Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 35256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35256 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 118(@300wpm)
“Yes.”
“What for?”
“For helping me, and I also wished to offer you a ride home, or we can walk.”
“I’m not getting into a car with you,” she said.
“Ah, okay.”
It was strange, because this man was indeed a stranger, and yet she wasn’t afraid. She didn’t have an overwhelming feeling to make a run for it.
“You can walk with me, but … I need to know your name first. You know mine.”
“So, Candice is your real name?”
“Yes,” she said.
“Antwone.” He held his hand out.
She looked at it for several seconds, then held her hand out toward him and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Antwone.”
“This has to be the strangest meeting I’ve ever had,” he said.
“Well, consider it a memorable one.” She pulled her hand back and shoved it into her pocket. “You don’t have to walk me home. I live about half an hour from here. Not too far.”
“I have my car.”
“Still not getting into it, and I should warn you, I have Mace as well.” She had no idea why she told him that. He could be an attacker, and now she had just warned him.
Again, it was so strange, but she didn’t feel he was dangerous, which was so weird.
“Then, how about we start walking?”
She looked at him in his suit and noticed he wasn’t wearing a jacket to ward off the cold.
“Are you not cold?”
“Nope.”
Candice found that hard to believe, but she wasn’t going to argue with him. If he didn’t want to wear a jacket to keep himself warm, that was on him.
“We’re going this direction,” she said, pointing in front of her.
“Lead the way.”
And so she did, for several steps, and she couldn’t help but steal glances in his direction.
He kept a small distance between them, but he kept pace with her. She was used to walking fast, and she kept moving, not wanting to slow down. He didn’t comment, didn’t complain. Just stayed by her side.
She took a deep breath, expelled it, and then couldn’t help but glance his way again.
“Do you live around here?” she asked.
“Yes.”
He didn’t say anything more and after a brief pause, she nodded.
“The weather is confusing, huh?”
Antwone chuckled. “The weather?”
“You’re not exactly making my life easier. You’re a stranger, and I’m trying to … you know … be friendly and do the right thing, be nice and make conversation.”
“Conversation?”
“Is this a strange concept for you?” she asked.
“Indeed.”
She chuckled. She just couldn’t help it. “You’re a confusing guy, Antwone.”
“Thank you.”
Again, she laughed. Yes, it was weird to have a stranger walking her home, but it was also kind of nice. She felt safe. There weren’t many people on the streets late at night. There were a couple of people, some of them drunk, others just working, or doing whatever they did.
“What do you do?”
“What do you mean?” he asked.
This had to be the strangest conversation she ever had. “You know, for a job. What is your career?”
“Why do you want to know?”
Candice smiled. “Well, you already know what I do. I work in a bar. I’m making polite conversation. You know, rather than the silence. It helps to keep things … light.”
“By knowing what I do for a living?” he asked.
“You know, the whole getting to know one another, talking, that kind of thing. It’s what people do.” She glanced over at him as he stopped walking.
“I’m in business,” he said after a second’s pause.
“You’re in business.”
“Yes.”
“Okay, what kind of business?”
“Multiple. I’m a businessman. I own casinos, restaurants, and I also invest.”
“Ah, okay. Sounds like a hectic kind of life, and I bet it’s not easy.”
Antwone stared at her for several seconds.
“What’s wrong?” she asked.
“Did you always want to work in a bar?”
“Nah, I imagined owning my own business. I was going to be a multimillion-dollar pancake maker, or something like that.” She laughed, recalling her own childhood innocence. “Trust me, my pancakes are the bomb, but not everyone is into pancakes. Some people love waffles, but I do great waffles as well.” She shrugged.
The truth was, she didn’t do well at school. She understood everything, but she didn’t test well, so there was no college education for her. After her parents passed away, she sold the house, moved to the city, and everything else was history.
At thirty years old, she’d seen a lot of the world, learned a lot about people, how hard and cruel some could be.
It had taken time, but she liked her job, and then she got to do what she wanted during the day. She made enough money to pay the bills, with a bit to spend on luxuries, and she didn’t have much care in the world. Her parents had left her enough money, which she had saved.
She never lived outside of her means. Her parents had always taught her the value of only spending what she could afford. There were no spending sprees in her future.