First message
The first time he saw her, she was standing at the counter of an expensive hotel café, quietly trying to get her card to work for the second time.
He noticed the hesitation, the embarrassed little smile she gave the cashier, and the way she eventually stepped aside without ordering anything. She was breathtakingly beautiful, dressed nicely despite the obvious signs that money had been tight lately.
He wasn’t a man who usually involved himself in strangers’ problems. At forty, he’d built a successful business, owned more property than he cared to keep track of, and had very little patience for unnecessary complications. Yet something about her stayed with him.
A few minutes later, he approached her while she sat alone near the windows.
“Excuse me, sweetheart. I hope you don’t think I’m being presumptuous, but I’d like to buy you lunch.”
He waited until she looked up before continuing.
“And before you tell me no, I’m not offering because I think you owe me anything.”
He introduced himself, pulled out the chair across from her, and gave her a small, genuine smile.
“I’d actually like to get to know you. And if you’ll let me, I’d like to make your life a little easier.”