She looked around the restaurant as Andy spoke to the man at the booth. She smiled when he held his arm out for her.

Once they were seated she was surprised to see that they had the room to themselves.

“How much did you have to pay the guy for this?”

“Just his normal salary.This is my private dining room.”

She raised an eyebrow as she listened. “Your private dining room? How did you manage that?”

“I own the place. Well co-own it. My sister owns half of it.”

“You and your sister own this restaurant? The best and hardest to get into restaurant in Willow Creek?”

“We do. She manages the restaurant and does the ordering. I handle the business side.”

Zalia was impressed. She did not know that he was co-owner of a restaurant.

“What other little secrets are you hiding, Mr. Maynard?”

Andy smiled across the table at her. “I will tell you only if you call me Andy.”

They talked through dinner and had a good time. They learned quiet a few of each other’s secrets. Zalia learned that Andy had been a teenage father and had never married. Andy learned that she was only a year older than his daughter. They had been friends in school.

“Does the age difference bother you?”

“Just a little. It probably wouldn’t if I didn’t know your daughter.”

Andy could understand that. “Well, you are of legal age. You can make the decision to not care about age or what anyone else thinks.”

---

Annette rushed into the office only a few steps ahead of the woman.

“Mr. Maynard, this woman insists on speaking to you.”

Andy looked from his assistant to the other woman. “It is alright, Annette. Thank you.”

As soon as the door shut, Zalia made it clear why she was there. “I need you to stop sending the flowers. My house is starting to look and smell like a funeral home.”

“Do you not like the flowers? I can send something else instead. How about candy… or steaks? There’s a cheese of the month club that I heard about.”

She put her hands up and shook her head. “No candy. No steaks. No cheese. Nothing. Please.”

He leaned back in his chair and looked at her. “Tell me why I should stop.”

“My husband does not like it.”

“The husband that does not exist?”

He saw the color drain from her face as she sat down.

“I looked over your lease agreement. No husband was mentioned. I found it odd that a young, married woman would not include her husband on a lease, so I had it checked out.”

“You had no right.”

“Oh, but I do.” He opened his desk and pulled out the file. He removed the rental agreement and sat it in front of her. “I own the house that you are currently living in. If you look at the lease that you signed, you will see that you had initialed the line granting me permission to perform a background check.”

“I didn’t read it before.”

“Not reading something before you sign it is dangerous.”

“Obviously. I didn’t realize I was handing myself over to a wolf.”

Andy couldn’t help laughing when she said that. “I assure you I am not the big bad wolf. I am just a little cub.”

“You have been acting more like the Big Bad Wolf from Little Red Riding Hood.”

I promise I am not a bad guy. Let me prove it to you. Have dinner with me tomorrow.”

She chewed on her bottom lip as she thought about it. “If I agree to one dinner, will you then leave me alone?”

“If you do not wish for a second date, I will not bother you again.”

---

Andy had one of his men find out what he could about Zalia and her husband. The information was not what he expected.

He looked through the file of information a second time. She had lied to him.

She had told him that she had a husband, but she had never been married. The information did list a man who may be a boyfriend though. His man was trying to dig up information about him.

He turned the page and examined the picture of her and the other man. They seemed to be arguing about something. While that could be a good sign, he also knew not to to get too excited about it. Him and Cara had fought for years before they broke up. This could just be an argument about a broken sink.

He put the file inside his desk then turned on his computer. He pulled up the web site for the flowers. He remembered what his daughter said as he selected the flowers that would be delivered every day for the rest of the week.

---

Andy knew it was a risk, but there was something about the woman. He couldn’t stop thinking about her.

“Shelby, could I get your help with something?”

Shelby looked over at his laptop. “Flowers? I don’t think I remember you ever getting anybody flowers before.”

“That is why I need your help. I don’t know which ones to order.”

She sat down beside her dad. “Tell me about her. She has to e someone pretty special if you are getting her flowers.”

“She is. Or at least I think she is. I only met her  one time but she left a big impression.”

He told her about the woman he had met the day before and most of the conversation. He left off the part about her being married. He knew she wouldn’t approve of that.

Shelby watched her dad as he talked. She knew that he dated…a lot. She had never seen him like this about any of the women though. She thought it was really cute and about time. She wanted to see her father happy and settled.

She pointed to one of the mixed flower bouquets. 

“Those ones. They are not over the top. It will get her attention without being obnoxious.”

He thanked her for helping and ordered the flowers she had chosen.

---

Andy was working on the house he had found for Cara when he heard the knock on the door. 

“Come on in. The door is open.”

Zalia walked in and saw the guy on the ladder painting a wall. “I’m sorry to bother you. I just rented the house next door. I was told that I could pick the keys up here.”

He got off the ladder and sat the paint brush down. He turned to look at the woman and was blown away. He couldn’t remember ever seeing anybody as beautiful as she was.

He walked over to the table where he had sat several sets of keys. Each were labeled with the address to the house it belonged to.

“Sorry. I have a few people picking up keys today.”

He picked up the keys for the house next door and handed them to her.

“I checked the house this morning and everything seemed to be good. If you find any problems, you can find the number for the maintenance on the paper I left on the kitchen counter.”

“Thank you. It sure is great of Mr. Maynard to take care of his tenants like this. I hope he takes care of his employees also.”

Andy could see that she had no clue who he was. Antonio took care of finding tenants for the homes.

“The employees are very well provided for. Good work is well rewarded in this company.

“Mr. Maynard must be a great guy to work for.”

“I haven’t heard any complaints yet.” He held his hand out to her. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Andrew Maynard.”

He watched her cheeks turn red and thought that made her look even more beautiful.

“I thought the guy who showed the house…I’m sorry. I must have sounded like such an idiot.”

“Not at all. The man who showed the house is my cousin, Antonio. He handles the rentals while I handle the rest.

“It is very nice to meet you, Mr. Maynard. I should get back over to my place. I have a lot of unpacking to do.”

“if you need anything, I will be here for a few more hours.”

She nodded and headed for the door.

“Maybe we could grab something to eat together. You probably don’t have food over there yet.”

She shook her head. “Thank you, but I don’t think my husband would approve.”

He watched her leave and sighed. He should have known that a woman like her wouldn’t be single.

He picked up the paint brush and climbed back up the ladder. This was the last room to paint and he wanted to get it finished.

---

Andy tapped on his daughter’s open door and smiled as he watched her at the mirror. “You look beautiful, my princess.”

Shelby looked over at her father. “You always say that.”

“I say it because it is true.” He kissed his daughter’s cheek. He couldn’t believe how fast she was growing up. “Your mother is downstairs.”

Shelby rolled her eyes. “Why did she have to come? She doesn’t bother any other time.”

“It is your birthday and she loves you.”

“No, she doesn’t. If she did, she never would have broken our family apart and made stupid life choices.”

Andy knew what she was talking about. After Cara had gotten out of jail, she moved back to San Myshuno. After her parents died, she was left with nobody to take care of her. She was evicted from the apartment because she could not pay rent. She took to the streets using drugs and turning tricks.

“Daddy, my friends are going to be here. I don’t want them to see her.”

“Go down and spend time with her until your friends get here. Then I will keep her and your sister occupied with something in the house.”

She hugged her dad. “Thank you, Daddy.”

---

Andy watched Cara and Nakusa watch a movie. Despite all her faults, she did try to be a good mother to the girls.

After Shelby’s friends had gone home and both girls had gone up to their rooms, Andy was left alone with Cara.

“I guess it’s time for me to get going.”

“Just wait a moment. I would like to talk to you about something.”

Cara sat back down.

“I talked to Shelby earlier. She is embarrassed to have her friends meet you.”

Cara looked down at her hands in her lap and could feel the tears in her eyes. “You want me to stop visiting the girls?”

“No. They both need you to be in their lives. Even Shelby.”

“What do you want me to do then? I am already doing the best that I can do. The city isn’t an easy or cheap place to live. You know that.”

“I do know. Which is why I want to talk to you. I have a deal for you.”

Cara listened as he talked to her about rehab and moving away from the city. She knew that it would be best for her and for the girls, but she was scared.

“I tried living in Willow Creek before and it didn’t work well.”

“That was because you missed your parents. They aren’t there any longer, Cara. Your family is here. Don’t you miss your daughters enough to want to be with them?”

That was a stab straight to her heart, but she knew he hadn’t said it to hurt her.

“I do miss them. I want to do better for them.”

“Then go to rehab tonight. I will drive you and help you get checked in. I will pay for it. When you are finished, I will have a home ready for you and will help you find work.”

“I’m not qualified for anything though.”

“Let me worry about that. You just focus on getting yourself healthy again.”

She nodded then hugged him. “Thank you.”

---

Andy looked at the guys in front of him. Until recently, they had all worked for his uncle. Now they all worked for him. He was trying to decide what he was going to have them all do.

A few of the guys were going onto the crews. He had already talked to those guys. The rest of the guys were a bit tougher to place. They weren’t exactly the construction type.

He looked at his uncles. “I am going to keep a few of the guys with you.”

Daniel looked at his nephew. “You are the boss now. We will do whatever you want.”

That was going to be weird. He knew which three guys were Daniel’s closest guys and told them to stay with his uncles.

He then looked at his cousin, Antonio. “You will be working with me as my business consultant.”

Antonio was happy with that. He would help in any way he was needed.

Anthony looked at his nephew. “You take care of my son. Protect him.”

Antonio rolled his eyes.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Anthony. Antonio will be working in the office.”

He could understand his uncle being worried. Andy and Antonio were the last two Corleonesi males of the family. Antonio was the last to carry the name.

“Antonio will be well protected. You have my word.”

---

“Mr. Maynard?”

“Andy looked up from the budget proposal that he was working on. “Yes, Annette?”

“I need to ask you about maternity leave.”

He hadn’t been expecting that.

“Is there something we need to talk about?”

Annette was confused at first then realized what he must be talking about.

“You think that you and I…” She shook her head. “Nothing happened. I am married…to a woman. The baby was conceived from a donor.”

That actually made him happy to hear.

“How long do you think you will need?”

They discussed her time off and ended with something that made them both happy.

“Your job will still be here when you return.”

“Thank you, Mr. Maynard.”

---

NSFW: This chapter contains graphic nudity and sexual situations. Please do not go past the text after the first three pictures if that is not your thing or if you are underage. 

Since the girls were spending the night with their grandmother, Andy decided to go out.

He looked around to see who was there. He spotted a few that he knew and said hello to them.

Then he spotted who he was looking for the. The cute young woman at the bar.

He walked over to the bar and ordered himself a drink. He wanted the woman to be interested enough to approach him.

He talked with other people while keeping an eye on the woman.

After about an hour, Andy was on his second drink and felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Do you mind if I join you?”

He looked at the woman and smiled. “Please do.”

She slid onto the barstool beside him. “I’ve asked around and found out a little about you.”

“Oh you did? What did you learn?”

“That your name is Andy and you like sticking your dick in tight spots.”

He almost choked on his drink when she said that. “Why would that be information you want to know?”

“I like to know about the dick that I invite into my tight spot.”

 

---

Andy sat at the table across from Cara.

“Did you bring the girls with you?”

He shook his head. “They are nearby. My uncle is with them right now.”

“I was hoping you would have brought them with you.”

“You know I can’t do that.”

“Andy sat an envelope on the table between them. “The girls drew you pictures.”

Cara opened the envelope and looked at the pictures. She would hang them on the wall over her cot.

“Do they know you are here?”

He shook his head.”They don’t even know you are here. I told them that you had to go away to school to learn to be the good mom that you used to be.”

“Thank you for not telling them. I don’t think I could handle them knowing I am here.”

Andy clenched his jaw when she said that. “I didn’t do it for you. I did it for the girls. I don’t want our daughters to know their mother is in jail.”

“I’m sorry. You are right. That would be hard for them to understand.” She looked across the table at him. “I miss you, Andy. I made a big mistake. Can we please try again?”

He shook his head. “That won’t happen. Before all this happened, I probably would have considered it. Not now. I don’t trust you.”

---