by Rachel Cross
“Anyway,” Ava hurried on, “did he say anything besides that?”
“Just that I probably thought sex would be that good with anyone. Which I don’t. I mean, you all act like I had no experience with anything. Ava, it’s like the world gets blown apart and then pieced back together, and I don’t usually stay conscious for the second part. I had no idea.”
Ava’s mouth was hanging open.
Kate giggled nervously.
Ava put her hands on her hips and shook her head. “Oh, that poor man.”
“What? Him? He’s a jerk, remember?”
“Oh, I remember. Thank you for sharing. Now everything is clear.” Ava strode back over to her bucket of balls and started teeing up and firing them off in rapid succession.
It was Kate’s turn to stare. “Well, it’s not clear to me.”
Ava replied airily, “You’re no dim bulb, Kate. You figure it out.” She wacked another white ball.
“You think he has feelings for me?” There it was. Out loud.
“Of course. Now, what happened at that party that you don’t want to tell me?”
Kate swung hard at the ball. All power, no finesse. “The party … ” She trailed off staring into space as she experienced a brief explicit flashback.
Against the door in a locked room of a stranger’s house. Crazy. She shook her head to clear it.
Ava waved a hand. “Hello? Earth to Kate? I don’t think I’ve ever seen that particular expression on your face.”
A wave of heat sweep through her.
Yanking her hair out of her face, she lined up her next shot. “He might have been a little freaked out about … things. But I thought … well.”
“What things?”
Kate glanced around, moved two steps closer to Ava and whispered, “We had sex. At the party. Against a door … and … stop looking at me like that.”
Ava burst out laughing. “I’m shocked.”
“So was I. I’m still shocked. It was crazy and aggressive and wild. And then he left.” Her throat closed. Tears overflowed and, groaning, she dashed them away. “Two days later, he sent me a box of my things and that stupid letter.”
Ava made a soft sound and reached out to embrace her.
“Methinks we might get banned from the driving range,” Kate said thickly.
“Who cares?” Ava pulled back to look at her best friend and touch her cheek.
“It hurts. A lot. The heartache is … shocking.”
“I know.”
“I just don’t understand. How could he leave me? I really wish I could hate him, but I don’t. I just don’t.”
Ava’s voice was gentle. “It sucks to get your heart broken.”
Chapter 21
Kate walked out of the patient room, exhausted. She would be off for four days in — she checked the clock over the elevator bank — one hour. Approaching the nurse’s station, her supervisor, Pam, looked up from her charting.
“Kate, I got a call. You need to report to human resources immediately. I’ve heard there have been some issues — ”
“If by issues, you mean Billingsly assaulting me in the supply closet a few nights ago, then yes.”
Pam stared at Kate, open-mouthed. “What?”
“We were low on linens last week, so I went to get some out of supply. Billingsly cornered me, held me by the hair and kissed me. I told him to stop and screamed for help. The med tech and one of the aides heard me scream and rushed into the closet.” She was almost able to relay the series of events without letting fury creep into her voice. Almost.
Pam rose from her chair. “Did you make a report?”
Kate raised her brows at the older woman. “Of course I did. I was told my reputation had preceded me and I should stop dating rock stars. They’re not going to oust him. He’s their golden boy.”
Pam collapsed into the chair, shaking her head. “Oh no, Kate, no.” She slapped the desk with her palm.
“I’ll say. I was actually scared of him.” Kate shivered. Hadn’t he said the car he was driving the night of their date was a loaner? “Do you know what he drives? I keep seeing this red Mercedes around my place.”
Pam stared at her, nodding. “I’ve seen him in the physicians’ lot. Red Mercedes convertible. Vanity plate.” She snorted. “Heart fixer or fixing hearts or something silly like that.”
The hair on the back of her neck stood up. “F-I-X-N-H-R-T”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
Kate and Pam stared at each other.
What had he said in the supply closet? That he hadn’t seen her with either man in Cielito?
“Kate,” Pam said. “If he’s following you, that’s not good. Like, really not good. Forget human resources, you need to go to the police. He could be dangerous.”
“I’ll handle it.”
Pam’s brows came together. “The hospital will keep him, Kate. I’ve been here a long time. They’ll never side with a nurse over someone who brings in so much revenue for this place. It makes me furious. Furious and scared for you, Kate. I’ve heard things about him … mostly that he’s the love ’em and leave ’em type, and a real prick in the operating room. Not this.”
Kate grimaced. “It’ll be interesting to see what they dredge up. I don’t think they’ll let me go today. They need to document a few problems with my performance to make it look legit. I’m pretty sure they’ll wait until later in the week, maybe even after the holiday.”
Pam’s lips twisted.
Kate gave her a one-armed hug.
An hour later, the head of human resources and the nursing administrator brought her in to document work performance issues. Kate watched silently as a nurse manager she had never met carefully jotted down her statements. Had she even had contact with the patient who made the allegation? The human resources manager told her the incriminating letter had only coming to their attention this past week. Of the second issue, they didn’t say much, just that a physician was not satisfied with the care she provided for his patients. Apparently, he didn’t care for her ‘poor attitude’.
Billingsly?
“We’re investigating Ms. Gibson,” the nurse manager said. “That doesn’t mean — ”
Mrs. Simpson, looking over her glasses, interrupted. “Be sure to sign the last document in the pile, Ms. Gibson. It doesn’t mean you agree with the information, just that you’ve been counseled.” She waved her pen. “Then you’re free to go.”
Minutes later, Kate sat in her car in the parking lot. Furious, but dry-eyed, she turned the car on and started home.
Running was the very last thing she wanted to do after the encounter with those women this morning, but the stress was starting to eat at her. Sighing, she pulled out her running gear. A run would burn off some of her anger and anxiety, maybe even make her tired enough to sleep.
Should she quit? Quitting felt like failure. Billingsly and the hospital were bullying her. Giving in to bullies went against the grain. Then again, most job applications had an “ever been fired or asked to leave” checkbox. She refused to spend the rest of her career being less eligible for employment.
She covered her face with her hands. She couldn’t risk being fired. There was too much at stake. She was barely making ends meet now. Without a steady income, she wouldn’t be able to pay Emma’s bills, let alone her own.
Then there was Alec. He’d made it clear they were over. Pulling on her running shorts, she bent to tie her shoelaces. Her cell rang. Emma’s ringtone.
“Emma.”
The voice on the other end was dull with pain and choked with tears and barely above a whisper, but she heard her name.
“Honey, what’s going on? Are you okay?” Panic and fear filled Kate.
“Kate. H … how could you?” Emma asked.
“He … he didn’t even know about me.” The crying turned into sobbing.
A chill of foreboding swept through Kate.
“Who?” she asked, already knowing the answer.
“Dad!” she screamed. “He didn’t even know about me until he saw me on television and you knew. You knew!”
“Emma. It’s not … ” It’s not what? She wasn’t prepared to have this conversation. What lies should she tell next?
“It’s not what? And Mom.” Kate could barely make out Emma’s words through the sobs.
Kate’s gut clenched.
“Mom left him off of my birth certificate?”
Kate closed her eyes and rubbed a hand over her face. “It’s complicated, Em.”
“You’re a liar!” she shrieked. “I can’t believe you kept me from my own Dad. What is wrong with you? What was wrong with our mother?”
“Emma. Calm down. It’s not what it seems.”
“Are you kidding me? That’s all you have to say? Screw you!”
“Emma! We were trying to protect you.” What a disaster.
“Protect me?” she screeched. “By keeping me a secret from my own father for eighteen years?”
The dam burst, Kate’s control fled. “Yes! He’s an asshole. Worse than that, he’s dangerous, a criminal.”
“I don’t believe you. I don’t believe anything you have to say. You’re mean and … and … hateful. How could you, Kate? How could you and Mom do this to me?” The sobs had subsided. Her tone was coldly furious. This was an Emma she was unfamiliar with.
Kate took a deep breath. Her heart ached. “I’m sorry, Emma, I love you. I was … we were, trying to protect you from a — ”
Emma interrupted coldly. “That’s bullshit. You don’t keep someone secret from their own father for eighteen years. That’s … that’s … . I don’t even know you, Kate. You’re a control freak. You had to be the one in charge of the insurance money. The money, the money. I swear it’s all you care about. You didn’t want Dad to take care of me.”
Kate’s stomach lurched. “That’s not true, Emma. I’ve tried to be frugal so you could go to whatever college you wanted. If that thieving father of ours had control, he would’ve run through the money years ago.”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Was she getting through?
“There’s a lot I need to say to you, but I hate to do it over the phone. There are documents … ” she got out, haltingly. “How did he find you?”
“I found him. I hired an investigator with the money you sent for the ski trip — ”
Kate grabbed the edge of the bed, legs trembling. “Emma.”
“I’ll be home for Thanksgiving next week with Dad,” Emma said, dully. “If you get the credit card statement, just … just … ” Kate heard her sobbing inhalation. “It’s my money, too, you know. And Dad needs our help. He borrowed the money and he’s going to pay it back at Thanksgiving.”
Her stomach plummeted. “You gave him money?” she breathed, horrified. “How much?”
“See? That’s all you ever care about, Kate. Money. Not me, not Dad, and certainly not the truth. I’ll tell you one thing. I’ll never forgive you. Never.” She hung up.
Kate stared at the phone in her hand. She shook her head to clear it. Dazed, she walked over to her laptop at the desk in the corner of the room.
She was barely making it these days between her living expenses and Emma’s room and board and credit card charges. Now she was on the verge of getting fired and didn’t have a job lined up.
Legs quaking, she sat down hard in the chair and flipped open the computer. Kate went through the log-ins on autopilot, finally bringing up the online balance for their credit card statement.
She blinked once, then twice at the screen.
Twenty-thousand dollars.
Emma had taken twenty-thousand dollars out on the credit card. She put her head in shaking hands.
There had to be a way out of this mess. Could she claim fraud? No, both her name and Emma’s were on the account. She called Emma. The call went straight to voicemail. She disconnected and tapped out a text.
Please call me.
She stood and moved toward the front door. Maybe a run would provide answers.
Chapter 22
Kate was at the beach for her usual run after her shift, only nothing this morning was usual. Standing on the hard, packed sand near the edge of the ocean, she couldn’t do it. Her legs refused. Run? Her legs were trembling so much they barely held her. The sun shone. The water crept up and back ceaselessly as the tide went out.
She slid to the sand, pulled her cotton clad legs into her chest and rocked. Jaw clenched, teeth gritted against the relentless pain that suffused her. And then they came, she couldn’t beat the grief back any longer. Dissolving in sobs, she buried her face in her knees in a futile attempt to muffle the sound.
How had life gone to hell in such a short time? It all started here on this damn beach. And here she was helpless, alone and overwhelmed again.
Her sister was aligned with that monster who was their father. Had given him twenty thousand dollars. She should have told Emma what she knew about Matt years ago. She should have tried harder to make Emma understand about the insurance money and the cost of her tuition. Ava was right, Kate had cocooned Emma, tried to shield her.
Now look at the mess they were in.
It’s all my fault.
No wonder Emma couldn’t trust her. And Matt Gibson was downright dangerous.
Everything was in jeopardy now, her relationship with her sister, her job, Emma’s degree, maybe even Emma. What was she supposed to do?
Hot panting breath at her ear shocked her. She yanked her head away as Zack pawed at the ball at her hip, dancing and barking, impatient and oblivious to her turmoil. She threw the ball for him, a lame effort. She was terrified she would look up and see Alec. Not now. Not when her life had fallen apart, when she had fallen apart.
Then there he was, on his knees in front of her. She raised her head and met those brilliant azure eyes. Eyes that seemed to look right through her, hard jaw perennially scruffy. Her heart leaped. Couldn’t she have developed some kind of immunity to him?
Alec took one look at her tear-stained face and yanked her into his arms. He held her tight against his neoprene clad, now sandy body. The familiar feel of him, the concern so evident on his face sent her in renewed paroxysms of weeping.
Kate hadn’t cried like this, ever. She cried so hard she had trouble breathing, her sobs turning into coughs amid great gasping breaths. He held her tightly and repeated her name, gently, carefully.
After a long while, she slumped against him. He gathered her into his lap. She fit her head against his chest, drained, exhausted, empty.
“God, Kate.” He sounded shaken.
She made a feeble move to push away, which he immediately resisted, his grip tightening. Tears she thought were over leaked out, and she pulled away to look up into his beautiful face. He gently tucked her hair behind her ear.
“Oh, Alec. My life is … ” She stopped and shivered. “Emma.” Her voice broke.
“Has she been hurt?”
Kate shook her head. “She found our dad.”
“Uh-oh. Come on.” He stood, pulling her to her feet. “Come up to the house. Please, Kate.”
She wiped at her face, unable to stop the steady stream of tears, the occasional hiccough. She nodded, not trusting her voice.
He pulled her down the beach.
“Your board?”
“I dropped it up near the house when I saw you.”
He whist
led for Zack and the dog came tearing toward them.
Once inside, he brought her to the master bath and turned on the shower, hot. The room filled with steam within minutes.
“Clothes off,” he said. “I’ll bring you a towel and robe.”
She followed his directions, some part of her vaguely aware that after so many years of trying to take care of everything, someone was taking care of her. She stood under the hot spray, trying to empty her mind, but all she could think about was Emma.
Emma had paid someone to find their father.
Emma had given their dad twenty thousand dollars.
Emma hated her.
And Emma was bringing that monster home.
By the time Alec came back in shorts, she sat weeping on the floor of the shower. He opened the door, swore softly and turned off the shower heads. He pulled her to her feet and wrapped her in a thick bath sheet. Patiently he dried first her hair, then, impersonally, her body. Struck by a belated sense of modesty, Kate protested, grabbing for the towel. They had a brief tug of war. Alec won and finished drying her off.
She followed him out of the bathroom to the bedroom where he helped her into an old soft t-shirt lettered with the name of a vaguely familiar band. Kate watched as he pulled back the sheets on his massive bed and gestured for her to climb in. She did and he joined her, pulling her up hard against his body, his back against the headboard.
“Tell me.”
She told him everything. About Emma finding Matt, the money. And finally, she told him something she had never told another soul.
In a halting narrative, eyes leaking continuous tears, she explained how her mom had finally gotten up the courage to kick Matt out of their lives; gotten a restraining order. And, how Matt violated the restraining order and raped her mother. A rape that resulted in Emma’s conception.
Kate stopped, unable to continue. Alec’s body was rigid against hers. She chanced a look up into his face. His horrified expression sent her into a renewed bout of weeping. He stroked her back and tried to quiet her.
“It’s going to be okay, Kate.”