Over the Fence (27 page)

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Good. I like it, too. Your hair is so soft. I love how it feels under my fingers.”

Shyly, she smiled at me. I couldn’t resist bending down and kissing her; thrilled when she lifted her head to accept my caress. Her lips were warm and pliant as they moved with mine, sliding soft with each other. I kept it chaste and drew back, my thumb stroking her bottom lip.

“I like that best,” I grinned down at her.

“Good.” She wrinkled her nose adorably.

“Continue, please.”

“As I got older I spent a lot of time at the library. Mrs. Braun was the head librarian and she was . . . Well, she was what made the difference in my life. She talked to me, helped me find the books I needed, encouraged me. She was the one person who seemed to
see
me, and the only adult who made me feel as if they cared. She always had time to talk to me, or listen, you know?”

“I’m glad you had her.”

“I think she knew I didn’t have a good home life and tried, in her own way, to make a difference.”

“Kourtney . . .” I was unsure if I should even ask.

“What?”

“Why didn’t anyone ever do anything to help you?”

She shrugged. “What were they going to do? I was fed, clothed; I went to school every day. My dad was the head of the local union and well thought of by almost everyone. My brother was outgoing and popular. If anyone suspected I had a less than happy home life, they never said anything.” Her voice dropped to a mere whisper. “He didn’t break the law, he ignored me. It wasn’t as if they could make him love me, Nathan.”

My heart clenched at her sad words and I shook my head. “He didn’t only ignore you, Kourtney, he neglected you.” I sighed. “But at school? Nobody there helped either?”

“The term
bullying
wasn’t used the way it is today. I never complained, so who was going to come forward? I got good grades, I never showed any bruising or marks that weren’t easy to explain by my own clumsiness, and Andy was smart enough he didn’t mess with me in front of adults. I was a shadow. To them I was shy, not very sociable; another student who didn’t fit in. Simple as that.”

“They all failed you.”

She was quiet for a moment. “Mrs. Braun was different, though. When I told her what I wanted to do, she encouraged me. As soon as I was able to, I worked every job I could: waiting tables, cleaning offices, tutoring other kids, anything to save money. And I studied a lot. Mrs. Braun even hired me at the library; although most of the time she made sure I studied.” Kourtney smiled. “I trusted her, and I gave her all my money—she kept it safe for me, so Andy or Dad couldn’t get to it. Not that they even noticed I wasn’t home. I made sure they had their meals and the house was clean. They thought I was either at the library or tutoring—which I may have told them I did for free.” Kourtney gave me a mischievous grin. “That was Mrs. Braun’s idea. She didn’t trust them at all.”

I snorted. “The woman had good taste.”

“She always made sure I had a little pocket money for things, but otherwise she put it all in the bank for me.” She glanced up at me. “I think she added to it as well, but she never admitted to it.”

“She sounds great. I’d like to thank her for what she did for you.”

“She passed not long after I left for University.”

“I’m sorry, baby.”

“I still miss her.” Her lip trembled a little, but she smiled. “She would have liked you.”

“I think I would have liked her, as well.”

Kourtney sighed. “I worked really hard, and I graduated high school a year early, with honors. I got a scholarship and went to University at seventeen. It was only a few hours down the road, but I was away from
them
. I lived in the dorms and ate Ramen noodles for months at a time, but I did it.”

“I assume your father didn’t help with the costs?”

Kourtney laughed. “No. When I told him I was leaving to go to University, he told me it was a waste of money since I would never amount to anything.”

“That must have hurt.”

“It did, but I was used to his insulting remarks. And for the first time in my life I ignored him and did it. I went and I worked; I studied and I paid for it myself, and I walked out of there with a PhD. in medical science.”

I gazed down at her fondly. “I told you that you were brilliant.”

“I wasn’t brilliant enough.”

“Why?”

“Just after I graduated, Andy called and told me Dad had fallen. I hadn’t seen either of them since I left to go to school. I never went home for holidays or anything.”

“I can’t say I blame you.”

“I didn’t ever want to see them again, and with Mrs. Braun gone, there wasn’t much reason to go back. But Andy kept calling and pressuring me, so I went to see him.” She blew out a breath. “One thing led to another and before I knew it I was back there, looking after my father and brother.”

I sighed in disappointment. “Kourtney.”

“I know. I was stupid. I thought maybe this was the chance I had been waiting for. I was grown up, and they seemed to need me. I had been offered a job at a hospital in Mississauga and I thought I could look after Dad, work and maybe we would truly be a family,” she admitted, sounding sad. “Maybe I would finally belong.”

I stroked her cheek. “But it didn’t happen, did it?”

“No. I didn’t like the job and things at my father’s hadn’t changed. I was someone to look after them for free. My father was as distant and ungrateful as ever, and Andy—well, he was Andy. Nothing I did was ever right.”

“Yeah. Charming.”

Kourtney shifted and rolled toward me. I wrapped my arm around her, pulling her closer, sensing her need to be nearer to me. “What happened?”

“Dad wasn’t getting better. In fact, he’d had some small strokes so he was becoming worse. He was getting to be more than I could handle and even his own doctor said he needed to be in a care home. He kept refusing, but I was running myself ragged between work and him. He wouldn’t even accept home care to help me. I didn’t know how I could keep going.”

“What was Andy doing to help?”

Kourtney laughed. “Nothing. Absolutely nothing. He continued on with his life. Working at the garage, drinking with his buddies, making snide remarks about me.”

“Fucker,” I muttered.

“I got called out of the blue for a position at the Research Center here, which was where I had wanted to be after I graduated. When I was offered the job, I knew I couldn’t do both—look after Dad and travel here every day.” She shook her head. “I wanted this so much and for the first time ever, I put myself ahead of everyone else, and accepted the job. When I told them I was leaving and Dad would either have to pay for home care or go into the care facility . . . well, it was ugly. They said some awful things and Andy pushed me hard into the wall. I could barely move one shoulder for days.” She looked up at me, her expression bereft. “I knew then, I would never be anything to them except a free maid. They didn’t love me as a child, and they didn’t love me as an adult.”

I returned her sad gaze, tamping down my feelings of rage toward her asshole brother. He had better hope we never ran into each other in a dark alley. Or even a well-lit one. “What did you do?”

“I went upstairs, packed my few things and left after they went to bed. I started my new job, found a small apartment, and for the first time in my life, I lived on my own. I’d never had that kind of freedom before and I loved it.”

“Did they bother you?”

“For a while. Andy would call and threaten me, telling me how much I owed them and how I had let them down, yet again. I had let Dad’s doctor know I was leaving and he stepped in and got Dad into the care facility. He wasn’t happy about it, but the calls stopped and I thought I was done with them. I hadn’t heard or seen from Andy until he showed up the other day.”

“Is your father still in the same care facility now?”

“Yes.”

“And he wants to leave it?” I asked in a taut voice.

“Yes. He doesn’t like it there.”

I tightened my hands on hers. “I don’t care. You’re not going back there, Kourtney. You aren’t free labor for them.” I stared, my gaze intense. “I won’t let them use or hurt you again.”

“I know.”

“You don’t owe them anything. You know that, right? They have no control over you anymore.”

“I’m trying, Nathan.”

I cupped her face lovingly. “Good. I’ll keep reminding you.” I paused and changed my line of questioning; sensing she had answered enough questions about her family for now. “But I was wondering . . . What made you buy this place?”

“I had been saving for a while, thinking how much I would enjoy a place with a little yard. I didn’t need anything big or fancy. My apartment was only about ten minutes from here. I used to come through the neighborhood all the time when I took pictures in the woods or went for a run. I saw the ‘For Sale’ sign go up and called the agent. I loved it right away and I put in an offer.”

“I’m glad it was accepted.”

She beamed. “Me, too.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Even if you ended up getting involved with someone who wants you to look after him, too?”

“We look after each other, Nathan. That’s the big difference.”

“There is another difference, Kourtney,” I murmured.

“What?”

“This someone adores you.”

Her eyes were huge in her sweet face. “You . . . adore me?”

I lifted my knees, pulling her up close. “So much, Chefgirl. So very much.”

“I’ve never been adored before,” she whispered brokenly. Her beautiful eyes swam with tears.

“Get used to it. It’s not going to change.” I covered her mouth with mine, showing her how much she was adored.

We spent the rest of the evening quiet and together. Kourtney seemed to need to be close to me, and I was more than happy with that. I made her laugh with my magical microwave skills and heated up some leftovers for supper. Afterward, she curled into the corner of the sofa, reading, and I worked on my iPad; her legs draped over my lap. Outside, the rain continued to fall. Several times, I caught her gazing wistfully out the window. “What are you thinking?”

“I was wondering if the rain would stop, and I could go for a run in the morning.”

“You run every day?”

“I try.”

“I’m coming with you.”

She rolled her eyes. “I had kinda figured that.”

I squeezed her leg. “Good.”

“You can’t put your life on hold for me forever.”

I looked at her worried expression and shook my head. “I’m right where I want to be. We look after each other, remember?” I took hold of her hand and reiterated in a quiet voice. “Together.”

Her amazing eyes widened; the vivid colors brilliant as she gazed at me. “I like that,” she whispered.

“Good.”

I stood up and stretched. “It’s been a long day.” I held out my hand. “Bring your book and come to bed with me, Chefgirl.”

She blushed, but accepted my hand. I tugged her off the sofa and into my arms, smiling as she accepted my embrace without tensing up for a change.

“I’m going to make sure everything is locked up, and I’ll meet you there?” I kissed her forehead.

“Meet you there.”

A movement caught my eye and I glanced over at Kourtney. She was propped up on her pillows, her dark hair spread around her, reading; or at least she was, until she had fallen asleep. Now her book was face down on her chest. Her reading glasses, with the tinted lenses I hated, had slid down her nose and her hand had fallen; it now rested palm up between us on the bed.

I pulled off my shirt, turned out the light, shut off my iPad and rolled over, propping myself up on my knees as I leaned over her. I closed her book and placed it on the nightstand, then tugged off her glasses and set them on top, frowning at them the whole time. I wondered if she would let me talk her into changing the lenses. Her unique eyes should be seen, not hidden from view. They were too beautiful to be concealed.

I sat back, staring down at her, drinking in her sweet face. It was still pale from the emotions of the day and her few freckles stood out against the pale of her skin; her beauty mark like a drop of ink spilled on paper. Her full lips were parted slightly, the tip of her tongue pressing on her bottom lip. I swallowed hard, battling the urge to lean forward and kiss her. She needed the rest. I couldn’t, however, resist reaching up and tucking a thick strand of her rich hair away from her face. It fell into place with the other thick waves on the pillow. As my gaze fell back on Kourtney, I saw her eyes were now open and watching me.