Andre handed over the plate and glass. "You eat and I'll take over. If I'm going to be any help, I need to learn how to change a diaper."
Kate had seemed to be in a sleepy daze, but his words woke her up. She stared at him as if he'd grown an extra head. "You change a diaper?"
Her incredulous tone of voice pricked his pride. "How hard can it be?"
"Oh, I'm sure you're capable," Kate said. "I'm just surprised you want to."
Andre wasn't sure why he wanted to, and he'd rather not examine that question right now. He continued where Kate had left off, removed Keiko's dress and laid her on the waterproof changing mat on the bedroom floor.
He glanced over his shoulder. "So far, so good." Kate had started unbuttoning the front of her dress so he quickly got back to the job at hand.
Removing the dirty diaper was easy. Fitting the clean one on was another matter. The padding was too fat to go between her legs, and he discovered the sticky fastenings didn't work as well as they should. He could design a better disposable diaper and probably make a truckload of money, if he had the time. Keiko started to whimper and that added to the pressure, but eventually Andre fixed the diaper. With a sigh of relief, he lifted the tiny girl into his arms.
Kate had finished her sandwich and lay on the bed, her hair fanned out across the pillow like a golden halo. On impulse, he bent and kissed the corner of her mouth, then laid Keiko beside her. "I'll head off now and be as quick as I can."
Kate moved her baby close and cupped her head ready to start breastfeeding. Andre's feet were glued to the floor. He knew he should leave the room, but he longed to stay, to sit on the edge of the bed and watch mother and child, share this intimate moment. But that was a father's right, not his. However much he wished things were different. He clenched his fingernails into his palm to bring him back to reality. "Okay, then. See you later." He headed out and closed the door firmly behind him.
***
Andre purchased three pairs of shoes on the principle that when he bought shoes for himself he never had to try on more than three pairs to find some that fit comfortably.
He stopped at the bank, then drove to the Court Royal, the other hotel he'd inherited from his grandfather. It stood in Victorian splendor on the edge of St. Helier with stunning views over St. Aubin's Bay. He left the day-to-day operation in the hands of a manager but stopped by regularly. As he walked through the reception area toward the manager's office, somebody called his name.
He turned to see Jerry Markham sitting in the coffee lounge, his hand raised to catch Andre's attention. Jerry was talking on his cell phone, but as Andre approached Jerry finished the call and slipped the device in his pocket.
"Andre, glad I saw you, mate. I was going to catch you at the Caspian Manor later. I've a proposition for you."
The hairs on the back of Andre's neck prickled. His intuition told him to tread carefully. Andre held out his hand and, smiling broadly, Jerry took it. "I didn't know you were my guest," Andre said. "I hope everything meets with your satisfaction."
Jerry nodded, dropped back into his chair, and indicated the other seat. "Give me a few minutes, and I'll tell you what I've got on my mind."
As soon as Andre sat, a waitress in a new navy and cream uniform came over. "May I get you something, Mr. Le Court?"
"A pot of Earl Grey for me," he said, glancing at Jerry's empty cup, "and another coffee for Mr. Markham, please."
"Certainly, sir." The girl jotted his order on a pad, smiled, and walked off in the direction of the kitchen. Andre watched her go with satisfaction. He'd recently given the Court Royal a facelift and changed the uniforms. He was pleased with the results: smart, elegant, and welcoming. The hotel catered to the middle of the market, vacationers and visiting businessmen. This establishment had been a lot easier to rebrand than the Caspian was proving to be.
Jerry Markham cleared his throat. "Pretty girl. A friend of yours?"
It took Andre a few seconds to catch on. He stifled a groan. Jerry Markham's reputation for digging the dirt was obviously well deserved. "Get your mind out of the gutter, Jerry. I was simply admiring the new uniform."
The waitress returned with their order and they stopped talking while she put the items on the table. Andre poured his tea, added a touch of milk and rested his saucer on his knee as he took a sip.
Jerry sat back and mirrored Andre's position. To confirm his suspicion that Jerry was copying his movements, Andre uncrossed his legs, put his cup and saucer back on the table and watched Jerry do the same. Andre suppressed a smile. Jerry Markham was obviously an amateur psychologist trying to gain rapport by mirroring his posture. Andre, however, had no intention of being manipulated.
He made a show of checking his watch. Jerry took the hint. He pushed his cup away and leaned forward. "Look, Andre, you know what I'm after. I want some closeup shots of Frosty Kate's kid and confirmation it's Dan Crowther's. We go back a long way, you and me. How about helping out an old mate? You scratch my back; I'll scratch yours. I can get you some good press for your hotel. The Caspian Manor came fifth in the Connoisseur Club poll last year. With the right publicity it could top the chart this year."
Andre shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Jerry had homed in on his main goal, the pledge he'd made to his grandfather. The man was either psychic or a very good judge of character. Andre tried to hide his discomfort. "I'm currently making changes at the Caspian. I fully expect it to top the poll next year."
Jerry leaned closer and gave him a toothy schoolboy grin. "I'm freelance. Give me what I want, and I'll write a nice piece about the Caspian Manor for the quality newspapers. Getting your name out there is ninety percent of the battle. Tell people the Caspian Manor is number one often enough and they'll start believing it."
But people were even more receptive to negative comments. If Jerry chose to badmouth the Caspian, he could ruin its reputation. Andre must be careful not to antagonize him.
"Look, Andre, once this baby exposé is done we'll be outta here." Andre tried to mask his surprise. This hadn't occurred to him. "Frosty Kate wants to get rid of us, doesn't she? Give me what I want and she gets her wish."
Could this be a chance to get the paparazzi off Kate's back? "Can you guarantee she'll be left alone once you have your story?"
Jerry shook his head. "There're no guarantees in life. You know that. But once the story's out it's old news. What harm will it do to have the baby's photograph in the papers? All kids look the same at that age anyway."
Andre still had a bad feeling about this, but it was worth considering if Jerry and the others would then leave Kate alone. It also gave him the chance to help Kate in another way. "If you do a piece on the Caspian, I want you to include details of the new promotional theme Kate's working on, and she must receive full credit to give her career a boost. Because of Dan Crowther, you reporters have put her through hell. She deserves to get something positive out of the experience."
Jerry smirked. "It's true then."
"What's true?"
"You and Frosty Kate are shacking up together."
Trust Jerry to hear about their living arrangements and draw the wrong conclusion. Andre was about to deny it when he realized this was exactly what he wanted Edmund to believe. If Jerry printed something along these lines in the newspapers, it would help persuade Andre's mentor that Kate really was his fiancée. He vacillated between telling Jerry to mind his own business and confirming his suspicions. In the end he couldn't bring himself to utter an outright lie. "No comment."
Obviously taking that as confirmation, Jerry grinned. "Bit of a whirlwind romance, isn't it?"
"You're not getting anything else out of me, so stop digging."
Jerry tapped a finger on the side of his nose. "I do my research. You two have a history. Frosty Kate's dad was head gardener at the Caspian and her mum worked in the kitchen. I'm not surprised your father shipped you off to school. Bet dodgy ol' Rob Le Court nearly had kittens when you got sweet on the gardener's da
ughter. That's what caused the bad blood between your dad and his old man, isn't it? Sounds to me like Frosty Kate is the reason your grandfather left you the hotels."
His mind numb with shock, Andre stared out the long window overlooking the esplanade. In a few sentences, Jerry had strung out Andre's painful memories. Kate was the catalyst that had wrecked his relationship with his father, forced him to become a hotelier, and robbed him of his dreams. He drew in a steadying breath and composed himself. "I don't blame her."
"Blame her!" Jerry's eyebrows shot up, and Andre realized he'd spoken without thinking. "In the lottery of life, mate, she's your lucky ball. The Caspian's got to be worth a pretty penny, and this hotel's not bad."
"I know I'm lucky," Andre added hastily. And it was true. He had embraced the changes in his life and made the most of them. His main regret was that he'd lost Kate along the way.
Jerry smiled knowingly. "Is that why you've taken her in now that Crowther's dumped her, out of gratitude? She's one weird chick. That's for sure."
Anger spiked through Andre, but he hung on to his control. "You don't know her," he bit out.
Jerry cupped his hand behind his ear. "Do I hear violins? First love, was she? What was Crowther then?"
The struggle to hold his temper nearly beat Andre. He wanted to walk away, but if he left now God knows what Jerry would write. "Crowther didn't deserve her."
"Well, he had her for six years, mate. She even had his kid." Jerry leaned toward Andre conspiratorially. "It must be true love if you're willing to take on another man's leftovers."
Andre hadn't wanted to deck anyone this much since Eric Tierman hurt Kate when they were children. "Crowther's pond scum. He doesn't deserve Kate or his daughter."
Jerry Markham's face creased into a satisfied smirk. "So the kid is definitely Crowther's?"
Andre silently cursed himself. Jerry had used Andre's emotions to lead him by the nose exactly where he wanted him to go.
"Come on, Andre, we're nearly there. Just say yes, mate, and I'll leave you alone."
Andre struggled to get his thoughts straight. He wanted Jerry Markham and the rest of the bullies off the island and away from Kate for good. "You guarantee you'll leave her alone after this?"
Jerry Markham held two fingers up to his head. "Scout's honor. And remember, I'll do you a first-rate piece on the Caspian Manor." He reached into his pocket and handed Andre a business card. "Give me a bell when you're ready, and I'll come back."
A chill of foreboding pulsed through Andre. "You'll have to run the story without a photograph. I'm not letting you near Kate and Keiko again."
Grinning his toothy schoolboy grin, Jerry took his cell phone out of his pocket. "We've got a few pics already. We'll make do with one of them."
Andre dragged a hand over his face. He felt as though he'd been run over by a truck full of emotional baggage.
Jerry leaned forward again. "So Daniel Crowther's the kid's father, right?" He sat there tapping his phone against the arm of the chair impatiently.
Andre foundered in a sea of doubt. Should he give confirmation? Kate wouldn't like it if she found out, but if doing this got the press off her back, surely it was best. Andre nodded slowly. "Yes," he whispered.
Jerry Markham rolled his eyes to the ceiling. "Amen." He dialed and turned away. Andre stared into space, dazed. So much for not being manipulated! Had he done the best thing for Kate? He hoped so, but he couldn't tell her. She was paranoid about the press. To protect her from finding out, he would have to ensure she didn't read the newspapers.
Rising, Andre left Jerry to his call. Uncertainty and a touch of guilt hung over him. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Kate. He wanted to protect her. He reached in his jacket pocket to check for the small ring box he'd collected from the bank. The engagement might be fake, but the ring would be real. And so were his hopes and longings.
***
Kate had showered, put Keiko to bed, and was pacing the sitting room in her bathrobe when Andre returned. "Where on earth have you been? We've got to leave in twenty minutes, and Mrs. Cooper hasn't arrived. If she's going to babysit Keiko, I want to make sure she understands what to do."
Andre piled three shoe boxes on the sofa and started unpacking them. "Mrs. Cooper has four grown children. She'll know what to do with a baby." Kate was sure the woman would be competent. Otherwise Andre wouldn't have suggested her. The truth was she didn't want to leave her baby with anyone.
Andre pulled some gold sandals out of a box and held them up. "I can't wear those. The heel must be five inches. I'm used to flats," Kate said.
"Okay, no problem." He dug out a cream pair with a diamante bow on the front and a two-inch heel and tossed the gold ones back in their box.
The heel might be lower, but it was still higher than usual for her. But she had to wear something. She hopped on one foot and slipped other into the first sandal, then decided if she didn't want to break her neck she'd better sit down to put on the second. She practiced walking and they weren't as bad as she expected. After she had broken them in, they might even be comfy. "Dan always moaned at me for wearing flats, but I've never found heels comfortable. I'd like to see men wear them."
"Nobody forces women into high heels."
"Fashion and men's expectations do. It's the western version of binding women's feet to suit men's tastes."
"Don't be ridiculous. Western women wear what they want on their feet."
"Hmm, we'll have to agree to disagree." Kate walked to and fro and angled her leg to see a shoe beneath the fluffy hem of her bathrobe. They were actually really pretty. But she wanted to try the last pair. "What are the others like?"
"I thought you liked the ones you're wearing."
"Just give me the third pair, Le Court, and hurry up about it."
He tried for a stern look, but his eyes sparkled with amusement. He tossed her a green pair that matched the dress she planned to wear. The heel was a little higher on these. "Put on the shoes, Ms. Frost, and let's get moving. You still have to get dressed before we go."
"You've got to change as well."
"I'll only take five minutes."
"So will I!" Kate playfully punched his arm, dodged his retaliation, and giggled as he chased her around the sofa. Inside she tingled with excitement to be sparring with him again like they used to when they were kids.
"Remind me why I took you in," he said with a gasp as he made a lunge for her and missed.
"Because I'm the only person who stands up to you. Everyone else says, 'Yes, Mr. Le Court' and 'No, Mr. Le Court.' You admire my free spirit."
Andre made a noise of disbelief, then sidestepped with his arms out. She evaded him. "I like people who do what I tell them. Things get done that way."
She waved her finger at him. "Ah, but are they the right things?"
He feinted one way, then went the other and nearly caught her. She squealed and ran behind the sofa.
He wiped his forehead on his sleeve and gave her a superior smile. "You know I'm always right, Kat. Just admit it."
"You weren't right the time you said the ice on the lake was thick enough to walk on, and we both got boots full of water."
"Give me a break. I was only ten or eleven."
"Age is no excuse for stupidity."
"I am not stupid!" He dived over the sofa, grabbed her arm, and pulled her down on the overstuffed cushions. She squealed and wriggled as he came down, pinning her. Their panting breaths sounded loud in the quiet room. Kate's heart raced. Suddenly all her senses focused on Andre's muscular body pressing her down against the cushions, his face only a few inches from hers. Never in her life had he been on her like this. Except in her fantasies.
"Kat?" He said, his voice hesitant, uncertain. His fingers grazed across her cheek. Her eyelids fluttered, but she kept them open so she could see the rich brown of his eyes. Was he going to kiss her? She wanted him to, needed to feel his lips against hers.
A loud knock on the door shattered the t
ension. Slowly, he uncurled his fingers from her wrist and climbed off her. Every cell in Kate's body sighed, and she wasn't sure if it was with relief or frustration.
Andre crouched beside the sofa. "Are you all right? I didn't squash you, did I?"
Her heart pinched with memories. He had always been considerate, even as a boy. "I don't break that easily, Le Court. Go answer the door." As Andre stood, and smoothed back his mussed hair, she followed his every move with her eyes. One of his shirt buttons was undone, and a delicious patch of tanned skin peeped through the gap. What would have happened if they hadn't been disturbed?
Chapter Five
Kate opted to wear the green sandals to the party because they matched her dress and Andre liked them. On the journey to the Delacroix's house, Kate ached for Keiko. Mrs. Cooper seemed nice enough, but it was the first time Kate had been apart from her baby. She felt as though she'd cut off part of her body and left it behind.
When they arrived, Andre held the car door open for her. Kate's heel caught on a stone and she nearly twisted her ankle as she climbed out.
"Steady." Andre crouched and massaged her lower leg. "All right now?"
"Mmm." His fingers sent delicious tingles over her skin that made her forget the pain. He helped her out and she clung to his arm, limping slightly across the bumpy parking area beside the huge manor house overlooking the sea.
"Perhaps you can put yourself under self-hypnosis to forget the pain," Andre offered.
She gave him a quizzical look. "What do you know about hypnosis?"
"I read."
"Tell me something I don't know," she said, laughing.
His lips tilted in a warm smile that was so familiar it touched a spot deep inside her. "There was an article in Prestige Hotel magazine about a hotel outside Amsterdam that offers hypnotherapy. Stressed businessmen chill out after sales conferences with a dose of hypnosis and meditation."
Unbreak My Heart (Childhood Sweethearts Reunited) Page 6