Chapter 63 Shopping
Gavin's P.O.V.
I didn't think I would want to accept a position like the one Jordan offered, but it sounded too good to pass up. Dakota and Anuska are incredible. Courtney and her two little ones are amazing, too. The only thing that I would like is to have a woman of my own. Everyone always says it will happen when it's meant to, but I'm tired of waiting.
Jordan was going to order groceries and have them delivered. However, Courtney asked if one of us could do the shopping because she didn't trust the store employees to pick out the best meat and produce. So that's why I'm walking through a grocery store, pushing a cart, and looking for items I have never heard of. I'm looking at the salmon, and they all look the same to me.
"Excuse me." I slide over so a woman can get her salmon. I watch her look at different pieces and return them until she finds the one she wants.
"Can you help me?" I ask her before she walks away. She turns to me and smiles. She has the most beautiful hazel eyes, with little blue flecks. Her long, dark brown hair looks so soft, I want to run my fingers through it.
"Sure. What do you need help with?" she asks. There are a lot of things that come to mind, but I'll stick with the fish.
"I never shop, and I need to get sockeye salmon. I don't know what I'm looking for." I show her the list, and she chuckles.
"That's sweet. Are you helping your wife?" She glances at me through her long lashes, and I clear my throat.
"No, I'm shopping for my employer, actually. I work as a private security guard." She tilts her head to the side.
"That sounds like an interesting job, but I bet your girlfriend gets lonely with you working all the time." Is she trying to see if I'm single? I'm not good at flirting, so I'll try not to screw this up.
"I don't have a girlfriend. That's one of the reasons I don't mind working so much." She moves a little closer and smiles again.
"How about I help you get your salmon, and then I'll help you with the rest of that list so you're not here all day?" I feel like kissing her. Salmon was the first thing on the list, and I'd already been here for thirty minutes.
"If you do that, can I take you to lunch after I drop the groceries off as a thank you? I'm Gavin." I hold my hand out to her, and her hand looks so small in mine when she takes it.
"I'm Dina. I would love to go out for lunch with you. For the record, I typically don't try to pick up men in the grocery store. I work from home and decided to get out today rather than having my groceries delivered. I live in a building just down the street." She shows me the salmon I'm looking for, and I get six.
"I don't pick up women at all because I'm always working, so we're even. I work in a building down the street." She stops and turns toward me.
"Wait a minute. Are you one of those men who have been in the building for the past week? I thought they had hired extra security after the woman was shot upstairs." I shake my head. What are the chances she lives in the same building where I work?
"My employer actually hired us when his fiancée was shot during an attempted kidnapping. He felt that the building needed better security. Bobby and I work inside the residence while the others work outside." I explain. I won't give her all the details about what happened to the building's security.
"One of the reasons I moved there was because of the security. I'm glad he can afford to make us all safer." She takes the list from me, and we begin walking around the store. Dina finds everything right away and cuts down the time I would have spent there by hours, if not days.
"What kind of work do you do from home?" I ask her as we stand in line, waiting to check out. She looks sad for a second but tries to cover it up.
"I work for an insurance company processing claims. I, uh, had to get a job working from home so I could stay with my son. He's three and was diagnosed with autism. I tried taking him to different daycares that supposedly specialized in helping special needs kids, but they were horrible. It was best for me to stay at home with him. I have a caregiver who comes during the day to help while I work and run errands. She's phenomenal. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to tell you all of that. I just don't get out much." She looks down, and I can't help myself. I pull her into my arms and feel her crying against me.
"Don't apologize. You're doing what you need to do for your son. I know it's not my place, but does his dad help you?" She shakes her head against my chest.
"No. As soon as he realized Noah was different, he left us. That was almost two years ago. Luckily, he had money, and we didn't have a prenup, so he has to pay child support, spousal support, and medical care for Noah, and I got a settlement. That's how I can afford to live where I do. Do you want to cancel lunch now? It's okay if you do. I'll understand." I run my fingers through her hair.
"No, if you want to get back to Noah, we can go to your place and order in. How is he with strangers?" Dina looks up at me in surprise.
"You want to meet my son? Usually, whenever someone finds out about Noah, they suddenly become busy." We move forward in the checkout line, and I get the groceries out of the cart so the cashier can ring them up. I put a separator between mine and Dina's, but I pay for both orders.
"I love kids. My employer has a daughter, and the chef I'm picking up groceries for has two kids. They're all staying upstairs. Dakota is incredible. She'll be five soon, but she's so mature. One day, maybe she could meet Noah. She has a way with people that I've never seen before. Somehow, she just knows what they need." Dina smiles.
"It would be nice to have Noah around other kids. If they don't mind, you can bring her down with you," she says as we walk outside and head to the building. I will ask them about Dakota coming with me, but first, I need to check out Dina. I won't tell her, of course, but before I put anyone in danger, I need to make sure everything is on the up and up. Too many people have gotten through the cracks, and we don't need any more surprises.