Kit And Kisses

by Smith, Karen Rose

  Would Kit be able to accept Deedee unconditionally as she needed to be accepted? Kit made love to him as if nothing else in the world mattered. Yet, did she want the same future he did?

  He needed more time with her. They needed more time with Deedee—together. Then they could discuss where they were going, and how they wanted to get there. Unobserved by Maggie and Eric, Grey went to the kitchen. He'd ask Kit if she'd like to go to a baseball game.

  With him and Deedee.

  ***

  The Orioles were Deedee's favorite baseball team. Her baseball cards with stats of each player were one of her prized possessions. When Grey had asked Kit if she'd like to go to the game, she'd looked surprised but had agreed, saying, "I haven't been to Inner Harbor in a long time and I've never been to Camden Yards. It will be fun."

  He'd looked for signs of hesitancy, of a hint if she was going just to please him. But he couldn't tell.

  They decided to go on a weekday. She and Grey had worked until lunchtime, then they'd picked up Deedee and driven to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Deedee was delighted by the sights and smells. Grey rented a paddleboat and he and Deedee peddled around the harbor while Kit spoke to the women at the information booth about tours, places to stay, and restaurants. Afterward, the three of them walked through the distinctive shops, dined on crab cake sandwiches, listened to a street performer strum his guitar as a juggler played to the bystanders. Deedee insisted she could walk the four blocks to the stadium so they left Grey's car in the parking garage.

  Camden Yards was built like an old-fashioned stadium rather than the newer domed ones. The natural turf and open air bleachers brought back memories of baseball's origins. Grey had purchased box seats along third base from a customer who had season tickets for his family, but rarely attended week night games. Deedee sat, engrossed with the program and score card, until the game began. Then she concentrated on the players on the field.

  Grey took Kit's hand, placing it on his knee.

  "I always enjoy myself with you and Deedee."

  Grey took Kit's hand and lifted it to his lips, kissing her palm. Goose bumps broke out on her arms and she murmured weakly, "Grey."

  "I like to hear you say my name with that little tremor that means I'm getting to you," he whispered in her ear.

  "You'd better behave," she warned with a glance at Deedee, who was sitting beside her.

  "Or what?" he taunted.

  "Or...or...I'll let Gus draw the winning names out of the fishbowl at the promotional day on Saturday."

  Grey laughed out loud, a deep rich rumble that Kit felt all the way to her toes. "Now, that's a threat if ever I heard one." He kept her hand imprisoned on his knee during the first inning, making small circles on the top of her hand, deliciously soothing the skin between her thumb and index finger until she wanted to kiss him right there on the spot. Between hot dogs, soft pretzels and soda, they watched the game, though Grey tenderly wiping mustard from her lip, brushing his shoulder against hers, and leaning across her to speak with Deedee, excited Kit much more than what was happening on the field.

  The game heated up during the eighth inning. Both teams were tied at four runs. "Go, go, go," Deedee called as her favorite Oriole came up to bat.

  He let the first one soar by. Strike.

  The second one was a ball.

  But the third... He hit it with a resounding thwack. Deedee yelled and cheered, standing and waving her hands in the air. She called the player's name over and over as he ran the bases, jumped up and down, and threw her fist into the air.

  Her cap fell off her head into the lap of a woman sitting behind her. Unmindful of the loss, Deedee hugged both Kit and Grey joyously.

  The woman behind them gingerly slid the cap onto Deedee's seat as she commented to the man beside her, "I can't see why a grown woman has to act that way. She should learn some decorum."

  Judgmental people irked Kit. Especially when they had no knowledge of the situation or the people involved in it. Without hesitating, she faced the woman behind her who seemed to be in her fifties, put her hands on her hips, and lifted the bill of her baseball cap so she could have an unobstructed view. "A baseball game is a place to have fun, it's not high tea. If you want decorum, maybe you should find another past time."

  Ignoring the woman's haughty "Well!" Kit put her arm around Deedee's shoulders and gave her a gentle squeeze.

  Deedee looked at the woman behind them, then at Kit, and broke into a smile. "What's high tea? Is it like iced tea? Tanya doesn't let me put too much sugar in it."

  Kit laughed and her gaze caught Grey's. "We'll have high tea some time and you can see for yourself."

  Grey had no doubt that Kit's defense of Deedee was genuine. How much more time did he need to decide they could be a family?

  None.

  So there was only one thing left to do—ask Kit to marry him.

  CHAPTER TEN

  Saturday dawned clear and bright and balmy. Grey was amazed at the number of customers and onlookers standing in groups and milling about the parking lot of Corey's Hardware. Kit seemed to be ten places at once as she coordinated and supervised. Right now, she was standing at the radio station's mobile unit parked to the side of the store's front entrance. The sunlight glinted on her hair, transforming its shimmering golden strands. As she spoke to the announcer inside the van, the light caught her gold spiral earring.

  Her fuchsia slacks and top enabled Grey to find her easily as she finished at the van and stopped for a moment at the group watching Zac Whittaker sculpt a beaver from a log. In the last few moments he'd finished with the chain saw and was now using a chisel. Kit stood in the interested circle a few minutes then strolled to the patio table and umbrella where Deedee poured punch.

  Grey wanted to spend the rest of his life with Kit. He'd decided to ask her to marry him this evening, after their preoccupation with the promotional day was over, when they could concentrate on the two of them...for the rest of their lives.

  The success of the ads and fliers bringing in a host of customers, the count of coupons from the website, the sales receipts buzzing out one after the other, were almost inconsequential at this point. As Kit beckoned to him to come to the raffle table outside the front entrance, he wanted to ask her to marry him, and nothing else seemed as important.

  But when he reached the table, she said, "You should pull out the winning tickets. After all, you own the store."

  "Hey, Corey," a man called from the back of the crowd. "I never seen so many people here. Maybe you should give out six trips instead of three!"

  The crowd applauded.

  Grey laughed. "Maybe we'll have to do this again in the spring. You folks keep coming in and I'll see what I can do."

  He heard a woman comment, "They're so helpful here."

  The man beside her said, "He actually delivered supplies to my place without charging me. You bet I'll be back."

  Grey squeezed Kit's hand. "You've done a great job."

  When she squeezed back, she said, "I had good material to work with."

  With a grin and a flourish, Grey reached into the fishbowl to pull out the first winner. He read the name aloud and a couple to the side yelled, "That's us!"

  Grey congratulated them, then pulled out another name.

  A young man in jeans won the second weekend get-away and an older couple won the third. After giving the winners information and instructions for setting up dates for their weekends, Grey's phone vibrated on his belt. He pulled it off and checked it. It was Tanya. He could let it go, but what if it was important.

  "Who is it?" Kit asked close to his ear.

  "Tanya. I should take it."

  "Go on into your office so you can hear. I'll keep everything going out here."

  Although Grey was concerned about the phone call, he suddenly realized how well he and Kit worked together, how they managed to combine their ideas. He tenderly caressed cheek.

  He a
nswered the call and asked Tanya to give him a minute until he reached his office.

  Threading his way through the store, he admired its new look. Once in his office, he said, "Okay. Now I can hear you. Do you need to talk to Dee?"

  She quickly assured him, "No. But I need to meet with you. Are you free anytime today?"

  He glanced at the customers outside and thought about the evening he'd planned. "Not really. Is it important?"

  "I didn't want to tell you over the phone, but our government funding is being cut. I need to talk to you about how that will affect our clients. You might want to consider other options for Deedee."

  "Other options? Is it that bad?"

  "That's why I need to see you."

  Grey felt torn between his obligation to the store and his responsibility for Deedee. If Gus and Larry could handle the inside of the store for an hour, and Kit took care of the three ring circus out front...

  "I'll be there in ten minutes."

  After speaking with Gus, Grey found Kit again watching the artistry of Zac Whittaker. Taking her arm, he guided her to the side. "I have to run an errand, but I'll be back in an hour. Will you be okay here?"

  "Everything's under control and going well. Is something wrong?"

  He wasn't sure exactly what the outcome of the meeting would be. But there was no point borrowing trouble. "No." He patted her hand and kissed her, unmindful of anyone who might care to watch.

  When he lifted his head, he glided his thumb along her chin. "I'll be back before you know it."

  ***

  After Tanya opened the door to Grey, she led him down the hall to her office. He sat across from the silver-haired, middle aged woman, remembering his first impression of her had been correct—she was kind and compassionate and cared about anyone she took into her care. Now, she gazed at him with a concerned expression.

  "You're not closing the home, are you?" That's what he'd worried about most on his drive to Meadeville.

  "No. Our clients come from families in all walks of life. We have a good reputation and have always had a waiting list. What I am concerned about are the clients who are here now who might not be able to stay because of financial considerations. In a way, we're like a private boarding school. And now, with the funding cut, the families will have to carry the burden of that expense."

  "How much are we talking about?"

  She pushed a computer printout toward him, but he swept down the list of itemized expenses to the bottom line. Immediately, he realized his plans for the future would have to change.

  ***

  Kit stood outside of Corey's Hardware and watched Grey set the new security system. The parking lot was now empty, all the customers and hoopla finished for the day. Someone from Deedee's residence had picked her up late in the afternoon. After closing, Kit had cleaned up outside while Grey checked the receipts. The day had been a rousing success.

  Yet Grey didn't appear as ecstatic as she'd hoped. In fact, since he'd returned from his errand, he'd seemed preoccupied.

  Even now...

  "Are you ready to celebrate?" she asked as he pocketed the key.

  "Kit, I really have to go over the books tonight to figure out where I stand."

  "But I thought profits were increasing and our strategy is working."

  "I have to make sure."

  "So...you don't want to come over tonight?"

  He stroked her cheek and playfully flicked her earring. "Not tonight. I'll call you."

  Why did this sound like an end rather than a beginning? She'd done her best for Grey and succeeded. But there was a look in his eyes, a distance, that hadn't been there this morning. Now that she had done her job, was he finished with her?

  She remembered their lovemaking, their kisses, the intimacies she'd never experienced with anyone else.

  Was Grey the man she thought he was? Or had he enjoyed the thrill of the chase and now that he'd caught her, the excitement had vanished?

  With a smile that took every ounce of self-possession, she said, "Sure. Call me. Or I'll call you."

  In the glare of the storefront's light, she saw the shadow pass through Grey's eyes. He didn't want her to call him.

  Again reaching for composure she didn't feel, she said, "Goodnight then." As she walked to her car, she pressed the remote to unlock her doors. She'd unlocked her heart and now...?

  She felt Grey's gaze on her as she climbed into the driver's seat. But he didn't come after her. He didn't even come to her window to say good-bye.

  He let her drive away.

  ***

  Thunder grumbled and lightning flashed Sunday evening as Kit flicked off her television and pet Keats who was sitting beside her on the sofa.

  "Should I call him?" Kit asked the cat.

  Keats yawned.

  "You're not much help," Kit muttered, staring at the phone. "Maybe I overreacted last night. Maybe Grey really did have work to do..."

  A crack of thunder shattered the silence.

  "You're not supposed to use a landline when it's storming. And I probably wouldn't have good cell phone reception."

  Keats's tail thumped against her knee.

  A static-filled call or the possibility of being struck by lightning. "One call won't be dangerous. And I don't want to talk through crackles. I have to find out what's going on." She lifted the cordless phone from its base on her end table.

  When she jabbed Grey's number, she held her breath. What would she say when he answered? He hadn't called. She probably should wait until he did.

  But she wasn't a woman who liked to wait.

  One ring, two rings, three rings. Surprised when his answering machine didn't click on, she counted at least ten more rings. But there was no answer at his home. She tried his cell phone. It went straight to voicemail. What message could she leave? Should she simply ask the question–are we still a couple?

  Could he be with Deedee?

  Kit placed the phone back on its base and felt tears prick her eyes.

  Something was definitely wrong.

  ***

  Interested in the floor plan of the house that Eric had thought was perfect for his family, Kit followed Maggie up the winding staircase. Running her hand over the beautifully-grained wooden banister, she asked her sister, "So you're really going to buy this?"

  "We submitted a contract and it was accepted. We already had one couple come by twice to look at our house. Eric and the real estate agent don't think it will take long to sell with the market picking up. We priced it right."

  Maggie led Kit into the master bedroom. It was huge, with enough space for a bedroom suite and a sitting area with a fireplace. The walls were panted a soft peach. Kit peeked into an adjoining bathroom with a whirlpool tub big enough for two.

  "This is beautiful. Eric has good taste. How do you feel now about moving?"

  "When I saw the house, I realized why Eric thought it was just right for us. I'd never even considered something this big. I'm still used to watching pennies. But we are cramped at the other house and Eric doesn't even have a room for an office. Here he will in the downstairs study."

  "What about your office and work area?"

  "There's a game room that the previous owner added on. It will be perfect for me. I'll show you when we go back downstairs. I want to show you something else first."

  Kit followed Maggie down the hall into a smaller bedroom. It only took a glance at the pink and blue wallpaper to realize this was the nursery. "I don't think this is the spare bedroom."

  Maggie's smile was tremulous. "No. In fact, in April we'll be using it."

  "You're pregnant?" Kit hugged her sister. "That's wonderful! Isn't it?"

  "Yes. I suspected, but wasn't sure. I found out this morning."

  "Does Eric know?"

  "Oh, yes. I stopped in at his office. I think he's going to be overprotective."

  Kit laughed. "Let me guess. He didn't want to let you o
ut of his sight."

  "Exactly. But I told him he couldn't hold my hand and chauffeur me for nine months. He strongly disagreed. I'm going to have to set limits or he'll pamper me to death."

  "How did you get away?"

  Maggie winked. "I promised him a romantic evening for two tonight." Watching her sister's expression, she asked, "How are you and Grey doing?"

  "I'm not sure."

  "You love him, don't you?"

  "Yes. I'm ready to take the risk and believe in love and a future with Grey. But I'm not sure how he feels. After I saw Trent, we seemed to be on the right track. But then Saturday...I thought after the success of the promotional day we'd celebrate. But Grey got a phone call and left for a while and when he came back, he was different. Distracted."

  "He wouldn't tell you what was wrong?"

  "No. And then when we closed the store, he said he had to work on the books for a while. And he didn't call yesterday. I tried calling him, but he wasn't there. Something's wrong. Maybe he still thinks I can't accept Deedee. Maybe he's not even interested in a future. Maybe the challenge of the chase is over and now he's not interested. Have I been a fool again?"

  "Grey's not that type of man."

  Kit sighed. "You and Eric think that. I'm not sure what to think."

  "You know Grey. He believes in family and loyalty and the basic values you and I believe in."

  "So then what's wrong?" Kit asked, exasperated.

  "Give him time. He'll tell you."

  "You know, Sis, I don't like caring this much. All day yesterday I worried about him. I worried about us. And last night when I couldn't get hold of him..." She shook her head. "I care too much. It scares me."

  "Love is scary. We both know that. But I can tell you one thing. When you love the right man, the happiness is far greater than the fear."