Ties That Bind (6 page)

“Do you realize thirty-two is?” he countered.
“She does, really. And your lunch is ready.”

“About time,” she teased, gratefully
accepting the plate he handed her. “This smells amazing.”

“You smell amazing,” he dipped his head to
graze her ear with his lips. Her heart rate spiked again. She
wondered if it would ever stop doing that. She hoped not.

“You’re incorrigible,” she accused lightly,
dipping her head to concentrate on her food. Maybe she should go
back to being angry at him before things got out of hand. After
lunch though; she was enjoying this too much to give it up just
yet. “So I almost hate to ask, but what’s next on today’s
agenda?”

“I’m still thinking about it. I have a few
ideas. It might be a good idea to retrace the steps you’ve already
taken to get some photos to go with the story Jessica is
writing.”

“She’s not writing about me, is she?” Kate’s
eyes widened.

“Well, she’s writing about you experiencing
San Francisco for the first time. You should read it, it’s very
good.”

“Everything Jessica writes is very good.
She’s amazing.”

“You guys have quite the mutual admiration
society going on there, don’t you?” Gavin observed.

“Yeah, we kind of do. I’ve never liked people
so thoroughly and so instantly as Jessica and Liz. I think that’s
part of why I don’t want to tell Jack… my suspicions. What if he
sends me away? I don’t know where I’d go, to be honest.”

“So your mom…”

“Died,” Kate choked on the word. “She had
cancer.”

“And she never told you who your father
was?”

“No. Or why he wasn’t around. She muttered
Jack’s name one night, when the morphine was really kicking. I
started trying to figure out who he was and long story short, here
I am.”

“Any other family?”

“Not worth mentioning. A self-absorbed aunt
and uncle. No brothers or sisters. Just little ole’ me,” she tried
to shrug off the crack in her voice.

“Friends?”

“This is just embarrassing now,” she shook
her head, unwilling to answer.

“So you keep everyone outside the wall, not
just me?”

“It’s not like that. I had friends. They just
sort of drifted away the longer my mom’s illness wore on. I didn’t
do much but work and take care of her.”

“Then they weren’t friends.”

“Maybe I was just in the wrong spot. It feels
different here.”

“And precariously balanced on Jack’s mood,”
he frowned. “I think we should look into that. Let’s see if we can
find out why they split up. Maybe he’ll be really happy to find
you.”

“I’m four years younger than his
bride-to-be,” she reminded him. “Somehow I doubt he’ll be thrilled
about that.”

“And he might not care,” he argued. “And for
the record, we aren’t them.”

Kate bit her lip. There was no denying the
thought had crossed her mind – her father’s young bride made her
feel that much guiltier about the age difference between her and
Gavin.

“Do I have to be in any of these pictures
today? Please tell me no, I don’t have a stitch of makeup on.”

“Maybe one or two,” he played with a lock of
hair that slipped over her shoulder.

“When we walk out that door, the spell is
broken and you have to keep your hands to yourself again,” she eyed
him warily.

“Then I’d better do this while I have the
chance.” In one fluid motion, he stood and pulled her to her feet
and to him. His lips claimed hers hungrily. His arms held her
tightly to him, her own hands held his shoulders as if clinging for
dear life.

The need grew with the kiss, swelling to a
painful, all-encompassing wave of emotion. With an almost-pained
expression on his face, he ended the moment, resting his forehead
against hers. Their breath came in great heaves at first and they
stood there quietly, waiting for equilibrium to return.

“I shouldn’t have given you the heads up,”
her eyelashes fluttered.

“Do you wish I hadn’t done that?” his voice
was gentle as a feather.

“No. Heaven help me, I don’t wish that,” her
eyes met his.

“If you don’t want this to go further because
it goes against your moral code, I’ll respect that,” he stroked her
cheek with his thumb. “But don’t put me outside a wall I can’t
climb because you’re scared. That’s not fair to either of us.”

“Is it really that easy? Do you expect me to
say ‘Okay then’ and just forget years of hard-wiring?” She wanted
to laugh. She wanted to cry.

“I know it’s not that easy. I’m just saying
give me a fighting chance. I think I’m falling for you.”

“You can’t possibly know that,” she shook her
head. “You barely know me.”

“Don’t dismiss me like a schoolboy with a
crush. If you really believe that, then let me get to know you. If
you’re right, then I’ll get bored and go away on my own.”

“I’ll think about it,” she promised. It was
all she could give. What if he got bored and she didn’t?

“That’s all I’m asking,” he stole another
quick kiss and stepped back before his will power slipped. He
busied himself tossing dishes in the sink for later while Kate
studied him thoughtfully. It was amazing how his smile could take
his face from dark and brooding to boyishly earnest in an instant.
She wanted to believe him. Wanted to, but wasn’t sure she dared.
With a start, she realized that he was walking away from the pile
of dishes in the sink.

“I can do those,” she jumped to her feet and
offered.

“Don’t worry about it,” he waved them
off.

“I don’t think that’s possible,” she
admitted.

“You’re joking, right?”

“No, not really. How can you just walk away
from a pile of dishes like that?”

“Quite easily, actually,” he grinned at
her.

“It’ll only take me a minute to wash them,”
she urged.

“You want to wash my dishes for me?”

“You cooked for me.”

“Somehow I don’t think that really matters.
It’s really bothering you that much?”

“Kinda, yeah. Besides, I did something
reckless earlier. You sort of owe me this one.”

“So I owe it to you to let you wash my
dishes?”

“You can help if it means that much to you,”
she shrugged, moving to grab a dishcloth before he could
protest.

“So this is like tit for tat? I do something
responsible, you do something reckless?” His eyes brightened.

“I don’t know if I’d say that.”

“No, I’m pretty sure you did. You could be on
to something here.” The tone in his voice made her nervous. “What
do I get if I clean my room?”

“From what I can see, that’s worth something
big,” she giggled in spite of herself.

“It’s a deal,” he announced.

“Wait, I….”

“Nope, a deal’s a deal.”

“Oh forget it.”

Once they’d swung by Kate’s apartment so she
could drop off her lonely purple pump and grab a new pair of shoes,
it had been an entertaining afternoon, popping in and out of San
Francisco hot spots. It had been fun.

Maybe Kate thought Gavin would lose his nerve
about the haircut. Maybe she’d managed to forget the six o’clock
appointment looming before her. Either way, now that it was a
quarter after six and she found herself leaned back uncomfortably
with her head being washed in mango shampoo, her surly attitude
returned with full force. She didn’t want to take it out on the
hair stylist, so she sat in silence. When she heard another stylist
asking Gavin how he’d like his hair cut, she sat up so fast she
bumped heads with the woman leaning over her.

“Sorry,” she winced and rubbed her head. “I
get to decide that question.”

“Fair enough, since I get to decide yours,”
he leaned back against the sink, folding his hands casually across
his stomach.

“Shoot, I shouldn’t have reminded him,” she
muttered.

“Don’t worry, I didn’t forget.”

“So how does he want his haircut?” The
stylist focused her question on Kate.

“I don’t want to say. Strategy,” Kate told
her apologetically.

“Not sure how this is going to work, then,”
the woman frowned.

“I’ll tell you after he tells her,” Kate
shrugged. “Sorry.”

“And wind up with a mullet? I don’t think
so,” Gavin added from his sink.

“How about we show you pictures?” Kate
suggested.

“Whatever,” the woman rolled her eyes. Gavin
chuckled. Kate settled back in the sink, belatedly remembering she
still had shampoo in her hair. It wasn’t fair, he seemed much too
relaxed. Either he didn’t really think she’d stick him with a
mullet, or he didn’t care. How infuriating. Much subterfuge later,
the hairstyles in question were underway. Gavin’s continued easy
demeanor only served to further rattle Kate’s nerves.

“So I’ve been thinking about your parents,”
he struck up a conversation with her.

“And?” she asked hesitantly, unsure if this
was the best venue for this discussion.

“I think maybe Devon could help out there.
He’s good at tracking things down. I bet he could get us on the
right path anyway.”

“I don’t want to put anybody out.” She kept
her eyes firmly shut, refusing to look until it was over.

“He won’t mind. It’ll be like a game to him,
a puzzle to solve. Do you mind if I ask him to start digging?” He
posed the last question quietly and waited for her response.

“I guess not,” she allowed. “I don’t have any
idea where to start.”

“Almost done,” Gavin’s stylist got out the
hair dryer. Kate ventured to open one eye, hoping for a sneak peak.
All she could see was the stylist’s back. The blow dryer started on
her own hair and she clamped her eyes shut again. And then the
moment came. She tried to gauge how much lighter her head felt, but
couldn’t tell a difference. She opened her eyes and couldn’t stop
the bubble of laughter that erupted.

“Well that was rather anti-climatic,” she
looked from her reflection to his and back again.

“A trim. We went through all those theatrics
and gave each other a trim,” Gavin added his own chuckle.

“We shaped it, too,” one of the stylists
scowled.

“Oh, I’m sorry – you did a wonderful job. I
really love it,” Kate assured her genuinely. She did like how her
hair framed her face, how it laid in somewhat messy layers now. It
was her hair, just better. Just like his was his, just a little
shorter, a little less mad-scientist.

They paid, tipping well, and left the salon
still laughing about their chosen hairstyles.

“So I guess this is goodnight,” Kate sighed
as they stood on the sidewalk.

“You’re not getting off that easy,” he tapped
the end of her nose playfully. “We’re meeting the girls at John
Collins. I’ll grab a few more shots; we’ll grab a few drinks.”

“Oh. Won’t I be the oldest person there?”
Kate frowned.

“Just leave your walker with the door guy and
no one will know.”

Kate made a face at him, but allowed herself
to be pulled along behind them. She should be running back to the
safety of her apartment. But it wouldn’t be so dangerous with the
girls there, right?

Except that with the girls and their
significant others there, suddenly it made her feel more like she
was part of a couple and Gavin was the other half. It didn’t help
that everyone treated them that way. As much as she wanted to
relent to the ease of it all, she just couldn’t seem to.

Kate had a really expensive shoe sitting
alone in her closet as evidence for how things often turned out
when she acted impulsively. It never ended well. Her responses
became stiffer as the evening wore on and she realized she was
putting more and more distance between herself and Gavin. When it
became awkwardly evident to the entire party, Kate excused herself
miserably and made for the door. To her surprise, or was it dismay,
he let her go.

She cursed herself for being so broken, but
couldn’t see a way past it. To make matters worse, the person she
most wanted to talk to about the confusing jumble that comprised
her thoughts was her mother, and her mother was gone.

So she dealt with the confusion the way any
rational person would, she shoved it to the side and sat down with
a takeout pizza to catch up on email. Then she killed some time
shopping online for reporter gifts. She wanted to get her name out
there as a good experience before she needed them to run her
stories about the launch party. She knew it was past time to start
taking her selected reporters to lunch.

The next morning she worked from home until
it was time for the morning meeting, did her absolute best to
ignore Gavin during the meeting, and called Tara to arrange wedding
planning for the entire day. The looks Liz and Jessica gave her as
she flew out the door said that they were going to want answers.
The only problem was she didn’t have any.

Kate was very proud of how well she avoided
Gavin over the next week. Maybe it was luck, maybe it was skill, or
maybe he was giving her space. Any way you looked at it, she
practically skipped home Friday evening.

She’d survived that first weekend by
wandering around China Town on Saturday and taking the bus over to
the Pacific Coast on Sunday. There was so much to see, she barely
felt the twinge of loneliness.

When she was back at work, she’d not only
expertly ignored Gavin—she’d even done a pretty good job of staying
out of the same room as Jack. Maybe the similar mannerism thing
wouldn’t be as noticeable if they weren’t standing right next to
each other. That did make it harder to learn much about who Jack
was, but she had a surprising resource in Tara. Once she got over
the weird-factor, she found Tara to be an eager and useful fountain
of information.

She’d done so much work on Jack and Tara’s
wedding in the past days, she found herself behind on the launch
party. Now it was Friday and she was home. She took a deep breath,
savoring how clean and orderly everything was here in her haven.
Then she quickly changed into her comfiest pajamas and sat down at
her computer, determined to at least catch up on email – again –
and proof the launch party invites that should have been sent to
the printer already. Liz would never complain, but still Kate felt
guilty.