Taking Care of Business (28 page)

The only reason she let his bossy tone slide was because she felt sorry for him. And, OK, she was glad he'd asked. God she was such a girl. He'd turned her into a fifteen-year-old girl.

'Bossy.'

He laughed and it made her smile. She rolled her eyes at herself as she gave him the information.

'I'm going back to the house for now. I'll be back in town in a few days. We don't want to have Kendall on the road for a bit so we'll stay at the lake house until she's had the chance to rest up.'

She had no right to be mad. Of course he didn't want to subject his daughter to a two-and-a-half-hour drive the day after she was in the hospital overnight for a head injury. Still, sucktown.

'Oh, of course. Well, I'm sure I'll talk to you when you get back then.'

His frustrated sigh gusted over the phone. 'You will. You know that.'

He was hindered with what he could say. She got that, which meant, oh, fuck, who knew what it meant, and she was too tired to guess and utterly done with being fifteen again.

So she pulled up her big-girl panties and took a bracing breath. 'OK. I'm glad your daughter is all right, Dix. Get some rest, I'm sure you need it.'

'I'll be in touch.'

'I'll be in town. I have to go, we just pulled up at the train station and I've got to hustle.'

They hung up and she shoved too much money at the cab driver and headed to the train with her bags.

Dix settled Kendall into a bed and tucked the sheet beneath her arms, bending to kiss her forehead. 'Rest.'

'Dad? Are you OK?'

'Just worried about you.' He went to the door and closed it gently when he saw she was already drifting off.

They'd bought the lake house when Eve was pregnant with Adrienne. Kendall had been an infant still. They'd been so young. He'd wanted a family, wanted the tyre swing, wanted what he'd gotten and, over time, the family part had been great, but the wife, not so much. He'd been obsessed with work and she'd just, well, been.

She was waiting for him downstairs, he knew it. She'd listened to his phone call with Kate quite closely and had been very quiet on the drive back from the hospital.

Adrienne was out with some of the other teenagers visiting the area so it wasn't a conversation he could avoid. And, frankly, not one he could afford to avoid if he meant to make something with Kate.

'She pretty much went right to sleep,' he said as he entered the kitchen, heading for the coffee machine.

'Good. While you're here you should take a look at the tyre swing and the dock might need some work too.' Eve sat at the table, so petite and lovely. Once she'd stirred him deeply but now, aside from her obvious beauty, she did nothing for him. He wanted Kate to understand that.

'I'll have the carpenter I used a few years ago for the shed come out and look at the dock. I'll look at the swing later.

You should get some rest, you were up all night.' He sat with his coffee, across from her.

'So, who is she then?' Pretty blunt for Eve. She had to be angry to let go of that calm façade of hers.

'Her name is Kate.'

'You don't need to feel guilty, you know. I'm sure she understands your family comes first. Anyway, they always disappear after a week or two. I'm surprised you actually talked to this one while you were with us.'

Outwardly, her statement was fine but he knew what she really meant and it meant Kate was right too. He sighed and sipped his coffee.

'It's different. She's different. And I don't feel guilty, not in the way you imagine. She does realise my children come first. This is a woman who will be a regular part of my life, Eve. Eventually I'll introduce her to the girls.'

'Does she understand your commitment to your family, Charles?'

How come when Eve called him Charles it didn't amuse him? He was being unfair, the comparison wasn't fair but he couldn't stop himself from making it.

'I said she does.'

'What makes this one different? And you shouldn't drink coffee so late in the day, you'll have trouble sleeping.'

Were they even friends?

'Yeah. And it's different because she is. I'm ready to have a real relationship and she's someone I want that with. I'm sorry if that hurts you. I honestly don't want that.' He pushed the cup away, she was right about the caffeine.

'We've been divorced a long time. You've gone through a lot of women over the years. You think I didn't know?' She waved a perfectly manicured hand. 'I'm the only one you come back to. You should think about why. You're still in love with me and you can't admit it. It's why you haven't been with anyone seriously in all this time.'

And, pow, Kate was right. Christ. 'Well, see, part of that's true in a sense and it was brought to my attention recently.

I don't come back to you though and I'm an ass if I gave you any false hope that we'd be back together. I've been happy for you when you had men in your life. I wanted to be sure the girls had stability. I don't hate you, I just don't want to be married to you. You and I aren't meant to be married, you said so yourself. We share two great kids and I never planned, nor do I ever plan, to walk out of their lives. You're part of their lives so naturally we're part of each other's life. But that doesn't mean I come back to you.'

She levelled a gaze on him and shrugged. 'If that's what you think. She's not here and, yet, you are. What does she think about that?'

'She told me I was still married to you without the fucking. At the time it pissed me off. But it turns out she was pretty right about it. She also shoved me out of the door when I got the call about Kendall being hurt.'

'She said that? In those vulgar terms? What kind of woman are you going to expose our daughters to?'

He stood and washed his cup out in the sink. 'Don't ever call my judgement into question when it comes to the girls, Eve.

She's the kind of woman I'm in love with. I'm sorry if this hurts you. I am. We've been divorced for seven years. It's apparently partly my fault you haven't moved on so let me be totally clear. I'm not coming back. We've had what I've always thought of as an amicable divorce and have managed to work together on parenting. I'd like to keep things that way. But that doesn't mean we're still married and it doesn't mean I haven't moved on. You need to see other people, find happiness. You deserve it. You're a good woman. Beautiful, intelligent, you run a successful business, there are many men who would love to snap you up.'

'Just not you?'

He barely resisted hugging her. He wasn't an asshole, he didn't want her hurt. But he didn't want her holding out false hope either. 'I'm sorry.'

Kate hadn't spoken to Dix much over the last week. He'd been at the lake house and then at work. She didn't want to call him at home because she hadn't wanted to intrude on his private life, especially since she knew he had his daughters with him.

He'd left a few voicemails for her and she'd responded but ended up with his voicemail in return. Each message he left made him sound more and more frustrated and she totally understood. She was pretty damned frustrated herself.

Uncertainty wasn't a place she liked. She'd made the damned decision to love him and then all hell had broken loose and she'd been given way too much time alone to think.

On her way home from work she dialled Leah.

'Griffin.'

Kate smiled at Leah's businesslike clipped tone. 'Hey. Whatcha up to?'

'I'm about to hit Wegman's. What's up with you?'

'Just calling to check in, make sure we're still on for next week.' And how nice it was, Kate realised, to be able to see Leah regularly. Just to hang out.

'Of course, wouldn't miss it.'

'All right then. I'll let you go seeing as you're about to enter the nirvana of grocery stores.' She hesitated. She'd wanted to talk to Leah about the Dix thing all weeklong but kept hesitating. Stupid of her really.

Kate realised Leah had been talking and she finally burst out. 'God, Leah, what am I going to do about Dix?'

Leah laughed. 'I was wondering when you'd finally talk to me about it. Tell me.'

So Kate did, pouring out her anxiety, fear, anger and frustration. There was more than she'd thought but it came out easily when she was talking to Leah.

'I just don't know what to think. The thing is, it's all stupid. I mean, he's called even if it's just phone tag. I don't have any reason to think he's blowing me off but Pickles is still in the way. If he doesn't deal with the ex, I don't think we can make it work.'

'That's fair. I'm never going to be able to look at him without snickering now that I know about the pickle-jar thing. For now I think you need to cut the guy some slack and, if he doesn't show up to your place within the next few days to sweep you into bed, then you can cut his balls off.'

Kate grinned. 'You always say the best stuff. So, um, speaking of showing up at your place and all. Any Band Boy smack to share?'

Leah let out a suffering sigh. 'What did you do? Did you do something?'

'Look, he was all morose and you were so sad and I knew he wanted to go after you and you needed him to and all, so I gave him your home address and number. I'd say I was sorry but we'd both know I was lying so yadda yadda. He doesn't strike me as stalker material and he seriously has a jones for you.' Kate grimaced, waiting for Leah's response.

'Well, he didn't use them.'

Kate only barely stifled herself from showing any pity. Leah would hate that. 'Well, you could call him.'

'I could. But I'm not going to.'

Kate sighed at Leah's stubbornness. She unlocked the front door to her building, waved at the doorman and found her voice. 'Why not? It's been a week.'

'Only a week.'

'And a day even. Gah! Leah! A week can be a long time.' Yeah, really long. She sobered. 'Believe me.'

'I'll think about it, OK?'

Kate perked up. Clearly she'd need to put all her own angst into a campaign to get Leah to call Band Boy and jump his squeaky-clean bones until she sullied him. 'You know you want to. He's probably used like eight boxes of tissues and a lot of hand lotion just thinking about you. He's mopey. His mom keeps asking him why he keeps showering so much and hanging out in the basement with his Star Wars figurines.'

Leah snorted a laugh. 'Ew! OK, so not ew, but eight boxes seems excessive. Anyway, do you really want to go there? Because I'll go there about you and Dix and then we won't have anything to talk about at lunch next week.'

'Dude, if Dix is jerking off so much he needs eight boxes of tissues in a week, I don't think I'll be enough for him. But OK, truce. For now.' She got out of the elevator and saw him, Dix, finally, standing in front of her door. 'See you later. Call me if you want to talk.'

Kate hung up, amazed her legs still worked as she moved towards him, hoping her tongue wasn't hanging out. Had he looked this good the last time she saw him?

He smiled, looking her up and down. 'Hi. After leaving a dozen voicemails back and forth, I figured I'd come to you.'

His voice was so sexy. She couldn't help herself as she leaned towards him, slid her arms around his neck and tiptoed up to kiss him. Oh he tasted so good, smelled even better. The man was walking, talking delicious.

Dix caught her body, breathing her in, realising he'd been more nervous than he'd thought.

'That's a fine welcome.' He grinned as she pulled back and unlocked her door.

'Come on in,' she called as she sauntered past, carefully hanging her briefcase and purse on a neatly hung peg just inside.

He did, closing and locking the door behind himself. He looked around the surprisingly feminine and bright space.

'I . . . I guess I hadn't expected you to have girly taste.'

She turned and glared at him. 'Girly? Do you see any glass unicorns or big-eyed baby figurines with praying hands and puppies? Girly, humph.'

Laughing, he tossed his overnight bag just beneath where she'd hung her things. 'I meant, well, flowers and soft colours. Pillows on the couch.'

'You have pillows on your couch if I remember correctly.

What does that say?'

'You're being argumentative, counsellor.' He moved to her and she rolled her eyes and headed down a hall. He followed, liking to watch as she peeled her suit jacket off.

'I'll have you know,' she said as she entered her bedroom, 'I get paid a lot to be argumentative.'

His mouth dried up when she shrugged out of her blouse and stepped from her skirt. 'Kate, stockings? My. So very sexy.'

She sent him a raised brow and hung her things up. She put her shoes neatly in the large closet and turned back to him.

'My boyfriend at work likes to bend me over his desk and fuck me. The stockings make it easier.' She paused with a smirk.

'Charles Dixon, why are you here? Why really?'

'I'm here for you. Isn't that obvious? How can I talk when you're standing there in a bra and tiny panties with stockings? It's beyond distracting. I haven't had you in a week and I'm dying.'

The line of her neck beckoned as she laughed. How pretty she was, so at ease with herself as she stood there. A shift had occurred since he'd seen her last. She wasn't hesitant with him at all, instead offering intimacy freely. Still there was a certain wariness in her features.