A Single Dad CEO Went On a Blind Date For a Friend—But Fell In Love with a Poor Girl at First
An Unexpected Encounter
The late afternoon sun streamed through the tall windows of Alex Carter’s penthouse, casting a golden glow across the living room. Toy blocks littered the floor. A half-eaten apple rolled off the coffee table.
Ellie, his 3 and 1/2-year-old daughter, giggled from inside a makeshift pillow fort. Alex, in rolled-up sleeves and dress slacks, crouched beside her. He was trying to assemble a tiny wooden puzzle shaped like a duck.
His phone buzzed against the coffee table. He sighed and answered without checking the screen.
“Whatever it is, make it quick,” he said. “I am elbows deep in duck pieces.”
Ethan’s voice crackled through the phone. “Alex, listen, I need a favor,” Ethan said.
“You always need a favor,” Alex replied.
“I cannot make it to a dinner tonight,” Ethan explained. “It is a blind date. Can you go instead? Just fill in, please.”
Alex froze. “You want me to go on a date for you?” he asked.
“She’s expecting someone,” Ethan said. “You just have to show up.”
He looked at Ellie, who was now putting a sticker on his shoe. “Fine,” he said. “But I am bringing my daughter.”
“What? No,” Ethan responded.
“Let us see how long she sticks around when she finds out I brought a three-year-old,” Alex said.
He hung up. Ellie looked up at him. “Where are we going, Daddy?” she asked.
He stood, scooping her into his arms. “To meet a very pretty lady,” he replied.
“Is she nice?” Ellie asked.
“I doubt it,” he muttered. “But I am not going for me.”
Ellie giggled. “Can Bunny come?”
“Of course,” Alex said. “Bunny’s essential to the mission.”
He dressed her in a soft blue dress with yellow flowers, then slipped on a blazer himself. 15 minutes later, they were headed downtown. Traffic was crawling as the city sparkled into the evening.
Half a block from the restaurant, Alex slowed at the sound of raised voices.
“I gave you a 20,” a woman was saying, her voice calm but firm. “The fare was 12. You owe me change.”
“You gave me a 10,” the taxi driver snapped.
The woman was young, with golden hair pulled into a messy braid. She wore a beige coat too thin for the weather. She carried a canvas tote that looked like it had survived a dozen seasons.
Her cheeks were flushed with frustration or maybe embarrassment. Alex parked quickly and got out, Ellie in his arms.
“Is everything all right here?” he asked.
The driver shrugged. “She’s short,” he said.
Without hesitating, Alex pulled a 20 from his wallet and handed it to the man. “That should cover it,” he said.
The driver snatched the bill and drove off. The woman turned to Alex, her eyes wide.
“You did not have to do that,” she said.
“You were stuck,” Alex noted.
“I had it handled,” she replied.
Alex adjusted Ellie on his hip. “Sure looked like it.”
He turned to leave, but she held out a crumpled dollar bill. “Take this,” she said.
He blinked. “Why?”
“I do not like owing strangers,” she explained.
He looked at her, really looked. There was something quiet and proud in her stance. She was not being polite; she meant it. He took the dollar.
“Thanks,” he said as he walked away.
Ellie whispered, “She was pretty.”
Alex tightened his grip on her. “Do not get any ideas, kid.”
But his mind was already elsewhere. Something about the girl with the stormy eyes and the dollar bill was stuck in his head, and he had no idea why.
