AKA Lexi Frost (Lexi Frost Series)

by Tori Brooks

  “Tell me about your daughter,” Teri said suddenly, then immediately wished she hadn’t. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to pry.”

  Paul paused. “It’s fine, honey. I see Olivia twice a year, like I do all the kids. When she was Cassie’s age, she’d already moved back to Phoenix with Sara and stopped talking to me. I only have circumstantial information on Cassie, but I’m sorry to say, as a teenager Olivia wasn’t as smart as Cassie is. Be grateful she doesn’t give you much trouble.”

  “I am, deep down, even though she makes me want to scream most the time.”

  Paul laughed. “She’ll grow out of that. Just grit your teeth and send her to the mall.”

  “And the boys?”

  “With Cassie and Tiffany at the mall, Kenny can handle them, right?”

  “I suppose so,” Teri laughed. “So how much did you know about the kids before Miami?”

  His hesitation made Teri nervous.

  “More than you’d probably be comfortable with. Kenny wants to make a name for himself and his band, so there’s a lot of information to be found on the boys. Not so much on Cassie. I knew she was a good student and appeared to be a well-behaved young lady overall. Ditto on Tiffany, although I wasn’t as concerned about the extra teens until after Miami.”

  Teri started to relax again as Paul told her how wonderful her kids were. They were still on the phone when the kids returned from the movie. Teri reluctantly hung up as sounds of impending conflict reached her ears. When she appeared at the bottom of the stairs, silence fell and all eyes turned to her.

  “So the arguing was about me.”

  “Paul actually. Tiff and I are going to her house to spend the night,” Cassie said.

  Teri nodded consent to the announcement and the girls headed up to Cassie’s room to pack.

  “Anything you boys want to talk about?” Teri leaned casually against the wall and tried to look approachable.

  “Not really,” Dev answered and took off downstairs. Kenny watched him go with an expression Teri couldn’t quite read.

  “Bryan’s family wants him home tonight, so I’m going to go drop him off,” Jess said. Kenny tossed him the keys to his van and waited quietly for them to go before facing Teri.

  “Dev’s upset,” Kenny said quietly.

  “I haven’t dated since Allen died. It’s a new concept for him.”

  “I think it’d be different if he knew the guy. You’re dating again, I know that’s part of it even though he says it’s not. What he admits to is that he doesn’t like you seeing a stranger.”

  “Paul’s not a stranger to me or Nicholas. Besides, how many single men does Dev know? Of those, how many would he be okay with me dating? The odds were against me dating someone who wasn’t a stranger to him.”

  “I’ll mention that. It might have helped if you’d mentioned him before spending a weekend with him.”

  “If I’d planned it, I might have. I didn’t expect to see Paul in London. That’s when the relationship started, really. New York was just an extension.”

  “I thought you met here.”

  “We did, but it was over business. After business was concluded he expressed interest, but I wasn’t sure. I never planned on having another relationship. I didn’t know if I could put my heart out there again.” Teri took a breath, not really wanting to think about her growing feelings for Paul. “Anyway, we met again in Miami and talked over lunch. It wasn’t until London that we really developed a relationship.”

  “He just happened to be in Miami when you were.” Kenny looked at her doubtfully.

  “No. He knew I was going and arranged to be there too.”

  “You told him you were going? Where to meet you?”

  “No.” Teri frowned. “Kenny, listen, I left out a lot of the details.”

  “Okay. So it all boils down to even though Paul’s been chasing you for awhile, you saw no reason to mention him because there hasn’t been a relationship until now.” Kenny sounded suspicious and it unnerved Teri.

  “I’m hard to catch apparently, so give him a break. He’s been through a lot,” Teri pleaded. “Just try to help Dev out with this, okay?”

  “Sure. Go to bed, you look tired.” Kenny went downstairs, presumably to talk to Dev. Teri turned to go back upstairs herself, but had to hug the wall as Cassie and Tiff came running down.

  “Bye, Mom!” they called back in unison as they ran out the door. Teri smiled. It was funny that Tiffany called her “mom” but Kenny, Jess, and Bryan called her “Teri” even though she mothered them considerably more than Tiffany. She shook her head at the paradox and chalked it up to the teenage phenomenon.

  Chapter Nine

  “Teri, can we talk?” Kenny loitered nervously in the doorway to Teri’s tiny workroom under the stairs a few days later. With darkroom equipment on one side and the computer desk on the other, most of the remaining space was taken by her chair. Kenny looked like he needed to pace and there simply wasn’t room.

  “Sure, dining room?” Teri asked.

  “Somewhere private.”

  Oh, God, Jess got some girl pregnant. Teri fought the impulse to panic. It was unfair to jump to conclusions, so she tried to push her suspicions aside. She nodded and Kenny closed the door behind him. He took a seat on the edge of the small computer desk and stared at the opposite wall.

  “What’s on your mind?” Teri asked, bracing herself.

  “Remember how a couple days ago Dev was upset because he didn’t know Paul?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, after talking to you, I agreed with Dev so I looked into it.”

  Teri let out an exasperated sigh.

  “Paul Lovett is married with children,” Kenny said quickly before she could protest. “He’s not divorced, Teri. Separated, but not divorced. I checked.”

  Teri felt like he’d physically hit her. She struggled to breathe and formulate a response.

  “Dev doesn’t know. I figured he’d freak out. I take it you didn’t know either.”

  Teri looked up and shook her head as Kenny glanced at her and away again.

  “I didn’t think so. I didn’t think you’d go for a married man.”

  “How . . . How did you . . .” Teri couldn’t finish.

  “I asked around. Yesterday I got a call from Blaine Lovett.”

  “Paul’s son?”

  “Yeah. When I originally asked my dad’s assistant I said you were dating Paul and I wanted to know more about him, so Blaine knew that too. He was pissed. He said Paul had a mistress in New York named Kayley Goldstein and said . . . well, he said a lot of things. I spent most the day checking it out. I couldn’t disprove anything he said. He was pretty hostile about the idea of his dad dating you. I couldn’t prove it, but I believe him when he said Paul never divorced Sara.”

  “You spoke to Blaine,” Teri repeated.

  “Yeah.”

  Kenny waited silently as Teri thought. Paul said the kids hated him. Was it enough to try to sabotage his relationship with her? Maybe. She had no way of knowing. He saw them each twice a year, but only because he forced them to get their allowance from him in person. Would they risk angering Paul? Teri couldn’t know for sure, but a hard, cold feeling in the core of her soul told her Kenny was right, that Blaine was telling the truth.

  “I’ll ask Paul. Thank you, Kenny,” Teri nodded. Kenny took the hint that she wanted to be alone and stood to leave.

  “Kenny, don’t -” Teri started.

  “Not saying a word to anyone. Ball’s in your court,” Kenny whispered over his shoulder and slipped out the door.

  Teri sat for a moment, stunned at the bombshell Kenny dropped on her. She wasn’t grateful, although she knew she should be. Teri let her head fall into her hands and was honest with herself: she needed time to get the strength to confront him.

  A gentle knock on the door prompted her to pull herself together.

  “Teri?” Nicholas’s voice called.

  “Come in.” Teri didn’t
try to hide the tears in her voice, he’d notice them in a moment anyway.

  Nicholas opened the door and walked in, bringing a barstool with him from the kitchen. Closing the door, he sat down and leaned back against it.

  “Kenny called me a while ago. Said he was probably going to upset you and you might need someone to talk to. For being barely nineteen, he’s pretty perceptive.”

  “And much more resourceful than I ever gave him credit for.” Teri looked at Nicholas; he held out a tissue and she took it gratefully. “Did you ever get around to looking into Paul’s background?”

  “A bit on the net. Nothing you didn’t already know. A lot of stuff from his PR department: blurbs that he donated to an organization or funded some project. Some pictures taken at various events with this model or that actress. Frequently Kayley, but not always. Why?”

  “Kenny had more success. It turns out Paul might still be married.”

  “I thought he was divorced.”

  “Kenny asked around and apparently spoke to Paul’s oldest son. Not divorced, just separated.”

  “For awhile I imagine, given how long he’s been seen in the who’s who of New York’s night life. If you’re concerned about it, ask him.”

  “Married, Nicholas, married. Separated is not good enough, married is not acceptable,” Teri snapped. “If he’s married to another woman, then he has a commitment to her. It means that he has no future with me. I’d be just another photo and line on who he’s seen with at some event. Maybe be known as his mistress if it lasts long enough,” she sobbed and Nicholas handed her another tissue. “I was happy alone and then Paul came and I . . . I . . . Nicholas, I should have stayed alone.”

  Nicholas handed her another tissue, pausing before he answered. “You said his kids were bitter. Don’t jump to conclusions. Ask him.”

  “I will. Of course I will, but Kenny believes Blaine. To be honest, I believe it too. I don’t know why, but I do.”

  “Okay, if he’s married, ask him to divorce her.”

  “I won’t. I won’t be the one to break up a marriage.”

  “Teri,” Nicholas rose and took a step to gently rub Teri’s back. “He’s been separated and with other women for years. He knows you’re a mother and he’s been pursuing you anyway. That marriage, if it actually exists, is long over.”

  “He’ll call soon,” Teri said. “Oh, God! I can’t tell him Kenny told me!”

  “Then don’t. It doesn’t really matter how you found out. Take a deep breath, go upstairs and wait for his call. I’ll grab a butterscotch schnapps and meet you there.”

  “I thought women drove men to drink, not the other way around,” Teri whispered as she squeezed past Nicholas out of her workroom.

  Paul sat in his informal office and counted down the time until he could call Teri. He looked forward to hearing her voice, listening to her little problems. In the meantime, he forced himself to concentrate on a competition analysis he didn’t like.

  Bows and ribbons appeared to be a problem in prepackaged scrapbooking kits. Most components of the kits were being used as designed, but the ribbons and bows were being tossed aside. For repeat customers, it lowered the kits’ perceived value, and sales were starting to slip.

  Fine, he got that. Thumbing through the report, Paul failed to see an explanation as to why the components weren’t being used. Was it the color selection, sizes, textures? He wrote a quick note on the cover and tossed in on the pile to go out for immediate review. Maybe ribbons and bows were on the way out in the scrapbooking fashion trends.

  Paul thought for a moment. Trends. Scrapbooking had them, he didn’t doubt that for a moment. But they weren’t as hailed and broadcasted as women’s clothing fashion. Turning to his computer, Paul typed a memo asking for the major clothing designers to be contacted regarding a new line of scrapbooking fashion based on their new lines. Paper would imitate fabric, matching trim, accessories, etc. He wanted their names and trademarks associated with the lines as well if possible, and exclusivity at any cost. Sending the memo, Paul leaned back in his chair. He nodded to himself in satisfaction. That should shake things up a bit.

  Glancing at the clock, it was now a few minutes past the time he usually called Teri. Beside the phone on his desk was a picture he took of Teri in Miami when she wasn’t looking. It was a profile shot when she was on the beach, just after she dropped the camera from her face; she was smiling at a scene she knew she’d captured.

  Paul loved the picture, mostly because she didn’t know he’d taken it. He discovered in London, to his dismay, that Teri hated having her picture taken. She was a great photographer but a lousy model. She wouldn’t stand still and had a hard time smiling naturally. He had to tell jokes and make her laugh to get any good pictures at all.

  Smiling at the memories the picture stirred up, Paul picked up the phone and dialed Teri.

  “Hello?” She sounded anxious. Something with the kids again no doubt. He hoped it wasn’t anything serious.

  “Hi, honey. How was your day? You sound a little anxious.”

  “Paul? I . . . if I ask you something, will you be honest with me?”

  “Of course,” Paul answered, leaning forward again in his chair and resting his arms on his desk. He furrowed his brow at the pause while Teri thought.

  “Paul, are you and Sara divorced?”

  His heart stopped beating and all moisture in his mouth turned to ash. He was going to tell her in London, then in New York. But he was waiting for the right time and it never came. It was a mistake, of course, to let her leave without knowing the truth. And he knew he had to tell her, but not over the phone. In Seattle then, Paul resolved. Since the right time didn’t come in New York, he’d simply have to make it or take the wrong time in Seattle.

  He had waited too long though, she’d found out. How? Sara, probably.

  “Teri,” Paul croaked through his dry throat. The glass on his desk was empty. He stumbled over to the bar to fill it.

  “My name is not an answer. I’ll take that as you’re married then.”

  There were tears in her voice, and anger. He’d hurt her and he needed to explain, but the words wouldn’t come. Paul took a drink and tried again.

  “I can -”

  “I don’t want to hear it.”

  “Did you talk to Sara?”

  “No. Does it matter how I found out? You’re married. I’m not interested in being your toy, or your summer fling, or your mistress. If you’re still married there’s a reason for it. I’m not getting involved.”

  “Teri, listen,” Paul pleaded, but she cut him off.

  “No. Don’t come here, Paul,” her voice trembled and he heard her pain. “And don’t call me,” Teri finished softly before hanging up the phone.

  Paul slowly hung up the phone and lowered himself back into his chair. He stared at the picture of Teri in shock. Teri smiling on the beach. Smiling as she finished taking a picture. The strength left Paul’s body as he realized Teri was smiling at Flynn Peterson.

  Kenny knew Teri would cry; he was amazed she held it together as well as she did when he told her about his conversation with Blaine Lovett. He didn’t tell her everything, just enough.

  Blaine was a bastard. He didn’t respond to Kenny’s inquiry about Paul out of some noble goal to protect his mother. He hated his father and wanted to hurt him. Blaine Lovett’s dark ulterior motive of breaking up the budding relationship between Paul and Teri was so obvious that Kenny even considered keeping Paul’s marriage to himself. He hated being used for Blaine’s malicious revenge against his father. But if Paul was still married, with a mistress even, Teri had a right to know.

  Paul called Teri every night at nine. Thank God Bryan was paying attention and had caught the pattern over the last few weeks. Kenny hadn’t thought about it before, but that meant it was midnight in New York, and they usually talked for an hour or more. He had decided to wait until eight to approach Teri, wanting to make sure there was plenty of time before Paul c
alled, but not too much. He didn’t want to ruin too much of her night. Then he waited.

  Teri usually went upstairs to her room to wait for Paul’s call. Paul would call in about ten minutes. Sometimes he was a few minutes late, but he was never early. Nicholas left again, so Kenny slipped quietly upstairs and sat in the hall to wait.

  He jumped when the phone rang and looked at his wrist, feeling foolish because he wasn’t wearing a watch. Quietly he peeked into Cassie’s empty room. It was five past, Paul was late. Kenny stole back to Teri’s door, cursing his curiosity. It didn’t matter what time it was.

  He listened as Teri confronted Paul, then told him not to come or to call. He suspected it was true, but Kenny was surprised at the pain he felt at the confirmation. He couldn’t imagine what Teri must feel.

  There was silence for a moment after she hung up the phone, then muffled sobs into a pillow. He heard it too often at home. It was part of the reason he moved in with Teri. Kenny waffled for a moment, cursing Nicholas for going home. He should be here to deal with this. Nicholas was Teri’s friend, Kenny was . . . well, he was a friend, but it was different. They weren’t equals, she was an adult. He didn’t know what to do.

  “Scram, Kenny. I’ll take it from here.”

  Kenny looked up. Nicholas stood over him with an iced mocha with whipped cream and sprinkles in his hand.

  “Sorry I’m late, there was a line. I was supposed to be getting something fortified, but decided this would be better. Figured it’d either be for comfort or celebration.”

  “Comfort,” Kenny replied, standing up.

  “Damn. Well, don’t say anything yet. And thanks for the heads up. I didn’t find anything I wasn’t supposed to.”

  “Just so you know, Blaine Lovett’s an asshole. I wanted him to be lying.”

  “Yeah, we knew that part,” Nicholas nodded. Kenny edged around him and fled downstairs.

  Tim DeLaney was Paul’s man through and through. He worked in Paul’s first store before he sold it. When Paul started a new business, Tim asked to come aboard. He had no particular expertise and only reasonable grades in high school, but he worked hard and caught Paul’s attention. Paul brought him on and started him on business classes at the community college. By now, Tim had a Master’s Degree in Business and was fluent in Spanish, French, and German. He was working on Mandarin, but it was giving him some trouble.