“Not that much. We were nearly done,” Paul replied as he draped a brotherly arm around her shoulders. “And you and Tom had some business to attend to.”
“That’s what you’re calling it?”
Paul gave an expansive shrug. “It sounds better than hissy fit,” he said, looking down at her as she gave a rueful smile. The pair of them began to walk across the Village. Kate hadn’t asked where they were going, instead trusting that Paul’s need for pizza would mean he had already decided their destination well in advance. “So,” Paul began when they paused at the light, waiting to cross the street, “Michael. How’s all that going?”
“All that?” Kate looked up at him, noticing yet again the height difference between them, the top of her head barely reaching his shoulder. The light changed and they began to cross the street along with the rest of the crowd. Paul drew her close to his side in an instinctively protective gesture as the pedestrians from the other side of the intersection drew near.
“You know,” Paul said, giving her a quick glance before returning his attention to negotiating a clear path. “Did you guys have a talk too? He left you and Tom to it, but I’m guessing he was wondering what the hell was going on.”
“You guess correctly.” Kate sighed. She felt tired again. It seemed all she was doing was talking lately and it was wearing her down. Not for the first time she realized how easy it was at times to be single. Now it felt that by putting herself on the dating radar, she had somehow entered a minefield of emotions.
Paul didn’t miss the sigh. “Everything okay?”
“Yeah, we’re fine. Everyone’s fine,” Kate answered as she hitched the strap of her bag on her shoulder.
“Fine as in ‘Fucking Insecure Neurotic and Emotional’ type fine, or okay?” he ventured after a brief pause.
Kate snickered at this.
“I mean we’re good.” She emphasized the last word, watching as Paul gave a sage nod. “Tom and I talked it all out, and then Michael joined us at the bar for a drink and the boys played nice.”
“Really?” Paul tried not to look too surprised at this. “That’s gotta be a first.”
“I know, but …” Kate considered this as they kept walking, and then frowned as she looked further down the street. “Where are we going by the way?”
“Lombardi’s,” Paul answered. “And don’t change the subject.”
“Hang on, I said I’d let Michael know where we’d be,” Kate said, slowing her pace a little as she dug in her bag and then began to tap out a message to Michael on her phone.
Paul glanced down and saw what she was doing. “You want to stop and do that?”
“No, you steer and make sure I don’t trip over anything,” Kate said absently as she kept composing the message.
Paul nodded and tightened his arm around her shoulders, whistling tunelessly as they walked.
~~~
Michael looked at the word count of the document and gave a low whistle. For someone with writer’s block for a few months, he had certainly managed to redeem himself. Alistair would definitely be pleased with this. Or not. Michael paused as he considered this. It was certainly a break from his usual style of writing, although the sheer volume of this would give Alistair enough to work on for a while. With luck they would be able to work their way toward a mutually agreeable finished product. He looked away from the screen as his phone beeped with an incoming message.
Pizza at Lombardi’s cnr Spring Mott – see you soon? xK.
Michael smiled and wrote a reply.
No probs. Let me know when. xM
He relaxed in his chair and waited for her response, rubbing an absent hand over his chin and feeling the rasp of stubble against his fingers. His phone beeped again and he smiled when he read her message and then flicked the phone back onto his desk where it landed on some paperwork with a dull thud. For a moment he considered shaving and then remembered with a grin that Kate enjoyed his scruff on occasion.Glancing at the laptop screen again, he began to re-read the afternoon’s efforts, his smile fading as a small voice in his head wondered what Kate would make of it. He sighed and rubbed his face again. There was nothing for it but to wait and see. He’d come this far.
~~~
“Are we there yet?” Kate teased as she slipped her phone back into her bag.
“Nearly,” Paul said. “You hungry?”
“A little,” Kate conceded.
“You know, it wouldn’t kill you to eat a bit more,” Paul commented. It hadn’t escaped his attention that Kate had shivered each time a cold gust of wind had swept against them. She had been working too hard again, and he could see that she had lost a couple of pounds. She had inherited their mother’s slight build and any loss showed. Turning his attention back to the street and looking ahead toward the pizzeria, he resolved to ask her more about her relationship with Michael. Not for the first time, he wished Jack were still alive. He knew Kate would have borne Jack in Papa Bear mode with more grace than she would an inquisitive older brother, no matter how well intentioned.
“Don’t fuss, Bear. I’m okay.” Kate shook her head at him. It hurt her to see the worry in his eyes; she preferred to see him happy. She cast about for a distraction. “On to more important things,” she said, “pizza. Have you thought about what you want?” She knew her ploy had worked when Paul laughed.
“Kat, dinner’s a done deal. I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon.”
By the time they were crossing Houston, they were indulging in a good natured squabble about toppings.
“Definitely sausage,” Paul said, “and plenty of peppers.”
Kate gave him a look of amused tolerance. “Like you could possibly consider anything else,” she said. Ever since their teenage years, Paul had been known for his devotion to pizza. “Just don’t forget I want mushrooms.”
A while later they were settling themselves at a table, Kate stashing her bag between her feet and accepting a bottle of mineral water from a waitress with a smile of thanks while Paul opened the beer he had ordered and took an appreciative swig.
“Good?” Kate asked with a smile when he set the bottle down on the table with a sigh.
“There are times when hard work means a hard earned thirst.” He sighed. “And today is one of those days.” He looked at her and then started to fidget with the label on the bottle. He raised an eyebrow at her. “So, getting back to business, you said that you and Tom played nice yesterday when I kicked you out of the store. How did it go?”
Kate sipped at her water while she considered his question. “As well as could be expected,” she said at last. “Things got a little bumpy.”
“I bet they did,” Paul said, folding his arms and leaning slightly toward her. “But it’s a talk that’s been a long time comin’.”
“Yeah.” Kate nodded.
“You’re both as bad as each other sometimes, you know that, right?” Paul pressed on.
This time Kate’s nod was slower.
“I’m not saying that you two can’t be friends, but c’mon, Kat, sometimes it hasn’t been too healthy.”
Kate couldn’t look at him now. She traced the beads of condensation on her bottle and drew on the tabletop with a wet fingertip. Paul said nothing further. Instead he sipped at his beer and waited for her to say something. Finally she looked up and gave him a watery smile.
“You’re right,” she admitted at last, “but we talked about it.” She reached over and picked up Paul’s beer bottle, raising an eyebrow at him and taking a swig after he nodded.
“So what did you talk about?” Paul prodded as she set the bottle down.
“All the stuff that has been building up for a few years: his sabotage, my passivity, our love lives—together and with other people.” She thought for a moment and shrugged. “Guess it was all the stuff that needed to be said to clear the air.”
“What about Michael?”
“We talked about him too.” Kate nodded.
“No, I mean
t how was Michael with it all? He took off pretty quickly.”
“Yeah,” Kate agreed. “He left us to talk it out, but came and had a drink with us later on.”
Paul gave a slow considered nod of approval. “Gotta give props to the man for showing up after Tom let the bitch off the leash.”
Kate laughed at Paul’s choice of phrase. “I know, right? He was really good, and Tom behaved himself too.”
“I’m glad to hear it.” Paul nodded. “Michael seems like a nice guy, if that smile on your face is anything to go by.” He grinned. “And that blush.” His grin broadened as Kate groaned and put her hands to her face in a futile attempt to hide the color in her cheeks. “Wow, getting serious, huh?”
“I think so,” Kate conceded.
“You think so … what?” Paul prodded. “You’ve fallen in …” He waved an expressive hand for Kate to fill in the blank, and when she said nothing, he lifted his bottle to his lips and took a long sip. He kept drinking, widening his eyes at her before releasing the bottle from his lips with a soft ‘pop’ and setting it down. “What?” he said.
“You know.” Kate reached over and fidgeted with the paper label on the beer bottle for a moment.
“So,” Paul went on, “you haven’t said it?”
“Not to him,” Kate answered. She had all but admitted it to Thomas.
“So when?” Paul asked as he watched Kate turn her water glass in small circles on the table.
“When the time is right,” Kate said at last, looking up when she saw Paul’s grin. “What?”
“Kat, there’s no such thing as the right time. You’re talking about feeling safe enough to say it.”
Kate sipped at her water again and, realizing she wanted something more, flagged a passing waitress to order a Coke. She turned back to see Paul watching her, his face impassive as he waited for her answer. There was nowhere for her to go, no way she could bluff her way through the conversation. No matter how hard she tried to stall, he would simply wait her out. He had done it before.
It had been Paul who had sat waiting by her hospital bedside after the accident with Jack, waiting for his only sibling to wake up so that he could tell her that they were orphans. He had been the only person besides Kate listed as next of kin, and had made the journey from upstate to keep vigil by her side. He had watched and waited for her grief to burn down to ash before telling her she had to leave home and make a life for herself.
“You’re no good here, Kat,” he had said one day.
Kate still remembered the way he had said that, his body looming large in her bedroom doorway, his boot scuffing at the hallway carpet.
She had been sitting on her bed going through an old photo album after another quiet dinner when Paul had appeared at her door and made the announcement.
“Bear, I’m fine—” she had begun, and had stopped when he slowly shook his head.
“See, Babycake, that’s where you’re wrong,” he had said in a gentle tone. “I’ve been watching you,” he’d continued as he stepped into the room and took a seat beside her on the bed, “and you’re just going through the motions of living.”
“Bear—” Kate had begun again.
“No, Kat, this isn’t living, and it doesn’t honor Mom and—” He had stopped and swallowed hard. “Dad. You know they wouldn’t like this, so you’ve got to make a life for yourself.” He had reached out and put a gentle hand on her shoulder. “Go back to college, Kat, get your degree, and make a good life for yourself. You know that would make them proud. You won’t be alone.”
Now Paul sat waiting again, watching Kate smile her thanks as her Coke was delivered to their table, checking her wristwatch to see how much longer it would be before Michael arrived.
Kate looked up and saw Paul regarding her with a steadfast gaze.
“Kat,” Paul said, reaching out a gentle hand, “he’s not Tom.”
“I know.” Kate nodded. “I’m just scared, you know?”
“Oh, I know,” Paul said, giving her hand a soft squeeze before leaning back in his seat. “But sometimes you just have to throw yourself wholeheartedly into something, or not at all.”
Kate cocked her head as she gazed at her brother.
“That’s quite a philosophy you’ve got going there,” she said.
“It was Mom’s,” Paul said easily, making Kate smile. Their mother had been a free spirit compared to Jack’s more conservative nature, but had managed to impart life lessons along the way.
“Mom could be a flake at times.” Paul shrugged. “But her words kinda stuck, I guess, and it’s a philosophy that works for me. Anyway, you want to finish your life feeling like you’ve had one helluva ride, or regret that you didn’t do more when you had the chance?” He leaned forward and grasped Kate’s hand again. “We both know that life can finish anytime, so why hold back?”
“I guess,” Kate muttered, thinking of Michael. She glanced at her watch again and then looked up as Paul straightened in his chair and waved with a broad smile. Kate turned to follow his gaze, and Paul watched as his sister’s face lit up with a smile of recognition.
~~~
Michael had been standing in the doorway scanning the dinner crowd when Paul’s whoop had caught his attention. Paul’s wave barely registered before Michael’s attention swung to Kate’s smiling face beside him. Walking over to the table, he stooped down to brush his lips against Kate’s before leaning over to shake Paul’s proffered hand.
“Good to see you again, Paul.” Michael smiled and then pulled out the spare seat beside Kate and sat down.
“Likewise.” Paul gave him a cordial grin. “It’s good to see the cause for Kate’s smiles lately.”
“Is that so?” Michael relaxed into his seat, grateful that he was going to be spared any conversation about his writing career.
Kate shot Paul a look that had her brother fumbling for the menu. “So,” he began in a slightly-too-jovial tone, “who’s for pizza?” Paul peered around the room for a waitress so that he could get their order placed as quickly as possible. Michael slipped his arm around Kate’s shoulders and drew her close.
“Smiles, huh?” he whispered, dropping a kiss on her forehead.
“That’s Bear for you,” Kate replied. “Either all protective or gooey matchmaker. When he’s this happy, there isn’t much middle ground.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” Michael replied, watching as she bit her lip before smiling again. Michael looked into Kate’s warm brown eyes and thought again how much he needed her.
~~~
Kate looked at Michael and realized how much she had wanted to be with him this evening. She was about to answer when Paul directed a question to Michael about pepperoni and the two of them fell into discussion about the pros and cons of sausage pizza. She watched as Michael and Paul worked their way through the usual dance steps of conversation as they negotiated their way toward common ground. Of course, sports was the universal leveler, although they surprised each other with their mutual interest in books and music.
She smiled as she felt Michael’s hand rest on her back and begin to make lazy circles as he continued to converse with Paul. She leaned into his touch and felt content to simply watch him: his strong jaw line as he spoke, the way his eyes crinkled with amusement, and best of all, the way he glanced at her from time to time. The pizzas arrived and the conversation continued.
Kate licked some grease off her fingers, laughing as Paul told them a story about his day, and then happened to glance over at Michael. His eyes were watching her lips as they sucked and pulled at her fingertips one by one as she licked them clean. She licked her bottom lip slowly for good measure and watched his eyes grow darker still. Paul continued talking, and so she leaned back in her seat and rested her hand on Michael’s thigh and rubbed her thumb against the rough denim. She heard his breath hitch for a moment before he remembered himself and laughed on cue as Paul’s story reached its conclusion.
Kate could feel the he
at of Michael’s body against hers. All she wanted to do was run her hand up under his shirt and across the hard planes of his chest as she pressed herself against him.
If she did that, he would touch her like only Michael could touch her. He knew all her sweet spots, the places on her body that made her sigh and arch against him, to find some release from the need that was spiraling up from her core. Somehow she was able to smile and keep talking, smiling as Paul kept getting distracted by the game on the wall mounted TV, all the while realizing she wanted nothing more than to feel Michael’s mouth on hers. She shifted a little in her seat, trying to ease the sudden ache.
“Don’t do that.” Michael’s words were a hot whisper against her ear, tickling her neck and making her give a delighted shudder. “Oh, God, don’t do that. I don’t think I can stand much more.”
Kate felt a rush of pleasure at his murmured plea. I did that. I make him feel like that.
She turned her attention back to Paul who, she realized with a guilty start, was gazing at her expectantly.
“Uh …” she stammered, “sorry, what were you saying?”
“Miles away, huh?” Paul asked with a knowing smile.
“Something like that,” Kate admitted, although the distance had been much closer than Paul had given her credit for. Michael was, after all, right beside her.
“I was saying that we ought to call it a night soon, given you and I both have early starts tomorrow.”
Kate nodded, sliding her hand further up Michael’s thigh and grinning as he clamped his hand over her wrist to stop her from going further still.
“Guess it’s easier for you creative types,” Paul said. “You can set your own hours so you can be your own boss.”
“Oh, I don’t know,” Michael mused, “if the ideas aren’t coming, then there’s nothing to do, and nothing can be a lonely place if you’re relying on it for a living.”
“Guess I hadn’t thought of it like that,” Paul commented. “Is that the voice of experience?”
“Oh, yeah,” Michael sighed. “There’s nothing worse than waking up and realizing that you’re living in an inspiration wasteland.” Releasing Kate’s wrist with a warning look, he settled his arm around Kate’s shoulders in a bid to shift his attention away from the warmth of her hand resting on his thigh.
Take the Cake Page 35