Opposites Attract (2 page)

Almost everyone she knew was married or getting married. Their lives were full of love, and they all floated on air. They weren’t worried about what the other could buy. All she had ever wanted was the most expensive of everything. Growing up, her parents always joked she needed to marry a rich man to be able to afford her tastes. She took their advice to heart and for years searched for that wealthy guy. Sure, she’d found plenty, but she hadn’t kissed one yet that caused her to lose her breath. Not like Randall did.

Francesca groaned. She needed to stop thinking about him and get out of these clothes. In her bedroom, she stripped her wet clothes off and suddenly realized what she was wearing. Embarrassment flooded her. But as she slipped into her light blue silk pajamas, she realized he probably couldn’t have cared less what she was wearing. It had been pouring rain and anything she had on would be clinging to her. Maybe it was good she had gym clothes on. Her suede boots she had packed to wear home would have been ruined, and they had cost seven hundred dollars. Talk about heartbreak.

Francesca ordered take-out and decided to spend the evening watching movies. Not her ideal Friday night. But at least now if someone asked, she could tell them she was without a car, so what other choice did she have?

Chapter 3

It was eight o’clock in the morning and Francesca was wide awake. She was
never
up this early on a Saturday. If she was up by ten, that was early. Of course it probably had something to do with the fact that she had fallen asleep around nine the night before.

She wished she felt more energized, but Randall had haunted her dreams. All night she had replayed the way she had broken not only his heart, but hers as well.

“Well, baby, we did it. We’re high school graduates. We have our whole lives ahead of us. Just you and me. Let’s take off before college and travel all around the country together.” Randall kissed her neck.

Normally, whenever his lips touched her, she lost the ability to think. But today was different. She was done with high school, and it was time to start her life. And she hadn’t yet told Randall that she had been accepted to a college out of state and she wasn’t going to be attending the community college with him in the fall. She’d been putting off telling him only because she wasn’t sure she was making the right choice. But her parents fully supported it and thought that going to college without Randall was the best decision she was making.

“What do you say?” he asked again.

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

He pulled away and looked up at her. “What’s the matter?”

Taking a deep breath, she blurted out, “I think we should breakup.”

He jerked away from her and started to pace her bedroom. “Why?” he finally asked.

“I don’t think we want the same things in life. I don’t want to just settle for a normal life. I want to have it all.”

“And you don’t think I can give that to you? We can have anything, as long as we’re together.”

“You’re going to school to be an automotive technician and following in your father’s footsteps. We will always struggle and live paycheck to paycheck. That isn’t what I want.”

He looked stunned. “I plan to open my own shop.”

“And that takes money. And face it, the chances of that actually happening aren’t looking good. You’ll probably be just like your dad and have a heart of gold, always doing jobs for free. I’m sorry, but I want more. I want to see the world and eat at fancy restaurants.”

“Didn’t I just ask you if you wanted to travel before college in the fall?”

“I got accepted to Berkeley, and I’m leaving in a few weeks.” She crossed her arms, hoping he would just drop it. Breaking up with him was harder than she thought it would be.

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“What does it matter? I’m going.”

Randall walked to her bedroom door. “Maybe I should have listened to my friends. All these years they said I could never make you happy, but I didn’t believe it. When we made love, and the way we connected, I really thought we would be together forever. Looks like they were right and I was wrong. You’re out for only yourself.”

He had walked away and she hadn’t seen him again, until last night. And when she had seen him, once again the world had stopped all around her. Her heart raced and she knew that moment that she had never gotten over him. Randall was the one who had gotten away. She was pretty sure it would stay that way. There was no way he would want to ever deal with her drama again. And she was no better now than she was in high school. In fact, she was probably worse.

Even if she did want to try and start something with him, most likely he was married with two kids at home.

* * * *

What a mess. Francesca had done some damage to her car. Had no one taught her anything about vehicle maintenance? The woman had almost no oil and what she did have was extremely dirty. And what a shame, because she had a top-of-the-line Lexus. The parts alone he needed to order just might break her bank. Hopefully she would call soon so they could discuss her price range.

Then again, knowing Francesca, she had some rich man who would either hand over his credit card for her to fix it or buy her a new one.

Turning off the sink, Randy dried his hands and tossed the towel on the counter. Even after all these years, he was bitter. Why couldn’t she have gained fifty pounds or something? Instead, she was as perfect as ever and he wanted another taste. If he could be with her one more time, maybe he could convince her they were right together.

But they weren’t. She never thought he was what she needed. He couldn’t help but snicker. Little did she know, he had a lot of money. And he’d earned every damn penny. He was sure that if she knew he was rich, she would be all about him again. He had to stay far away from her, which was going to be hard seeing as he was fixing her car. Maybe he would get lucky and she would have some sugar daddy who would just buy her a new car and they could go their separate ways.

The shop phone rang. Caller ID showed a number he didn’t know from a cellphone. But he knew who it was. “Hello, Randy here.”

“Hi, Randall, it’s Francesca.” He could hear the hesitation in her voice.

“It’s Randy. No one calls me Randall except you.”

“I’ll remember that. So, is my car ready?”

He laughed. Was she serious? “No, your car isn’t ready yet.”

“Later this afternoon?”

He rolled his eyes. She probably thought all he had to do was snap his fingers and it would be fixed. “I’m still assessing the damage. How about you find a way to get here in an hour or two and we’ll sit down and talk about it so I can show you prices and so on.”

“Shit.”

He grinned. He couldn’t believe he heard her pretty little mouth say a cuss word. “I’ll see you in a bit.”

Putting the phone back on the cradle, he wanted to kick himself. There was no reason for her to come to the shop. He could have easily talked to her about it over the phone. He needed to get this car fixed and out of his shop fast.

* * * *

“Hi, Amy. Is there any way you can drop me off at Smith’s Auto in an hour?” Francesca asked her future sister-in-law. “My car broke down last night, but it should be ready soon, I would think.”

“Sure, but are you sure it’ll be ready? If the car just stopped working it could be serious,” Amy pointed out.

“It was probably low on oil. I appreciate it, really. I’ll see you in an hour.”

“Okay. Oh, one more question. Are you still a ‘plus one’ for the wedding?”

There was no way in hell she was showing up at her brother’s wedding without a date. Of course she was still a ‘plus one’. “Yeah.”

“Adam wants to know who you’re bringing.”

“Tell Adam he has bigger things to worry about than me. See you in a bit.” She hung up. Lately, Adam had been hounding her like crazy to settle down. She was tired of hearing about it. And it wasn’t like she was purposely not settling down. She was just having a harder time finding the right person than the other people in her life had.

Francesca tossed her iPhone onto the bed and went to finish getting ready. Today she was going to look her absolute best.

Just as she finished dressing, the buzzer in her apartment sounded, letting her know Amy had arrived. She hit the
accept
button that would let Amy into the complex and then went back to the bathroom. One last spritz of her pheromone-enhanced body spray and she would be complete.

Grabbing her purse, she gathered her things and headed out. Locking the door behind her, she met Amy in the breezeway.

“You smell really good,” Amy commented.

“Thanks.” Francesca climbed into Amy’s car.

Once Amy got in, she turned toward her friend. “You look spectacular too.”

“Uh, you’re not turning into a lesbian, are you?” Francesca wasn’t sure what had gotten into Amy.

“No, I am completely in love with your brother. I ask because, while you always look beautiful, you have really outdone yourself to pick-up your car. Does this have anything to do with Randy, the repair shop owner?” Amy asked, with a big grin.

“Why would it?”

“Rumor has it he’s one of the town’s most eligible bachelors.”

“He’s single?” She knew her voice sounded a bit too happy about that, especially when Amy raised an eyebrow at her. “I just mean, I assumed he was married. That’s all.”

“I take it you met him then and saw what a hunk he is.”

“Me being this dolled up has nothing to do with Randall,” Francesca said, hoping to convince herself more than Amy.

“Randall?” Amy paused a moment and then it was like a light bulb went off. “Wait a minute. Is Randy the guy your brother told me about? Your high school sweetheart?”

Francesca rolled her eyes. Of course her brother had to discuss her past with his fiancée. “Yes, it just so happens he is. So you can see why this has nothing to do with him. I’ve already been down that road. And the past should always stay where it belongs.”

Amy didn’t say anything else. She started the car and drove the short distance to Smith’s Auto. Francesca knew she hadn’t fooled Amy though. She was a smart girl. But perhaps Francesca could fool herself and really believe that she didn’t still want Randall.

When they reached the shop Amy asked if she should stick around, but Francesca assured her there was no need and told her that if she needed her she would call. She was positive it wouldn’t take long to get her car fixed. After Amy drove off, Francesca opened the door to the shop. She entered a small area with an old desk and even older computer setup. No one was there. A doorway was to her right, she went through it and found herself in the garage.

A radio played country music, and she heard a male voice singing. She followed the sound then stopped dead in her tracks. Randall was singing and bent over her car, looking at something under the hood. His jeans were tight against his ass. As if that wasn’t bad enough, as he bent forward, he shook his hips with the beat of the music. Her gaze was locked on his ass and her hands hurt as they ached to reach out and touch.

She was so lost in her erotic daydream that she hadn’t realized Randall had stopped dancing and had turned slightly, looking at her. As her gaze drifted up his body, she caught the look in his eyes she remembered. Lust. Licking her lips, she knew she was in trouble. She wanted one more romp with him, and as far as she was concerned, the sooner the better.

* * * *

Randy cleared his throat, hoping to break the tension between him and Francesca. The way she was looking at him, he was worried she was about to pounce. It was taking everything in him to not walk over there and kiss her.

Picking up a work towel, he wiped his hands on it and then directed her toward the front office. She walked in front of him and it was his turn to devour her ass. And hot damn, the jeans she wore were tight and molded to her butt perfectly. Her pants hugged her legs all the way down. She wore black boots that came to her knees. He wasn’t sure what shirt she wore, because his eyes had yet to make it past her luscious ass.

Once in the office, he stepped around her, getting a whiff of a very tempting smell. He quickly sat and scooted under the desk as far as he could. His cock was hardening and he didn’t want her to see.

Francesca took a seat in front of him and he now noticed her pink tank top that was cut low enough he got a hint of cleavage. Inhaling again, he wondered what perfume she used. It really was igniting his senses.

“I spent some time looking at your car today. When was the last time you had an oil change?” he asked.

“It’s been awhile.”

“I can tell. And how long has the car been leaking oil?”

She shrugged. “Not sure. I wasn’t concerned since it was just little drops here and there.”

“Those little drops here and there add up. You almost had no oil in your car. And I hate to tell you, but you have torn up your engine.”

“Well, can’t you just pop a new one in and it’ll be good as new?” she asked.

“I wish it was that simple. Here, look this over.” He slid a sheet of paper across the desk. “The top portion has to be done, the middle is recommended, and the bottom is optional. The price is on there too.”

Her eyes widened as she read over the paper. She then glanced up at him. “This can’t be right.”

“I’m afraid it is. You haven’t taken very good care of the car.”

“I get it washed and detailed all the time. I take very good care of it.”

Randy shook his head. “There’s a lot more to a vehicle than just its appearance. You’ve got to take care of the things people don’t see too.”

She was quiet for a moment and then finally spoke. “I don’t know if I can afford this.”

He raised an eyebrow at her. “Don’t you have some rich man who can pay for it?” He regretted saying it the moment it left his lips.

Francesca’s mouth fell open and he could see the shock on her face.