Kara (Starkis Family #4)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Uh, yeah, that didn’t work out.”

  Chase slapped his palm against his forehead. “What the hell, man? Two failed engagements?” He laughed. “Maybe you just weren’t cut out for—”

  “May be down to one soon.” The prospect of rectifying the biggest mistake of my life was costing me sleep. It would be a while before either of us would be ready to take that step, but I felt as though Kara and I were getting closer every day.

  “What does that mean?”

  “I’m back together with my ex-fiancée.”

  Chase smiled as he raised his glass. “Well, cheers to that.” After we’d drunk to my good fortune, Chase said, “Now refresh my memory. What happened with her?”

  I’d met Chase on a job site about five years ago, and while we’d developed a quick friendship, I hadn’t talked to anyone outside of my inner circle about Kara in years. “We’ve known each other most of our lives. Her parents had a vacation home next to ours in the Hamptons.”

  “Popular spot,” he muttered, obviously thinking of Catia.

  “We got engaged when we were pretty young. She got cold feet and called it off just before the wedding.”

  “Ouch.” Chase tipped back his glass. “That’s gotta hurt, huh?”

  “It did.” No words could describe how much it had hurt. “Took me a long time to get over it. Thought I had, in fact. But I saw her again recently and realized I’d never get over her.”

  “Some women are like that, aren’t they? You know they’re no good for you, but that doesn’t make you want them any less.”

  I couldn’t let him confide in me about Catia until I came clean about my relationship with the sisters. “So you should probably know the girl we’re talking about is Kara. She’s my ex.”

  His jaw dropped. “Kara Starkis?”

  “Yeah.”

  “Jesus.” He rubbed a hand over his jaw. “She seems like a sweetheart, but are you sure you wanna go there, man? Those girls are a handful, to say the least.”

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” I thought I knew the Starkis sisters better than most, but Chase saw them in a completely different environment, so I was curious.

  “It’s just…” He waited until the waiter had set down our salads before he said, “There are always gonna be guys comin’ on to them. I see the way it is on the job site. These girls attract men like—”

  I’d heard enough. “I trust Kara. I know she’d never cheat on me.” I thought back to the insecure kid who’d tried to push up the wedding date because he couldn’t wait to get a ring on her finger. That had messed up everything. I wasn’t going to make that mistake again. This time, I would trust in what we had.

  “I don’t think she would either,” Chase said. “That’s not what I meant. But wouldn’t it make you crazy, knowing guys were hitting on her all the time? Think about it, man. She works around construction workers all day. I don’t have to tell you how raunchy they can get.”

  No, I’d spent enough time at sites to know. “I love the girl. She loves her job. What choice do I have, right?”

  We ate in silence for a few minutes, me thinking about my situation with Kara and Chase undoubtedly thinking about the dilemma he faced with Cat.

  “How much do you know about her sister?”

  “I know her well,” I said, reaching for my glass. While Chase was a friend, I still considered Cat family. I wouldn’t divulge any of her secrets, not even to him. “We were tight growing up. Of course we haven’t spent much time together in recent years, but I don’t think she’s changed all that much. Why?”

  “I haven’t met too many women like her.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh. “I’m willing to bet you haven’t met anyone like Cat.”

  “Maybe that’s the problem. I’m havin’ a hell of a time getting her out of my head. She tells me she’s not interested. Normally I’d respect that, but she’s sending all kinds of mixed messages.”

  “How?” I asked before polishing off my salad.

  “I’ve asked her out a couple of times, and she said no, so I thought screw it, I’m not gonna waste any more time on this girl.”

  I understood, but it wasn’t that easy to get over one of the Starkis women.

  “So I took someone else out over the weekend.” He pushed his plate aside before raising his glass to the waiter, indicating he was ready for another. “Cat and I ended up at the same club. She was with some other dude, an electrician she met on the job site.”

  I could tell he wasn’t too happy he’d seen Cat with someone else, even though he hadn’t been alone. “And?”

  “I’d had a few too many. Things got a little heated with the chick I was with.”

  I could tell he regretted his decision to let it go too far. I’d been there myself too many times to count. “How did Cat react?”

  “She was mad as hell. Wouldn’t even talk to me at work today.”

  That sounded exactly like Cat. If she was pissed, she wasn’t shy about letting you know. “Sounds to me like she’s interested, whether she’s willing to admit it or not.”

  “So you think I should hold out and wait for her to come around?”

  “What’s she said to you about going home after this job is over?” I had my own reasons for asking. I didn’t want Kara to go back to Chicago, and if I made them an offer they couldn’t refuse, it could be a win for all of us.

  “That’s her plan.” Chase nodded his thanks when the waiter cleared our plates and replaced his glass. “That’s another reason I shouldn’t pursue this thing with her. It’s not like it can go anywhere, right?”

  “That depends.” While I had invited Chase to dinner to find out if he had real feelings for Cat, I was also interested in getting his take on my plan.

  “On what?”

  “You’ve worked with Cat, Kara, and Darius for a while now, right? What’s your take on them professionally speaking?”

  “They’re some of the best I’ve ever worked with. I’d love to have them on my team.”

  “Hmmm.” If things worked well between Kara and Chase, it would make more sense for her to join forces with him, but I still had to make my pitch. “I’m thinking of opening an office here, and I’d need a good G.C. and project manager on my team.”

  Chase smiled. “Not to mention a good interior designer?”

  “That goes without saying. Kara told me her father’s not interested in building any more restaurants now that he’s semi-retired. She could keep busy remodeling some of the restaurants, but I get the feeling they all might be ready for a new challenge.”

  “If Cat were my girlfriend, I’d be stoked about keeping her here. As it stands, I honestly don’t know how I feel about her sticking around.”

  “I get that.” I’d have felt the same way if Kara and I were still on the outs. “But you think it would be a good fit, me and them?” While I knew them all well personally, Chase knew them professionally, and he knew me. He was the best person to give me an honest opinion about whether my feelings for Kara were clouding my judgment.

  “I get why you’re asking,” Chase said. “You’ve built the reputation you have because your standards are so high. But they all think the way you do. They don’t believe in cutting corners. They’d rather spend more and take more time to do it right the first time.” He grinned. “Which can be a pain in the ass when it’s your time and money on the line, but I admire that.”

  “Yeah, so do I.” He’d said exactly what I’d hoped he would, which meant I had to talk to Darius and Cat next. I’d wait to talk to Kara until I had both of her siblings on board.

  “But I think you’d have to cut them in. They don’t strike me as the type to take orders. They’ve been working for their old man for a long time, calling all the shots. You know how it is.”

  “Yeah.” I’d been calling my own shots for a long time too, and I didn’t know how I felt about sharing the reins. Of course, if all went according to plan, they would be my family someday. I liked t
he sound of a family business. “There’d be a learning curve for them though. With the exception of Kara, none of them have worked in the residential side of things. You think that would be a problem?”

  “Not really. The skills are transferrable, right?”

  I assumed so since I’d worked on several commercial projects myself. “You’re right. Thanks, man. This could be the solution to my problem.”

  “You’d really consider setting up shop here just to be near this girl, huh?”

  I shook my head, a wry smile on my face. “Hell, I’d follow her around the world if I had to.”

  ***

  Kara and I were lying in bed, and I was trying to entice her into a second round with a little finger play when I saw her wince. “Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked, pulling back. “You okay, baby? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  She stroked my shoulder. “Sorry, I guess I’m just a little out of practice. After the weekend…”

  I hated that she didn’t feel she could tell me she was uncomfortable. “Sweetheart, you should have said something if you were sore.” I pulled her closer, wrapping my arms around her as we snuggled deeper under her duvet. “We didn’t have to make love tonight. I just wanted to see you, to hold you like this. That’s all it takes to make me happy, you know.”

  She ran her hand over my stomach. “You’re so sweet, but I know you’re lying.”

  “No, I’m not.” I tipped her chin up so she was looking at me. “I’m dead serious. Don’t ever be afraid to say no to me. I don’t care whether you’re tired or sore or have a headache or whatever, just tell me. I’ll be fine with it.” The last thing I wanted was for her to think I was only in this for the sex.

  “You didn’t tell me about your dinner with Chase.”

  Because I’d jumped her as soon as I walked in the door. I hadn’t even given her a chance to tell me she needed to take a pass tonight. I was such an idiot.

  “It was good.” I debated whether to tell her about my business plans, but I hoped to meet with Darius and Cat tomorrow. I wanted to hold off until I’d gotten their take on my idea. “You’re right, he’s definitely into your sister, but it sounds like she’s given him no reason to hold out hope.”

  “I don’t know what the hell’s wrong with her,” Kara said, sounding frustrated. “He’s a great guy. I don’t know why she’s trying so hard to fight it. I think she’s worried that he’s looking for a stepmother for his kids.”

  “Cat doesn’t like kids?” I couldn’t remember her ever babysitting as a teen, but I hadn’t really given it much thought.

  “It’s not that she doesn’t like them. I just think she’s uncomfortable with them.”

  I chuckled. “I don’t see why she should be. Cat’s a big kid herself.”

  “I know, right?”

  “So what are your plans for tomorrow? Should I stay in the city and take you to lunch?”

  “Um, I have a doctor’s appointment in the morning and a lunch date with my cousin Tiana. She and her husband, Blake, are expecting their first child, and she wants me to come with her to scope out the baby boutiques.”

  “Sounds like fun.” I kissed the top of her head.

  “Yeah.” She looked at me and smiled. “Tiana asked me to come because she knows how much I love that stuff.”

  “What stuff?”

  “Looking at baby clothes and furniture.” She sighed. “It makes me want one of my own.”

  I slid my hand over her flat stomach. “Hmm, sooner rather than later?”

  She raised an eyebrow. “Don’t get any ideas. The wedding would have to come first or my father really would be hauling his shotgun out.”

  I closed my arms around her, inhaling her sweet scent and thinking that I couldn’t remember the last time I’d been this happy. Spending the weekend reconnecting with her had been amazing, but lying in her bed, talking about weddings and babies, took things to a whole ‘nother level. I was so ready to go there. “Did you feel that I tried to cheat you out of a church wedding the first time, baby? Be honest.”

  She shrugged before curling her body around mine. “I don’t know. Given our differing religions, a church wedding would have caused a lot more stress. I loved the idea of getting married on the beach where we fell in love. It was romantic, or at least it would have been if I hadn’t been stupid enough to bail.”

  That was the first time I’d heard her express any real regret about calling off the wedding. When she’d talked about it before, she made it sound as though she thought she was doing the best thing for both of us.

  “Do you ever wish you’d married me?”

  She was silent for a few minutes before she whispered, “Just about every day.”

  I kissed the top of her head as my hand sifted through her hair. “Nothing we can’t rectify.”

  “I wouldn’t blame you if you weren’t willing to take a chance on me again, after the way I screwed it all up the first time.”

  It was a question of trust. Could I honestly say I’d spent enough time with her yet to say with conviction that she would never, ever do that to me again? No. But I knew in time, I would be able to move past it.

  “What are you thinking?” she whispered, tipping her head back to look me in the eye.

  “I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t see a future with you. I want it all—marriage, babies, the whole nine—but it’s obviously going to take us some time to get there. It won’t happen overnight, and I don’t think either of us would want it to.”

  “You’re right.” She pressed her lips to my bare chest. “Taking it slow is best. We’re less likely to make stupid mistakes.”

  “Being with you could never be a mistake.” I wanted her to know the time we’d spent together had given me a new lease on life, my first taste of genuine happiness in years. “I feel like wherever you are is where I belong.”

  “What if I decide to return to Chicago?”

  At least she was leaving room for the possibility of another option. “Is that what you want to do?”

  “I don’t know. Being back in the Hamptons was amazing. I didn’t want to leave yesterday. Of course, it was probably you that I didn’t want to leave, not so much the place.”

  “There is something magical about that place,” I said. “I don’t know if it’s all the memories we made there, but every time I’m there, I want to stay. I don’t want to think about going back to North Carolina.”

  She looked surprised when she glanced at me. “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you talk about leaving North Carolina. You would seriously consider that? What about your business?”

  I didn’t want to go into too much detail about my plans yet, but maybe I should give her a hint as to what I was thinking so I could get her opinion, find out whether she’d be in favor of it. “I’d keep the home office, probably travel back a couple of days a month. But I’ve thought about expanding, diversifying. Being here would allow me to build more vacation properties. Most of my experience with that has been in tropical locales, but they were some of my favorite projects, so I think I’d love working in the Hamptons.”

  “Well, I’m sure people would love to have you there. That’s the benefit of building the kind of reputation you have. You could literally write your own ticket, work anywhere in the world.”

  “Right, and where better to live and work than the place that has so much history for us?”

  “I never would have guessed you were such a romantic,” she said, smiling.

  I ran my hand down her exposed arm, watching with satisfaction when thrill bumps rose in the wake of my touch. “Would you ever consider working in residential design again?”

  “I’d consider it. I did enjoy it. It just so happened my dad needed me more. That’s the only reason I got into commercial design.”

  “How would you feel about working in the Hamptons?”

  “With you?” she asked, looking at me.

  “Yeah.”

  A slow smile spread across her face. �
�It would be a dream come true for me.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Kara

  I was sitting in the doctor’s office, waiting for her to come in, and I couldn’t shake the feeling something was wrong. The abdominal pains had gotten worse in the last twenty-four hours, and I’d even had discomfort when Dustin and I made love last night. I was scared she would tell me it was something serious.

  “Sorry to keep you waiting, Kara,” Dr. Kennedy said, walking in. She shook my hand before claiming the chair behind her desk. She had a file folder in hand but tapped a few buttons on her keyboard, bringing her monitor to life.

  I saw my name in the top corner of her screen and held my breath.

  “Well, we were able to determine the cause of your pain, Kara. That’s the good news.”

  Which meant there was bad news. God, I almost wished I’d brought someone with me for support and a hand to hold. “What’s the bad news?”

  “It’s endometriosis.”

  “Endometriosis?” One of my friends from college had that, and it prevented her and her husband from having the baby they so desperately wanted. Oh God, no.

  “Your case is what we consider moderate. To be honest, I’m surprised you don’t have more pain. You said most of your discomfort occurred during your cycle, is that correct?”

  “It did.” I swallowed, wishing I had some water to coat my dry throat. “Um, but I have had pain for the past day or so, and I’m not expecting my period for a couple of weeks.”

  She made a few notes in my file. “And you said you weren’t experiencing pain during intercourse?”

  “Last night I did.”

  “Okay.” The doctor sighed before removing her reading glasses and settling back in her chair. “The best course of action is often oral contraceptives, but since you’re already taking those, I’ll prescribe anti-inflammatories. You won’t take them all the time, just to manage the pain. More severe cases often benefit from surgical intervention, but you’re not there yet.”

  “Dr. Kennedy…” I was almost afraid to ask, but I needed all the facts before I could decide how to proceed with Dustin. “Endometriosis can make a woman infertile, can’t it?”