Drawing Hearts

by J. M. Jeffries

  “Bowling?” Nina’s eyebrows rose in surprise.

  “I’m not quite sure if it was a friend date, a first date or something else.”

  “The first time Sam took you on a date was to the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s annual gala and he tried to talk you into wearing that hideous feathered headpiece.” Nina ran her finger down the menu trying to decide what to eat.

  “What are you trying to say?” Kenzie asked curiously.

  “I’m not sure.” She thought for a moment. “Did you have a good time?”

  “I had a great time. I think I scored a total of twenty points, maybe it was thirty, but I enjoyed myself and Reed is funny and smart and so different from what I originally imagined him to be.” The memory of their bowling date was never far from her mind. She would be thinking about one thing and suddenly she’d relive herself getting all excited at knocking down three whole pins at once instead of another gutter ball.

  “What did you think he was?”

  Kenzie sighed again. “A geeky, World-of-Warcraft-playing, not-knowing-who-Michael-Kors-is kind of guy?”

  “And he isn’t?”

  “He is, but it doesn’t seem to matter as much as I thought it would. I sound shallow, don’t I?”

  “Of course not, my deep-as-a-puddle friend.”

  The waitress brought their margaritas. Kenzie took a sip. A bit too salty, but still good. “I feel so awkward around him. He’s sort of my boss.”

  “Sort of doesn’t mean he is.”

  Kenzie took another sip. She wasn’t certain how to explain herself. “You worked with Carl after you were married and that didn’t work out.”

  “In Carl’s mind everyone worked for him. And that is probably the answer to your next question. What was it like?”

  “I can tell you Reed is pretty low maintenance.” Especially after Sam who never left his apartment without making certain every hair was artistically placed. Kenzie tried to remember what had caused her to be attracted to Sam, if she’d ever been.

  “You’ve only been on one date with him. How can you tell?” Nina licked the salt from the edge of her glass.

  “I just can. I’ve never worked for Scott or Donovan. But I can tell what kind of people they are. Scott’s all business and Donovan rules his kitchen with an iron fist.”

  “Hendrix knows how to handle Donovan,” Nina said. “And she handles him brilliantly. In fact, he doesn’t have a clue.”

  “What about you and Scott?”

  “I handle him brilliantly, too. And Lydia has Hunter wrapped around her tiny little finger and he’s grateful. Why are you worried about Reed?”

  Kenzie pondered her answer. “I enjoy his company far more than I probably should for someone I work for.”

  “Are you worried about a conflict of interest?”

  “Look at how my relationship ended with Sam.”

  “Sam was a douche,” Nina said. “He used you.”

  “Nina, language.” Kenzie almost burst into laughter. Hearing her brother’s words coming out of Nina’s mouth was such a surprise.

  “I have five brothers, remember. And Scott is unleashing my inner potty mouth.”

  “Unfortunately, you’re right.” Thinking about Sam brought back some of the hurt. Knowing that he used her still stung. “How come you never said anything?”

  “I knew you’d figure Sam out eventually.”

  Sam knew how to act, dress and talk. Kenzie had been in awe of him from the first time she’d met him. He’d exuded power and sophistication. She’d felt honored someone like him would even deign to notice someone like her. “I don’t know why I wasted so much time with him.”

  Nina’s eyebrows rose. “He looked good at a cocktail party.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He was a great cocktail dress that was terribly uncomfortable to put on.”

  “It’s always about clothes with you, Nina.”

  “I’m not ashamed to say, I’m deep like a puddle.” Nina laughed. “And you should talk.”

  Kenzie shrugged. “I guess I’m a little hesitant about jumping into a new relationship.” Sam hadn’t been all bad, but his ultimatum to choose between him and her family didn’t sit well with her. Then he’d accused her of being too selfish for her own good. When she thought about everything she’d done to further his career, she realized he would never be the person she thought he would be.

  She wasn’t ready to tell Nina about their last, vicious argument over her future. Nina would have made it her life’s mission to ruin Sam and had the power to do so. Nina played Hollywood hardball. Sam would never have been able to stand up against her.

  “Take your time. You don’t have to rush into anything. Reed is nice. He has a good head on his shoulders and a good heart. He has vision. Your grandmother trusts him and I need nothing else to recommend him as a human being.”

  Kenzie hadn’t thought about that. Having Nina in the same state at the same time with her was just what she needed. “I love being able to talk to you like this. I feel like we’re back in college.”

  “Except we’re better dressed, have more money and can have cocktails any time we want.”

  Kenzie hadn’t solved the problem about her feelings for Reed, but she did realize she liked him a lot. And Nina was right, she didn’t have to rush into anything.

  * * *

  When she returned to the boutique she found Reed waiting for her.

  “I’d like to show you some of the improvements I’ve made for your fashion software,” he said.

  “Good. Let’s take a look.” She’d had no doubt he’d solve the problem for her.

  “I thought maybe over dinner tonight.”

  Kenzie’s eyebrows rose, but she forced herself not to shout yes. She just wanted to spend more time with him. “Are you holding my software for ransom?” He looked kind of sweet as he gazed at her, trying to look innocent while being devious.

  “Maybe. You did say live in the moment.”

  Kenzie’s eyes narrowed. “Where do you want to go?”

  “Maya says the circus acts at Circus Circus are fun.”

  That sounded like mindless, crazy fun. She was all in. “I haven’t been to a circus since I was a kid.” Miss E. had taken them every couple of years. She always wondered what Miss E. would have done if she’d run away to join the circus the way she had wanted to on her eighth birthday.

  “Then it’s a date.” He looked hopeful, his beautiful blue eyes searching her face as though expecting her to say no.

  “Yes. I’d love to go. Do you think we should invite Maya?”

  He looked doubtful. “I thought...well...if you want to invite Maya, let’s invite her. But Lydia is three minutes away from delivery and Maya was promised she could hold her baby brother right away.”

  “Good point. We don’t want Maya to have to decide between seeing her baby brother or watching dancing dogs.”

  He looked relieved and Kenzie couldn’t help the amusement she felt. Maya had already seen all the acts at Circus Circus. “We have a date.”

  He grinned. “I’ll meet you at the concierge’s desk at...” He looked at his watch. “Around six thirty.”

  “Why don’t you meet me in my suite at five thirty, and we’ll have a drink before we go.”

  He looked startled. “Okay.”

  She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he left the store. He paused briefly at the door and glanced back at her. She smiled. He waved and was gone.

  * * *

  Promptly at five thirty, Reed knocked at Kenzie’s door. In one hand he held a small, stuffed lion. In the other he held a small bouquet of flowers.

  His father had been a practical man and considered the circus a frivolous expense. Reed had never been to one and he was e
xcited to be going for the first time with Kenzie.

  He liked her and felt comfortable around her. She made him feel at ease. All the women who’d thrown themselves at him over the years always made him feel like prey. They’d tracked him down wherever he was, flirted with him and tried to seduce him. Two had even proposed to him, thinking he’d be intrigued by their boldness. He’d been appalled. Each woman had spent less than ten minutes in his company and told him they were madly in love with him when he knew they were madly in love with his money.

  Kenzie opened the door. She wore red skinny jeans, black stiletto heels, and a matching black camisole. Dangling gold earrings decorated her ears and a large gold link necklace nestled in the hollow between her breasts. She was breathtaking. He swallowed hard trying not to look at her breasts.

  She laughed as she took the flowers from him. “What’s with the stuffed lion?”

  “So you can tame the savage beast.”

  “Are you flirting with me?” she asked as she took the lion and cuddled it against her breasts.

  He would give anything to be that lion right now. That fact that he was indeed flirting shocked him. What was he thinking?

  He stepped into the entryway. Her suite was exactly like his except for the small personal touches she’d added. Colorful porcelain bowls decorated the sideboard. She’d changed around the seating and added colorful pillows to the bland beige sofa and matching chairs. The art on the walls looked like something she’d choose. Lots of color and abstract elements rather than the bland landscapes in his own suite.

  Two wineglasses sat on the coffee table with a bottle of white wine chilling in a bucket. Condensation dripped down the side of the wine bucket.

  She opened a cabinet in the kitchen and pulled out a vase, filling it with water and arranging the flowers in it. She set the vase on the dining table.

  “Thank you for the flowers and the lion. No one has given me a stuffed animal since I was a kid.”

  “There’s something really kid-like about going to the circus.”

  “Haven’t you ever been to the circus?”

  “No,” he said. “My dad was career military and we had man fun.”

  “Hunting, fishing and sporting events?”

  “Something like that,” he acknowledged. He loved his father, but his dad had really strong ideas about how to bring up a boy. Though he’d been disappointed when Reed chose not to follow three generations of tradition and join the navy, he’d gotten over it when Reed had made his first million and paid off his dad’s house.

  She poured a glass of wine and held it out to him. He sipped the fruity wine and started to relax. After pouring a glass for herself, she sat down next to him. “What else haven’t you done that you’d like to do?”

  “Once I strike the circus off my list, I think I want to fly in a hot air balloon.”

  She suddenly grinned. “And you’re in luck. The Great Reno Balloon Race is this weekend. What fun. I think you can ride in a balloon.”

  “I know. That is what inspired me.”

  “Are we in?”

  “Yeah,” he answered.

  Kenzie’s phone rang. She glanced at it. “I think I have to take this. It’s Hunter.”

  “Answer it,” Reed urged. He knew the whole family was on edge with Lydia’s delivery ready to happen.

  She answered and a smile grew. When she hung up, her eyes sparkled. “Lydia went into labor. They’re leaving for the hospital right now. I have to call everyone. I’m the designated caller for this event.” She jumped up, anticipation on her face as she scrolled through her phone.

  By the time she’d called everyone, Reed could feel the excitement filling the room. “What’s the plan?”

  “Scott will drop Maya off with Miss E. The rest of us will converge here in my suite to wait by the phone for the final word. Babies take a while. Once we have the word, we’re all heading to the hospital.”

  “Don’t you think descending on Lydia so quickly will be difficult for her? She’ll be tired and probably uncomfortable.”

  Kenzie took another sip of her wine. “You don’t know this family yet. We do not let events like this go unattended. The hospital is only ten minutes away. We’ll be in and out in no time. Besides, Maya was promised she’d have first chance to hold the baby before anyone else in the family except her mom and Hunter.”

  “We’re in for a long night.” Reed allowed her to refill his wineglass.

  “I’ll call down to the kitchen and order dinner. I’m sorry. We can go to Circus Circus any time.”

  Donovan and Hendrix were the first to arrive. Donovan pushed a cart into the suite. Following him were Scott and Nina. Miss E. and Maya arrived last. While Donovan uncovered dishes and set up a feast on the dining table, Hendrix arranged brownies, cookies and cupcakes on a large platter. Maya bounced back and forth, too excited to sit down. One moment she’d be chattering away and the next she’d burst into song and dance around the room.

  “This is so exciting,” Nina said. “I can’t wait to have my own baby.”

  “What?” Kenzie said. “Let me quote the great Nina Torres after our biology final. ‘It took me years to get this body. There will be no babies.’”

  Nina glanced at Scott. “That was before I met your brother.” She paused. “Yeah, that’s the answer I’m going to stick with.”

  “Right,” Kenzie said.

  “You agreed with me,” Nina replied.

  “I was protecting myself.”

  Nina burst into laughter. Scott lit a fire in the fireplace while Donovan uncorked two more bottles of wine. Hendrix set up a buffet line on the kitchen island.

  Reed sat back and watched everyone. He felt like an outsider again. He’d never had friends like this and seeing the comfortable exchanges between the siblings made him feel as though he were imposing. He watched Kenzie take a plate and start filling it with food.

  He stood. “I think I should leave.” He wondered if he could steal a couple brownies to stave off his hunger.

  “Excuse me,” Kenzie said, looking startled. “You’re not leaving.”

  “This is a family moment.” His own family moments were few and far between. Even more rare after his mother died.

  Kenzie stared at him, her gorgeous mouth partially open. She handed him the plate of food and pointed to a chair. “And you’re a part of this family. Sit down, drink your wine and eat your dinner.”

  Chapter 5

  Christian Mark Russell was born two minutes after 7 p.m. Miss E. delegated Kenzie as a driver to transport her and Maya to the hospital. By 8 p.m. Maya hugged the tiny bundle to her chest while Lydia lay on the bed with her eyes closed. Hunter hovered over her, but couldn’t take his eyes off his new son. And Miss E. sat on a chair looking astonished that she was now a great-grandmother.

  The room was larger than Kenzie expected, with a soothing pale blue paint on the walls and a duck wallpaper border near the ceiling. Lydia lay with her knees draped over a pillow, her face lined with exhaustion. She looked peaceful. Against one wall was a sink and cabinets. Another wall held a sofa that pulled out into a bed, allowing Hunter to spend the night if he wished. Between the bed and sofa was a small bassinet for the baby.

  A nurse stuck her head around the edge of the door. “Visiting hours end at 9 p.m. sharp.”

  Kenzie nodded. She wasn’t certain she would be able to pry the baby away from Maya, or Miss E., who watched the little man with such pride. He’d been dressed in a plain white shirt, long sleeves with mittens at the end folding over his hands, a diaper with blue bears on it and a blanket tucked tight around him. Kenzie had never really thought about having children. As the youngest, she’d had no experience with babies.

  “Isn’t he just perfect?” Hunter said, awe deep in his voice.

  “And
to think you made him,” Kenzie replied, still astonished that her beloved oldest brother was now a daddy. “When I think about babies it’s sort of in some abstract way.” But up close and personal made her arms ache.

  “I never really thought about babies, except you. You were cranky and fussy and wet. You were noisy and smelled bad.”

  Kenzie elbowed him. “I did not smell bad.”

  “Kenzie was a sweet baby,” Miss E. put in. Maya had reluctantly given up Christian to Miss E. and she cradled the tiny body to her. “And Christian is going to be a sweet baby. And from time to time babies will be cranky and fussy and smell bad. Even Christian.”

  Lydia chuckled. Though she looked exhausted, her eyes shone with pride.

  Christian yawned and let out a tiny sound. Kenzie reached out to touch the smooth cheek. He twisted his head around, his tiny mouth opening.

  Kenzie had never thought about having a baby with Sam. He thought a baby was an app to put on his smartphone. And as long as whatever she wanted didn’t ruin her figure, he was okay with it.

  Miss E. transferred the newborn to Kenzie, who held him awkwardly for moment. She imagined lying in bed with a baby and Reed leaning over her. Wait! Where did that come from? What was she thinking? She’d barely known him five minutes and she didn’t even know yet if he was relationship material, much less daddy material. Abruptly, she handed the baby to Hunter.

  “Are you okay?” Hunter asked as he gently transferred his son back to Lydia’s waiting arms.

  “Why wouldn’t I be okay?” Even to Kenzie, her voice sounded defensive. “I’m fine. Really.” She couldn’t help herself from thinking about Reed. Wondering what kind of father he would be.

  “You have this look on your face of sheer, unadulterated panic and you were holding my son.”

  Miss E. laughed knowingly. “Your sister is thinking about things.”

  “I’m not thinking about anything,” Kenzie replied.

  Miss E. gave her a shrewd smile. “Right.”

  “I think we should just leave,” Kenzie said, eager to just be gone. Her thoughts were too disturbing and she didn’t like the direction they were going.