Restoration of Love Read Online Free

back to her friend.
         “Look Tia, the club is almost closing. I’m tired and I want to go home now!” Nikki said impatiently. When Tia saw the look on her friend’s face, she tried to stand up, but fell forward onto Nikki. If Tia’s new found ‘love’ had not been standing there to catch her, they both would have tumbled over.
         “Can you help me get her to the car, please?” she asked this Theodore Reynolds.
         “Sorry…not me. That broad looks like she’s going to puke any minute and I just bought this suit,” he said flatly and turned away.
         Nikki looked at the man and rolled her eyes in disbelief. She looked back at Tia who had now fallen slumped over in the large chair that she and Theodore had been sitting in moments before. Just as she was about to go and get a bouncer to assist her, Carlos appeared at her side.
          “Need some help?”  
          “Do I ever,” Nikki said thankfully, relief washing over her. Although Carlos looked like he could have swung Tia over his shoulder in one scoop and carried her out of the club like King Kong, he wrapped one arm around her waist and placed her arm around his shoulder and half walked, half carried an inebriated Tia down the stairs and out the door. Nikki grabbed Tia’s purse and followed close behind, vowing silently that she would never go out with her again. Nikki couldn’t wait until morning when Tia would be sober so she could give her a piece of her mind. Nikki ran ahead to the parking lot and brought the car to the front of the club as quickly as possible. Nikki thought it was odd that none of the bouncers or anyone else standing outside asked Carlos what was going on. She made a mental note to talk to Tia about the dangers of drinking too much. She shuddered to think of what might have happened to Tia if she had not been there tonight to watch over her and take her home. Carlos gently lifted Tia into the front seat of Nikki’s SUV. After helping Nikki to secure Tia’s seatbelt, Nikki turned to face him.
         “I don’t know how to thank you,” Nikki said sincerely, “I could never have done this alone.”
         “There’s no need to thank me. Are you gonna be all right with her by yourself?”
         “I’ll manage.” Tia appeared to be sleeping peacefully on the seat next to her.
         “Because I could follow you home and help you,” he added. With that Nikki went on alert. Although Carlos seemed nice in the club and helped her out with Tia, there was no way that she was going to allow a stranger to see where she lived.
         “Well, you said you didn’t know how to thank me. Now I think you do,” Carlos continued with a gleam in his eye. “Wait a minute, calm down,” he said when he saw the scared look on Nikki’s face. “ How about just giving me your phone number? Maybe I could call you some time and we could go out for a bite to eat.”
         “Look, Carlos, I appreciate your helping me and all, but that’s it. I’m not looking for anything else and I suggest that you don’t either.”
    “Who said I was looking for something? Besides, I find the best things in life happen to me when I’m not looking for them to happen.”
         Nikki wasn’t sure if it was the pleading look on Carlos’s face that made her do what she did next or the fact that she was holding up traffic in the crowded parking lot. She grabbed a pen and a scrap of paper from her date book and quickly wrote down her phone number. Carlos smiled and slipped the paper into his pocket.
         Nikki waved to Carlos and started the car. As she pulled away, she glanced in the rear view mirror to see him still standing there, smiling at her as she drove out of the parking lot.

CHAPTER SEVEN
     
         Nikki let the windows of the car down slightly, hoping that the night air might sober Tia a little. By the time she arrived home and turned into the driveway, Nikki had already decided