Non-Refundable Groom

Did Garrett want a committed relationship like she did? She could never get deeply involved with a man again until she was sure he wanted a future with her.

As she zoomed out of the parking structure to a property management appointment in West Los Angeles, she kept reminding herself that getting the vice presidency was her priority, not Garrett Sims.

Then why did she drape Garrett’s tie gently across her lap as if it was the most precious object in the world to her?

Two

Garrett tried to concentrate on the traffic as he drove to the singles-only apartment building he managed in Palms. He could still smell the vanilla scent of Elena and the feel of her soft lips against his.

Everything about Elena captivated him. He admired how warm and gentle she was with her nephews. The nurturing way she took care of him made him feel so close to her, almost like he was part of her family.

In the laundry room he had been so turned on.... If the door hadn’t burst open—

His foot suddenly hit the brake pedal when he realized he was about to rear-end the car in front of him.

What the heck am I thinking? he silently demanded. He couldn’t allow himself to desire her. She was caring and giving and loving. She was definitely a marrying kind of woman. But he wasn’t a marrying kind of man. He used to be. He used to dream of having a wife and children more than anything. After what happened in his past marriage, he had no intention of signing a marriage license again.

He never should’ve kissed Elena. He never should’ve touched her soft skin. But being near her made him want to cuddle and hold her body close to his.

As he drove and anxiously reached for his tie, he realized that he’d left it in the laundry room. He knew he should wait until tomorrow morning to call her about it. But the need to connect with her again was stronger than he wanted to admit.

As his car neared the two-story building in Palms, he picked up his car phone, dialed the Santa Monica branch and learned from Grace that Elena was out of the office. He quickly told Grace that he had business to discuss with Elena and got her cellular number.

He parked his car in front of the complex and dialed Elena’s number. When he heard her velvet voice answer the phone, he was hooked all over again.

“Elena, I forgot my tie at your sister’s,” he began.

“I’ve got it with me,” she said. “When I get back to the office, I’ll send a messenger over to the Sherman Oaks branch.”

“How about if I drop by and pick it up?” he suggested, wanting to see her again, even though he knew he shouldn’t.

“Stanley might be here,” she replied a bit nervously.

“Yeah, that could be a problem,” he said, knowing he couldn’t jeopardize their chances to the promotion. He felt the urge to ask if he could drop by her apartment to get it, but he didn’t dare cross that boundary line.

“I could stop by after the office closes at seven tonight.”

“I might be gone by then.”

“I’ll take the chance.”

A few minutes later Garrett entered the lobby of the Palms apartment building.

“Garrett, just the man I want to see,” said Sam McGrath, the middle-aged owner of the building.

“Hi, Sam, are there any problems with the pipe replacement job?” he asked, referring to the plumber who was replacing some of the old, leaky pipes.

“No further leaks yet,” the owner replied. “Have you worked with this plumber before?”

“He’s not my regular vendor,” Garrett replied. “The plumber I usually deal with is ill. But I’ll make sure the work goes smoothly.”

“Garrett, your new apartment may become available very soon,” Sam said.

“My new apartment?” he asked, confused.

“How could you forget?” Sam asked, surprised. “You signed the lease months ago and paid me the security deposit, plus the first and last months’ rent to hold the place.”

“Yes, of course,” he said, realizing that he was so consumed with thoughts of Elena that he’d forgotten everything but her. “When will the apartment be ready?”

“The tenant in twenty-eight may be leaving for Florida earlier than he planned.” Sam McGrath headed toward the front door of the lobby. “I’ll let you know when the space is vacant.”

“Thanks a lot, Sam.”

As Garrett looked for the plumber, he waited for a rush of excitement to hit him, knowing he’d be moving sooner than scheduled into the apartment he’d been waiting for. Renting a place in the singles-only complex in Palms had been his goal ever since his divorce.

Garrett had been willing to do everything he could to keep the idea of getting married again permanently out of his brain.

He remembered when he’d met his ex-wife, Claire, a few short years ago. He’d just moved to Los Angeles from Seattle. He had no friends in L.A., just his elderly Aunt Rosie and a good job opportunity at Grant Property Management.

He’d met Claire at a jazz club where she was waitressing. She’d instantly connected with him and became his friend, cohort and lover. After a few months of constantly seeing each other, he’d fallen in love. When she excitedly mentioned marriage, he didn’t hesitate.

To Garrett, marriage was forever, a commitment to stay together for always. He believed that Claire felt the same way, too.

However, after six months as husband and wife, when he mentioned starting a family, she seemed preoccupied. She said her mother in Colorado was very ill and didn’t have ample medical insurance to cover the bills. Responding to her need, he agreed that she should withdraw a huge chunk of savings from their account.

Before he realized it, she’d cleaned out their bank cash, maxed out their credit cards and borrowed a bundle of money from the bank.

The night he planned to talk to her about what was going on, he got home from work and found all of her belongings gone from their apartment. Distraught, he called a waitress friend of hers at the club. He was devastated to discover that she’d bought herself a brand-new red Camaro, packed all of her things and run off with a guy she’d met at the jazz club.

With a stack of creditors’ letters in hand, Garrett went through the emotional trauma of the divorce. He realized that their marriage had meant nothing to her. He had meant nothing to her. She’d let him down, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t sustain a happy, satisfying marriage.

He remained at the apartment he’d shared with her, but every time he bumped into married neighbors, he was constantly reminded of how his marriage had failed.

He’d lucked out when he was given the singles-only building to manage by Stanley and learned that the tenants signed a two-year lease agreeing to live a singles life while at the complex.

The moment he had heard that an apartment might become available in a few months, he had quickly signed the two-year lease and paid Sam McGrath a fistful of money ahead of time to guarantee his spot.

He needed to be alone. He couldn’t imagine sharing his life again.

Garrett saw the plumber coming out of an apartment. He started down the hall toward him. As Garrett talked with the plumber, he realized how conflicted he now felt about moving into the singles-only building. Meeting beautiful, sexy, bold Elena Martin had totally jolted his world.

And, as he listened to the plumber, he kept glancing at his watch, wanting seven o’clock to roll around so he could be with Elena again.

At the office Elena nervously looked at the office wall clock. It was six forty-five. In fifteen minutes, Garrett would arrive to pick up his tie. She anxiously glanced at the extension phones on her desk and noted that Stanley’s line was still lit. Everyone in the office had left, except him.

She held Garrett’s tie in her hand, thinking of an excuse to leave before he arrived. She couldn’t risk Stanley’s seeing them together. Maybe she could set his tie on her desktop where he could find it. Why wasn’t she doing it? She knew why. Because she couldn’t wait to see him.

“Are you working late tonight, Elena?” Stanley called out, walking toward her partition.