“You’re safe. I’m so sorry I frightened you - I thought you’d seen me.” The man opened the door and led her inside the building.
“I’m Jack Harney,” he said. “I’m new to the building’s maintenance team, started today.”
“What happened to George?” asked Katherine.
“He quit. Katherine, right?”
Katherine looked at him suspiciously. “Yes, how did you know?”
He smiled, and Katherine’s heart did a flip. Jeez, hot guys - when it rains, it pours.
“It’s part of my job to know those kinds of things. Are you just now getting home from work?”
“No, the park.”
Jack looked out the front door and frowned. “It gets dark outside sooner and sooner every night. You need to be careful. You had to have heard there was a murder just three or four blocks from here, right?”
“I know. It’s just that I have a sit-down job. I thought I’d be able to walk around the lake a few times. It’s only a half mile. I’m a little jumpy since that woman was killed. I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
Jack laughed. “No, you didn’t hurt me. Would you promise me something?”
Katherine looked at him suspiciously.
“Maybe… what?”
“Promise me if you ever really do get attacked, you’ll fight back with your eyes open.”
Katherine smiled, and her face turned pink. “I promise,” she answered. “Welcome to the building. See you later.” She turned around and started up the stairs, smiling when she heard Jack’s reply.
“Can’t wait.”
***
The phone was ringing as she walked into her apartment. She could see from the caller ID that it was her sister, and almost didn’t answer. Forcing her voice to sound pleased, she said, “Hello, Amy. To what do I owe this honor?”
“I think it’s time I fly out and help with the house. What do you think?”
What Katherine thought was that it had finally occurred to Amy that their parent’s home might have things in it worth some money. She figured Amy would fly out, pick the house apart like a vulture, and then be on her way.
“Uh, that’d be great. I could use the help. There’s still a lot of stuff that needs to be packed up.”
“A lot of stuff? What have you been doing the last six months?”
Katherine took a few deep breaths, clenching and unclenching her hands, before speaking again. She chose to ignore the question. “So, when are you coming?”
“Soon. I was hoping you could help with plane fare? Things are a little tight here.”
Katherine bit her lip to stop the angry reply that was so eager to get out. “I’m not exactly swimming in money either.”
Amy was silent for a moment, then said, “Fine. I’ll figure out a way to scrape the money together somehow. I’ll call you when I’m coming.”
“Can’t wait.”
“Yeah, right,” said Amy before hanging up.
Katherine stared at the phone, filled with a mixture of regret and pain.
Chapter Ten
He watched Katherine leave the apartment building on Sunday morning and debated whether or not he should follow her. It didn’t matter - he always knew where she was and what she was doing.
Chapter Eleven
Monday night, Scott watched as Katherine walked into the classroom. He’d almost called her on Sunday, but hadn’t. Besides his more personal reasons for not wanting to get involved, he was also being practical - if something got started between them and it fizzled, it would make working on the project together awkward. He’d blown off his degree long enough, and was really trying to take the course seriously.
When Scott smiled at Katherine, her face grew warm. She told herself to get a grip, then walked over and sat next to him.
“Hey you,” he whispered, “you were almost late. Again. Do I need to buy you a watch?”
Katherine just smiled.
After the professor had handed out three writing assignments, the class finally ended. Outside on the front steps, people streamed by them on both sides. Scott rocked back and forth on his heels, his hands shoved in his pockets, while Katherine hugged herself, bouncing from one foot to the other and blowing on her hands. They both wondered why they were standing outside, freezing their butts off. Katherine looked at the star-filled sky.
“Make a wish,” said Scott.
Katherine started to say her wish aloud, but he stopped her. “It won't come true if you say it out loud. You’ll get nothing, or something you wouldn’t have wished for in a hundred years.”
Katherine looked at him skeptically. “Oh, really?”
“Yes, really. That’s how I ended up in insurance.” He laughed and looked down at Katherine’s face. Her cheeks were red from the cold. “Why the hell are we standing here freezing? I’m hungry, you wanna go get something to eat?”
“Aw, man, I’d like to, but I can’t. I have to call my sister. She left a message on my cell phone.” Amy was the last person she wanted to talk to. She imagined each option in the palm of her hand: Talk to Amy, dinner with Scott. Talk to Amy, dinner with Scott. Should be a no-brainer.
“Okay, well, I’ll see you Wednesday night then,” Scott said, and then did something that surprised them both. He leaned down and gave Katherine a hug. Her face was buried in his shoulder, his arms tight around her back. He pulled away and they looked at each other with stunned expressions on their faces. Katherine stood, frozen in place, and watched as Scott walked to his red jeep.
What the hell?
When she arrived home, all she wanted to do was sit on her couch and dissect that hug, to try to figure out what, if anything, it meant. They hardly knew each other, and in the little time they’d spent together, he’d always behaved appropriately - no hint of attraction - so what had that been about? It wasn’t that she’d hated it, but if he tried to do it again, she’d knee him in the groin. The thought made her smile, even if she knew she wouldn’t really do such a thing. She looked over at the phone and her smile disappeared. Scowling, she called Amy.
“Hello?” Amy said.
“Hey, it’s me, returning your call.”
“I wanted to give you my flight information,” said Amy. “I’ll be there tomorrow.”
“Tomorrow? Already?”
“Yes. Don’t sound so thrilled.”
“It’s been a long time,” said Katherine.
“I can hardly wait either,” Amy said sarcastically.
***
Tuesday morning Katherine forced herself out of bed. She’d hardly slept. First she thought about Scott and the hug, the most affection she’d gotten from anyone in over six months. How sad am I? Then she thought about Amy. Their relationship was chilly, to say the least. She’d had no time to process the fact that her marriage was over, that the man she loved didn’t love her, when she’d had to grieve the death of their father. Amy hadn’t even come to the funeral. Living out of state was no excuse - she should have come. She wondered if Amy had any idea what that time had been like for her. The love and support of her sister would have been nice. She’d gotten neither.
Didn’t waste any time cashing that check, though, did she?
She remembered how angry Amy had been when she’d found out Katherine had been willed the house. Amy was the oldest, so she had assumed it would go to her. She’d actually hinted that she suspected Katherine might have known what was to come, that maybe she’d somehow talked their father into leaving her the house. She’d wanted to shout at her, Crazy bitch! I didn’t write his will!
Katherine knew that shock and pain had been in control of Amy’s big mouth, but it had still been a terrible thing to suggest. She looked over at the candles she’d bought at the mall, during her afternoon with Scott.
He really is a distraction I don’t need right now.
Chapter Twelve
Amy’s flight didn’t arrive until nearly 11:00 p.m. They’d agreed that Katherine would pick her up at the curb, outside bag
gage claim. She weaved between taxis, finally double parking next to a limo. Standing just outside her car, new rain reflecting off the pavement, she looked up just as the automatic glass doors swished open. Amy was a lot thinner than she remembered, and she’d cut her hair really short, but it was her. They walked toward each other and hugged awkwardly. Amy was dragging three large suitcases - so she could fill them with their parents’ stuff, Katherine assumed. She put them in the trunk. As they pulled out into traffic, Katherine asked, “Did you have a good flight?”
“Yeah, I guess. Have you been waiting long?”
“No, just got here. Glad you came out before they made me move. I didn’t expect it to be so busy this late.”
Amy pulled on her gloves. “How come your car is still so cold?” she asked.
Katherine shrugged, then answered. “It’s an old car.
“So I was thinking,” said Amy, “maybe you could drop me off at the house before you go to work tomorrow? I could pack all day then.”
That didn’t take long. “Looking for something in particular?”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Just wondering why all of a sudden you want to help me pack up the house. Maybe if you tell me what treasure you’re searching for, I can help. Then you can go home.”
Amy didn’t answer.
“I’ll take you to the house on Thursday.”
They were silent the rest of the way home.
***
Once home, Amy followed Katherine to the second bedroom, empty except for a futon and a lamp.
“It’s not much,” Katherine said.
“Well, you got that right.”
Katherine rolled her eyes. Nothing was ever good enough for Amy. Should have made your ungrateful butt stay at a hotel.
***
The next afternoon, Scott was waiting outside the entrance when Katherine arrived for class. The sun was setting fast. She held a hand up to block her eyes from the last remaining rays. Scott chuckled because her sunglasses were on top of her head.
“Hey, there she is,” he said as he handed her a coffee.
“Thanks. How much?”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Come on, I can't have you buying all my coffees.”
“Tell you what. You can pay next time.”
Katherine started walking. “We should go in.”
Scott put his hand on her arm. “I was thinking—wanna skip class tonight?”
“What? Seriously? Come on, you’re gonna fail this class if you’re not careful. That means I’ll probably fail, too.”
“Nah, I’ve always been a good student.”
Katherine could feel her annoyance level rising. She needed the class and she didn’t want to have to take it again because she’d failed it, especially if it was because of a guy.
“Come on, Scott. I know the class is about as exciting as watching paint dry, but I need it and you must, too, or you wouldn’t be taking it.”
“We’ll do okay. Listen, I looked at the syllabus. Nothing exciting is going on tonight. So, come on, what do you think?”
Scott was very persuasive and the class was very dull. She shook her head slightly, thinking,
Another dilemma. Go to class, spend an evening with Scott. Go to class, spend an evening with Scott. This is not good.
Scott nudged her gently. “Come one, whaddya say?”
Katherine screamed inside. Then, throwing her good sense out the window, she sighed and said, “What did you have in mind?
“How about downtown?”
Katherine shrugged. Did it really matter where they went? What mattered was she wasn’t sitting in a boring class or stuck trying to make conversation with Amy. “Sounds good to me.”
“I’ll drive. No sense in taking two cars, right?”
Scott drove a red jeep with huge wheels that lifted it high off the ground. Katherine had trouble climbing up, so Scott came around to her side and with one hand on her back and the other on her arm, helped her in. From the outside, the jeep had looked bigger than it turned out to be. Katherine felt as if she was all but sitting in Scott’s lap - not a totally unpleasant feeling.
“Hey,” said Scott, “do you mind if we stop by my place real quick?”
Katherine did mind, a little. Letting him drive was one thing, but going to his apartment? She figured she’d just wait in the jeep.
“Okay.”
As Scott turned down a residential street, Katherine looked over at him and said,“Wow, you live really close to me. We just passed my block.”
Scott parked in a small gravel lot next to a two-story house. He could see the surprise on Katherine’s face.
“The house was converted into two apartments,” he explained.
He quickly ran around and opened her door. She was used to always looking up to Scott, but now, with the height of the jeep, their eyes were at the same level. She wondered how she hadn’t noticed before how brown his eyes were, almost black. Suddenly, her face was warm, her lips were dry, and her hands were moist. “No, I’ll just wait out here,” she managed to croak out.
“Don’t be silly.” Scott put his hand out for her to take and helped her down. He lived upstairs, and when they walked in she was surprised at its size, and its emptiness.
“Nice,” said Katherine.
Scott beamed. “Thanks. It might be too big for my decorating capability, though.”
Katherine sat on the couch, which was about the size of a twin bed. “You’d better hope Jack doesn’t tell the giant you have his couch.”
“Ha ha. I can't be expected to buy a couch made by all you short people.”
“Oh, you mean the other ninety-nine percent of the population?
“Yep.”
Scott excused himself and went toward the bedroom and, Katherine assumed, the bathroom. She walked around the apartment looking at what few decorations he had. There was a picture of him with a guy and another of him with a girl.
Scott’s home phone began to ring. When it rang a fifth time, Katherine considered answering it, but didn’t want to be presumptuous. Finally, she hollered, “Do you want me to get that?”
What Scott heard as he washed his hands was “Let the machine get that?” so he answered, “Yes.” He dried his hands as he walked back into his room, threw the hand towel on the bed, and picked up the still-ringing phone at nearly the same time as Katherine.
“Hi, Scott, it’s me,” a man said. “Thought I’d give you call. I had a good time last night, though I didn’t mean to fall asleep so early. Must be getting old.”
Scott laughed. “It is nice spending time with you again. Next sleepover, bring your own blanket. Mine are limited. Hey, just so you know, you left a few things here.”
Katherine set the handset back in its receiver. Now what the heck is that about?
Scott continued the phone call in the bedroom. “So, have you seen Alex or Stephanie yet?”
“Not yet. It’s tricky. Your mom is still mad at me. I will, though, soon.”
“Hey, Dad, a friend’s here. Do you mind if I call you later? We'll make plans.”
“Sure. Love you.”
“Love you too, Dad. Bye.”
A few minutes later Scott came back out.
“My turn,” said Katherine.
When she returned, she said, “I see you got that razor we saw when we went to the mall. Did it go on sale or something?”
Scott was putting his coat back on. He stopped and looked at Katherine.
“What are you talking about? I didn’t get that razor.”
“It’s on your sink.”
Scott looked confused and then said, “Oh yeah. The razor. Sure, I, uh, picked it up the other day.”
“We didn’t come to your apartment just so you could use the bathroom, did we?”
Scott opened his hand. “Nope. Can’t go downtown without my lucky coin.”
Chapter Thirteen
An old couch and chair barely fit into th
e living-room, and a fold-out card table was the kitchen table, but it wasn’t a dormitory; to Christian it looked like a mansion. Sophia had her own bedroom, and he would share with Teddy.
Christian turned his duffel bag upside down, and all his belongings fell onto the bed, including a small box. He sat down and opened it. Over the years, he’d lost many things, but he’d always taken care of his mother’s gift. Teddy picked up the small box, tossing it from one hand to the other.
“I can’t believe you still have this,” he said.
Christian grabbed the box. “Don’t ever touch this box,” he said in a low, angry voice.
“Sorry,” said Teddy, surprised by the fury in Christian’s voice.
“It’s all I have of my mother’s. Of course I still have it.” He opened the box.
“Are you sure those aren’t worth some money?” asked Teddy. “They look real.”
Christian took out two gold coins. He held one up. “No, I don’t think they’re worth much. How could they be? I don’t think my family was wealthy. That might have been one of the reasons I got stuck in the orphanage.” Changing the subject, he said, “When are you gonna cut that mop you call hair?”
“Hey, what are you talking about? This look is all the rage,” Teddy said, laughing.
“You have more hair than Sophia does.”
Under the Moonlight collection Page 4