Indulgence (141 page)

“Thank you, Sir.”

“No, thank you. Your body was just incredible, as it always
is.” The silence grows thick between us again, and I finally can’t stand it
anymore.

“Sir, is something wrong? Have I done something wrong?
Because if I have, if you’ll just tell me, I’ll be glad to apologize for . . .”

He holds up a hand to quiet me and sighs before he speaks.
“No, baby, you haven’t done a thing wrong. I’m so sorry. You know I love you,
right?”

“Yes, Sir.” I just go back to sitting there, waiting, and
even though I fight them, big tears start welling up in my eyes and then
trickle down my cheeks. Then my nose starts running, damn it. I guess he hears
me sniffle because he turns and looks down at me, and the look on his face is
pitiful.

“Hey, come here. Sit on my lap. Oh, baby,” he whispers to me
as I climb onto his legs and he wraps his arms around me. “It’s okay. I’m
sorry. You haven’t done one single thing wrong. You’re perfect.”

“Sir, I’m a long way from perfect.”

“You know what I mean. But it’s not you.” He lets out
another big sigh. “Do you know why I’m really here this week?”

“To work.”

“Yes, but there’s another reason.”

I shrug. “All I know is to work.”

“Yeah. Well, the real reason I’m here is because I was up
for a promotion to another position.” He said
was
. Oh, god, no. Before I
can ask what happened, he says quietly, “They passed me over for someone who’s
been with the company longer. Problem is, they have half my skills and they’ve
made messes of the last five projects they’ve done. And I had to help
straighten them out.”

“That’s not fair, Sir. It’s not fair at all.”

“Life’s not fair, Kimmie.” I sure as hell know
that’s
true. “But I was really counting on that promotion. It would’ve been more
money, it would’ve cut down on my travel, and,” he says with sadness in his
voice, “it would’ve put me here with Reggie and Misty. I come here a lot and I
really like this town. I would’ve loved to be here with them.” My heart starts
to hurt until he adds, “I would’ve loved for
us
to be here with them.”
He didn’t mean alone, and my panic starts to subside a little, but I still hurt
for him.

“Can you just find another job? Something here instead of in
Chicago?” My mind is churning with all my ideas now, and I know I’ve got to get
busy.

“I’m trying, but there isn’t that much around here, believe
it or not. There’s an automotive plant here, but they don’t have any openings.
Trust me, I know; I’ve checked with them about a dozen times.”

I try to think of something that’ll brighten him up a
little. “Well, you certainly hid all of this very well during dinner. I had no
idea there was anything wrong, and I think we both had fun, didn’t we?”

A soft little chuckle rises from his throat. “Yeah, we did.
I mean, Reggie knows what’s going on. He’s the one who pressured them to
consider me. It was down to me and the other guy, and Reggie’s still in shock
that they chose him. Doesn’t make any sense, but that’s what they did.”

“I’m so sorry, baby. I really am.” I put my hands on his
cheeks and give him a little peck on the lips.

Thank god that makes him smile. “It’s okay. I’ve still got
you. And I’m sorry I was so rough on you, but I needed to blow off some steam.
Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. And that’s fine too. If there’s a way you
can use my body to relieve stress or make your world a little better, that’s
one of the things I’m here for. That and to love you.”

His arms tighten around me and he presses one cheek to my
chest. My arms are wound around his neck, and my hands automatically drag
upward into his hair. I scratch his scalp gently with my fingernails and run my
fingers through that thick darkness, feeling its silkiness. As I do, I can feel
him relax and sag against me, and my heart is so full that I think it’ll
explode.

After we’ve sat there for a very long time, he whispers, “We
should go to bed. I’m sure you and Misty have some things to do tomorrow. At
least you’re having some fun.”

“Yes, I am. She’s a hoot, and we’re having a really good
time. Thank you so much for bringing me, for this beautiful room and the
wonderful food and the great company.” Now I start to sniffle again. “And thank
you for loving me and wanting me here with you. I just wish you’d told me from
the beginning why we were coming here.”

“Shhhhh, don’t cry. Thank you for loving me, precious. And I
didn’t say anything because I didn’t want you to be disappointed if it didn’t
work out, but I didn’t factor in how disappointed I’d be. I don’t think I
realized how much I was counting on this until it didn’t happen. I don’t think
‘crushed’ is a strong enough word.” He draws back, looks at my face, and then
kisses me. “Let’s get some sleep. Tomorrow will look better, I think. Stand
up.” Climbing off his lap, I wait until he’s standing and take his hand. As we
step back into the bedroom, he pats me on the butt and says, “I’m going to get
a quick shower. Get on in the bed. I’ll be right out.”

I know he wasn’t in there long, but by the time he comes
out, I’m sound asleep. Somehow I feel his weight shift the bed, then feel his
warmth behind me, his skin against mine setting me right. I dream, and in my
dreams, I see that little boy again, and he’s leading a calf down a road. He
asks, “Hi, ma’am. Would you like some fresh milk? I’m not big, but I will be
someday, and so will my cow.” In the dream, I scoop up the boy and kiss him on
the cheek, and he smells like clover and old-fashioned lye soap. Then he asks,
“What’s your name?”

“My name is Kimberly. What’s yours?”

With a smile full of sunshine and promise, he says, “My
name’s Jasper. Nice to meet you, ma’am.”

After my trip to the bathroom at three o’clock, I make my
way back to the bed and look down at the man there. His face is smooth and
relaxed, and there’s something so innocent and pure about him, his chest gently
rising and falling with his breath. When I scoot back in beside him, his arms
reach out to me, and I cuddle into them. His breath is warm on my neck when he
whispers, “I love you, Kimmie.”

“I love you too, Jaz,” I whisper in reply just before his
warmth lulls me back to sleep.

When Misty shows up on Thursday morning, I’m dressed and
ready, but I’m in the middle of The Most Important Thing, as I’ve come to think
of it. “Ready to go?” she chimes.

“Nope. I’ve got something going on. And I need you to keep
to yourself anything you hear while I’m doing this, okay? It’ll only take me a
few more minutes, but I need to get this done. Mum’s the word?”

She does a pretend lip-zipping. “Not a word to anyone, I
promise.”

“Good.” I look at my notes and punch another number into my
phone.

When they answer on the other end, I ask for Miss Babcock.
“Hi, Kimberly! How are you?”

“I’m good. And you?”

“Can’t complain. You ready to list?”

“I think so. Can you get it ready for about a month from
now?”

“Oh, sure! Want to wait a little, huh?”

“Yeah, just a little. But something’s happened that makes me
think I should just go ahead with it. How long do you think it’ll take to
sell?”

“Not long. You live in a quiet neighborhood, but you’re
really close to downtown, so it should go pretty fast.”

“Even though it’s only two bedrooms?” When those words leave
my lips, I see Misty’s eyes go round.

“Oh, yeah. No one will balk at that. It’s all about the
location. How about I come over, take some pictures, things like that.”

“I’m not there. I’m in St. Louis, but I’ll be home Monday.
Will that work?”

“Sure!”

We make arrangements to meet on Monday, and I’m pretty
excited. When I hang up, I make another phone call, this time to the offices of
Wilson, Wilson, and Green, Attorneys at Law. Working my way through secretary
after secretary, I finally get Kevin Wilson, the second Wilson in the name.
“Ms. Hendricks! Hope you’re well.”

“I am. Quite. And I hope you are too.”

“I am. And I have some very, very good news for you.”

“Yeah?” Now my heart starts to race.

“I found the relatives and talked to them. Believe it or
not, they’re so excited that someone might be living there again that they
don’t want anything. Every one of them has given me a clear title. So you want
this to go into Mr. Givens’ name?”

“Yes, please. Send any tax bills to me. Does he have to sign
it?”

There’s a chuckle on the other end. “Actually, I think I can
work a way around that. Shouldn’t be much owed in taxes either.”

I’m still in shock that none of his relatives want to lay
claim. “Okay, so what are your fees?”

“You know, I’m so impressed that you’d do this for him that
I’m going to make it a flat thousand dollars. Is that within your reach?”

Now my heart is pounding out of my chest. “Oh, absolutely!
Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Wilson! I can’t believe this. He’s going to be so
excited!”

“Great, great. I’m so glad. So I’ll get everything drawn up
and let you know when it’s done. Sound good?”

“Sounds wonderful. Thank you so much, Mr. Wilson.” When we
hang up, I let out a big sigh. “One more call,” I tell Misty, whose eyes are
getting bigger by the minute.

When his secretary answers, I ask for Mr. Jennings. “Hello,”
he barks out.

“Mr. Jennings? This is Kimberly Hendricks. We spoke on the .
. .”

“Oh, yes, the old Stevens place. I remember. So have you
made a decision?”

“Yes, sir. The paperwork is being done now. I’m trying to
sell my house in a few weeks, so as soon as that happens, I’ll give you a call
and we can talk about what needs to be done. Now I have to tell you, I won’t be
there – no one will – so I’ll have to trust you as far as repairs go. I got
your name from the chamber of commerce there in town, so I’m hoping you’ll live
up to your reputation for honesty and dependability.”

“I most certainly will. I’ve lived here all my life. I’ve
watched that old place just start falling down and it made me so sad. I’m glad
someone’s taking an interest in it. Mr. and Mrs. Stevens were wonderful folks.”

“So I hear. Well, thanks, Mr. Jennings. I just wanted to
give you a heads-up.”

“Thank you, Ms. Hendricks. Talk to you soon.”

When I put the phone down this time, Misty’s eyes are
bugging. “What are you doing?” she whispers as though there’s a crowd and
everyone’s listening in.

“I’m making arrangements to make Jaz’s biggest, wildest
dream come true.”

“Are you talking about his family’s farm?”

“Yeah. How did you know about that?”

Misty grins. “I’ve heard him talking to Reggie about it. He
gets all dreamy-eyed when he mentions it.”

“Yes, he does. So you can’t say a word. I’m doing everything
I can to keep it secret until I can get most of the work done on the house, at
least until it’s liveable.”

“What about work?”

I shake my head. “The farm will
be
his work. He
dreams about doing this, and it’s doable. I’ve already talked to the people at
the extension office there, and they say there’s more than enough land there to
make a decent living off of. I’ve got to have the money from my house so we
have something to live on initially and money to buy a few things to get
started, but I can always get a part-time or full-time job to help out.”

She gives me a wistful smile. “You really love him, don’t
you?”

I let out a little giggle. “Honey, there isn’t a word for how
I feel about Jaz. It’s just so . . . he’s just so . . . oh, I don’t know. I
just love him.”

“Well, then, we’ve got quite a day ahead of us! Ready to
go?” Misty stands and heads toward the door.

I grab my bag and follow her. “Ready to go!”

*****

“Oh, god, girl, this is amazing!” As I sit there in my
fluffy mint green robe, the mud mask tightening on my face and sipping a mimosa
while a gorgeous French guy named Gérard does my nails, I try to relax. It’s
hard to be pampered.

“He gave me quite the budget for you today, so we’re going
to have it all!” she coos.

Inside my head I tell myself,
He really can’t afford
this. I should pay for it.
Unfortunately, I don’t have this kind of money
either. But this mimosa is damn good.

Two hours later, the girl says, “And I think this grey
eyeshadow will look good on you.”

“How much is this?” I squeak out.

“Kim, doesn’t matter. If it’s what you need, get it,” Misty
calls back as a girl in a black cape-like dress brushes bronzer on her face.

“Margot,” the taller, older hairdresser says, “I need to
borrow Kimberly for a few minutes. It’s time for her shine treatment to be
rinsed and conditioned.”

“Sure.” She helps me down out of the chair. “I’ll be right
here when you get back.”

I follow the tall woman, Kathleen, back to the hair area,
but it’s hard to keep up with these little cotton thingies between my toes.
Misty calls out to me, “Love that toenail polish, girl!”

“Thanks,” I call back. Good god. I’m afraid when this is all
done, I’ll look in the mirror and won’t recognize myself. Sheesh.

But I get a huge surprise when my shine treatment is done
and dried. Kathleen spins me around for a peek, and I gasp at my hair. It’s
sleek and shiny with just the right amount of curl, and the way it tumbles
around my shoulders is gorgeous. I can’t help but smile. Jaz is going to love
it.

I leave with my face all made up surprisingly well – no
clown look here, thank god – and carrying a sack full of all kinds of products.
There’s stuff for my hair, and new nail polish, and all kinds of makeup. I look
beautiful but feel horrible. That was an enormous amount of Jaz’s money that I
just spent. I sure hope he thinks it was worth it.