Just Sex (14 page)

Chapter Fourteen

Kat maneuvered her SUV through holiday airport traffic. Her mother droned on next to her about how well all her friends’ kids were doing and how she wished Kat would act more like them. She tilted her head and sent up a prayer
. Thank you for Sam’s return home. Please, give me the strength not to kill my mother. Please make the next few days fly by until my father gets here.

She pulled her SUV into her driveway. Sam ran out of the car as soon as it stopped. “Can I call Nicholas?”

“Yes,” Kat yelled after him. “You can go over to his house if it’s okay with his mother.”

“Thanks, Mom!”

She helped her mother bring her suitcase up to the master bedroom. “What do you think of the house?”

“It’s nice, dear.”

Her mother’s condescending tone set Kat on edge. She placed her mother’s suitcase on the bed. “Thanks, Mother.”

“Katherine, can I talk to you?” Bev unzipped the bag and started to put her things away.

“Yes, Mother. I need to speak to you about something also.”

“Where are all your things?” Bev asked.

“They’re in the downstairs bedroom. I like that room better.” She unpacked her mother’s toiletries in the bathroom.

Bev turned to her daughter. “I’m so sorry, Katherine.”

She fumbled the bottle of perfume she had in her hand.
What?
“For what?”

“For not seeing how unhappy you were.” Bev picked at her black slacks.

Kat sat next to her mother. “I’m a big girl. I made my own decisions and mistakes.”

“I know,” Bev said. “I always blamed you for everything.”

She snorted. “You have my whole life.”

“I’m sorry.”

Kat had waited thirty-five years to hear her mother say she was sorry. The words left her feeling hollow. “Why are you apologizing now?”

Bev straightened and her chin jutted up. “Your father pointed it out to me.”

Of course her mother wouldn’t think to apologize on her own. “You’re doing this for Dad?” She stood and stalked to the window.

“No!” Bev walked over to her. “I’m doing this for us. We’re going to be seeing a lot of each other and I don’t want Sam to see us
at
each other.”

“I don’t want that either, but we have been like this for as long as I can remember. I don’t know how we’re going to fix this.”

A tear ran down Bev’s cheek. “I don’t either.”

“Mother, don’t cry.” Sympathy settled in Kat’s heart. “We can just start over.” Kat patted her mother’s shoulder. “I have something to tell you.”

Bev wiped her eyes. “What?”

“Dad probably has told you that I’m seeing someone.”

“No, he hasn’t. That’s so nice. Who is he?”

She stepped to the dresser. Her father told Kat’s mother everything. Unease settled over Kat. She grabbed the box of tissues. “You may not think it’s so nice when I tell you who it is.”

“I will try,” Bev sniffed.

“His name is Jared. J.J. for short, J.J. Adams.”

“Your lawn man?” Bev asked.

“Yes.” Kat set her chin and waited for the assault.

“Isn’t he very young and, well, under your class?” Bev snorted. “If you took better care of yourself, you wouldn’t have to date the help.”

She let her mother’s insult roll off her back. “He’s twenty-five and owns the landscaping company.”

When Bev just stared at her, shocked, Kat felt the need to say more. “J.J. just collaborated with Ron.” Disappointment ran over Bev’s face. Why couldn’t her mother be happy for her? “Don’t worry, Mother. It’s not forever. It’s just until I move to Maine.”

“Do you love him?” Bev asked.

You’d just love that, wouldn’t you?
“Yes. It’ll just about kill me to leave.” Kat turned to leave the room. “Could you and Dad please watch Sam sometimes?”

“Can I meet him, please?”

Kat thought about it for a long minute. “Yes. I don’t think that’s too much to ask. If you’d like, I can call him now to see if he can come over while Sam’s up the street.”

“I’d like that. I want to meet the man who put the sparkle in your eye.”

She heard her mother’s words from down the hall and stumbled. Maybe her mother did want a truce after all.

J.J. sat in a meeting with Ron. His phone rang. He glanced at the caller ID and smiled.

“Take it,” Ron said. “We’re done.”

He pushed on his ear piece. “Hi, sexy.”

“Hi.”

He loved the way she sounded. “I’m happy to hear your voice.”

“You may not think that when I’m done asking you for this.”

“You know you can ask me anything.”

“Can you come over and meet my mother?”

He sat forward. “What?”

“She would like to meet the man who puts the sparkle in my eye.”

“I’ll send Mario right over.”

“No offense to Mario. He does a great job on my yard, which puts a smile on my face, but only you put a twinkle in my eye.”

“I’ll be right over.” J.J. hung up the phone, glanced over at Ron and sighed. “Kat’s mother wants to meet me.”

Ron sent him a pitying look. “Oh buddy. I want to be a fly on the wall for this one.”

He stood and heard Patty’s cell phone ring. She walked into Ron’s office. “It’s Kat,” she said to the two men. “Hello,” she answered.

Patty’s lovely face dropped. She gazed at J.J. “Is that so?” She put her hand up and signaled J.J. to stop. He plopped down into the chair in front of her desk. Patty hung up the phone and grinned. “Kat and her mother have come to a truce.”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yes, and you are the first test.”

“Do you have any advice?”

“A bottle of Jack,” Ron said.

She smiled. “You are the best thing that ever happened to Kat and I will always love you for that.”

Her words touched him.

“I know it’s going to be hard when she leaves.” She grabbed his arm. “Spend this time with her wisely.”

“I will.” J.J. stood.

“I hope between the three of us, we can convince her to stay,” Patty said.

“I hope so too.” J.J. walked to his truck. He thought about stopping at his place to change into nicer clothes. He checked the dash clock and made the turn to his apartment complex. J.J. parked in front of his door and rushed into his apartment.

He tore off his sweat-stained T-shirt and tossed it on the couch. J.J. rushed into his bedroom and opened a dresser drawer to find it empty. He made a mental note to pick up laundry soap on his way home tonight.

Work had been crazy. J.J. and his crew were definitely experiencing growing pains. He thanked the powers that be for the great people who worked for him. He made another mental note to go over his books to see if he could give them all bigger holiday bonuses this year.

J.J. grabbed the cleanest things he could find and sniffed them. They passed the smell test. He yanked on the polo shirt and dark blue jeans and hurried back to his truck.

A half hour after Kat called, J.J. turned into her driveway. He walked up to the front door and stopped just as he was about to open it. J.J. hadn’t been this nervous since he’d met his first date’s father. He rubbed his palms on his pants and lifted his hand to knock. The door opened and Kat grinned at him.

“Hi,” he said.

“I’m glad you’re here.” She opened the door wider. “Come on in.”

He took her into his arms and devoured her mouth. Someone cleared their throat. J.J. pulled away and glanced into Bev’s shocked face. “Hello.” He held out his hand. “I’m J.J.”

“Nice to meet you,” Bev said.

“Mother, is there something wrong?”

“N-no,” Bev stammered.

He put his arm protectively around her. “Mrs. Harper. How was your flight?”

“It was just fine, young man.”

“Call me J.J. or Jared,” he said.

“Why don’t we go into the living room.” Kat motioned her to the room off the foyer.

J.J. smiled at the couch and what he and Kat had done on that soft surface. Bev surely wouldn’t approve.

They walked into the living room and sat down.

Bev spoke first. “So, Kat tells me that you and Ron are partners.”

“Yes ma’am, we are. I have a landscaping company.” He crossed his legs. “Ron wants my company to do all the yard planning for his projects.”

“Well, how convenient that is for you,” Bev said.

He felt Kat stiffen, leaned forward and placed his hand on her knee and unfolded his legs. “Mrs. Harper, I love your daughter and I want her to be happy. I won’t have you belittling what we have.”

Bev bristled and stood. “Young man—”

He talked over her. “I have had feelings for Kat from the first day I met her. That was over a year ago.”

Kat stared at him, stunned.

“I saw a sexy and smart woman. When I got to know her better, I also found her to be hardworking and a great mother and wife. I would hear how Gary spoke to her and it would make me crazy. I will not have her disrespected in her own home.”

A smug expression crossed Bev’s face. “Was there something going on before Gary died?”

Shock crashed into J.J. and he stood. “Is that what you think?”

“It’s all right,” Kat said.

“No, it’s not,” he said.

“I’m sorry. I’m trying to give Kat the benefit of the doubt.”

J.J.’s blood pressure skyrocketed. “She would have stayed with that son of a bitch for the rest of her life just to make you happy. If you can’t see how great she is, then that’s your loss.”

Kat led him toward the door. He’d blown it big time with her mother, but he’d be fucked six ways to Sunday before he allowed Kat’s mother to think so poorly of her daughter.

“Thank you for sticking up for me,” Kat said. “But I’m old enough to fight my own battles.” She opened the front door. “You should go.” She pressed her lips to his. “I’ll come over tonight after Sam goes to bed.”

She kissed him again, softly, and pushed him out the door.

“I love you.” He stumbled back. “Don’t let her tell you different.” J.J. would never forget the way Kat’s face fell when her mother said what she had. He stomped to his truck and sped back to the office. He needed some insight on how to deal with Kat’s mother from people who knew her. Mother or not, J.J. wouldn’t have Kat feel like she was a worthless piece of shit in her own home.

He turned into his new office, shut off his truck and stormed into the building. Ron marched to his deck. He came back with a bottle of Jack.

“Sit down.” Patty grabbed some coffee mugs from the kitchenette. “I take it that it didn’t go well.”

“No.” He wanted to kick something.

Ron handed him a mug of Jack. J.J. slugged it down in one gulp. He handed the mug back to Ron. “Thanks. I needed that. I know you have been telling me about Kat’s parents, but a part of me didn’t believe it until today.”

“Let me guess,” Patty said. “Bev wanted to know what Kat had to offer you, because, God forbid, Kat has nothing to offer anyone.”

J.J. stood and stormed to the window. “I can’t believe that woman. I have never wanted to hit a woman in my life until today. She thought Kat was unfaithful to that son-of-a-bitch husband of hers.”

Patty patted him on the back.

“Why?” He spun and looked at both Patty and Ron.

Patty blinked back tears. “Kat is like her grandmother, and Bev despised her mother-in-law.”

“Yes, but I don’t understand the way Bev treats Kat. Bev is her mother, she should love Kat unconditionally.”

“She does in her own way,” Patty said and took Ron’s hand and looked at him. Ron nodded to her.

“You two have your own unspoken communication,” J.J. said.

Patty laughed. “You and Kat do too,” she said. “You guys speak volumes.” Patty grabbed his hand. “I want to tell you something.” She took a deep breath. “Kat’s a lot like her grandmother, but she is very much like her parents too. Kat’s grandmother did everything her heart wanted and lived with the fall-out. Kat’s grandmother would have tried to live happily ever after with you, even if it risked ruining your life.”

“Kat could never ruin my life,” he said. “I would gladly give it to her.”

“I know, and so does Kat.” A tear spilled down Patty’s face. “Here’s where Kat and her grandmother are very different. She will do things for duty. She will leave and move to Maine because it is her duty. She will let you go because it’s what she thinks is best for you. She will bring the mill back to being a multimillion-dollar corporation. That’s what’s expected of her.”

“But she will never be happy,” he said.

“Kat will always make the best out of her life, but you’re right, she will never find true happiness.” Tears flowed down her face and soaked the hanky Ron handed her.

“What can I do?” J.J. asked, feeling helpless.

Ron grasped Patty’s shoulder. “Just love her and be there for her. Kat will be fine.”