Kim (Beach Brides Book 8)

by Magdalena Scott

  Jon pushed the card away but set the keys on the table. “Driving a Suburban will involve a learning curve, I’m sure. Travis’s sedan has been interesting compared to my Corvette. But any option is better than none. We’ll deal with feeding the gas hog. Thanks, D.”

  Kim held her hand out toward Jon. “If you’re worried about the curve, let me drive the first shift. I have experience with larger vehicles.”

  Travis wasn’t ready to get behind a wheel. He still seemed a bit shaken from today’s crunch on the square, and Jon knew he would look like a jerk if he refused Kim’s offer, so he handed her the keys. He ignored the slight shock of static when their hands touched, a weird thing for this time of year.

  He had to admit, for Suzanne’s sake, it was a good idea to have Kim along. For Travis, too, since the guy had become a Class A worrier. Jon would just get through the trip as well as possible, keeping interaction with Kim to a minimum. He knew from previous experience that he could expect to have his head bitten off if he talked to the woman. When they arrived at the conference, Jon would have no reason to be around her. Then, when the conference was over, he’d manage to endure the ride home. It wasn’t an ideal plan, but seemed the only one available.

  Not wanting to get further behind schedule, they went into action right after the meal. With Suzanne repeatedly assuring everyone how fine she felt, they piled their bags into the Suburban. The cargo area was big enough that Jon didn’t have to dump out the box or two of David’s stuff that looked like they’d been there for a decade. No reason to point a finger at David’s lifelong reputation of being a slob, when the guy was letting them put loads of extra miles on his vehicle.

  Kim dug in her massive handbag and handed David a set of keys. “Drive my Smart car. Enjoy the mobility. Do not fill it with clutter.” She hugged him, Emily, and gave Isabel a noisy kiss.

  So she wouldn’t be by the air bag, Suzanne had opted to sit in the back seat, “even though I’d love to sit up front and chat with you, Kim.” Everyone said brief goodbyes, and they were on their way. David’s friend had an auto repair shop and promised to have the wrecked car repaired by the time they returned.

  Jon gritted his teeth to be stuck riding shotgun. He was discontented with David’s preprogrammed radio stations and adjusted the temperature until everybody told him to stop fidgeting. What was he supposed to do sitting here next to this woman who hated his guts? He wished for an atlas or a book of any sort. Maybe he could pretend to fall asleep and nap all the way to the conference.

  ****

  A couple of hours later, at Suzanne’s request, Kim pulled into a rest stop. She preferred her tiny car but was comfortable with the big vehicle. She’d spent many day trips behind the wheel of a van back when she worked at the rehab facility in New Albany.

  Travis and Jon walked ahead, toward the restroom building. Suzanne said in a low voice, “I’m almost glad that truck rear-ended us. Otherwise, I can imagine Jon deciding to fly the remainder of the way to the conference venue instead of going with us. I just don’t know what’s wrong with him.”

  “Suzanne, if not for that pickup truck, I would have stayed home, you know. I really wish you and Travis and David and Emily hadn’t set me up this way.”

  “It’s for your own good, honey. You say you’re a romantic. I’ve heard you. Well, you and Jon are romantically perfect for each other.”

  “Nothing of the kind. He looks at me like I’m the devil, and I—I have a bad feeling about him.”

  Suzanne was astonished. “But you barely know him.”

  Kim shrugged. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll deal with the situation, but please forget any ideas about Jon and me falling in love with each other because you tricked us into a road trip. That’s a bit high school, isn’t it?”

  Suzanne giggled. “Emily and I had a good time planning it. You wanted a vacation, Travis had the conference. And, oh yeah, I wanted to make memories and not be left at home. If I was back there right now, I’d be cleaning house and ironing for my work week, but instead I’m on vacation, having an adventure.”

  The woman’s enthusiasm was hard to resist. Kim told herself she’d be upbeat and not let Jon’s presence spoil the vacation she’d been looking forward to.

  Suzanne interrupted her musings. “Anyone can see you’re special, Kim. So caring and gentle. Super competent. Emily’s told me stories of how you go out of your way to help patients and their families. The first time we met you, at their wedding in Serendipity, Travis and I both felt as if we’d known you for years. We’re so happy together and want to see others in a loving relationship too. Thus…matchmaking.” Suzanne winked and went ahead into the restroom, leaving Kim in the outer area by the maps and flyers.

  Living in Serendipity was bad enough with everyone knowing everyone else’s business or making it up. Matchmaking hadn’t been a problem until now, and it was a big one. She had a love/hate relationship with Jon Whitfield, whom she hardly knew. She would be in his presence for so many hours while they were on the road that she knew something was going to blow. She just didn’t know if that something was Jon—or her.

  Chapter Four

  All alone in a vehicle full of people, Jon scrolled through stuff on his phone without seeing it, trying to block out any other thoughts. What was it with Kim—always flashing megawatt smiles at whoever was around, but she looked daggers at Jon each time their eyes met? It wasn’t that he wanted her attention, but the way she behaved, he knew she was hiding something. Jon knew a thing or two about women who were expert at pretense.

  Jon glanced over at her for a couple of seconds. She had her eyes on the road, unaware of him, which was ideal. To look at her wide eyes and flawless skin, it’d be easy to think she was sweet and innocent. But he’d bet money that she was no more innocent than Andrea had been. Why was he the only one who was aware of this dichotomy in Kim’s behavior?

  This conference could make all the difference to Jon’s future. Having the pretty, vivacious Kim next to him was a distraction, in spite of the way she treated him, at a time when he needed to be on top of his game. But once they reached their destination, she’d be off his radar. He’d be concentrating on business and some high-powered networking.

  Suzanne planned to accompany Travis to the first evening meet-and-greet. Jon hoped his friends didn’t expect him to squire Kim to the event. Conference attendees had been encouraged to bring a significant other, but Jon didn’t mind attending stag. Better stag than having a tramp on his arm, like he’d had the first time he met Kim.

  ****

  Jon remembered the weekend of David and Emily’s wedding—a time that should have been joyful but turned out to be one of Jon’s worst. He and Andrea had landed at the Louisville airport and were on their way to pick up their rental car, when the fight that had been brewing all day finally came to a head. It wasn’t their first major disagreement, by any means, but it was the worst—a culmination of his distaste for her constant flirting with other men. At a loss to understand her behavior, Jon lashed out, accused her of cheating on him. To his shock and surprise, she admitted it, almost proudly.

  Turned out, she was doing it with the guy he was competing with for an important promotion. Evidently, no matter which of them got the pay raise and corner office, Andrea intended to benefit.

  Andrea, having ended the charade, turned cold and hateful. She was a smart woman, a VP in a marketing firm, and knew how and when to use the connections she had so skillfully built. Jon guessed—correctly, it turned out—that splitting with Andrea would mean he didn’t get the promotion.

  After squabbling in a corner of the airport common area, they looked into an early flight back for her, but everything was booked. Andrea didn’t seem concerned and refused to be dropped off at a Louisville hotel until the return flight.

  “You’ll just have to take me to the wedding,” she said. “Everyone is expecting me, right? You wouldn’t want to have to explain my absence and accidentally upstage your friend’s big day.”r />
  The drive from Louisville to David’s hometown seemed to go on forever. At least, there was an extra room at the hotel at the edge of Serendipity. Jon’s knees nearly buckled with relief when the desk clerk verified they had the space. “It’s on the second floor though,” she said, a question in her eyes. “And yours is on the first. It’s late, and everyone else is checked in, or else I’d try—”

  “Perfect,” Andrea spat out. “I’ll take the first floor room. At least that puts me near that pitiful little pool.”

  But the pool wasn’t going to keep her from attending the wedding. He knew she didn’t want to go any more than he wanted her there. He’d had to beg to get her to come, not wanting his friends to think something was wrong with their relationship. He’d been fooling himself, and probably the guys knew that. They’d met Andrea at Ryan’s wedding the year before. She’d been at her most attractive, meaning she was in a good mood, at which time she was like a magnet to metal filings.

  How he wished she would stay at the hotel. He could make an excuse for her, say she was sick.

  “I’m not staying in a hotel room in the middle of Nowhere, USA, for the whole weekend with nothing to do. Come on, Jon. One last time to show me off.”

  He wouldn’t allow himself to lose his temper with her again, so they sat together in a pew during the service and walked together down the stairs to the reception. Strangers stared at the radiant blond beauty next to him with her perfect hair, smile, and makeup. Her dress was too extravagant, but that was intentional. Andrea always needed to be the center of attention.

  Once they were in the cluster of guests at the reception, Jon was relieved when she wandered away. He’d never again worry about her flirtatiousness. Let the world beware.

  Although the event itself was simple, the crowd was large. It seemed the whole town was in attendance. Jon’s mood was lifted by being surrounded by so many smiling people, and David was glowing almost as much as his bride. He had seemed happily settled in his bachelor life, and all the guys had been blindsided when he announced his engagement to a local girl he’d never mentioned before.

  Emily was several years younger but so self-assured, so kind. During the wedding, and especially at the reception, her dark-haired bridesmaid caught Jon’s attention. Pretty girl with expressive eyes and an infectious enthusiasm that affected everyone in the room.

  The bride appeared at Jon’s side doing a pass through the crowd, while David did the same on the other side of the room. Emily linked her arm through Jon’s and drew him over to where her bridesmaid stood. “So, have the two of you met? Kim, this is David’s good friend, Jon. And Jon, my fabulous pal, Kim Rose.”

  If Andrea was looking at him right now, Jon wasn’t sure she’d have more venom in her eyes than this girl, Kim. She seemed to instantly dislike him.

  Yet during the wedding and a few minutes later at the reception when he saw her from a distance, she’d been happy and upbeat. Was he wearing a Hate Me sign on his back?

  Jon said something inane, smiling and waiting for Kim to shake his hand, but she didn’t offer.

  She appeared ready to dash off somewhere—anywhere. But Emily still had her arms linked through each of theirs. She drew them to the end of the room, where long tables were laden with homemade casseroles of every description instead of a catered buffet.

  “Why don’t the two of you grab some dinner and sit together, so you can get to know each other? We’re not doing the traditional separate table for the wedding party. I don’t even know where David and I will end up eating.” Her radiance showed she couldn’t have cared less about details like seating plans. She was thrilled to be married to the man she loved.

  David was lucky to have Emily. She was fun, and caring—nothing like Andrea.

  Replying to Emily, Kim’s voice was low. “Not sure why you’re pushing the two of us together. I mean, Jon has a date.” She looked around for Andrea.

  The bride laughed. “We just want everybody to be as happy as we are.”

  Jon knew when he was being cornered. None of his friends liked Andrea. They’d tried to warn him away, perhaps seeing her for what she was. But this was the worst possible time to endure an episode of matchmaking.

  They went through the food line, but at the end, he mumbled an excuse about needing to talk to Ryan and Dustin. He made his escape without, he hoped, looking desperate to do so. He couldn’t endure Kim’s glares any longer.

  It wasn’t long before David clapped him on the shoulder. “How’s our last single friend holding up? Is the wedding and reception as much of a turnoff to you as they always were to me, before Emily?”

  Jon couldn’t help the grin, feeling a bit relieved. “I’m glad you can understand, David. I’m really happy for you, of course.”

  David nodded. “But you wish you were home, wearing sweats and watching a game on TV. Yep. But one of these days, Jon, you’ll find the woman who makes weddings and receptions bearable. Even your own.” He looked around then, as Kim had done earlier. “Where is the amazing Andrea, anyway? You haven’t come to your senses about her, have you?”

  Jon shook his head. “Long, ugly story, and not one you need to hear on your wedding day, my friend.”

  A melodic laugh caught Jon’s ear and he saw Kim across the room, talking with David’s sisters and a couple of other women. He glimpsed Andrea, making the most of every interaction with a male as she worked her way through the crowd toward the drinks table.

  David was still talking, the DJ was playing Norah Jones’s Come Away with Me, and a voice in Jon’s head whispered that Kim was the woman for him.

  Which was nuts given her immediate dislike of him, the fact that Andrea would be on a rampage when they got out of here, and the unlikelihood of Jon and Kim ever seeing each other again after tonight.

  For the remainder of the reception, Jon managed to avoid awkward moments. The women had started the DJ on a line-dancing jag, so Jon stood with his buddies in a corner of the fellowship hall, retelling old stories from college days. With that he was comfortable again.

  But those good old days were further and further in the past. Not just because of the passage of time, but also because of the addition of wives and probably children in the near future. That was not the life for Jon though. He much preferred casual relationships with women, the kind that wouldn’t complicate his world. He tried to remember why he’d let himself slip into this mess with Andrea, not just exclusive dating but becoming engaged. But he couldn’t come up with anything. He must have been out of his mind.

  Probably just another example of going with the flow, which he’d done too often in his personal life. Going with the flow, like a bottle on the ocean, being carried along with the flotsam of life until, in a random and meaningless trick of current, its journey ended. There was nothing magical about it.

  Jon didn’t believe in magic—or in love.

  Chapter Five

  The rolling hills of Southern Indiana were behind them, and here on the plains, flat as an exam room table, Kim could see for miles in all directions. A storm was on its way. The sky was dreary now, but in the west, a bank of dark, roiling clouds threatened. The uninhibited view was unsettling, partly because the SUV and its occupants appeared even more exposed to whatever might come along. There were plenty of other vehicles, from semis and giant RVs, down to an occasional motorcycle. She wondered about those. Where would the cyclists seek shelter when the storm hit? Below an overpass in the filth, noise, and spray as other traffic sped past? Or were they nearly home?

  Kim was glad the SUV was heavy. Maybe its weight wouldn’t make it too difficult to stay in their lane when the winds hit. She glanced quickly again toward the west, her hands tightening on the steering wheel. She wouldn’t freak out. It was just a thunderstorm.

  She had been driving home from work a few years ago when tornado sirens started wailing, the weather alert on her phone went off, and the familiar scenery around her spun out of control in the whipping winds and onslaught
of heavy rain. A few minutes more and I’ll be home. But a car stalled out at the top of an interstate exit two miles from her apartment. The handful of vehicles and their occupants stuck behind that vehicle were trapped. There was no cover nearby to run to.

  Kim had prayed hard, tried to remember how to meditate, and attempted to avoid panic. She automatically grabbed the phone to call her mom, and was met with the memories of her funeral a few days earlier.

  Kim had survived, of course. They were lucky because the tornado didn’t go through that area. Others, however, were not so fortunate.

  And today she was responsible for everyone in the vehicle. Travis and Suzanne asleep in the backseat, and Jon.

  Would it be wise to pull off and let the storm pass? She didn’t know how long that might take. They were already behind schedule, and the long day in the SUV seemed unbearable. Her hands, arms, and back were sore from driving. She hazarded a look at Jon, who sat, relaxed, scrolling on his phone. He had offered to spell her at the wheel when they stopped at the rest area, and now she wished she’d agreed. He would be used to the Suburban by now and might feel confident despite the storm. Or, at least, she would be less tired now, if he had driven for a while.

  But no. She had shut him down when he offered, and now she was reaping her reward. She’d learned self-sufficiency the hard way, thrown into a nightmare when her mother became ill, and even more so when she died. Later when Kim herself was diagnosed, the only person in the world she thought she could depend on failed her completely. She hadn’t given up, but the treatments’ side effects would have been easier to bear if she’d had a companion to help her through. Someone to make some soup or go out at midnight to buy whatever food or drink her sick, exhausted body craved, just so she could manage to ingest some calories to continue to fight.

  But she’d had none of those. She was lucky that one of the families on the ground floor of her apartment building included a teenage boy, proud of his football muscles and glad to make a few bucks by carrying groceries up the staircase for the bald, sick lady.