There was a way. She just had to search for it.
Jack patted her on the backside and eased from her. “Let’s get ready for dinner.”
“What are you working on?” Kimberly asked, when she saw papers scattered on the desk.
“I thought we were going to forget about business while we’re here,” he replied.
“It was important enough for you to bring, it’s important enough for us to discuss.” Now he was being evasive.
“Not tonight. Tonight is for us,” Jack whispered seductively in her ear.
“Are you avoiding something?” She sipped her wine with a frown. The kids avoided topics when they were holding out on something. Was she being paranoid again, or was Jack keeping something from her?
They showered together, but he dressed in the room while Kimberly put herself together in the bathroom. When she came out, dressed in a long, flowing aqua dress with a slit up the side, she nearly snatched Jack’s breath away. Her feathery hair had lightened from the sun, giving it more of a streaked appearance. And while the dress didn’t hug her like a second skin, there was enough cling so that her generous curves were displayed to perfection.
“Baby, I’m going to need my boxing gloves. You look so fabulous, I’m going to have to fight the guys off.”
“Jack Canter. If I wasn’t already married to you, I’d ask you to marry me,” Kimberly said.
He laughed and kissed her. “Well, it’s a good thing you already have me, or I’d have to say ‘yes.’”
The smile she gave him was warm, and tears gathered in her eyes. He wiped them away with his thumb. “I love you, Kim. You know that.”
She only nodded, so he kissed her again. He went in for a light peck, but she smelled so damn good that he gathered her close and deepened the kiss.
“If we don’t stop, we won’t make it to dinner,” he said a few minutes later. “And I won’t be able to show off my beautiful wife.”
He never understood why Kimberly was so unsure about their marriage. They’d been together for seventeen years. Where did she think he was going? She rarely mentioned it, but he could read her expressions and moods. The skyrocketing divorce rate had no bearing on his feelings for her and their lives together.
Yes, the kids took up a lot of time. But soon it would be just the two of them. He didn’t want their affection to be so far gone that they’d have to fight their way back together. To find out who they were as a couple all over again. He realized their interests were changing, and he didn’t like that. He, too, felt torn. But he was still here. His goal was to find a way to work through her insecurities. They had time on their side. They were still young. Once all their futures were insured, he could slow down.
And he knew where Kimberly’s insecurities came from. Her mother always told Kimberly she had to look out for herself. Nona’s husband may have left her, but that did not mean Jack planned to leave Kimberly.
If Kimberly would be reasonable and cut her hours, they’d have more time together.
Jack knew Kimberly’s mother was the reason she kept her job at the station. Always have a source of income. Don’t depend on a man or you could end up starting a new career in your fifties, making barely above minimum wage and competing with twentysomethings. How could you ever catch up? And Kimberly worked herself to death, between her job and the children.
He made enough to take care of his family. He worked the hours of two people, keeping those brewpubs going. Her mother visited them a month ago and started yakking to Kimberly, this time about Lauren. Keep an eye on that woman, or she’ll walk off with your husband. That’s how it happened with mine.
But Jack knew that Nona’s nagging probably drove her ex–old man crazy. He had no choice but to run off—to get some peace. Jack certainly hoped Kimberly didn’t turn into a shrew.
Every year, he pretended he was too busy to take the trip home with her to Chicago, where her mother lived. And every year Kimberly nagged him for weeks about it, but he knew her well enough to know Lauren’s presence was a thorn in her side. They’d talk about that.
There was nothing he could do to assure her that, no matter what problems they had, he wouldn’t cheat on her. It was something she had to believe for herself.
Jack perused his wife as they headed out the door. She looked beautiful, with those expressive brown eyes. He kissed her on the tip of her nose and offered his arm. “Are you ready, madam?”
Jack peered closely at her abdomen. Was she pregnant? Was she holding that information back?
She placed her hand through his arm and they left the room.
Chapter 3
“Remember our honeymoon?” Jack asked, as they strolled toward the hotel proper. There were three restaurants at the resort, but they would dine at Hoby’s, Jack and Kimberly’s favorite.
“I remember.”
They’d taken a trip to the Caribbean. Jack had borrowed a friend’s sailboat. He was new at sailing, and when a sudden storm came up they’d ended up on Canter Island. Only, it wasn’t named Canter at the time. Back then, it was privately owned, its lone inhabitant an old recluse.
“When the man exploded out of the woods with that double-barreled shotgun pointed at us, I thought we were dead for sure.”
Kimberly shuddered. “Me, too.” The wily man’s face had resembled crinkled leather. It was a scary experience, facing a weapon and not knowing if that moment was your last. Kimberly couldn’t help the quiver that jolted her again. Goose bumps covered her arms.
“I was afraid for you.” Jack tightened an arm around her shoulder, drawing her closer. Kimberly soaked up the warmth of his body. “You were pregnant with my baby. We hadn’t even been married three days, and this crazy old man was about to take us out.”
Kimberly caught the hint of pride in Jack’s voice when he mentioned the baby. Had he been proud? Had he been happy?
“He didn’t tolerate anybody invading his space.” Kimberly had been frightened out of her mind. “You shoved me behind your back. My hero.” She reached up and caressed his jaw.
Jack’s lips quirked. “Didn’t quite work, because you came out fussing and threatening, waving your fist at the guy—and he held the gun.” Jack shook his head because he’d lived through years of Kimberly’s temper, but that particular incident topped them all. “I couldn’t believe you.”
“It worked, didn’t it? Barnabas put the gun away.”
“I guess so. With the way we were fighting with each other, his objections got lost in the cross fire.”
“Barnabas Hoby turned out to be a nice old man,” Kimberly said, smiling at the memory.
“I wouldn’t call him ‘nice,’” Jack hazarded, stopping to gaze up at the full moon before focusing on his wife. “You were the only one he was nice to. Of course, he told me once that my punishment was being married to you.”
Kimberly hit his arm.
“Ouch. Those were his words, not mine, baby,” he said, laughing and dancing back a couple of steps, as Kimberly chased him.
“I’m not convinced.” But it was something Barnabas would say, with his droll sense of humor. She imagined he hadn’t cracked a smile. Sometimes it took a moment or two to even realize he’d told a joke.
“At least he let us sleep in his old hut.” Kimberly had such warm memories of their honeymoon. Barnabas even managed to unearth a set of clean sheets. He’d shared his dinner and told them about his family around a campfire, after the storm passed over. He’d won the island in a card game and had lived there ever since.
Kimberly never understood why someone would want to live away from society, with no medical facilities at hand or other people to talk to. But he assured them he was never lonely. He had his parrot, dogs and cats.
The next day, he gave them directions back to the island where their hotel was located.
They visited Barnabas every two years, until he died six years ago. On one of their visits, he asked Jack what he would do if he owned the island. Jack had been truthful a
bout his desire to build a resort. The lush vegetation was still there. Some of it was thick woodland, with knobby cypress trees whipped by tropical storms.
After he died, Jack and Kimberly collaborated with Jack’s brothers and sisters to buy the island and construct the resort.
Jack felt a measure of triumph and satisfaction. “From that first night we stayed here, I wanted this place, but I never knew how we could end up with it. Barnabas wasn’t about to lose this place in another card game, and he wouldn’t dream of selling it. We didn’t have a spare nickel, so even if he was willing to sell it we couldn’t afford to buy it.”
“This was his home. You never told me how you could afford the honeymoon.” Kimberly’s voice was low and soft.
“My father taught me to save part of every dollar I made. I nearly cleaned out my bank account because I wanted you to have that special occasion to remember for the rest of our lives. Something to tell our children and grandchildren.” An experience that was made even more significant thanks to Barnabas.
Kimberly stumbled to a halt and turned into Jack’s arms, which closed loosely around her. Regardless of how furious he made her, he had a knack of making sweet gestures that made her heart turn over. “Oh, Jack.” Tears came to her eyes. “I’ll never forget it.”
Jack scoffed. “It was a disaster.”
“A disaster?” she said, astounded and puzzled. “It was wonderful. Even getting shipwrecked. I loved every moment of our honeymoon. Oh, Jack, we had such fun. Every day was filled with a million things to do, and we did them together. How could you possibly think it was a disaster?”
Her face was animated, full of joy and delight. Jack kissed the tip of her nose before they started walking again. “It was fun, wasn’t it? But we kept getting into scrapes. You almost drowned trying to scuba dive.”
“We learned by trial and error.”
In the old days, Kimberly went along with Jack’s plans. She thought he was crazy for wanting to build the resort, but he’d shown her designs of what he wanted. Jack could always look at a situation and see the opportunities and possibilities.
He’d talk about his plans until Kimberly could envision his dreams as clearly as if they were her own. She wasn’t hard to convince.
In the old days. But all that had changed—and Jack couldn’t remember when the changes started to occur.
He wanted the old Kimberly back, that sweet young woman who dreamed with him. The one who looked up at him with respect and admiration.
“There’s a beach party tonight,” Kimberly said. “We better get dinner so we won’t miss it.”
“I want jerk chicken,” Jack said. “Reminiscing has brought back the meal Barnabas prepared for us.” Barnabas had taught Kimberly how to prepare the chicken, and now “Hoby’s Jerk Chicken” was a part of the hotel’s menu and one of the most popular items.
Jack ran a hand down Kimberly’s arm and pulled her close. Was she pregnant? If so, why didn’t she tell him? Did she think he’d be displeased? The news would make him the happiest man in the world.
Devin Canter sat at the table with his brother Jack and wiped the sweat from his brow. They were at the beach, where a band had started up. And since Jack gazed on like a spectator, Devin had danced the past three songs with Kimberly. The woman had boundless energy and wasn’t ready to stop. She stayed on the dance floor while Devin returned to the table.
“I can’t keep up with your wife. But I think you might need a couple more naps to keep up.”
“I know how to deal with my wife,” Jack said, knowing very well he was telling a lie. He didn’t know how to deal with her any longer.
“Well, you need to start doing something. Enjoy your dinner?”
Jack sipped his rum. “Excellent. This place has improved every year since you took over.”
Devin nodded. “You want to tell me why your wife was hanging on the beach by her lonesome today? Man, I had to fight off the guys. Christ. What’s got into you? Leave a fine-looking woman like that on her own on your honeymoon?”
“Don’t start getting on my case. I’m still older than you. And I can still whup your tail,” he joked. “Kimberly isn’t looking for another man. I don’t have that to worry about.”
“You forget your steps are slower these days. Didn’t Kim say something about you needing a midday nap?”
“Keep it up. You’re going to be missing some of those thirty-twos.”
“The day I can’t whup an old man is the day I hang up my boxing gloves.”
They watched Kimberly do the limbo. Jack had seen her drinking a few rum punches earlier, so he realized she probably wasn’t pregnant. Damn. Leaning low to go under the bar. Her head thrown back, she was smiling. Jack enjoyed seeing her happy. He frowned. He wasn’t the only one watching her. Leaning back the way she was revealed the top of her cleavage. He frowned at some old man checking her out.
“I thought I’d need to bring out my kickboxing on that one,” Devin said, nodding toward the very same man who’d accosted Kimberly earlier. “Had a hard time understanding the meaning of ‘no.’”
A woman who appeared to be in her midfifties was sitting near the man, talking to other women at their table. When he was alone he’d have a few words with the man about hassling his wife. Why hadn’t Kimberly said anything when she returned to the room?
His gaze skittered to Kimberly again. Barefoot, her painted toenails stood out in stark relief, and a gold ankle bracelet sparkled in the light. She moved gracefully beneath the bar, the split in her skirt showing an ample amount of leg, but she was still decent—though just barely. Jack had a good mind to go get her, but she’d bite his head off.
“You’ve got it made, man. A woman who loves you for you. You didn’t have two nickels to rub together when you married, yet it didn’t matter to her.”
“I know.”
“Hard to find a woman you can trust today. My ex couldn’t wait to quit her job after the wedding. A wedding I paid for, by the way.”
Jack tore his gaze from Kimberly, peering at his brother’s sad face, and he wished for him the happiness he’d enjoyed with Kimberly and the children. “The right one will come along. You just have to stop being the player and turn back into the nice guy you are. A good woman wants to know she can trust you.”
Shaking his head, Devin sneered the words of an embittered man. “Look where being good got me.”
“You can’t distrust all women because of what one did. They aren’t all like Keisha.”
“You’ve been married too long to know today’s lay of the land. They’re just looking for a sugar daddy, and make no bones about it.” The bitterness in his tone worried Jack.
“That woman has your mind twisted. All women aren’t like her. No sense in me saying it, because you won’t listen, but I’m going to say it anyway. There’s someone out there who’s going to knock you off your feet one day, and she’s going to make you work for her affection, but she isn’t going to trust a playa.” Jack couldn’t believe he was lecturing his brother like a busybody old woman. But his brother needed a brush with reality.
“Right,” Devin mocked. “I’m holding my breath for that day.”
“You should be.” Jack stretched out his long legs. “I just wish Kim would quit her job and come home. I tell you, she’s becoming one stubborn woman. Sometimes it’s like talking to a brick wall.”
“If the fact that she’s working is your biggest complaint, you’ve got nothing to complain about. Women like a little independence these days.”
“Mama never complained about being home.”
“Kim isn’t Mom. And I hope you have sense enough not to mention that.”
“Of course I do, but I hate to see her work herself half to death. Look at her. She’s rested here, not tired and grumpy like she is when she’s overworked and running herself ragged. Then she runs after the kids. Not to mention the PTA. She has a one-on-one relationship with all the children’s teachers. She’s on every committee in ever
y activity the children are involved in, and then there’s other volunteer work associated with the TV station. The woman doesn’t have time to breathe.”
“You can help her with the children and the PTA.” Devin glanced at Kimberly again. “I repeat, you’ve got it good, man. You have your businesses. It makes you feel good about yourself, that you can provide well for your family. Kim needs something more, too. Or are you one of those knuckleheads who think you know what’s best for her, or that her life should revolve only around you?”
Jack sent his brother an impatient glance. “We do have children, you know.”
“Teenagers, not babies.”
Jack scowled at his wife. Kimberly bent so low that, with a high-pitched squeal, she fell flat on the ground and started laughing again.
“Damn it…” Jack rose to his feet, rushing over to help her up. He stared at the four guys who also rushed forward to assist her.
“Excuse me.” His angry gaze had them backing up. He scooped her up. She was still laughing as she lay languid in his arms.
Jack shook his head. With her infectious spirit, Kimberly wrapped everyone around her pinky. That was when she wasn’t rushing to work every day, then rushing home to deal with the kids’ after-school activities and homework. She took more time with her appearance. He didn’t have to watch her on the TV to see her looking good.
Jack sighed. She refused to understand that she wasn’t the same happy person when she was overworked.
But she was his.
“I’ve had enough,” Kimberly said, laughing. She didn’t know the last time she’d had so much fun. She dusted off her dress. “I must look a mess,” she said, sitting at the table beside Devin to take a breather.
“My brother can’t take his eyes off you,” Devin said.
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