“Right now?” asked James. “In case you didn’t notice, son, there’s a party going on. Rumor has it it’s in your honor.”
“That’s exactly why I need to talk to you now,” said Christopher. “This can’t wait.”
* * *
Just keep yourself busy and it’ll be over faster.
Kinsley was not in the mood to party. But she sure was good at playing the role of the hostess.
She reminded herself that this was not about her. It had nothing to do with her. She needed to keep smiling and keep her eye on the light at the end of the tunnel.
It would all be over soon.
So, Kinsley refilled the tortilla platters and the water pitchers. She brought out extra bottles of soda and champagne and replenished the paper goods, cups and the plastic utensils.
As she looked around, she caught a glimpse of Christopher. He was talking to Mr. Jamison, Lily Fortune and James Marshall Fortune. She looked away but not before she felt the heat of his gaze on her.
But then, when she glanced back, he was gone. Probably hidden by one of the one hundred balloons in the room. She breathed a sigh of relief and moved around the chafing dishes the catering staff had just replenished.
Good grief, these people were tough customers. From the way they were devouring the food you would think they hadn’t eaten in days. But who could blame them? Red prided itself on delicious food. Today they offered beef brisket enchiladas, chicken mole and spicy lobster tacos. She was having to hustle now, but the more they ate, the less she and the staff would have to clean up later.
And the more work she would have to keep her hands busy and her mind off the reason for the party.
Christopher. The mere thought of him made her chest tighten and her heart squeeze.
Stop it.
But what good did fighting it do? She kept her head down and allowed herself to switch over to autopilot. To let the thoughts and feelings come and go as they would. Maybe if she leaned into the emotions she’d have an easier time of it.
Or maybe she would break down into a heaping, sobbing mess and really humiliate herself. She took a deep breath and released it slowly.
No, it seemed that the thoughts and feelings were hidden deep enough under the surface. Even so, everyone else in this room was so convivial and having such a good time that no one had a clue that her heart was breaking.
Scratch that. Her heart had already broken. Past tense. For days, she had been carrying around a bunch of bits and pieces of broken heart that she knew would never be able to fit back together again.
That was okay. She didn’t have any use for her heart anymore. She just hoped the pieces didn’t rattle.
Stepping outside of herself, she had to admit that Christopher had seemed astonished. It was always nice when a surprise party went off the way it was planned.
That’s right. Focus on the good. There you go.
She resisted the urge to look up and search the crowd for him. So far, playing caterer had helped her to not moon over him, to not watch what he was doing or who he was talking to. It just hurt too much.
Plus, the last thing she needed was for someone she worked with to discover her secret: that she was brokenhearted because had slept with Christopher and the affair had gone horribly, disastrously wrong. That could be misconstrued in so many ways.
Normally, she didn’t care what people thought of her. But this was a different case. She may have lost her heart, but it was imperative for her to walk away with her integrity and dignity intact. Because what had happened between Christopher and her hadn’t been like that. She wasn’t using him to get favors or a boost up the corporate ladder.
It was...
Yeah, it was.
And it was over now. She needed to get over it. But it had only been a week since she had given herself—body and soul—to him; her heart still felt tender and her pride was pretty raw.
What had she expected? She knew what she had wanted. But what you want and what you get were sometimes two entirely different things.
What she had gotten was a lesson. She didn’t give her heart away easily. And she wouldn’t do it again anytime soon. After all, who would want the bag of broken pieces she stored in the place where her heart had once lived?
She would feel better someday. It would just take time. Right now she needed to keep her chin up.
Chin up, buttercup. Her mom used to say that when they’d hit a rough patch. God, what she wouldn’t give to be able to go to her mother right now. Not for advice, but for a shoulder. For the shelter of her hugs. She had been the one person in whom Kinsley had found unrequited love.
And if she’d learned one thing from watching her mother it was that sometimes when you loved too much your generous spirit became your undoing.
Unlike her mother, she had a second chance to reclaim herself. Rather than mooning, she would embrace the blessing in this narrow miss.
Right...
Forcing herself to look up, she glanced around the room admiring her handiwork—not looking for Christopher. Everyone was chatting, and the buzz of convivial energy filled the room. The helium balloons she had procured did a fairly decent job of hiding her—or hiding him. Either way, because they were clustered in the area where she had been hiding out, she had to make an effort to look for him. As if blatantly defying her, her eyes swept the room looking for him, but before she could pick him out she came face-to-face with a giant yellow balloon...well, what better caution sign could a girl ask for?
She was running the risk of driving herself crazy, so she made another conscious effort to refocus. She scanned the food tables in search of something to distract her, but it appeared that everyone was finally slowing down. Nothing needed refilling or replenishing or replacing.
She picked up a couple of empty cups and plates, realizing if she felt like the hired help, it was because she had put herself in that position. The catering staff would take care of this. She swiped the back of her hand across her forehead, then tucked an errant strand of hair behind her ear.
Maybe she would have a glass of champagne. She didn’t really feel like celebrating, but that was no reason to boycott the bubbly. In fact, looking on the bright side, she should celebrate the fact that she’d pulled this off.
Who would’ve thought that planning a party would be one of the hardest assignments she’d ever faced?
The old adage what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger definitely applied here.
She had just poured herself a glass of champagne when Mr. Jamison called everyone in the conference room to order.
“May I have your attention, please? Everyone, please settle down and listen. Christopher has something he would like to say.”
Oh, boy. Here we go.
The room quieted down and everybody turned their attention to Christopher. For the first time that afternoon, Kinsley stopped what she was doing and gave him her ears.
Mr. Jamison turned to Christopher and murmured, “Are you sure this is what you want to do?”
Christopher nodded. “Actually, I’ve never been so sure about anything in my life.” He glanced at Kinsley, and their gazes locked. She wanted to look away, but she couldn’t. “Well, maybe I’ve been that sure about one other thing, and she’s a big part of the reason that I’m going to say what I have to say. I appreciate this party. I appreciate everybody gathering here to wish me well and to give me such a great sendoff. However, turns out a funny thing happened on the way to the cake table. I realize I won’t be moving to New York, after all.”
Kinsley was frozen in place, desperately pulling back on the reins of her heart, which was hopefully anticipating a preposterous turn of events that would surely never be.
So just stop it.
Audible gasps mixed with surprised murmurs and astonished glances, bu
t Christopher’s gaze didn’t waver from hers.
“It’s always been important to me to be respected and regarded as an intelligent man. But it took a party like this, a gathering of my family and friends and one hell of a party planner—everybody please give Kinsley a round of applause for the wonderful job she did to bring us all together—to clarify some things for me.”
Her hand fluttered to her collar. Oh, why did he do that?
She finally broke their gaze and glanced around at the people who were clapping for her. She really wished they wouldn’t do that.
When they quieted down, Christopher continued. “Today I realize that I love Texas too much to leave. I have just gotten to know my Fortune family, and quite frankly I’m not ready to put that much distance between us. But most of all, there is someone special here I simply can’t bear to leave behind.”
Kinsley’s heart stopped beating for what seemed like an eternity. When it resumed, it picked up double time.
“She has made me a better person. I haven’t quite figured out how this happened, and I’m pretty sure I don’t deserve her. But I love her. I love her with my entire being, and I can’t imagine my life without her.”
Kinsley’s gasp was audible, surprising even herself. Heat crept up her neck and fanned across her cheeks as every gaze in the place turned to her.
She wasn’t sure if she wanted to cry tears of joy or crawl under the table to escape scrutiny. The tears of joy definitely won out. This unusual proclamation of love certainly wasn’t what she had expected when she thought about Christopher declaring his love, but had Christopher Fortune ever done anything by the book?
* * *
“I wouldn’t blame Kinsley if she killed me right now,” Christopher said, hoping he hadn’t gone too far with this workplace pronouncement. “So if you see me with a piece of cake smashed in my face, it probably doesn’t mean we’ve gotten married. It probably means she simply smashed that cake in my face, which I suppose I would deserve.”
He was relieved when everyone laughed.
He couldn’t quite see Kinsley, who had gradually worked her way to the back of the room. Hell, he didn’t blame her—he probably shouldn’t have gotten so carried away. It would serve him right if she told him to take a hike.
He remembered his initial vow to win her over no matter what. He fully expected to have to work harder than he’d ever worked his entire life to get her to commit to him. He’d never looked so forward to a challenge. Speaking of challenges, he still owed everyone the rest of the explanation. He turned back to the group and continued.
“Plenty of folks right here in this room are probably better qualified than I am to open an office in the Big Apple. I was thinking about that while I was standing here enjoying everyone’s company. So I offered Emmett, James and Lily a new proposal for the Fortune Foundation, but this one hits a little closer to home. With their blessing, I will be opening a satellite office of the Foundation in Horseback Hollow, with an anti-bullying/GET INVOLVED initiative. I will split time between Horseback Hollow and Red Rock. So, I’m sorry to say that you haven’t gotten rid of me yet.”
As his family and coworkers applauded this news, Christopher scanned the room for Kinsley, wanting to gauge her reaction, but he didn’t see her. He wanted to go find her, but people approached and started the whole process all over again of shaking his hand, slapping him on the back and congratulating him—on the satellite office and on falling in love with a wonderful woman. They all seemed genuinely pleased for him. It was very moving, but he was starting to get a little anxious over Kinsley’s absence.
Had she left?
He wouldn’t blame her if she’d walked out. But if she had, he would fix it.
If it was the last thing he did, he would fix things between them.
He excused himself again from the knot of well-wishers and went to look for her.
He found her in the reception area standing quietly gazing out the window. It was a similar view as from his office, the one that had captivated him from the start. He’d thought the south Texas landscape couldn’t look more beautiful. But he’d never seen it as a backdrop to Kinsley.
“I meant what I said in there,” he said. “I’m in love with you. I may have changed my mind about the job, but I’m not going to change my mind about you. All I need to know is do I even stand a chance after all I’ve put you through?”
She turned and met his gaze. Her beautiful eyes were brimming with tears. In that instant he knew everything was going to be okay.
He walked over to her, pulled her into his arms and reached up and brushed a tear off her cheek.
“Don’t worry,” she said. “They’re happy tears. I love you, too.”
* * *
Kinsley was never so happy to leave a party—even one she’d planned. But she knew the two of them would have a much better time at the after party—in Christopher’s bed.
With him, she was home, even amid the partially packed boxes that would now need to be unpacked. Yes, she was more than happy to help him with this task. It was the packing and the goodbyes she couldn’t bear.
They spent a long, luxurious evening making love and snuggling and making love and snuggling. She couldn’t tell if they were making up for lost time or living in the moment, but it didn’t matter. They didn’t need to define it. They already had when they had exchanged those three precious words that even twelve hours ago she feared she would never hear cross his lips.
If she had learned one thing about Christopher it was that when he said something he meant it. His word was golden, and Kinsley basked in the glow of it as he held her.
She splayed her hand across his chest, reveling in the downy-soft feel of his chest hair.
“So, speaking of being the last to know...” she said.
He pulled her closer, as if he were afraid she would get away.
“Oh, hell...here we go.” He smiled and pretended to roll his eyes before he kissed her soundly. “I knew there would be hell to pay for what I did. May I make it up to you...again? Because I am perfectly willing to make love to you until you fully understand just how much I love you.”
He shifted her to the side and then rolled on top of her.
“Oh, you have no idea how much trouble you are in, mister.” She kissed his neck and then nipped at his earlobe as he nudged her legs apart and entered her again.
After they were spent and breathless, she managed to catch her breath. “As I was saying, I had to hear through the grapevine that you called your father. And that the two of you had a good talk.”
He did a double-take. “Oh, yeah? Who is spreading such rumors?”
“I’m not telling.”
He grinned at her slyly. “I thought we promised that there would be no secrets between us. Am I going to have to assign you penance?”
“Please do. I could be a very happy woman doing atonement with you.” She traced his lips with her index finger, getting momentarily lost in the mix of masculine strength and male beauty that was Christopher.
She swallowed around a lump of love and gratitude that had settled in her throat.
Or maybe it was her heart that was so full it was spilling over. Whatever the case, she never wanted it to go away. She wanted it to keep bubbling up like a fountain.
She settled into the crook of his arm and rested her head in that place on his shoulder that seemed to be made just for her.
“Actually, it’s not a rumor,” he said. “I did call my dad. Deke said to tell you hello.”
“Really?” she asked.
“No, but I do want to take you home to Horseback Hollow so that you can meet him and my mother. I know she’ll love you. They will all love you. Maybe not quite as much as I do, but I don’t know that that’s humanly possible. But I digress.
“The call went
great. Better than great. I underestimated my father. I learned that he and I are two different men, but that’s okay. We have finally come to the point where we accept that and respect each other for who we are.”
“I’m so glad,” Kinsley said.
Gently, he rubbed her back in a slow, rhythmic motion that was almost hypnotizing. She couldn’t remember the last time she had been this relaxed.
“I might not have called him—or at least not so soon—if not for you. Thank you for that. Thank you for always seeing the best in me.”
“Well, not always— Remember, you still have a lot of penance before you’re completely redeemed. But I can assure you that I do love what I see.”
They were quiet for a moment. The air-conditioning clicked on. Somewhere out in the world, outside the snug cocoon that had become their universe, a car door shut and a dog barked.
“So, who do you look like—your mom or your dad?”
“Everyone says I take after my dad. In looks and personality. My brothers say that’s why Deke and I butt heads so often. That we’re too much alike.”
“I’d love to see a picture of him sometime. He must be a good-looking guy.”
Christopher stretched. “My mama thinks so. She’s stuck with him for forty years. Can you believe they’ve been married that long?”
“I think that’s wonderful.”
“Maybe that gives you a little hope for me. I don’t commit easily, but once I do, I’m sort of like gum on your shoe.”
“That’s so romantic.”
They laughed. She loved the way they didn’t take themselves too seriously.
“At least I think I’ll be the gum on your shoe. I’ve never loved someone enough to be their gum.”
“Wow. How did I get so lucky?”
They laughed again, and when they stopped, she lost herself in his sigh of contentment.
“So, now, tell me again, how many brothers and sisters do you have?”
“I’m one of seven.”
“Holy cow. Your poor mother.”
“Nah, Mama loved her children. There are two girls and five boys, including me. A handful.”
Falling for Fortune Page 17