by Hannah Ford
But then there was another bad thing—A call from her nanny agency stating that they would no longer be attempting to place her with new families. Clearly, that had been a result of Brad or Trina making an irate phone call. But Kallie hadn’t helped matters, since she’d never alerted her company to the situation. She’d been too scared to deal with the recriminations and possible accusations that would likely have flown her way.
And now, as she drove to the little ice cream parlor, Scoop du Jour, Kallie couldn’t help but think about that other bad thing—the one that had been occupying far too much space in her mind of late.
Hunter Reardon.
He hadn’t called her, and by this point it had been too long for her to continue fooling herself. He hadn’t called and he wouldn’t call, and the summer fantasy was officially over and done with. She had grieved the loss of a man she’d never really gotten to know, and the fantasy that she wasn’t able to actualize.
She’d spent a couple of sleepless nights wondering why he’d acted as if he’d liked her that night, only to disappear without a trace afterward. No, it wasn’t anything so inexplicable, when she really considered it. Hunter Reardon was probably just a jerk.
Main Street was crowded this time of day, and so Kallie was forced to park quite a few blocks away from the ice cream parlor. She didn’t mind. It was gorgeous and the street was so cute, everyone was out in their shorts and sunglasses, parents pushing strollers, people walking dogs, biking, and everyone seemed to be smiling.
Kallie wondered if Hunter Reardon would be smiling if he were with her right now. And then she told herself (not for the first time either) to knock it off. He didn’t really like her. What did she know about him?
Well, she knew he was quick to throw a punch. At the time, it had seemed like a good thing, chivalrous even. Now, looking back, she figured he was probably just a violent hothead who needed little excuse to punch someone’s lights out.
Kallie smiled at a passing couple with a tiny baby in a stroller. They smiled back at her. They looked happy, complete. A piece of her heart cried out, why can’t I have what they have? The same thing she thought endlessly while watching Nicole and Red stare lovingly into each other’s eyes day after day.
If there was a downside to working for such an awesome couple, it might be the fact that it highlighted just how lacking she was in that department.
Hunter Reardon wasn’t going to fill that void, she realized. He was a pipe dream, smoke and mirrors. When he’d seemed so caring in the bathroom, touching her so gently, staring into her eyes—it was just him playing her. He was some sort of Hollywood mover and shaker on top of being a successful writer, and it was likely that he’d learned how to tell women exactly what they wanted to hear.
Exactly what he needed them to believe if he was going to find a way into their pants on a first date.
I feel like I’ve known you my entire life.
Kallie had replayed the moment he’d said that over and over again in her head— until the memory had worn so thin as to be completely robbed of any emotional charge. Now, when she thought back on it, she realized that this had been just another lame line he’d likely used on dozens of unassuming women.
And to think, if Red hadn’t intruded on the moment, that there was no telling how far she’d have gone with Hunter. She’d wanted him that badly.
There were a few people sitting and standing just outside the entrance of Scoop Du Jour, eating waffle cones and sundaes and looking generally happy to be alive.
Kallie was figuring to be one of the happy eaters momentarily. She walked inside and looked up at the menu board, trying to figure out whether she wanted a waffle cone or a sundae. The line was long enough, but moving quickly.
As she considered her order, Kallie was suddenly struck by an intense feeling of being watched. And out of the corner of her eye, she saw him. Everything happened so quickly that she didn’t even realize that she’d already recognized him before he’d even spoken.
“Kallie?” he said, walking toward her, waffle cone in hand.
Her legs were rooted to the floor and her heart was pounding. Hunter Reardon was there—in the ice cream parlor, talking to her.
She was mortified. It was like her dream—her nightmare—everything had come together like magic and manifested this demon in the flesh. “Hi Hunter,” she said softly, barely turning to look at him.
She could sense him though. His presence was so strong, so intoxicating, that she could barely keep from staring at him. He was wearing white shorts and a gray t-shirt, very casual. Everything seemed to fit him in a way that it looked thrown on, yet planned—as if a stylist might have worked hours and hours to create the perfect “thrown together” look for a photo shoot.
“What are you doing here?”
She pointed to the board. “Pretty self explanatory, I think.”
He laughed. “Yeah, dumb question.”
The line moved forward and he moved with her. She sighed and looked away, hoping he’d just go. It was too painful seeing him here, knowing that for him this was just another chance encounter, another opportunity to use his magnetism to make her want him, while he stayed pleasantly aloof.
“The waffle cones here are amazing,” he told her.
“So I’ve heard.” Now she definitely wasn’t getting one, even though it looked and even smelled awesome.
After his suggestion, Kallie was determined to order a sundae.
The line move again and someone took her order. She got a sundae with nuts and whipped cream, and Hunter was standing nearby, clearly waiting for her.
She hated him for being here and acting like they were old college friends running into one another.
She hated herself for hoping against hope that maybe he had a good reason for not calling her—maybe he really had forgotten her number.
A moment later, she’d gotten her sundae and paid, and then she was scurrying out the door and Hunter was following after. “Wait up,” he said. “You in a hurry or something?”
Kallie kept walking. She was suddenly aware of her own outfit—tight jean shorts and a striped summer top that showed off a good deal of skin—and Hunter’s eyes on her. “I’m not in a hurry,” she told him. “But I don’t feel like wasting my time, either.”
“Wasting your time on what?”
“Anything.”
“Is this because I didn’t call you?” he asked.
She slowed down a little, thinking of his word choice. Something about the way he’d phrased the question told her that he hadn’t simply forgotten her number. She knew that his not calling her was intentional.
“Look, I really don’t care, Hunter.”
“Kallie, hold on a second. Will you just slow down a minute? My ice cream’s melting all down my hand.”
She stopped and watched as he began using one tiny napkin to wipe the ice cream that had run down his hand from the waffle cone.
Then she noticed her own sundae was melting. So now he’d even managed to ruin her sundae. “I don’t have anything to say to you,” she told him. “I’m not interested in playing this game—it’s boring. You’re boring.”
Hunter looked up at her, and she could see genuine hurt in his eyes. “Look, I’m sorry I didn’t call you. Things got kind of complicated for me, and—“
“Hunter, I know this might surprise you, but I’m really not that interested in having this conversation.” She felt a deep pang inside her chest. What a bitch I’m being right now, she thought. She was never like that to people. Never.
That was followed by a reminder of how he’d behaved, how sleazy he’d been that night, given his subsequent lack of follow through.
“Okay. I got it,” he said. “Well, it really was great seeing—“
She literally started walking away from him in the middle of his sentence, and he watched her go with his mouth open.
Kallie went the last block back to her car feeling stunned by her own actions. Her ice cream was pretty muc
h melted, and her appetite gone. She tossed it into the garbage can nearby and then got in her car.
She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so defeated. Maybe right after Brad had assaulted her in the laundry room—but this was almost worse. Brad was just an idiot, so running away from him had sort of been a relief.
Running away from Hunter hurt. Saying those things to him hurt.
Why couldn’t she admit that she’d wanted him to follow her, to tell her sorry again, to say something that would allow her to forgive him?
Kallie didn’t know why she’d been so nasty, but she did know that she needed to get the heck out of there. She wanted to get away from this street and never look back. But when she tried to put her car into gear, the shifter wouldn’t budge. She turned the car off and then restarted it.
The shifter still wouldn’t move into drive.
“Shit.” She was getting more and more upset now. Was she going to be stuck on top of everything else? Had she broken the Jameson’s car, too?
Kallie turned the car off and waited a couple of minutes, then started it and tried yet again. Nothing. The damn thing was stuck fast.
“Is something wrong?”
She looked up to see Hunter peering in the passenger window from the curb. Kallie’s heart leapt and she nearly smiled. Do not smile, she told herself.
Remember, you’re not relieved at all. You’re not jumping for joy that he came back for you, even though you were a Class A bitch to him.
“My car’s broken,” she said.
He grinned. “Broken? It sounds like the engine’s running fine.”
“I can’t get it into drive.” She tried and he watched her, a little smile playing on his lips.
“It sure would be funny if the guy you just insulted could fix your car and save you lots of time and money.”
Kallie pursed her lips. “That would be funny. But I don’t think it could ever happen.”
“No?” He raised his eyebrows at her.
God, he was so sexy and he knew it. He totally must have practiced that look in the mirror.
“No.” She shook her head. How could he be so charming when she was totally onto him? How was a thing like that even possible?
“Let me give it a try,” he said.
She looked at him uncertainly. “Please don’t mess with me. This isn’t even my car.”
He chuckled. “I’m not going to mess with you, Kallie. You’re so suspicious.”
I wonder why, she thought, but kept quiet. She got out of the car and he walked around and passed by her, his arm briefly brushing against hers, giving her an electric jolt at the minor contact.
Hunter got inside and turned the car off. He looked around and ran his hands along the steering column—seemed to find something he was looking for—and then gently turned the key, but not all the way on. Next, she saw him push down on the break, his leg flexing with the pressure.
Kallie realized that a guy who knew his way around a car was even sexier than a guy who knew how to give a smoldering look. Unfortunately for her, Hunter was both.
Finally, he turned the ignition all the way and the engine roared to life. He grabbed hold of the gearshift and tried to put it in drive.
It didn’t work for him, either.
“It’s okay, you tried,” she told him.
He looked up at her with an appreciative grin. “So, I think I can fix this in under two minutes.”
“Doesn’t look like it.”
“Want to bet?”
She thought about it. “What kind of bet?”
“If I win, you come with me and hang out for the rest of the day. And you have to be nice to me for fixing your car for free.”
She rolled her eyes. “That’s just ridiculous.”
“So, you think you’ll lose then.”
“Okay. What do I get if you can’t do it?”
Hunter smiled. “If I can’t do it in under two minutes, I’ll pay to have a real mechanic do the job.” He held out his hand. “Do we have a deal?”
Kallie shook his hand, and if they both held on longer than necessary—well, she wouldn’t tell if he didn’t. A moment later, she’d pulled out her cell phone and gotten her timer ready. “Okay, on three.”
“Yup.” He looked focused and confident, his hands on the wheel, relaxing.
“One, two, three,” she said, and pressed the start button on her cell phone’s digital timer.
Hunter quickly went into his pocket and grabbed his own car keys. She couldn’t imagine what he was going to do with those. Start her car with his keys?
Seconds later, he’d taken a key and jammed it into a tiny little slot near the bottom of the shifter. Then he waited a brief moment, put his hand back on the shifter and pulled it into drive. “And we’re done, in record time,” he said.
“So, I guess I just have to drive with your keys stuck in that little slot?” she asked, trying to cover up just how impressed she was with his performance.
“There are other things you can stick in it,” he said. “I don’t think you need me to come up with a list, but I can if you want. Besides, we can take my car from here. You owe me a date.”
***
Nicole wasn’t sure just when she’d gotten suspicious of Red again.
She was used to being physically close to him, to having him inside of her, and to knowing how much he loved her by way of that kind of intimacy. And she knew how important it was to Red as well—he was a man who thrived on sexual conquest--they’d built a significant part of their relationship on it.
Her insecurity had begun when he’d become slowly less and less interested in the things that had been staples of their sexual diet—spanking, tying her up, pulling her hair, blindfolding her. Slowly, over the months of her pregnancy, the sex had become more and more predictable, with less and less of that spicy variety that she’d grown accustomed to from her husband.
And although she’d accepted his claim that he’d simply grown less needy for that sort of activity, Nicole was uneasy with the change. She didn’t trust it.
She thought of his mother’s subtle digs about Red not being able to handle a real relationship with a woman who got pregnant and showed her age. Maybe there was more truth to it than she liked to think.
Now that she could no longer have any sex due to her health condition, Nicole was growing more and more concerned by Red’s lack of interest in her.
And she couldn’t help but feel that maybe having a nubile young blond girl living in their house wasn’t exactly a recipe for a successful marriage.
Nicole had been frankly relieved that it was Kallie’s day off. Although Kallie did great work, was diligent about cooking and cleaning and pleasant to be around, she made
Nicole uneasy. She was so gorgeous, her body was so ridiculously toned and tight, sexuality just about oozed from her pores.
How could Red not notice and be tempted by it?
Nicole had also seen that Kallie was frequently checking her phone. She seemed sometimes distracted, especially when Red was around.
Was it too much to assume that perhaps the girl was crushing on her handsome, celebrity boss and that Red might even feel some urge to respond to that crush?
Nicole hadn’t really thought so, beyond a few fleeting glimmers of jealousy. Not until today. She’d been able to quell her own fears, most of which she honestly believed were a product of too much time on her hands.
But only an hour or so after Kallie had left the house, Red told Nicole that he needed to take a meeting in the city. “It’s kind of an emergency,” he’d said.
“But that’s like two hours each way—at least,” she’d complained.
Red had explained that he’d be using a helicopter service that transported executives back and forth from Manhattan to The Hamptons, like a bus, day and night. “Will you be okay if you’re alone for a few hours?” he asked.
She’d said she would.
In truth, she felt pretty much fine, physically. H
er blood pressure had gone back to normal, and the edema was almost gone, too. Dr. Rosen had been happy with all the reports they’d given her, and even suggested that Nicole could cut her bed rest in half, as long as they kept an eye on everything.
It wasn’t being left alone that concerned her so much. It was how vague both Red and Kallie had been about where they were going and for how long. It simply was too much of a coincidence, Nicole decided.
Kallie leaves the house on some unnamed trip doing god knows what, and suddenly Red gets a phone call and mysteriously has to go away at the exact same time as her.
It had the strange ring of something that had been planned in advance, she thought.
She had a feeling that something was very, very wrong. It was a feeling that she couldn’t explain to anyone, but she knew it just the same. Something bad was on its way.
***
“You’ve never been in a helicopter?” Hunter asked her.
Kallie shook her head nervously, as they buckled into their seats on the tiny aircraft, and the pilot welcomed them aboard.
They each had headsets to wear, since apparently the helicopter would be very noisy. “Good afternoon and welcome,” the pilot said. He had that confident authority that surgeons, pilots and police officers all seemed to have in common. His hair was silver, and he wore a white collared t-shirt with logo of the company embossed on it.
“We will be flying about twenty minutes all-told, and I’ll be pointing out some of the sights along the way,” the pilot continued, in almost a sing-song patter, his voice tinny in Kallie’s headset. “Please let me know if you’re experiencing any discomfort or have any questions. We can land the helicopter in short order if you’re having any concerns.”
“Sounds great,” Hunter responded.
“Also, please do keep an eye out as we fly these friendly skies, and if you notice any unforeseen air traffic, I’d appreciate you pointing it out to me.”
Unforeseen air traffic? Kallie thought, her throat constricting with sudden fear. She wasn’t used to the idea that she needed to help a pilot do his job.