Chapter 3 - Claire

My first week on the job has been so hectic. My case load is huge. I have twenty different families that I am responsible for. That is a large number for a newbie like me. My supervisor, Janice Hayes, said that with my internship, I had proven myself to be able to handle that large of a work load. I am glad that she has such faith in me, but it scares me. I don’t want to disappoint her, the families I am responsible for, or my parents. I know they tell me they don’t need my help financially but I want to take care of them like they cared of me.

I am so deep into the case files from today, that I don’t realize every one has already left for the day. It is only myself and the cleaning staff left in the building.

“Miss Claire, what are you still doing here?” I look up and it’s Thelma. She and I have become very close since I have been here. She’s like another mother to me. She is always on me about making sure I eat and is always bringing me homemade treats. I think she is trying to fatten me up. She says I am too skinny and won’t catch a man without some meat on my bones. There is only one man that I want to catch, but I can’t even tell Thelma about it. I am sure Thelma would understand, her husband is fifteen years older than her. The feelings I have for Rawls are ones I want to keep to myself.

I look at the clock and it is after seven. The rest of the office has been gone for over two hours. I musts have really been not paying attention to anything but the case files. My stomach starts to growl so I know it is time for me to head home. I pick up my purse and my cell phone. I have a message from my mom. Her and dad will be going out of town for the night and will be home tomorrow afternoon. She left me dinner in the fridge. My parents still spoil me. I imagine no matter how old I get they will still do the same thing.

I tell Thelma good night and head out. When I open the door, it is pouring down rain. Just my luck, I hate driving in the rain. My night vision is not the best. I should wear my glasses more than I wear my contacts, but I just can’t do it. I would get picked on in school about my glasses and that it is why i started wearing contacts. I will just take my time getting home. I really wanted to stop and pick up something for dinner, but not in this weather. Knowing my mom, she probably left a home cooked meal in the refrigerator for me.

I was taking my time heading home, the oncoming lights were sort of blinding me, but I was doing my best. I could see some standing water on the side of the road and I tried to avoid it. Just as I went around it, I felt the car start to swerve and heard the tire blow out. Thankfully I was able to keep the car under control and not end up in the ditch. One of the drawbacks of living in the country was not a lot of traffic at night and no lights. I was terrified to get out of the car but I needed to change my tire. Dad always taught me to be independent. He would say “Even though you are my little girl, you need to learn how to do these things if I am not around.” I hated having to do some of those things, but dad was right, he was not here now and I was going to have to figure it out on my own.

I looked in the trunk and there was no spare tire. That didn’t make any sense. I could have sworn there was one when I bought the car. Then it dawned on me. The spare on this care was underneath and there was no way that I was going to be able to change it myself. I hurried back into the car but I was soaking wet and I was freezing. I couldn’t call my parents because they were out of town. I was a little concerned to call a tow truck since I was by myself. The only person I could call was Rawls. I hated to bother him. What if he had a woman with him? It would just break me if he came here and she was with him. My heart could not take that type of hit.

I went through my contacts and found his name. I took a deep breath and dialed his number. On the third ring he picked up. “This is Buchanan.” Just the sound of his voice on the phone made me melt. “Hello, is anyone there?” I had to say something or he was going to hang up.

“Mr. Buchanan this is Claire. I really need your help.” Before I could continue what I needed he started talking really fast.

“Claire, are you okay? Where are you? Have you been hurt?” He was rattling off questions and sounded so worried.

“Mr. Buchanan, I am fine, I had a flat tire and I can’t get to the tire to change it. I don’t want to call a tow truck since I am on one of the backroads. Can you please come and get me? My parents are out of town and there is no one else for me to call.” I let Rawls know exactly where I was and got back int he car to wait. I was freezing. The car wouldn’t start so I couldn’t turn on the heat.

By the time Rawls got there my teeth were chattering. I felt the cold all the way to my bones. Thankfully it had stopped raining. I got out of the car when he pulled up. I swear that I have never seen him look so handsome. He is just in jeans and a t-shirt. I can see the outline of his six-pack abs through his shirt. It should be illegal for a dad to look the way he does.

“Thanks for coming Mr. Buchanan. I really hated bothering you at this hour. I was working late and had lost track of time.” I felt like I was rambling. I just got so nervous and tongue tied when I was around him. Even in this dim light I could see the stubble on his face. I wanted to just reach up and touch him. I dreamed about how it would feel to touch him for the first time.

“Claire, you shouldn’t be out this time of night by yourself. Something could have happened to you. Look at you. You are soaked to the bone. Get in my car so you can warm up. I will have a tow truck come pick up your car later. My priority is to get you home.”

I climbed into his truck. I figured he would have picked me up in his Mercedes. I loved his truck, he always looked so sexy driving it. It was the first truck he ever bought when he was a teenager growing up. It was a red 1972 GMC Sierra Pickup. It was a piece of junk when he bought it and he has restored it over the years. It is a beautiful piece of machinery. My dad always said I had an old soul because I was drawn to the older/vintage things from back in the day.

We rode to my house in an awkward silence. Just being this close to him made my heart beat faster and put butterflies in my stomach. When we pull into Rawls’ driveway I am a little confused.

“Mr. Buchanan, why are we headed to your house? I need to get home and get out of my wet clothes.” He didn’t say a word until he stopped at the back door.

“Claire, I need you to do me a favor before I tell you why we are here. Can you please call me Rawls, instead of Mr. Buchanan. It makes me feel so old when I hear you call me that. Also, I have known you all of your life so I think it is okay to be on a first name basis.”

“Yes, sir, I can do that.” I call him Rawls in my dreams so this is a dream come true.

“We are here at my house because your parents aren’t home and I would rather you not be home alone. I have some of my pajamas you can wear after you take a hot bath. You need to get warmed up before you catch a cold. I will make some dinner while you are in the bath.” He turned and walked out of the room. He had laid out one of his pajama shirts for me to put on for after my bath.

I have been in this house a million times, but I feel like this is a different visit. I have never been in the house alone with Rawls. In my dreams maybe, but not in reality. I feel so much better after a hot shower. I wrapped myself in a towel and walked into Rawls’ bedroom. I looked at his huge bed and wondered how many women have laid there with him. I dropped the towel and picked up the pajama shirt. I placed up to my nose and took a deep breath. It smelled just like him. It was a woodsy manly smell. I had always smelled it around the house but never this close. I pulled on the shirt and then I realized I didn’t have any underwear. All of my clothes, including my underwear, was soaked from all of the rain. Rawls’ shirt only comes down to mid thigh, so I will have to be extra careful and not bend over.

When I walk into the kitchen, Rawls was busy cooking. He was only in his pajama bottoms. Kind of makes sense since I have the pajama top. My mouth must have been open because as soon as he saw me, he looked at me at smiled. “Better close that mouth or a fly is going to get in.” That was a total dad joke, but I was okay with it. I closed my mouth and checked to make sure that I wasn’t drooling. It was a sin of how hot this man looked. He was tan for being around the pool. I had seen him out there quite a bit this summer.

“Have a seat at the table and I will bring you a plate. Dinner is almost ready.”

Here I am in my crush’s house, he has cooked me dinner, and I have on his pajama shirt. There is no way this is happening. It has to be a dream.