computer, and for some reason, she trusted him, even if he did buy panty hose.

      Randy Reynolds tossed the bag containing the panty hose onto the counter toward Carol. It skimmed past the cash register and came to a stop inches from her hand.

      “I hope you’re happy,” he grumbled. “I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life.”

      “Knowing you, I doubt that,” Carol said, then laughed, which only made Randy more annoyed. She lowered her head and began to pick at the hole in the panty hose on her leg. “Besides, this was your fault.”

      “It was your fault for standing too close and getting in the way. I told you to move when I was rearranging those display cases.” He glared in disgust at the bag.

      “Quit complaining and look on the bright side. This gave you a chance to meet Lacey. Isn’t she cute?”

      “She’s a grown woman, not a six year old. She’s not cute.”

      Carol leaned over the counter and latched on to his sleeve, preventing him from walking away. “No. She’s more than cute. She’s gorgeous. And she’s nice, too.”

      Randy stared down at Carol’s perfectly manicured hand. “Forget it. I’m not interested.”

      Carol pulled his sleeve, forcing him closer. The only reason he complied was because he didn’t want to make a scene while they were supposed to be working.

      Her voice lowered to just barely above a whisper. “I don’t understand you. Why don’t you date women?”

      “It’s okay. I don’t date men, either.”

      She failed to laugh at his little joke. Unfortunately, she also failed to release him. “You know what I mean. I want you to be happy.”

      “I’d be happy if you let me go.”

      She did, but instead of letting him get back to work, Carol hustled out from behind the counter and stood in front of him. “Look at me!”

      Carol ran her fingers through her bright red hair, the color of which Randy knew came out of a bottle.

      He couldn’t help but compare the fake color of Carol’s hair to the natural brown of Lacey’s. He liked the natural shade of Lacey’s better.

      “What about you?” he asked.

      Carol raised her left hand and flashed her engagement ring in front of his nose. Not for the first time, the size caused him to wonder if the diamond was as fake as her hair.

      “See how happy I am? I want you to be happy, too. My wedding is only two hundred and twenty-seven days away.”

      And his best friend Bob’s wedding to Georgette was getting closer, as well.

      At the thought of Bob’s upcoming wedding, Randy’s heart clenched. Bob was getting married, and their friend Adrian was married. Already Celeste was pregnant, and the baby was due sometime around their first anniversary. He knew Bob would also want to be a father shortly after his wedding. Of course Randy was happy for all of them, but at the same time, watching Celeste’s tummy grow was a stark reminder of what Randy knew he could never have. He could never get married, and he certainly couldn’t ever be a father.

      Carol clasped her hands, pressed them to her chest and spun around in a circle. “It’s so wonderful to be in love. Haven’t you ever been in love?” she asked melodramatically.

      Randy’s mouth opened, but no words came out. He couldn’t say he ever had been in love. For too many years he’d been totally wrapped up in himself, doing only what he wanted, when he wanted, regardless of the cost to anyone else. Now he was paying the price, and he had to make sure that no one else had to pay the price with him, ever again.

      He certainly didn’t want some unfortunate woman to think he was marriage material. Now he had no one but God to answer to for his mistakes. It was better that way.

      “I’m a free spirit,” he said.

      Carol sighed dramatically. “I know Lacey would be perfect for you.”

      “How can you say that? I’ve never even heard you mention her name before.”

      “I know. I’ve only met her a few times. She only started working next door last week.”

      “Last week?” Randy sputtered. “Then what makes you qualified to make such a statement?”

      “A woman just knows these things.”

      “You don’t know anything. Now quit fooling around. We’d better get back to work.”

      This time, Carol did leave him alone, but all day long, her words kept coming back to haunt him. He couldn’t stop thinking about Lacey. She was kind of pretty, in a wholesome and unpretentious sort of way. She was also a few pounds heavier than what was considered fashionably thin, but that hinted at a lack of obsession with her weight. More important, it looked like she had strength of character, which was better than the superficial charm Carol displayed with skirts that were consistently too short to be respectable for someone doing retail sales.

      Lacey, on the other hand, had been wearing a modest, yet flattering outfit, even though working at a ladies’ clothing store gave her the opportunity to select some pretty outrageous stuff.

      In all things, including clothes, Carol vacillated between the ridiculous and the sublime. Yet, working with Carol was fun—their little play-fights often drove the rest of the staff nuts. It worked fine for him because a casual friendship was as far as he would go in a relationship.

      Lacey seemed to be in a serious relationship. She was buying her significant other a computer, indicating that both her heart and her pocketbook were heavily involved.

      As he was tidying up for the end of the day, he nearly dropped a pager on the floor when Lacey suddenly appeared in front of him, as if his thoughts had become reality.

      “Hi. I was wondering if you had time to talk.”

      He unclipped his name badge and dropped it into his pocket. “It’s actually the end of my shift, but I don’t mind. In fact, the timing might even be good. If we go to the food court I can answer all your questions and we won’t have to worry about other people interrupting.”

      “I heard that it’s standing-room-only in the food court right now. But if you don’t mind spending the time, we can go somewhere else to eat. I’ll treat, since it’s after working hours.”

      “I…” Randy let his voice trail off. It had been a long time since he’d been out to dinner with a woman, but he didn’t feel right about having a woman pay.

      He cleared his throat. “I have a better idea. I can write this off as a business expense, so let me pay. The only thing is that if we eat away from the mall, it will have to be walking distance.”

      “You want to walk? But…” She blinked a few times, then said, “That’s fine, I don’t mind.”

      Without warning, Carol joined them, grinning from ear to ear. She elbowed Randy in the ribs. “Are you two going somewhere?”

      Randy stepped out of Carol’s reach. “Yes. We’re going out for dinner.”

      Carol glanced back and forth between Lacey and Randy, then turned directly to Lacey. “How are you get ting there? Randy got his car towed away yesterday.”

      Randy gritted his teeth and turned to Lacey. “The parking lot control people towed it away. I’m sure you heard about the way they’ve decided to start enforcing the ban on staff parking in the public parking lot.

      “The towing bill was really expensive. So I have to leave my car at home. How did you get here?”

      Lacey’s eyes widened. “Now I feel bad. When I took the job I was simply told it came with a parking spot. I didn’t realize that parking was such a problem. It’s okay. We can take

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