Sugar Daddy Wanted: Now Accepting Applications (12 page)

Ringing in her right ear made her wince. She massaged it, hoping it would pass quickly. The sensation had occurred with increasing frequency in the past couple of days. If by Monday, it hadn’t passed, she’d take herself to a doctor.

“You okay, Mom?”

At the sound of Duncan’s voice, her eyes popped open and her head snapped up. “Yeah. Just tired,” she replied.

“Why don’t you take a break?” The worry on his face gave her pause.

She pasted on a bright smile. “Already on it,” she said, snapping the laptop closed.

The noise woke Cohen. “What’s going on?” He yawned and stretched his body out down the length of the couch.

“Not much,” she replied. “You boys want to go out for dinner?”

“Yeah,” both boys chimed in unison.

“Great.” Kerry clapped her hands together and stood. Dizziness washed through her, and she swayed on the spot.

Duncan rushed over to steady her. “You okay? You look really pale. And you’ve got dark circles under your eyes.”

Kerry shook her head to clear the sensation. “Yeah. I haven’t eaten in a while. Just had a head rush when I stood up.” Her stomach growled as if to confirm her claim. “Where do you two feel like eating?”

“How about Pizza Palace?” Cohen suggested.

“Fine by me,” Duncan agreed.

“Why don’t you grab your coats and meet me in the car?” Kerry asked. “I’ll get my purse.”

On the ride to the restaurant, the ringing in her ear started up again. By the time they arrived, the sound had stopped. During dinner, she laughed and joked with her boys, enjoying time together. It felt good for the three of them to do something as a family.

“So, how’s Grayson?” Cohen asked. “Will we get to go back to his place again? It’s not fair that bonehead here got to watch a movie in his home theatre and I didn’t.”

“You were in the hospital,” she pointed out.

“So? It’s still not fair,” Cohen whined.

Back to normal.
“I don’t know,” she said. “I’ll have to check.”

“Why don’t you check now?” Duncan inquired. “What else does a rich dude have to do on a Saturday night?”

“I’m not going to call him up and say my kids want to take advantage of his hospitality.” Kerry sat back in her seat and folded her arms over her chest.

“Why not? He likes you. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind,” Duncan said.

“Grayson has been busy this week. I don’t want to bother him tonight.”

The boys exchanged looks. “What?” she asked, eyes narrowing at them.

“Does this mean you’ve figured out what
it
is?” Duncan asked. “Did he dump you? What a jerk.”

Kerry held up a hand. “Whoa. No one said he dumped me.”

“You’re not saying he didn’t,” Duncan pointed out.

“Damn,” Cohen exclaimed. “I only got to swim in his pool.”

“Hang on, you two. Don’t start jumping to all kinds of conclusions.”

“Then what is going on with the two of you?” Duncan asked. Both of her sons stared at her expectantly.

Frustration welled up inside of her. She released a calming breath before providing an answer. “Listen—Grayson and I are friends who are trying to figure out if there’s more. We’re both busy adults. These things take time.” She almost laughed out loud at her answer.
Time?
She’d spent a weekend with him to see if they’d be compatible to live together. Perhaps it was time for them to come to their senses. No one approached a relationship that way. When she got home, she’d call him and find out one way or the other. No more waiting. No more guessing.

“I’m going to call him when we get home,” she said.

“Hey Cohen—how are you?” One of her son’s friends, Jason, out with his family, approached their table raising his fist for a thump with Cohen’s. The two friends filled each other in on the week’s events—Cohen about his surgery, Jason about school.

Kerry chatted with his parents while Duncan answered a call on his cell. Jason’s parents invited Cohen to spend the night. Duncan informed her he’d be meeting up with his girlfriend at a coffee shop not far from the restaurant. By the time the waiter brought the check, Kerry had bid her sons good-bye and sat there staring at the bill.
Well, this is a first—ditched by two men at the same time.

On the ride home, she mulled over what to say to Grayson when she called. By the time she pulled into her driveway, she still didn’t know. Her cell buzzed from inside her purse. She fished it out and looked at the caller ID.
Grayson.
Her heart skipped a beat.

Breathing deep to calm herself, she pushed the talk button. “Hello?”

“Hi, Kerry.” His deep voice rumbled in her ear, sending shivers of delight down her spine.

“Grayson. How have you been?”

“Good. I’ve been busy, but good. I apologize for disappearing this week. Work has been hectic.”

“Well, I’m glad you called. I just got home from a dinner date where I was promptly ditched for a better offer,” she joked.

Silence settled over the phone line.

“Grayson?” she asked. “You still there?”

“A dinner date,” Grayson repeated.

“Oh, well,” Kerry stuttered to explain. “It’s not what you—”

“We need to talk,” he interrupted.

Kerry gulped. His tone didn’t suggest it would be a pleasant conversation. Emotion welled up from her heart. She opened the car door and stood quickly, her intention to get into the house as quick as possible. If he meant to break things off, she wanted to be inside away from the prying eyes of neighbors, in case her emotions got the better of her.

Black dots danced across her vision. Swaying, she reached out to grab hold of the car door for support. A blow to the head sent her crumpling to the ground.

* * * * *

Grayson scrubbed a hand over the stubble growth on his chin, watching the female EMT adjust the oxygen mask over Kerry’s face.

Kerry came to in a panic, struggling to remove the mask. The male paramedic soothed her, assuring her she’d be all right, as he dabbed at the cut on her forehead.

Grayson shuddered.
So much blood.
The best he could surmise, she’d hit her head on the car door while exiting the vehicle. Thank God, he’d been on the phone with her at the time. The thud of her hitting the ground echoed in his brain. When she hadn’t answered him, he’d kept her on the line and had Davis drive him over to her place. Finding her on the ground with blood seeping from a head wound, nearly had him pitching a fit.

Davis called the paramedics while he’d found tissues to help stop the bleeding. The worry clenching his gut confirmed what he’d suspected all week: he loved Kerry Roberts.

I am such a coward.

He’d tried to convince himself he was giving her space to care for her son after his surgery. For the most part, he’d convinced himself he needed time to work on the new case file. But really he’d been afraid of the intense feelings she’d incited in him. Had they not been interrupted by her son, he would have made love to her, seen to her pleasure, vowed to make certain he would be able to do it for the rest of his days. No relationship had been as effortless, and instead of exploring it, he ran from it.

But tonight, sitting alone in his living room, he’d had no choice but to face the quiet of his home and the joy he’d found there while sharing it with her and her sons. Last weekend, he had told her he’d be there for her, and he needed to honor his promise, let her know it hadn’t been hollow intentions. Upon hearing she’d been on a date, his pride had taken a hit. Momentarily speechless, he hadn’t known how to proceed. He had no idea if the date was something she’d set up before she’d met him. There were a lot of things they didn’t know about each other. They’d barely scratched the surface, and yet on a soul deep level, he knew they shared a special connection. He hoped she felt it too.

“I don’t want to go to the hospital.” Kerry’s weak voice brought him out of his ruminations.

“You need stitches and we need to determine whether or not you have a concussion,” the male EMT insisted.

Tears gathered at the corners of her eyes, and the sight squeezed Grayson’s heart. “Kerry—where are the boys?”

“Um…they are…”  Her eyes scrunched closed as she struggled to remember. “Cohen is at a friend’s place. Duncan is at his girlfriend’s house. But I don’t want him staying here tonight alone.”

“I’ll call him from your phone,” Grayson offered, patting his pocket to indicate he had her phone on him. “He can stay with me tonight.”

“Thank you.”

He squeezed her hand. “You’re welcome.”

“What are you doing here anyway?”

He raised the back of her hand to his lips. “Why don’t we talk once you’ve been checked out?” He cocked his head in the direction of the ambulance. “I think they want to get you to the hospital ASAP.”

A humorless chuckle escaped her. “How great is my life that the most exciting thing to happen to me in the past week is two visits to an Emergency room?”

“Damn,” Grayson said, walking alongside her. “I didn’t even make the list.”

The female EMT giggled. “If you don’t want him, I’ll have him.”

Kerry smiled. “I didn’t say I didn’t want him.”

“Good.” Grayson gingerly kissed her forehead. “Because I want you.”

Her smile widened in reply.

“Well, my dear,” the elderly doctor said. “It seems as if you have an inner ear infection. That explains the dizzy spells and why you lost your balance. It appears you hit your head on the car door when you fell. You don’t seem to have a concussion, but I want to keep you for a few hours for observation before sending you home. I’ll get you started on some antibiotics and write out a prescription for you.”

“Thank you, doctor,” Kerry said.

“I want someone to keep an eye on you for a day or two and make sure you get plenty of rest.”

“I’ll make sure she rests,” Grayson responded.

“Good. I’ll be back later to check on you.” The doctor yanked the curtain back around her bed, cocooning the two lovers in a modicum of privacy.

Grayson cleared his throat. “I used your phone to call Duncan and spoke with his girlfriend’s parents. They offered to keep him—in a separate bedroom—for the night.”

Kerry chuckled, her fingers playing with the edges of the sheet. “I’m sure they’ll be fine. Her parents are great.”

“And Cohen is worried about you, but he’s fine over at Jason’s.”

“Good. Thanks for taking care of that.”

“You’re welcome.” He swallowed hard, not sure what to say.
Best to get right to the point.
“I’m sorry I didn’t call you all week.”

Kerry sniffed. “I figured you were busy. I was.”

“It’s no excuse. I told you I cared and I’d be there for you, and I wasn’t.”

“What’s done is done,” she said, her tone quiet.

He heaved a sigh.
Best to get it out there.
“Kerry, I didn’t call because…I was afraid.”

Her gaze zeroed in on him. “Afraid of what?”

Time to be completely honest.
“Scared of how I feel about you.”

“Oh?” Surprise registered on her face.

He raised an eyebrow. “That’s all you have to say?”

She wet her lips and stared at the sheet. “What do you want me to say? You’re afraid. So am I. The real question is whether or not we’re going to let our fear prevent us from moving forward.”

He pressed a fingertip under her chin to lift her gaze. “Move forward together?”

“Or not,” she said, staring him straight in the eye. “Depends on whether or not we want the same things.”

Right.
They wouldn’t know if they wanted the same things if he didn’t put his intentions out there.
But first—a little truth.
He sat on the edge of the bed, enveloping one of her hands in both of his. “Remember when I told you women either wanted me for my money or my looks?” At her nod, he continued. “I was thirty. Her name was Anna Xander.”

She laughed, quickly quelling her surprise by turning it into a cough.  “Sorry,” she offered. “But that’s the fakest name I’ve ever heard.”

Her reaction brought a smile to his lips. Chuckling, he shook his head. “Well, that
was
her real name, but you’re right about the fake part.” He traced every part of her hand with his fingertips, examining the softness of her skin, the ridges of her knuckles. “Anna and I had been dating for two years before I proposed. She was brunette, beautiful… I met her at a party celebrating a partnership at the firm where I’m now partner. In fact, I made partner just prior to our wedding.” He paused to clear his throat. Even for men, some wounds cut deep, especially when he figured he had it all, only to discover nothing was as it seemed.

“What happened?” Kerry squeezed his hand, urging him to continue.

“I thought I loved her.” He shrugged. “I thought she loved me. I had everything, or so I thought…a partnership in a law firm, a beautiful fiancée...I really thought we were building a life together. Turned out she loved my money and the lifestyle she thought I could provide, not me.”

Kerry’s brows drew together in concern. “So, you were like her Sugar Daddy?”

“I suppose in a way I was.” Grayson raked his fingers through his hair. “A month before the wedding, I came home to overhear a conversation with her mother. Her mom asked if she was sure she didn’t want to marry someone for love. Anna told her she liked me enough and that my money would make up for the rest.”

He stared over Kerry’s head, eyes glazing over as he brought the memory into focus. “I used to think I loved her free spirit. She’d go from one job to the next when she tired of one or the other. Little did I know she had no real ambition because she figured she didn’t have to make anything of herself. I would do it for us.” He focused on Kerry’s face again. “I’ll never forget the look on their faces when they saw me standing in the doorway to the kitchen. Shocked doesn’t even begin to describe her or her mother.”

“What did you do?”

Grayson gestured into the empty air with one hand. “I told her to keep the ring, the condo—at the meeting with the bank when I signed it over; I said it was my wedding gift to her. A couple of days later, I sent her parents a cheque for down payments for all of our wedding commitments. They mailed it back in pieces with an apology note. I haven’t spoken to her since.”