“How are things with Howard?” he asked after a while, and Kendra looked over at where he was staring at her in concern.
“They’re good. Really good,” she added with a smile and watched as he smiled in return.
“That’s good,” he said sincerely, and she found herself analyzing his caring nature.
“Mitchell, why –,” she started but stopped abruptly when her dad reentered the room.
“Any more news?” he asked before he came to a stop and cast a glance between the other two occupants of the room.
“Not yet,” Kendra answered with a shake of her head.
“Wouldn’t you be better heading out to get some food?” he asked then cast another glance Mitchell’s way. Kendra didn’t know what her dad’s intentions were but she realized that he was giving her an out, and suddenly she wanted to take it. Her mind was spinning with questions, with memories, with possibilities, and she needed to organize them.
“I think I might do that,” she answered as she stood up to leave. She noticed Mitchell standing as well but just concentrated on her dad instead. “I’ll go see Mom,” she added, then made her way straight out of the room. Maybe her mom could help her sort her thoughts out. And maybe she could help Kendra decide whether or not she should follow her impulses or not, because right now her impulses were screaming at her to give Mitchell another chance. The unfortunate thing was that ever since she’d learnt about her dad her impulses had very rarely led her to things that weren’t destructive to her.
With a firm shake of her head she continued on her way, determined to come to some sort of conclusion about it all before she was faced with temptation again.
Mitchell watched as Kendra walked purposefully out of the room and shot a glance to the other man there with him. He could see Howard sizing him up and he briefly wondered what would happen next.
Well, whatever the man wanted the one thing that Mitchell wasn’t going to agree to was leaving. He’d done as Howard had demanded and left Kendra alone, but the man wasn’t going to force him out of the woman’s life entirely. He had every right to be where he was, and he wasn’t going anywhere. If Howard wanted Mitchell out of his daughter’s life, he’d have to take Kendra away, and put her somewhere that Mitchell couldn’t reach.
Seeing her again had solidified his resolve on the matter as well. He was going to win her back. No matter how long it might take, he’d get the woman who he loved back into his life. He wasn’t letting her go again, not without one heck of a fight.
“Astley,” the older man said stiffly, and Mitchell just tensed in response, shooting another wary glance the man’s way.
“Howard,” he returned just as coldly and noticed that the pair of them hadn’t moved from where they were still standing in the room.
When Mitchell heard his former boss sigh, he looked over in surprise to see Howard putting his hands in his pockets before the man shifted on his feet slightly while looking about himself uneasily.
“I’m not going to apologize,” Howard said suddenly, and Mitchell felt his brows rise at the proclamation. Looking over at Mitchell, the man focused on him more fully before explaining himself more completely. “For telling you to stay out of my daughter’s life, I won’t apologize for that.”
“I never expected you to,” Mitchell admitted. “I’d most likely have done the same in your position.”
“And I won’t apologize for firing you, Astley,” the man said more firmly as he removed his hands from his pockets and straightened himself up.
“I can understand that as well, though I still maintain that I did what I thought was necessary at the time,” he replied, and Howard studied him closely.
“Thought was necessary at the time?” he asked with a raised brow, and Mitchell shrugged.
“I can admit that perhaps I was wrong in my methodology, but I honestly truly believed that there wasn’t any other way. I had to make decisions for the circumstances that I was in in that moment, and in those circumstances it seemed to me as though I needed to portray myself as somebody else.”
“I don’t need your explanation, Astley. You may have betrayed me but I don’t need to hear your justifications of why you did so. I fired you, that’s enough to pacify me on it all,” Howard said brusquely, and Mitchell just shrugged at that. If the man didn’t want to hear his reasoning, then that was his prerogative.
“However,” the older man added, “that doesn’t mean that I’ll readily forgive you for what you did to Kendra. And it also doesn’t mean that you don’t owe her an explanation.”
“You’d let me give her one?” Mitchell asked with a raised brow, and Howard shot a sharp glance his way. Months earlier the look would have had Mitchell anxious about the man’s reaction, but somehow he’d grown immune to the way of the high powered life that he’d been embroiled in before. If Howard Powers wanted to know what look to use to scare a man, he’d be better off talking to either Betsy or Walter.
“Meaning?” the man asked in frustration, obviously recognizing the futility of his glare.
“As I recall, you ordered me away from your daughter. Declared that I wasn’t allowed to get near or contact her. It seems to me as though to offer an explanation I’d need to do at least one, and preferably both.”
“And you’re trying to convince me that living in her hometown is you adhering to those instructions?”
“I never said I was going to give in to your demands, Howard. I never said that I’d do what you asked and stay away. You might have assumed that I was complying with your wishes but I’m no longer an employee of yours that’s required to take your orders. I was never going to walk away from your daughter so easily, I was never going to give up so easily on the woman I fell in love with.
“No, I wasn’t adhering to those instructions of yours when I sold my home in the city and relocated here. I was waiting. Waiting for her to come back so that I could try again. I was giving her time. Time to build a relationship with you, and time to see if she could get over some of her anger against me. I was also hoping that by sticking around, by waiting for her to return and giving her space, that she’d be more inclined to let me back in.
“No, I wasn’t trying to convince you of anything. I was trying to convince her. And certainly not that I was prepared to walk away. What I am surprised at right now is that you’d let me do what I’ve been doing, that you’d allow me the chance to prove myself to her, because if you think that I’m going to explain things to her without trying to get her back in my life, well then you really don’t know me very well, sir.
“Because as soon as I get even the slightest indication that she’s willing to listen to me I’m going to do my utmost to get her to hear me out and understand my motivations. And then I’m going to do everything within my power to get her to fall in love with me again and take me back,” Mitchell declared firmly and watched as Howard just eyed him before turning and leaving the room.
Before he got too far though he shot over his shoulder, “If you hear anything about Elizabeth, let Kendra know.”
It might not have been a father’s blessing but Mitchell figured under the circumstances it was the best that he was going to get.
Chapter Twenty-six
“You didn’t have to do this, you know,” Betsy reprimanded from her position in the wheelchair that Mitchell was pushing, and he just smiled at the woman.
“Oh? You were going to drive yourself home, were you? Forgetting the fact that you don’t have a car, don’t you think your doctor would have something to say about that?”
“What do they know?” she grumbled, and Mitchell smiled again at Betsy’s petulant manner. She’d been a terrible patient for the week that she’d been in the hospital. After she’d woken up fully and had been moved out of ICU, she’d done nothing but complain about everything. The food. The sheets. The impersonal décor. She’d complained that she wasn’t allowed to do anything, complained that people weren’t allowed to visit with her long enough, and c
omplained that she wasn’t allowed out yet.
The staff had been remarkably patient with the woman, but Mitchell knew that they had their doubts about whether or not she’d follow doctor’s orders and change her lifestyle now. They also had their doubts that she’d rest and take it easier for the next eight weeks while she recovered fully. To that extent Mitchell, along with the rest of Granville, had decided that the woman would need careful monitoring by them all.
Mitchell was already in a prime position to help the older woman, they’d grown close in his two months that he’d been there since Kendra had left, and he knew that he was one of the few that would put up with Betsy’s crotchety ways. He also knew that he was one of the few that she’d accept help from, it might be reluctant but she’d accept it in her own way.
“They trained for years to be able to tell you what to do, Bets,” he finally replied as he came to a stop by his car and watched as the woman huffed before gingerly standing up. As much as she was complaining about it all and the list of do’s and don’ts that she’d been sent away with, even Mitchell could see that she still needed her rest, needed to take things easy for the moment.
“They’re nothing but a bunch of young whippersnappers. What do they know that I haven’t learnt and forgotten already?”
“Maybe it’s because you’ve forgotten it that’s making you so unreasonable,” he suggested with a smile as he handed her down into the passenger seat of his car before closing the door and handing the wheelchair off to a porter nearby.
Mitchell chuckled to himself as he spotted her glaring at him through the windscreen while he made his way to the driver’s side. As long as Betsy followed advice she’d be fine. With the fire and determination that was a fundamental core to her she’d get over it all and be strong enough to keep going.
Settling down into his seat, Mitchell looked over at her with a wide smile and noticed her huff at him before crossing her arms over her chest petulantly.
“I liked you better when you weren’t so sassy,” she mumbled. “Ever since you’ve been honest with us all you’ve become too cocky,” she accused with a narrowed-eyed glare, and Mitchell smiled more widely again.
“Are you trying to tell me that I should start lying to you all again?” he asked in amusement.
“If it makes you more reserved and respectful, then yes,” she huffed. “You’d think you’d give me the respect a woman my age is due.”
“You wouldn’t want me to treat you like a little old woman, Bets, so don’t even pretend to be offended,” he retorted in amusement and chanced a quick glance, noticing her lips twitch as he did so.
“Fine,” she conceded. “But I still don’t like the sass.”
“Yes you do,” he defended. “You love it really.”
“You, Mitchell Astley, are getting too big for your britches.”
“You’ve no one to blame but yourself, you know. You’ve made me comfortable in myself once more,” he said more soberly. Betsy must have picked up on the change of mood as well, as Mitchell noticed her relax her arms and sit more uprightly while focusing on him more intently.
“You deserve it, Mitchell. You’re a good man. You deserve to be happy, and you deserve to be happy with who you are.”
“I am, Bets,” he confirmed. “Now. I’m happy with who I am now. I just wish I hadn’t made all the mistakes that I did,” he confessed with a slight sigh. Seeing Kendra again had had him analyzing all of his past behavior again and he’d felt such fury at himself for being so stupid with regards to her. He’d hurt her and he’d blown it with the woman because of that.
He’d been honest with Howard though, he wasn’t going to give up. Not so easily. If he got the chance, he’d make it all up to her and grab ahold of her, never to let go again. He was just waiting for that chance.
The problem was that he wasn’t sure when that would happen. He hadn’t seen her since his discussion with her father and wasn’t sure what that meant. He knew through Betsy that she visited the older woman, but their paths had never crossed again. Whether that was coincidental or planned he wasn’t sure and hoped that it wasn’t part of a grand scheme of hers to ignore him as much as possible.
There was a chance that Howard had told his daughter what Mitchell had said and she was making her point to him that she wanted him nowhere near her by ensuring that she wasn’t. He didn’t want to think that though, it meant that everything would be more difficult for him.
He’d been tempted to ask Betsy about her take on it all but refused to stick the woman in the middle of it all. He wouldn’t do that to her regardless of her health, but was especially careful to steer the conversation away from Kendra with her under doctor’s orders to take things easy.
“Everyone regrets their mistakes, Mitchell,” she finally said in answer to his self-reproachful comment. “If they didn’t, they wouldn’t be considering them mistakes,” she added with a soft smirk, and Mitchell smiled at that. “Of course, the important thing is not to make the same mistake twice. And learn from them. Well, and put them behind you after you make up for them,” she advised.
“I know, Bets. I do know.”
“So what you gonna do?” she asked pointedly, and Mitchell shot her a quick look.
“About?”
“Don’t play dumb, Mitchell. About Kenny. She’s back home now, it’s what you’ve been waiting for. What you gonna do?”
“I don’t think we should discuss this,” he said with a frown and looked over at her when she remained silent to see her looking at him with a raised brow. “What?” he asked.
“Why exactly don’t you want advice from one of the few people who know the both of you so well?”
“I’m not getting you stuck in the middle, Bets.”
“Oh pssh!” she said with a wave of her hand. “I care about the both of you. I want to see you both happy. I’m getting in the middle whether you want me to or not.”
“Bets,” he said with a sigh. “Where exactly are we driving away from?” he asked pointedly.
“Don’t you treat me like an invalid, Mitchell Astley,” she said with a scolding finger wagging in his direction. “My heart might be a little off, but my brain’s working fully. I am perfectly capable of being able to help you.”
“You’re supposed to be resting, not getting yourself worked up,” he scolded.
“Well, give me something to focus on,” she requested. “At least if I’m doing something, I won’t get bored,” she muttered petulantly, and Mitchell couldn’t help but smile at her tone.
“Take up knitting,” he teased and felt the searing glare she was obviously sending his way, making him chuckle again.
“Like I said. Too much sass,” she mumbled, and Mitchell laughed outright.
“Look, Bets. I need to see how things are when we see each other again. Last time was strained, it was our first time alone. You can’t really tell what someone’s thinking and feeling, and how receptive they’ll be, from an initial meeting. I think I need to see what she’s like now that she knows I’m here, now that she realizes that she’s going to see me and I haven’t just taken her off-guard. Once I do that I’ll be able to plan it all better,” he explained and noticed Betsy studying him closely again.
“Bets, I’m not going to rush in and mess it all up again. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to take my time to make sure that I do it all right, that I don’t screw things up. I’m going to prove to Kendra that I’m sticking around, that I’m serious. I don’t need to charge in and sweep her away again. She needs to know that it’s all her decision to come to me. She needs to know that she can trust me again and that I’m serious. She needs to know that I’m not going to try to persuade her and push her into making a decision.
“Last time it was all about getting her to see things my way. This time I’m going to let her make the decision without giving her any reason to think that I influenced it. I’m going to lay it on the line with her, then I’ll step back and wait for her decision.
/>
“But first I need to have a chance to just talk to her. Apologize. Explain. Tell her what I’m thinking and what I want. Then it’ll be up to her,” he said and waited for a reaction from the older woman. When Betsy stayed quiet he figured that she agreed with him about his course of action and continued to focus on the road.
After a few minutes he decided that the conversation was obviously over so started up a new one.
“So. Diner or home first?” he asked with a smile and watched as Betsy relaxed with a smile aimed his way again.
“Diner. I want to make sure that Walter knows there’ll be no more wrapping Joanie around his little finger,” she stated, and Mitchell smiled once more. Yeah, Betsy would be just fine.
Him and Kendra? Well, time would only tell on that one.
* * *
“You’re looking good, Bets,” Kendra said as she sat opposite the woman in her lounge. With all of the instructions that Betsy had been left with, Kendra had thought it best to move in with the older woman temporarily to make certain that she was following them to the letter.
Surprisingly, Betsy had actually been an ideal patient. She was doing everything told her, and not doing everything that she’d been restricted from. Kendra wasn’t sure why the woman was being so compliant but suspected that a lot of it had to do with Mitchell.
She hadn’t seen him since their brief moment together at the hospital three weeks ago, but she knew that he was keeping tabs on the older woman. Betsy talked about him. A lot. As did everyone in town. She was getting tired of it, in fact.
Apparently he was Granville’s new golden boy, and Kendra had had to field numerous inquiries about her relationship with the man. What relationship? He hadn’t sought her out. He hadn’t contacted her. He hadn’t seen her.
Of course, the same was true of her, but she kind of felt like he should be the one making a move, not her. He was the one who’d lied and deceived. He was the one who had some explaining to do. He was the one who should make the first move. But he wasn’t. And it was confusing her.
Masks and Lies Page 25