A Hire Love by Candice Dow Page A

suddenly felt the need to protect my assets.
    He voluntarily whipped out his Staples card and stuck it into the machine. I smiled and asked, “Can I get a copy of your license also?”
    He slipped it from his wallet. I glanced at his address and was happy to see that he lived ten blocks away from me. That should make his commute easy.
    “I don’t know if you’d like to take care of this all today or if you’d prefer to do it tomorrow. I’d like to get another form of ID, like a social security card and/or passport.”
    “How do I know this is legitimate? You could be trying to steal my identity.”
    “Whatever. I need it for my protection.”
    He reached out his hand. I looked down at it and raised my eyebrows. “What?”
    “Give me your hand. If I’m going accept this job, you have to trust me.”
    “Still, I like to…”
    “Shhh. I got you. I’ll let you copy my social security card.”
    “Thank you.”
    I turned to operate the machine and the instructions blurred as the screen displayed a digital replica of his handsome face. He put his hand on my shoulder. “Is everything okay?”
    If you stop touching me, maybe I can handle this. After I gained my composure, I copied his license and we left the store. Suddenly, I was unsure of what to do next. We both appeared awkward. I shrugged my shoulders. He did the same. “So, when do you want to start?”
    He placed his hand on my shoulders. “I started when I signed the contract.”
    “Oh, yeah. Okay, so you’re my man now.”
    He laughed. “Yep, I’m your man.”
    “So…you want to go shopping?”
    He nodded. “Sure.”
    Then, I remembered that Mya and I planned to meet to discuss my final decision. “You want to have drinks with me and Mya?”
    “Whatever the little lady wants.”
    I batted my eyes. He stole that right from the script. Still, it flattered me. “Thank you, honey, but you don’t have to do that.” I winked. “Girl talk. I’ll get up with you later.”
    “That’s cool. I know y’all have a lot to discuss. Let me know if you need me to meet you somewhere later.”
    “I certainly will.”
    He stepped out into the street with me and opened the taxi door. I was tempted to stay in the middle of the street with him. His warmth invited me to stand up Mya and go home with him, but I recovered and got into the taxi. Even his good-bye wave welcomed me.
    My heart still rumbled from his touch as I called Mya. “Girl, let’s celebrate.”
    “So, I guess you picked Rashad.”
    “He signed.”
    “You are lying.”
    “No, actually I’m not. I got a man.”
    She laughed. “Yeah. We definite have to celebrate. I’m thinking sangria.”
    “I’m thinking a whole pitcher.”
    “I’m headed uptown, so I’ll meet you at Pio. Are you on your way?”
     
    When I walked into our favorite Peruvian restaurant, she was already there. The hostess directed me to where she was seated. A pitcher of sangria was already on the table. Before I could sit, Mya gave me a high-five. I giggled. “This might be the silliest thing we’ve ever done.”
    “I don’t believe you sold this to me. The bad part about it, I’m more excited than you. If this goes over smoothly, I swear I’m going to start a business.”
    “Girl, who are you telling? This is brilliant.”
    While we gloated in our brilliance, I realized that I wasn’t so bright. “Oh my goodness. I was supposed to get his HIV and drug test results before he signed the contract.”
    Mya shook her head. “Whatever. You haven’t given him a check yet. And positive test results nullify the contract. Don’t worry. Just get it tomorrow.”
    “Where can we go?”
    “There’s a clinic not too far from your office.”
    “I’ll call you tonight for the details.”
    We rocked to the Latin music and sipped more sangria than either one of us could handle. She pointed at me and I pointed at her and we praised each other over and over again. “You’re a genius.”
    “No, you’re the