“Oh, honey,” Tori said, leaning over and grabbing Katelyn’s hand, offering a little squeeze. “What’s holding you back?”
“Fear,” Katelyn whispered.
“Fear?” Belle asked, wide-eyed. “Katelyn, you’re the most kick-ass woman I know!” Katelyn looked up at her as Belle continued. “You’re not afraid of anyone in the bar—you set them straight if someone gets out of hand. And I’ve seen you on the ball field, you play as hard as any of the guys!” Belle’s voice quieted as she added, “I’ve always admired you. I’m such a mouse and have wanted to be more like you for as long as I can remember…even back in high school.”
Shaking her head, Katelyn said, “Oh, Belle, don’t wish to be anything other than who you are. I’m hard and sometimes hard-hearted.”
“You’ve learned to be hard-hearted at times…it was self-preservation when Philip was killed,” Jillian added. “But Belle’s right, you’re the strongest person I know. So what are you afraid of?”
Sitting in silence for a moment, Katelyn finally answered, “I’ve never had a job other than waitressing. That was never my goal. As I said, it was a high school job at the diner that just never ended. And then, when I was old enough, the bar was just family. It’s been safe, paid the bills, but…it was never supposed to be my life-long goal. And working for Gareth? That, in and of itself, would be different. Especially for a private investigator. The work would be fascinating, and the chance to learn about the business is what really holds my interest.”
“So are you more afraid of working in the PI business or for Gareth?” Jillian asked pointedly, drawing Katelyn’s gaze.
“Gareth’s nice,” she replied noncommittally, her gaze dropping to her hands in her lap again.
“Nice? How about hot as hell?” Tori laughed.
Katelyn’s lips curved up slightly, “I admit, he’s good to look at, but,” offering a little shrug, “he’d be my boss, that’s all.” She felt her cheeks warm with a blush again and hoped her friends were unable to detect her deception. Looking at Jillian’s doubtful expression, she huffed, “I don’t know how to flirt, even if I was interested! I’m so out of practice!”
“Well, coming from someone who works in an elementary school all day, where everyone is a child or mostly female teachers, a little eye-candy at work would be nice!” Jade added.
“Strangely enough, I’ve come to realize that waitressing has become a security blanket for me. No change. No uncertainty. Easy. Simple. But this? This would be using and learning a whole new skill-set.”
“You know, bestie,” Jillian said, placing her hand on Katelyn’s shoulder, “I think you need to go for it. Your life needs shaking up a bit. You’re smart, tenacious, driven. You’ve held back in your personal life for long enough.”
“You think?” Katelyn asked, smiling.
“I know!” Jillian proclaimed, the others chiming in as well.
Sucking in a huge, cleansing breath before letting it out, she shifted to her knees and poured more glasses of wine. Holding hers up to the cheers all around, she toasted, “Then here’s to new beginnings!”
The rhythm of his footsteps along the beach was comforting to Gareth as he sweated through his morning run. Running was one of the things he did growing up that got him out of the house and gave him a way to burn off his anger. When his stepdad decided to beat another respect lesson into him, learning to run and run fast became necessary. A million years ago and a million miles away. That was what he told himself to keep the memories at bay.
Leaving his home had been easy. Leaving the military had also been easy. But the feelings that were growing with this little town and the friends he was making…can’t imagine being anywhere else.
The breeze off the bay cooled his skin as he brought up the bottom of his t-shirt to wipe his face. The sunrise behind the town was dawning clear, offering a glimpse of the blue-sky day in store for Baytown.
The never-ending surf washed up on the shore, cleansing the beach while also cleansing his mind as he ran, washing away old memories. The beach had been nothing more than a picture in a book when he was a kid and the idea of living near the water was a dream, that was now a dream come true.
Coming off the beach, he beat a path along empty Main Street. Early morning activity seemed to be coming from inside Jillian’s Coffee Shop, where he knew she was busy at work preparing for the coming breakfast crowd.
He turned before getting to the diner, knowing Katelyn would be hard at work preparing as well. He had not been able to get her off his mind since yesterday…well, before that, if he was honest. Slowing down his pace as he neared his building, he stopped outside and performed his cool down stretches. When he first moved here, he rented a small house north of town, but when he opened his PI business, he decided to live in the apartment above his office until the business brought in more money.
Katelyn MacFarlane. A knock-out, her looks caught his eye the first time he saw her. Spirit and fire…smart and sassy. And yet, when introduced, he could have sworn he had seen a glimmer of sadness in her deep blue eyes.
Later, getting to know her brothers, along with the other Baytown Boys, he heard the story of Katelyn and the greatly-mourned, Philip Bayles. Knowing Katelyn’s love was buried in the town cemetery had put a damper on his initial thoughts of flirtation with the Irish beauty. Who can compete with lost love? Especially one with someone the whole town mourned. So, he admired her from a distance, but admired her, nonetheless. And wondered…
Jogging up his steps and through his apartment, he headed into the shower. Dressing for work normally involved jeans or khakis with a polo. If he was meeting a client, he sometimes wore a shirt and tie. But as he got out of the shower and headed to his closet, he stood for a moment, thinking of what to wear. Damn, what the hell is wrong with me? Since when do I give a fuck what I’m wearing?
As he jerked a long-sleeved polo off the hanger, he knew the answer was going to be walking in his door today. After dressing, he headed into his kitchen, firing up the Keurig and mixing a bowl of instant oatmeal. Thoughts of breakfast at the diner tempted him, but he did not want Katelyn to think he was crowding her. And who knows who she’s thinking of for the job. I hope it’s her, but…?
An hour later, he was settled in his office reviewing the files from his open cases. Reading the same paragraph over three times, he finally slapped the folder closed and rubbed his eyes. Glancing at the clock for the millionth time, he was just about to give up when he heard a female voice from the front room.
“Gareth?”
Letting out a breath, he felt his heart kick-start. Katelyn. Just as he made it around his desk, she appeared in the doorway. Ebony hair pulled back with a headband, a touch of makeup playing up her natural beauty. He noticed right away that she was not wearing her diner uniform. She had changed into dark jeans and a red sweater with a scarf hanging from her neck.
“Hey, Katelyn,” he greeted, extending his hand.
She smiled and noted once more the warmth from his fingers wrapped around hers. “Hi.”
“Coffee?”
Laughing, she replied, “No, thank you, not today. I truly did have some this morning at the diner.”
After ushering her to a chair, he walked back around to sit behind his desk. Trying to steady his heartbeat, he jumped to the point. “Well, did you talk to the person who might be interested in the job?”
“Yes, I did. Or rather, I talked to some friends about me. I mean, me taking the job. Or applying for it.” Usually unflappable, Katelyn blushed as she stammered. “I’m sorry. Let me start over, please. I would like to apply for the position.”
Holding back his grin, he simply nodded. “What qualifications do you bring, besides climbing trees in the middle of the night?”
Blinking rapidly as she blushed, Katelyn grimaced. “For starters, can we not mention that embarrassing incident again?”
Chuckling, he said, “Well, you have to admit that it won’t be easy to forget getting yo
u unstuck from that branch.” Seeing her about to protest, he threw his hands up in conciliation and said, “Okay, forgotten…for now. Please, continue.”
Smoothing her hands over her jeans, she held his gaze as she said, “I have no problem answering your phones, making appointments, greeting clients, and organizing your office. I admit, it’s been a while, but I have taken some business classes at the community college and I can certainly run spreadsheets of your expenses and keep track of your invoices, both paid and unpaid.” Looking at the stack of folders on his desk, she added, “And I can arrange a filing system that will make it easier for you to find what you’re looking for. And, one more thing—I’ve discovered you don’t have a website. I can set that up for you.”
Leaning back in his seat, he rubbed the back of his neck. “I’ve gotta say, you’ve come up with some items that I hadn’t thought about, but could certainly use the help with.”
She smiled, encouraged, and continued, “You mentioned that you were interested in someone who wanted to know more about the investigation business…that’s me as well. And not just tree stakeouts.”
His eyes jumped to hers as he said, “Hey, you said no more tree jokes.”
“Well, I can mention it but not you,” she quipped, her eyes sparkling.
Nodding, they sat in silence for only a moment before he asked, “Tell me about your interests. Why this…why now?”
Her lips tightened for a moment as she gathered her thoughts. It had been easy to explain it to her friends last night…well, with some wine to loosen my tongue. Where’s wine when you need it? Clearing her throat as she noticed him waiting patiently, she said, “I began working at the diner when I was only sixteen and,” sighing, she continued, “it was a comfortable place to work. Somewhat mindless and easy. The pub is family run, of course, and I co-own it with my brothers.” She hastened to add, “I help with the Pub’s books and payroll, so doing it for your business would be easy, I’m sure.”
Gareth’s thoughts swirled in his head, excitement mixed with a strange sense of uncertainty. This is what I wanted, but maybe I didn’t think this through. She’d be my employee. How the hell can I be around her every day and not want more? And if I act on wanting more, can she stay my employee?
Seeing him still waiting, she shrugged slightly as she said, “I’ve finally come to a point in my life where I want to make a change. I don’t want just a job, but to have something to learn that I’m excited about. And even though I went about it the wrong way, I found it exciting to help someone who needed me to check into things for them.”
Gareth smiled as he stood and extended his hand. “All right. You’re hired. Welcome to Harrison Investigations, Katelyn.”
Jumping up, she grabbed his hand with both of hers, pumping up and down with enthusiasm. “Oh, my goodness! Thank you! When do I start?”
Chapter Five
On time and gorgeous…this may be a mistake. Gareth stepped from his door to the sidewalk and observed Katelyn standing outside the office, dressed in black slacks, a light blue blouse, and black, low-heeled shoes.
She greeted him with a smile, holding a cup tray with two cups of coffee and a pastry bag from Jillian’s shop. He looked fresh from a shower, his hair curling slightly. His long-sleeve polo fit tight across his arms and chest and she refused to drop her eyes to his jeans. He’s my boss…that’s all.
Taking the proffered drink, steam still rising from the top, he shook his head. “Katelyn, you don’t have to buy me coffee—”
“I know, but I thought it would be a nice gesture on my first day.”
He chuckled as he unlocked the door. “I’ve got a second set of keys and will give those to you.” As they entered the front room, he nodded toward the desk in the back corner. “It’s not much, but that’ll be your desk for the time being.” He watched as she put her cup of coffee on the top of the desk and walked around to the chair.
She eyed the reception area appraisingly, noting the stark walls, freshly painted but bare. The tile floor clean but uninspiring. The front of the office sported full, plate-glass windows looking out onto the street, providing plenty of light, but little privacy. Her eyes roved over the simple setup, complete with a telephone and computer. Lifting her gaze back to his, she graced him with a wide smile. “It’s perfect. Thank you for this opportunity, Gareth.”
“I was surprised that you were able to get away from the diner with only a week’s notice.”
“Believe me, they had a stack of teenagers who had applied. Rupert had no problem filling my position and the long-time waitress, Betty, can train them.” Looking around, she said, “So what do you want me to start with?”
“I’ve been on my own for so long, I hardly know,” he admitted, his eyes darting around, taking in the stark room.
“How about I spend some time looking over your files and organizing them? And I’ll do some basic computer work, see what needs to be done.”
“I’ve got to meet with a client at their house this morning, so that’d be great,” he agreed, grateful that she was a self-starter. “Make yourself at home and just look for whatever you need.”
She watched as he made his way down the hall that led to his office, the work-room, another office, and the supply closet and bathroom. Unable to keep the grin off her face, she looked around the rather bland space. A plan already in mind, she sat down and placed a call.
An hour later, Jillian came through the door, carrying several paintings. “I was surprised when you called, but this is a such a cool idea!”
Katelyn rushed to help her, saying, “This office is so boring and I remembered you always have some extra local artwork in your galleria.”
They easily hung several artists’ renderings of seascapes on the walls before stepping back to admire their handiwork. Looking first at the paintings and then at each other, they simultaneously grabbed each other in a hug.
“I think you might just be really happy here,” Jillian said.
Grinning, Katelyn agreed but, before she could reply, the door opened again and this time it was Tori with an oversized potted plant. Setting it down in the front corner by the large, plate glass window, she said, “Jillian called to see if I had anything to contribute. This plant is so easy to maintain. Honestly, no green thumb required.”
“Thank goodness, because I have no green thumbs!” With the simple additions, the office now looked professional and inviting. Biting her lip, she hoped she had not overstepped her bounds. Saying goodbye to her friends, she sat back down at the computer, continuing to get acclimated with Gareth’s invoices, payments, and business accounts.
Just before lunch, he came back in, smiling as soon as he laid eyes on her. Then his gaze jumped to the pictures on the walls and, as he swung around, the large plant came into view. “Wow, you have been busy!”
“Is it too much? I just thought it would be more inviting for clients to have a nice waiting area.”
Touched by her concern, he looked back and observed her nervousness. Walking over, he placed his hands on her shoulders and said, “Katelyn, relax. It’s great. Really great.”
Releasing a breath in a whoosh, she smiled in return. “How did the meeting go?”
“Not bad. I finished up the case for that client and I have this to show for it,” he exclaimed, holding up a check between his fingers.
“Congratulations! I know the case is over, but will you tell me about it sometime? I’d like to know some of your basic operations.”
“How about now? I can go over my notes and you can type them up and file them. After that, I’ll send you to the bank to deposit the check.”
Grinning, Katelyn grabbed the laptop from her desk and followed him back to his office. Once settled, he began, “This was a rather simple assignment. I was contacted by a business in the county by the owner. An employee fell last year on the job, claiming he slipped on a wet spot on the concrete floor. He received compensation, but a year later, he is still off work and still rec
eiving compensation. They had been given information that he was no longer hindered by his injury but since he lives in Maryland, no one local had been around him other than the one employee who saw him.”
Katelyn, listening carefully, took notes on the laptop. Looking up, she said, “If someone did see him, isn’t that enough to stop his paid leave?”
“No, not without proof. And this is where I told you the PI license is needed. I can be a witness in court and my documentation is acceptable…not considered hearsay.”
Nodding, Katelyn continued to type as he spoke. “So I did some background investigating here at the office and discovered that he actually got a speeding ticket two months ago in Baltimore, so he was driving, even though he claims he can’t drive. I also checked his taxes from last year and he’s working part time. Now, it’s at his brother’s restaurant and he gets to sit behind a counter, but it’s still work. Since he doesn’t know me, I ate several times in the restaurant. I was unable to catch him doing any real physical work until last week. I noticed some activity as he and another employee were going in and out.”
He watched Katelyn’s fingers fly over the keyboard and realized how much longer it would have taken him to type his notes. Smiling encouragingly, he continued. “So, I circled around to the back alley where I was able to take photos of him lifting heavy boxes from a delivery truck and carrying them inside. He made at least six or seven trips with the heavy boxes.”
As he came to a stop, Katelyn looked up, her eyebrows lifted. “And…” she prompted.
Chuckling, he said, “I delivered the evidence to the company and got paid.”
“What will happen to him?” she asked, leaning forward.
“Why? Are you out for blood?”
“No,” she shook her head, smiling. “Just curious.”
“Well, I don’t know. It’s not up to me. It’s in the hands of the company. They can terminate him. Take away his compensation. My part is done unless it goes to court and I get a subpoena.”
Clues of the Heart: Baytown Boys Series Page 4