Campaigning for Love (3 page)

They both jumped.

Katherine ignored Nick. She didn’t answer him when he called after her on the way down the long hall to Judge Pierce’s office. She walked as fast as she could without breaking into a full sprint, putting as much distance between them as possible.

That scene in the courtroom. She’d never been so out of control. Forgetting what she was doing. The child’s welfare came ahead of everything else—always. She’d been so engrossed in taking Nick down a peg, she’d forgotten where she was, what mattered most. She’d forgotten about Susan.

“Kat. Katherine, wait. Talk to me. Why are you so upset?” He was gaining on her.

She paused in front of the judge’s door and let him catch up. “My life has been just fine for the past thirteen years without you in it.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t see any reason to change that. What could we have to say to each other after all this time? I mean, seriously, Nick?”

Before he could respond, the door swung open.

“Come in, Katherine, Nick. Take a seat.”

Once they were inside, Judge Pierce pinned both of them with a heated glower. “Would someone like to explain to me what just happened in my courtroom?”

“Well...”

“You see...”

He held up a hand. “One at a time, please. Better yet, I’ll start. Do you two know each other?”

She looked at Nick, unable to keep her temper from flaring. “We, um, we went to the same high school for part of a semester our senior year. We haven’t seen each other since then. Not until last week in your courtroom.”

“I see. Were you friends?”

“Not really. We had a class together. I—I was only there for a short time. We didn’t get a chance to know each other. We moved in different circles.”

“Anything you want to add to Miss Harper’s version, Mr. Delaney?”

“We barely knew each other.” He kept his eyes diverted.

“And yet here both of you are, attorneys in the same court of law. Am I the only one who finds this an odd twist of fate?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you mean,” Nick said.

“Only an observation, young man.” The judge leaned forward, bouncing his gaze between them. “The two of you seem to need a place to discuss things aside from my courtroom and out of the presence of a child. Why don’t I make a suggestion? How about lunch?”

“Judge Pierce, please. I have a backlog of cases to review. I don’t have the time...” Out of the corner of her eye, she took in the firm set of Nick’s jaw. “Or the inclination to speak with Mr. Delaney outside the courtroom.”

Nick turned to face her, his eyes darker than indigo. “It is clear Kat—I mean, Katherine—can only tolerate speaking with me in court, Your Honor. So I’ll apologize for trying to compel her into doing otherwise and limit my interactions with her to court business.”

“All right, children, I’ve had enough.”

Both their gazes flew to him.

“The two of you leave me no choice. You think this is a game. That you can push and get your way while shooting daggers at each other with your eyes during session in
my
courtroom. I will not allow it. Especially in front of an innocent child. This ends today. Mr. Delaney, do you cook?”

“Excuse me?”

“Do you cook? It’s a simple enough question.”

“I can boil water.”

“Well then, the food will fall to Miss Harper, and you will assist.”

The judge’s words left her wide-eyed and stunned.

“Your Honor, sir...please don’t.” A sickening dread crept up from her stomach to clog her throat. She’d beg if she had to. Anything but what she was afraid he was going to make her do.

He gave her a hard look. “This Friday is a holiday. We have a long weekend ahead of us. You and Mr. Delaney will spend the long weekend with me. Melvia is out of town visiting the grandchildren, and I’ll be home alone. The three of us will spend quality time together getting to know each other.” He leaned back, folded his arms over his chest, and smiled with smug satisfaction.

She stared at him, her mouth wide open and her jaw slack. When she risked a glance at Nick, his head was swiveling between her and the judge. She would not feel guilty about their predicament. This was his fault. Not hers.

The judge continued to smile. The clock ticked away the seconds for an endless minute before she recovered enough to speak. “Judge Pierce, Uncle Charles...”

* * *

Her familial reference propelled Nick out of his chair. He paced the room. Torn between demanding an explanation about her relationship with the judge and using this weekend to make her face him and explain. Her denial clashed with his dread of being the subject of judicial displeasure, again. And all because of a harmless conversation that wouldn’t have mattered in the grand scheme of things, if he’d timed it better. He’d wanted to know what had happened to her after she transferred.

This was unbelievable, laughable even. Oh, he wanted to say something. To yell and scream about the downward spiral his family court experience was having on his ready-to-launch political career. But when his eyes met hers, he ground his teeth and turned to look out the window. Fragile, vulnerable, beaten. They were the only words to describe the weighted hunch of her shoulders and the stricken look on her face.

Just like that day in the library thirteen years ago. Her emotions were on display, like a marquee on Broadway for anyone to read. The mask she wore in the courtroom ripped away.

“Uncle Charles, you know I have responsibilities this weekend. Stevie Mills is one of them. I can’t abandon him. How will he see his grammy?”

The panic in her voice tore at Nick. They needed a way out of the insanity his quest to renew their friendship had caused. But his mind was blank. He couldn’t offer one single, logical solution that would get them out of this mess.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure Mrs. Potter will be more than happy to shuttle Stevie to the rehab center since it’s so close by. And I’ll check with Gina. She’d love the chance to take your place with Jeremy on Friday night. That leaves Saturday and Sunday. Even the Lord rested on Sunday, young lady.”

Nick turned. “Who’s Jeremy?”

She notched her chin. “A man’s name is all you got out of the conversation? Typical.”

“There’s nothing typical about this conversation! Not by a long shot, sweetheart. Judge Pierce, sir, I don’t know what’s going on here, but I think I’m entitled to an explanation.” He leaned against the wall beside the window and leveled his hard gaze on the judge.

“I’d be honored—no pun intended.” The judge smiled before he took on a serious mien. “You and Katherine are going to spend the weekend with me, at my home. We’ll have breakfast, lunch and dinner together. The two of you will spend one hour in the morning, afternoon, and evening together, where you will converse. Both of you will have to share something you learned about each other with me while we enjoy the meal you will prepare—together.

“Katherine, you will cook. Nick, you’ll assist her, and I do mean assist. If she says chop, you chop. If she says stir, you stir. We will enjoy this time together, and there will be no fighting, or both of you will find yourselves enjoying this city’s finest hospitality behind bars come Monday morning. Do I make myself clear?”

“I don’t understand.” The confusion flavoring Katherine’s words today sounded the same as it had all those years ago when Nick had laid out his father’s plans for his future, and knotted his stomach just as tight now as it had then.

The judge’s tone carried a hard edge that clashed with the concerned look he sent her way. “Since you and Mr. Delaney feel the need to act like teenagers in my courtroom, consider yourselves in time-out, or on restriction, whichever you prefer. Katherine, have Gina provide Mr. Delaney’s office with your home address. He will pick you up at five on Friday afternoon. I’ll have the refrigerator stocked so you can come straight there.”

The judge made eye contact with both of them, his look of concern gone. “I’ve cancelled tomorrow’s session so the two of you can tie up any loose ends before our happy weekend together. Off you go now.” He motioned toward the door with his hand in a careless wave.

A speechless Katherine and Nick walked out of his office.

Nick reached toward her after the door closed behind them. “Kat, I—”

“Don’t! Don’t even try. There is nothing you can say right now that I want to hear.”

Chapter 3

K
atherine stormed through the glass doors of her office suite and flung her briefcase at the nearest chair. The hairpins anchoring her French twist were her next victims. She unleashed an angry growl and shook her head, torpedoing the area with any last holdouts.

Gina ended her phone call and quirked her brow at Katherine’s uncharacteristic bout of temper. “Bad day in court?” Then jumped back when a stray pin bounced off her monitor.

“That man...he...he...he’s ruining my life! Why couldn’t he let it go? When I didn’t take his calls on my cell phone, you’d think he’d get the clue that I do not want to speak to him! Arrgh!” She raged more to herself than Gina, pacing off the perimeter of the room like an angry bear.

“I’ll be right back.” Gina scooted out from behind her desk and headed down the hall at a fast clip. She returned with a cup of tea, but hung back until Katherine reined her temper in enough that she stopped gesturing wildly with her hands.

When a cough that sounded a lot like a chuckle escaped from her assistant’s mouth, Katherine leveled a squinted glare on her. “It’s not funny.”

“Does this have to do with a certain Mr. Nicholas Delaney, by any chance?” Gina eased within arm’s reach, placing the cup on the counter in front of Katherine like an offering to a vengeful overlord.

With a deep, slow breath, she collected herself before reaching for the piece of flowery china. It was that or hurl the cup against the wall. “Yes. He and I had a fight during session today.” She plopped into a chair. “As our punishment, Judge Pierce has ordered us to spend the weekend...” She shuddered. “All weekend together. We have to share three meals a day, which I have to cook with Nick as my helper. The man’s culinary skills start and stop with boiled water. And I don’t know if that’s on the stove or in the microwave.”

Another laugh escaped. Gina gave her an apologetic shrug that made Katherine want to scream.

“The whole weekend, huh?” Gina nodded her head. “Now I understand why the judge wanted me to fill in for you with Jeremy at Grace Community Friday night.”

“Judge Pierce wants us to have time to talk to each other about non-court-related subjects, and the only way to ensure I’ll cooperate is by holding me hostage at his house—where he can keep an eye on me!” Katherine gnashed her teeth and tapped her nails against the solid surface of the counter, desperate for a way around the judge’s orders. An idea started forming in her head.
Oh, yeah.
But could she? There was no question.
Definitely
.

She smiled at her own cleverness. “Gina. My dear, wonderful and resourceful Gina. How about using your super sleuth skills and getting me every known fact on Mr. Nicholas Delaney, attorney-at-law?” She let out a pleased sigh. “If Uncle Charles wants a mini-bio on Nick at each meal, he’ll get one. I just won’t use Nicky Boy as my source.” She headed toward her office with a bounce in her step. She’d won round one.

Her sense of victory was short-lived. In the silence of her office, there was nothing to keep the memories of her last personal conversation with Nick at bay. With her emotions churning, suddenly thirteen years ago was as vivid as yesterday. The scars from the old wounds Nick had inflicted with his betrayal reopened. All his talk about how important knowing the right people would be to his future. The doors those right people could open for him. She’d faked a smile and prayed she could hold her tears inside until later. What had he expected her to say? He’d told her things for him were moving fast. His summer wasn’t his. He was leaving for college the day after graduation. He’d said he’d be too busy to see her, much less call. She’d been sad for herself—she was losing her only friend—but she’d been happy for him. He had a chance at realizing his dream. At that point, she hadn’t had an inkling of a dream.

She didn’t fit into his world of “the right people.” Honestly, where would a connection with a poor orphan living in a children’s home get him? But he hadn’t given her the chance to bow out, to set him free. He’d treated her like an ugly secret no one could ever know about.

He’d said his father was an attorney. Told her he handled some family services cases.

She knew he’d handled at least one.

Hers.

And Nick had gotten him to do it. To banish her to the most remote area in the district to finish out her senior year at a new school in a new group home. Among strangers.

No matter how deep she buried the memories, the slightest reminder of how gullible she’d been still infuriated her. If she hadn’t been so alone, she would have known all his attention and charm were an act. Whoever heard of Prince Charming hanging out with Orphan Annie?

She sniffed, forbidding a single tear to pool, because the worst part, the part that shamed her the most, the part that still made her want to scream, was how desperate she’d been. So needy for a connection of any kind to anyone, she would have tutored him just for the company. There had been no need to pretend she mattered to him.

Nick had used her. And now Uncle Charles expected her to spend time with him, finding out personal, interesting things about the guy who had manipulated her and then banished her to the equivalent of Siberia.

She knew all she needed to know about Nicholas Delaney and none of it was interesting. A dull ache filled her chest as another piece of her heart shriveled up and died over the injustice of having to relive the past she’d worked so hard to escape.

Alice had taught her that her past was gone. She couldn’t do a thing about it today. “Let it go,” she always said. “Shake the dust off your feet and forget those naysayers. You have tomorrow to get ready for.”

A smile tugged at her lips. Alice had never let her wallow in self-pity. She’d helped Katherine see how putting her faith and trust in God meant she didn’t have to worry about pleasing anyone else. God’s opinion was all that mattered.

Her body ached from the emotional havoc the judge had wreaked on her life today. Reviewing case files in her current mindset was useless. She gathered up the files to take home with her. She came out of her office and leaned on Gina’s desk. “I’ve had enough, I’m leaving. Feel free to cut out early this afternoon. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Gina’s head popped up from behind her monitor. “Are you sick?”

“No, just tired. I can’t focus like I should right now.” The weight of her loss, the memories of her past, and Uncle Charles’s strong-arming rode heavy on her shoulders. “I thought I’d swing by Grace Community and explain to Jeremy why I’m bailing on him Friday.”

“Go home, fill the tub with bubbles and relax.” Gina waved her off. “You work too hard. You haven’t given yourself any downtime since losing Alice. You need to let your mind rest and your heart heal.”

Katherine paused in the middle of sliding her purse strap onto her shoulder. “I said I was tired. I don’t remember any claims about being sad or mopey.” She shook her head at Gina’s raised eyebrow and relented—a little. “But a bubble bath does sound good. I’ll see you in the morning.” In the open doorway, she turned. “Get me the dirt on Nick Delaney.”

Thanks to the light traffic, Katherine made good time on her way across town and pulled up beside Jeremy’s car. Using the main entrance, she went through to the church office and tapped on his private door. He beckoned her in with a wave of his hand and a welcoming smile.

“Hey there, stranger.” He stood and, when he was within arm’s reach, claimed a big-brother hug. “What brings you by at this time of day?”

She hugged him back, welcoming his warmth, hoping it would reach deep enough to chase away the cold loneliness holding her soul hostage. “I decided to play hooky for the afternoon.”

He stepped back and scanned her face. “Uh-huh, I see that. Anything going on you want to talk about?”

Her eyes widened. His ability to sense her mood was downright spooky sometimes. She shifted her gaze to a spot over his shoulder. “I’m fine.”

He squeezed her hand. “Come on, Katherine, I know you better than that. And it’s a very bad thing to mislead your minister.”

The internal war raging between unloading her burdens and keeping them locked inside lasted less than thirty seconds. She sank into a chair as her composure crumbled. Jeremy was safe. He’d been her first real friend. He wouldn’t take advantage of her outward show of emotion, and if she could unload part of the weight, she could handle the rest—alone. Always alone. His look of devoted concern toppled the last of her weakened defenses.

Despite a soul-weary sigh, she fought against sounding like a whiney wimp. No pity. She needed advice from someone who knew her. Aside from Jeremy, there was only Uncle Charles and what he’d done to her was part of the problem.

“I’m having a bad life right now. There are a lot of things coming at me all at once, and—and I’m not feeling especially battle-ready today.” She looked up, searching his face. For what, she didn’t know, but she needed to fill the silence somehow. “How’s that for honesty,
Pastor
Jeremy?”

He sat down next to her, took her hands in his, and held on. “It’s pretty good for someone who has a phobia about admitting she gets overloaded. What’s going on that’s making you feel this way?”

“My past has found a way to resurrect itself and become part of my daily courtroom life.” At his confused look, she elaborated, “A guy from one of the high schools I attended is serving in family court with me. He called me over the weekend. He’s interested in playing catch-up with a part of my life I buried forever.” She stared at their joined hands, drawing on his comfort. “I have nothing to say to him.”

Too restless to sit, she got up and paced. There, she’d told him the important parts. Even Jeremy didn’t need to know all the dirty details of why she didn’t want to talk to Nick. The silence around them grew while Jeremy waited her out. No pity. She hated pity. She didn’t want anyone knowing how pathetic she’d been as a teenager, not even Jeremy. She appreciated his sympathy for her loss, but if he knew what Nick and his father had done to her, he’d feel sorry for her. She couldn’t take that right now.

She turned and faced him. “Alice taught me the past—well—it belongs behind me. She said it was better to look ahead to where I’m going, not where I’d been.” She hugged her arms about her body to stave off the icy chill of loneliness that settled over her.

Jeremy stood, but didn’t infringe on her space. “Katherine, you’ve been hit with so much all at once. You’re grieving the loss of your mother.” When she tried to speak, he raised his hand and checked her protest. “I know she adopted you.” His eyes, his words, were so earnest. “That woman couldn’t have loved you any more if she’d given birth to you, and you loved her just as much. That’s what made her your mom. Now, this trouble you’re having at work. All of it combined would be too much for anyone.”

She was helpless against the hot tears leaking from her eyes. She confessed in a jagged whisper, “I miss her so much. She’d know what to do about work and Uncle Charles and his crazy schemes.” She wiped her face and moved away when he reached for her, unsure whether he was offering pity or comfort this time.

His voice turned heavy with protective intensity. “What has Judge Pierce done that’s upset you? You’re very special to him. He wouldn’t make you do something he didn’t think would help you.”

Her nod was her only response.

“There’s something I need to tell you.” Jeremy turned her to face him. “I know about the Citizen of the Year nomination. I asked the judge if he’d apply some pressure and help me persuade you. Alice asked me to arrange your nomination for the award when I visited her in the hospital. Of course, I would have waited before putting my plan into action if I’d known you were so overwhelmed at work.”

When she kept quiet, he went on. “All you’re doing is documenting what you do all the time. This, in no way, means they’ll select you and it’s not bragging about what you do to help others. It’s more like bearing witness to your spirit of giving.”

Then he hit her with the ultimate low blow. “It was important enough to Alice that I promised her I’d make it happen. Don’t fight the judge over this,” he pleaded. “We all care about you.” He smoothed the side of his finger along her jaw and caught a stray tear. “A lot. And we’re proud of you and how you look out for people who don’t have anyone else to stand up for them.”

The intense silence was too much. “All right,” she mumbled. She was so tired of fighting them on this. “I don’t agree, but if I’d known this was so important to Alice, I wouldn’t have balked.”

The look on his face was doubtful at best.

“I wouldn’t have balked,
as
much.”

He smiled. “Feel better?”

After a long sigh, she said, “Yeah, I do. Thanks for loaning me your shoulder.” She gently pushed her fist against his left shoulder.

“No problem, it’s part of the job.” He shrugged before his face turned somber. “You have to grieve over your loss before your heart can heal. You haven’t had many people in your life that mattered to you, and she was the most special. Losing someone you love is painful for anyone, not just you.” He shook his head. “This isn’t anything I wouldn’t say to someone else. But I’ll be more insistent with you because I know how you keep your feelings bottled up inside. You can’t heal until you’ve dealt with the pain. You’ve had enough heartache in your life. It’s time you found some happiness.”

“And you said I paid more attention than you in psych class?” She tried to tease him, welcoming the peace that seeped into her soul. She’d needed this. God had sent her here, to her refuge in the storm. To someone who would seek God’s guidance and say the words her heart needed to hear.

With a small smile, she took his hands the way he’d held hers. “I’m not good at letting myself get attached to people, but you have to know I treasure our friendship. You mean a lot to me.” She swallowed hard. “Thank you for always giving me a shelter when the forecast includes a hurricane.”

After she accepted another crushing hug, she went home for the bubble bath Gina had recommended. And, she had a questionnaire about her volunteer work to fill out. Even though it was a waste of time. They didn’t name do-gooder children’s advocates Citizen of the Year.