Loving Spoonful

by Candice Poarch

  “I wish I could.”

  “I’m sorry about Jack and you. I fell in love with him myself when we were in college. I didn’t think anything could come between the two of you.”

  Kimberly sighed, thinking of their first year together.

  “You all were inseparable,” the friend added.

  Kimberly hadn’t really discussed this with anyone but her makeup guy at the station. He talked a lot, but they kept each other’s confidences. He’d told her to let Jack come back and get over herself. Jack was too hot to leave on his own for too long. According to him, her problem was all hormones, anyway.

  The guy might be gay, but he was male, and of course he didn’t understand.

  “Kim, I saw you on the news when the storm came through. Girl, you looked like the wind was going to just whisk you away. Isn’t that dangerous?”

  “Doesn’t Jack mind?” someone else asked.

  “I take safety precautions. Besides, it was only a category one. I didn’t sensationalize it. It’s the drama that frightens people. I’m not going to stand out there if the wind is strong enough to blow me away, or for me to get hit by flying debris.” She wasn’t about to respond that Jack had hit the roof when she told him she had to go out for a news bite in the middle of the storm.

  “Kimberly, we have career day each fall. Can I contact you about giving a talk?” one of her sorority sisters asked. “I think the children will find it exciting.”

  “I’ll be happy to, if I’m free,” she responded. “Just give me a call,” she said.

  They talked for an hour before she went to her bedroom, showered and dressed for bed.

  But when she got under the covers that night, she couldn’t get Jack off her mind. Had she made the wrong move in letting him go? The truth was, she never expected a divorce. She just wanted to shake Jack up to get him to consider some of her needs.

  Kimberly didn’t know what to think. It was one thing to trust, but another to be a complete, trusting fool.

  Darn it, she missed Jack. When the kids were here he had an excuse to come by. With them gone, although he called daily to make sure she was okay, his visits had stopped.

  She tossed and turned to get into a comfortable position, but couldn’t. Earlier that week, she’d sprayed a light film of Jack’s cologne on the pillow, just to smell his scent. Finally, she hugged his pillow in her arms. It seemed to calm her a little, but it wasn’t like having the man.

  The bachelor party was held in one of the empty banquet rooms at Jack’s newest brewpub. The music was loud, and someone had even sprung for a woman to pop out of a “cake.” Jack sat nursing a single beer.

  One of his college friends would definitely be taking a cab home, Jack thought, as the man started on another bourbon.

  “I understand you and the wife have split,” Russ said.

  “We’ve got some things to work out. But that’s it,” Jack said, still peeved that Kimberly distrusted him. He wasn’t about to go into details about his wife with anybody. How the heck did this guy find out?

  “Tell her she better treat you right,” he said in a slurred voice, “because the women are coming after us. All kinds. Black, white, Hispanic, Asian. Man, the field is wide-open.”

  “Kim can say the same thing. She’s a fantastic woman.”

  “You operate a bar, man. Get your nose out of your corporate office and take a look around. All kinds of single women are looking for men these days. We don’t have to settle.”

  “I don’t consider myself settling. But that’s a two-way street. Kim doesn’t have to settle either. Man, is that all a sister is to you? What about respect? What about all the times they had our backs? Is this the way we pay them back?”

  “You’re the one who walked out. At least, that’s what I heard.”

  Jack moved away before he hit the guy. You couldn’t reason with a drunk. If a knucklehead approached his daughter with that attitude, he hoped she’d send the guy to him, because he’d quickly reeducate him. And Kimberly. She had too much going for her to be thought of that way.

  Kimberly was feeling a little queasy. She got up to drink a ginger ale. When she got to the fridge, she thought she heard a noise. More than likely, it was just the house settling, but still, fear crept up her spine. She grabbed a huge candlestick and flicked off the light.

  She’d told Jack a thousand times they needed a secure lock on the door that led into the garage, but he assured her the outside door was secure. First thing after work Monday, she was calling a locksmith. She should have done it before.

  When she got to the hallway, a light popped on. Kimberly froze in place. She should have dialed 911. But she’d thought it was her imagination. Oh, Lord. The footsteps were coming in her direction. What on earth? She hefted the candlestick above her head.

  The man stepped through the door. She brought the candlestick down. He saw her at the last minute and jumped aside so that it landed on his shoulder, instead of his head.

  “Damn it!” Jack shouted. “What is it with you? Are you trying to kill me or something?”

  “Jack?” Kimberly said.

  “Who else do you think it would be?”

  “I thought it was a break-in.”

  “In this neighborhood?”

  With shaky hands, she set the candlestick on the table. “This neighborhood doesn’t have a fence around it.”

  “I just came by to pick up my tux.”

  “I told you to ring the doorbell when you came, not to just walk in.”

  “I thought you were asleep. Didn’t want to wake you.”

  “You can’t just walk into the home of a single woman, especially when she isn’t expecting you.”

  He glared at her. “You’re not a single woman, and last time I looked it’s still my home, too.”

  “You moved out.”

  “You put me out.”

  “You wanted to be a free man. Besides, you were supposed to be at the bachelor party, chasing women. How was I to know you were coming to my house?” she said sarcastically.

  “I wasn’t chasing women, damn it. My shoulder hurts like hell.” He glared at her.

  “You should have called first,” Kimberly repeated, strolling to the kitchen to put crushed ice in a freezer bag. “Do you want a painkiller?”

  “It would help.”

  “Don’t be such a baby,” Kimberly said, handing him the ice bag. She got aspirin from the cabinet and a bottle of water from the fridge, handing them both to him.

  Jack sat on a bar stool and Kimberly sat beside him. He wore his signature scent. She just wanted to be near him, even though he was mad as heck.

  “I’m out of the house for a couple of months, and everything goes to hell.”

  “I’m doing just fine, thank you very much,” Kimberly assured him.

  “Yes, you are. You’ve turned into a new woman. Byron’s acting crazy. April’s a basket case. And you’ve become the Wonder Woman of the block.”

  “It’s good to know I can protect myself.”

  Jack grumbled. “I came back to see how you were holding up. And to see if you are ready to be reasonable.”

  “Reasonable?”

  “About everything. I don’t know why you think I don’t want this marriage, or why you think Lauren and I are having an affair.”

  Kimberly didn’t know what to say.

  “Where’re the women?” he asked.

  “Our party didn’t last as long as yours. They’re upstairs sleeping.”

  He noticed her drinking the ginger ale. “Queasy stomach?”

  She nodded.

  “I guess all the stress has worn on you,” Jack said. He put the ice bag on the countertop.

  “Guess so.” She picked up the ice. “You need to keep the ice on your shoulder.”

  Slowly Jack slipped the ice back in place.

  Kimberly didn’t know how to read Jack’s actions. She didn’t know why he was here. What happened tonight? Was he back because he didn’t think she was
capable of taking care of herself?

  Jack sighed. “We need to talk, Kim.”

  “I know,” she said.

  “I was so grateful you worked with me in the beginning, when I wanted to buy the first brewpub. You paid the living expenses and let me save all of my money to put toward the pub. I wouldn’t have been able to buy the first one so soon if you hadn’t done that. So this isn’t just my business, it’s yours, too.”

  “You’ve never been selfish, Jack. You’re a generous soul.”

  “I wanted to give you everything you ever wanted.”

  “But I wanted you.”

  “The boyfriend you left back home was wealthy,” Jack said. “He could have given you everything.”

  “Is that why you’ve always worked so hard, why you can’t seem to cut back, even though you’ve far surpassed my ex-boyfriend’s wealth? He didn’t create that wealth. It was handed to him.” Kimberly cupped Jack’s cheek in her hand. “Jack, I fell in love with you. It’s true I wanted a comfortable living. But I never asked for the world.”

  “It isn’t your way. But a man wants to live up to certain expectations. All I know is work. My old man worked hard. It’s what I believe in. I never wanted to be a disappointment.”

  “You mean your expectations. You and I, along with your sisters and brothers, own an island resort. You have five successful brewpubs. This house…” She threw up her hands. “Financially, how could you be a disappointment?”

  Jack put the ice pack down and reached across the table to grasp Kimberly’s hand.

  “I think I’ve been so busy trying to build a life around just-in-case, that I’ve forgotten about the life I have right now. There are the kids and keeping a business going. You know my dad worked really hard, almost as hard as I do. He saved for college for our futures, but four years later it was all gone. My stepfather destroyed everything it took my dad years to build. I wanted to make enough so that nothing like that happened to you and the children. I’ve been focusing on the wrong thing, and we got lost in the shuffle.” He pulled her close. “I don’t want to lose you, baby.”

  “I love you, Jack. I know how to handle money. I’d never let that happen to us. Besides, I work, too. So you aren’t in this alone.” Kimberly closed her eyes briefly. Did he believe this, or was he telling her what he thought she wanted to hear, because of the baby? That they’d have to start from scratch with this little one. She rubbed her hand across her stomach. Perhaps for once she should stop second-guessing and just believe him. He’d said all along he would have married her anyway. Perhaps it was time to let her insecurities go.

  Jack tossed the ice on the bar and lifted her on his lap. “Stomach still upset?”

  “Just a little.”

  “Want me to spend the night?”

  Kimberly moaned, leaning her head against his neck. “That’s not a good idea.”

  “I guess I should grab the tux and get back to the party, or everybody’s going to have headaches—if they make it at all.”

  Kimberly nodded and slipped off his lap.

  Testing his shoulder, Jack dumped the ice in the sink and made his way upstairs with Kimberly. It still hurt like hell, but the ice and pain medication took the edge off.

  The truth was, he just had to see Kimberly tonight. There was this driving need to hold her. And there she sat, as calm as she pleased, in pajama shorts and a tank top.

  He sucked in a breath, balled his hands into fists to keep from kissing her breathless.

  In the bedroom, Jack stopped and breathed in deeply. It smelled feminine. Kimberly’s perfume drifted lightly in the air. It wasn’t cloying or heavy, but delicate. He was getting a hard-on just thinking about the scent on her warm skin.

  Jack swiped a hand across his face. How many times had he come home at night and Kimberly’s sweet aroma drifted softly in the air? It had brought calmness to a hectic day. He realized it had always done so. Now he was restless and edgy, unable to relax.

  He’d been in the house for less than an hour, and already he’d calmed down. He was lonely without her.

  “I have to go to Florida next week to a beer pairing and competition,” Jack said at the reception after the wedding, as he and Kimberly danced to a slow, soulful song. God, it felt good holding her.

  “You’re competing more and more lately.”

  “Competitions get the name out. Hang a few certificates on the wall. Show a few ribbons.”

  “You’ve always been proud of the fact you serve great beer,” she said.

  “Yeah. Can’t forget my roots,” he said. “I guess I’m just getting to the point where I understand that you love your work, too,” he said, pulling her closer. “I’m sorry I pressed you into cutting your hours. Especially now that someone is filling the slot and you can’t go back.”

  “I’m glad I cut my hours.”

  He glanced at her skeptically. “Are you sure?”

  “I wouldn’t have changed them if I wasn’t.”

  The band was playing “One in a Million.” Jack pulled Kimberly tightly against him as the flow of the words washed over her.

  “We’ll have to talk this through once and for all,” Jack said. “I’ve been holding a lot of things inside because I knew how you felt about the brewpubs. But I can’t live like that anymore. So, when I get back from Florida, we’ll sit and talk about our future.”

  Kimberly closed her eyes tightly and nodded against his chest.

  “Okay, Kim?”

  Kimberly cleared her throat.

  “Yes,” she said, and then the music stopped.

  She left Jack’s side to join the friendship circle, where the sorority sisters joined hands and sang their song.

  Chapter 10

  The next morning, Kimberly made plane reservations to leave for Canter Island after work Tuesday, and to return home on Sunday, giving her plenty of time to prepare for work Monday morning. She needed a few days to think. They were well into storm season, but there weren’t any hurricanes looming close by. Not like the last time. Besides, if her children were there, she certainly could be with them.

  Since the kids were with his brother, at the last minute Jack decided to call Kimberly to convince her to travel with him to Florida. This beer competition was really important, and he’d like to have her by his side. He’d always treated his work separate from her. He should have included her more. Let her be part of his world.

  He called the house and received no answer. He dialed her cell number and still no answer, so he left a message. He tried to reach her for hours without success.

  She must be avoiding him.

  With a heavy heart, Jack boarded the plane for Tampa alone, his mind on his wife.

  Although Kimberly was close to her children, she saw little of them on the island. She stayed in a cabana alone, while Jack’s mother and the children resided at Devin’s house. It gave her plenty of time to think and read. She was tired of trying to solve her problems.

  She dug a snack out of her beach bag. She bit on a dry cracker and chased it down with ginger ale. It was near sunset, and she sat on the beach in her bathing suit to watch the waves come and go. What a beautiful view.

  Maybe Jack loved her in the only way he knew. He could have left her any time, but he’d stuck around, even before he knew she was pregnant. He could have started up a relationship with another woman at any point this summer, but he chose to stick it out with her.

  Sadly, there was no way for him to prove he would have married her if she hadn’t been pregnant. She was just going to have to accept and live with that. It was certain she’d never find another man she loved as much as she loved Jack.

  Ah, wasn’t their wedding beautiful? She just wished that thirty years in the future everything would be as perfect as that one day.

  Perhaps she should count her blessings. Jack was good to her. Life wasn’t perfect, but she could still wish for it to be better. She just wished she didn’t feel so empty.

  The afternoon before
Jack was to board the plane for home, he called the children and reached Byron. He was told April had gone shopping on the main island with her grandmother. Jack chuckled. Those two loved to shop.

  “How is it there?” he asked.

  “Great. I went deep-sea fishing with Uncle Devin. I caught the biggest grouper, Dad. The chef is going to serve it as the night’s special. Uncle Devin and I were up way before daybreak.”

  “Before daybreak? I need a siren to haul you out of the bed in the morning.”

  Byron laughed. Jack could detect a distinctive change in his voice. He was definitely growing up. “This was fun.”

  “I used to fish with my stepfather.”

  “I didn’t know you knew how to fish.”

  “Sure I do. Where’s your uncle?”

  “He took Mama sailing. Said she was spending too much time moping around the hotel.”

  “Your mother’s there?” Jack asked, surprised.

  “She came yesterday. Didn’t you know?”

  “She must have forgotten to mention it,” Jack said, indignant that she’d go without telling him.

  “You can call her later, but I think Uncle Devin’s taking her to dinner to eat my fish.”

  “Wish I could taste it. I bet it’s some fish.”

  “The chef’s freezing some for me to take home.”

  “That’s good,” Jack said.

  Jack couldn’t stop the jealousy that soared through him like a bolt of lightning. He couldn’t get his mind off Devin sailing with Kimberly. Sailing was a special memory from their first honeymoon. She shouldn’t be reminiscing with his brother.

  He knew his brother would never do anything inappropriate with Kimberly, but…

  Jack felt…excluded. Why was Kimberly in the Caribbean now, anyway? He thought she was home. She never went there when the kids visited his brother.

  “Uncle Devin took the week off to spend with us,” Byron was saying, which didn’t ease Jack’s anxiety at all.

  Had Kimberly just quit talking and decided to live her life without him?