Her Perfect Man (4 page)

Charlie took the buckle and fastened it with a click. Kim glared at him and folded her arms across her chest.

Tommy smiled. “Night, Kim.”

She ignored him as he shut the passenger’s side door. Charlie turned on the ignition and glanced at her. “Are you all right?”

She refused to look at him. “Why shouldn’t I be?” “Just thought you might be feeling sick.”

“What is this? Everybody thinks I’m gonna be sick. I’m just fine.”

“Okay. Just asking.”

“Yeah, well don’t worry about it. I’m not gonna whoops all over your
Lexus
here.” She smirked, pleased with her cleverness. “Your Cadillac Coupe De Ville. Your BMW.”

“Okay, okay, you made your point.”

“What is this, anyway? A clown car?”

“That’s enough, Kim.” The smile disappeared, along with the easy going manner. Oho. She made teacher
mad
.

She spent a few moments savoring it, then glanced at him from the corner of her eye. He focused on the road, his mouth and jaw tight. Well, hell. Was he really mad?

Could she have possibly hurt his feelings?

Kim’s conscience stung. He’d only been nice to her, from the time he’d found her at the bottom of the stairs ‘til now. So why was she being such a bitch? Was it because of those blue eyes of his?

Every time they looked in her direction, she felt a quiver right down to her toes. She was headed for trouble.

Her scruples ultimately won out. She sighed. “A smart guy like you oughta know enough not to listen to anything a drunk has to say.”

Charlie didn’t answer, but the muscles of his face relaxed and his hands loosened on the steering wheel.

“Let me ask you a question,” he said. “Just how many of those mixed drinks did you have tonight?”

“Four,” Kim answered promptly.

“So are
you
going in to work tomorrow with a hangover?”

“No.” Kim turned glum thinking about her job.

“I’ve got tomorrow off. I’m working Saturday instead.”

Which meant she’d be running her ass off her entire shift. Weekends were always crazy at Cool Beans. Everybody out shopping and doing errands would decide to “just drop in” for their weekly nonfat decaf double shot espresso macchiato cappuccino Americano latte.
Fungu
.

“You don’t like your job?”

“Eh. It pays the bills.”

“Yeah, those pesky things keep coming every month, don’t they?” They stopped for a red light and he looked at her. “What would you
like
to do?”

Kim once again folded her arms across her chest. Like she’d tell
him
that. He’d probably laugh his head off. “I don’t know. Win the lottery.”

He grinned. “That’d be fun.” A beat later, he asked, “What did you go to school for?”

Shit, the guy didn’t know when to let up, did he?

Her lips curled up in a smirk. “Which time?”

His eyebrows rose. “Excuse me?”

“I’ve been in college twice. First time, I majored in sleeping late and skipping class. Flunked out the end of my first year.” Kim felt a small spark of satisfaction, thinking she had shocked him.

To her disappointment, Charlie seemed remarkably un-shocked. “Well, some people aren’t ready for college right away.”

“Only reason I got in at all was my father greased the wheels. My grades were crap. But the trustees were happy to overlook that when dear old dad forked over a major donation.” She eyed him.

“He’s a local bigwig, my father, very important, you see.” And Kim was the family screw-up. Unlike her perfect sister Cheryl.

But Charlie didn’t let the conversation digress to her family. “What about the second time?”

She’d lost her train of thought. “Huh?”

“You said you went to college
twice
.”

“Oh. Yeah. Well, by then Daddy Dearest was disgusted with the way his daughter pissed away her chance and his money. So it was community college second time around. I dropped out after one semester.”

He shook his head. “That makes no sense.”

Kim’s mouth crimped. Did he think she was lying?

“You’re a smart woman. There’s no reason for you to have dropped out.”

For some perverse reason, his high opinion of her intelligence irked her. “Hey, I could be the world’s biggest dumbass, you don’t know. You don’t know me.”

“You’re no dumbass. You’ve forgotten I’m a teacher.”

Oh yeah, like she could do
that
. “What does that mean?”

“It means I deal with all kinds of students. The popular kids, the outcasts, the ones who get lost in the shuffle. The ones who think their lives are over if they get anything less than an A. The ones who couldn’t care less. And the ones who act like they don’t care, but who really care very much. They’re so convinced they’ll fail that they don’t even try.”

A prickling heat crept up her neck and into her face. What the hell? Who was this guy, anyway?

“You saying that’s me?”

He momentarily glanced her way. “I don’t know.

Is it?”

She ground her teeth, refusing to answer. Rage burned in her chest and for some stupid reason, tears stung her eyes. God, how she wanted to tear him a new one. But she was too drunk now. And she had a horrible, humiliating fear that if she opened her mouth, she’d start sobbing.

Wait ‘til tomorrow
.
When I’ve got my head on straight, I’ll tell you exactly what I think of your psychobabble.

The rest of the ride home was silent. At least the guy knew when to STFU. Of course, getting the cold shoulder might have given him a clue.

Charlie had barely pulled up to the curb before she opened the car door. She needed to get away from him
fast
. “Yeah, well, thanks for the ride.” She swung her leg out and tried to stand, but she was pinned. Kim struggled.
What
?

“Your seat belt,” he said, unbuckling it. Just as he did, Kim pulled hard and tumbled out onto the curb.

“Jesus.” Charlie jumped out from his side and ran around to help Kim up from her hands and knees. She swatted his hands away, which only made her fall again. She didn’t want his help.

“Don’t touch me!” She tried to wriggle free as he grasped her around the waist to haul her up. Her arms flailed.

“Stop it, Kim.” His voice was angry but controlled. Her elbow inadvertently caught him in the face. “Ow! Shit! That fucking hurt.”

She immediately went still when she realized what had happened. Her heart stopped and a chill shot through her. Her self-pitying tears dried up.

Oh, God. She’d hurt him.

Charlie’s hand covered his nose.

Oh, please no, had she broken it? “Let me see.”

“It’s all right.” His voice was muffled as he resisted her efforts to carefully pry his fingers from his face.

“Charlie, let me see. Please.”

His hand fell and Kim’s stomach knotted. A smear of blood appeared below his left nostril. “Oh, my God.”

He touched his face and checked the blood on his fingers. “It’s not much.”

Kim felt like the slime of a snail’s track. “I am so, so sorry.”

“It was an accident.”

“I’m such an asshole. You were only trying to help me. I just…I am really sorry.” Her eyes stung again, this time with tears of remorse.

“Never mind,” he said, his voice low. “You need to get inside.”

Kim humbly allowed Charlie to escort her up to her apartment. She didn’t deserve his kindness. Any other man would have let her crawl up the stairs on her own.

Groucho tried to make another getaway when the door opened. “Don’t let him—”

Charlie was way ahead of her. He blocked the cat’s escape with his foot then lifted him around the middle. “No. You’ve caused enough excitement for one day.”

Instead of putting up a struggle, Groucho went limp in the man’s hands then skedaddled to the bedroom when Charlie set him down again.

Kim wobbled toward the bathroom, holding onto the furniture to keep upright. “I’ll get you a washcloth…to clean your face.”

“Sit down before you fall down,” he told her sharply.

He was pissed and she didn’t blame him.

Obediently she sank onto the futon as Charlie disappeared down the hall. She heard water running and closed her eyes, but that didn’t keep the room from spinning.

Her eyelids opened when she heard his footsteps. He’d cleaned himself up, but his nose was slightly swollen and pink. Kim felt lower than a cockroach.

“It’s nothing,” he said as he went into her galley kitchen. “Where do you keep your coffee?”

She made to rise. “I’ll do it.”

“No. You won’t. Just tell me where it’s kept. I’ll make it.”

“The cupboard over the sink. Coffee-maker’s on the counter.”

“I see it.” He opened the cupboard and removed the can of coffee.

“You don’t have to, you know. I’m all right.” She didn’t want him being nice to her. She didn’t deserve it. He said nothing, just went on preparing the coffee. While they waited for it to brew, Charlie brought her a glass of water. “Alcohol dehydrates the body. Drink this.”

Kim drained the glass without argument. This was her punishment for being such an ass, and she would accept it without argument.

She deserved a lot worse. When she looked at his poor sore nose, she wanted to crawl into a hole.

“Does it hurt?”

“It’s fine.”

Kim looked down at the empty glass in her hand. “I’m sorry.”

“You’ve already apologized, Kim. Forget it.”

“I mean, not just for,” she indicated his face with a lift of her chin, “that. For being such a jerk and all the stupid things I said. That crack about teachers’ days off—”

He gave a crooked grin. “Believe me, you’re not the first to tell me that.”

“And when I made fun of your car.”

He winced in a comical way. “Yeah, I gotta admit that one hurt. You have to understand something about men. Our egos are all wrapped up in what we drive. You insult a guy’s car, you could damage him for life.”

She had to smile at his sorrowful put-on. The gurgling of the coffee maker alerted them that their coffee was ready. Charlie stood and went to the counter.

“I like milk and sugar,” she told him as he poured two cups.

“This first cup you’ll take black.”

Bossy
. She almost snarked back at him but remembered she was trying to be humble. Definitely not her strong suit.

“Do you have any crackers or anything to eat?”

he asked.

“You hungry?”

“No, Kim,” he sighed. “You need something in your stomach to soak up all that booze.”

“Oh. Check over the fridge, I think there’re some cookies.”

A few moments later, he carried in a cup of black coffee and an open package of crème-sandwich cookies. “Here.” He placed the cup in her hand.

“Drink.” He set the package of cookies on the coffee table, took one, and thrust it into her other hand.

“Eat.”

Kim obeyed, not without resentment. But one look at his nose brought a new wave of shame.

She concentrated on crunching her cookie and draining her cup. Charlie sat in the armchair and stroked Groucho, who had emerged from the bedroom and hopped onto his lap.

“I like your plants,” he said, referring to the large assortment of potted plants arranged in her big window facing the backyard.

“Thanks.” She grabbed another cookie and chewed it resolutely, evading his gaze. But she appreciated the admiring once-over he gave her apartment, decorated in the shabby chic style. There weren’t a lot of furnishings, but what she had were carefully culled from thrift shops and yard sales.

She’d made her own curtains and the throw pillows on her futon.

Kim was proud of her little place, kept it neat and in good shape. She was pleased that Charlie

seemed to approve.

“I like this guy, too.” He smoothed his hand down Groucho’s back.

“I think he likes you back.” The cat sprawled across his lap like a stuffed toy.

“He’s had a few hard knocks, hasn’t he?”

She snorted. “Haven’t we all?” But she blushed when he gave her a questioning look.
You’ve got a big mouth, Kim
.

“He’s landed in a soft place, though,” Charlie said. “Yeah, well he’s street wise. He knows a sucker when he sees one.” She rose to her feet.

He frowned. “Hold on there. Where’re you going?”

“Just getting myself more coffee.” She made a face at him. “With milk and sugar this time.”

“I’ll get it for you.”

“No, you’ll just upset your new best friend there.

I’m better now, really.” She made it to the refrigerator without wobbling too much.

She took the milk from the fridge, then opened the freezer and peered in.

“What are you doing?” Charlie asked.

“Nothing. Never mind.” She wanted to make an ice pack for his nose. She could wrap ice cubes in a kitchen towel or something…except there were no ice cubes. Shit.

But she did find a plastic bag of frozen broccoli.

God knew how long it had been in there. She didn’t even like broccoli and couldn’t remember why she’d bought it.

Kim took the package from the freezer and found it had frozen into a giant lump. She smacked it against the counter a few times, then thumped it with her fist to break it up.

“What are you
doing
?”

“Here.” She wavered over to his chair and presented the broccoli bag, which was still pretty lumpy. “Put this on your nose.”

He averted his face. “What?”

“It’ll keep the swelling down.”

“No. I really don’t want to be wearing broccoli.”

“You won’t be wearing it. Anyway, I don’t have any ice cubes. Oops.” The bag slipped and fell onto Groucho, who squawked and jumped out of Charlie’s lap. The cat glared and quickly began licking the offended area.

“Ow. Cold.” Charlie picked up the frozen vegetables from his lap and handed them back to Kim. “Sorry.” She held on to the arm of his chair while the room suddenly tilted. “Here.” She pressed the bag to his face.

“Hey!”

“Whoops.” The room tilted the other way, and she fell onto Charlie’s lap. One arm came up to hold her while his other thrust the bag away from his face. “Kim, what are you—”