Taming the Whirlwind

by L. M. Heidle

  As if my life wasn’t complicated enough, I looked up to see Kade staring at me. He looked so hurt. “Kip!” He didn’t stop. I had to practically run to catch up with him. “Kip, please stop.”

  Finally, he stopped and slowly turned to face me. “What, Elizabeth?” Oh, great we were past nicknames, I guess. He definitely saw that. I couldn’t look at him.

  “I… Kade.” I closed my eyes; I had no idea what to say. Should I say I’m sorry? Why would I? We aren’t together.

  He pulled me to the side of the lobby before saying anything. “H.” He didn’t start talking again until I looked up. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s fine.” He ran a finger down my cheek before walking away.

  It was like a kick in the gut. I had to put a hand on the wall to steady myself. I didn’t want him to punch Andrew but I expected—no wanted—some type of reaction besides acceptance. I needed him to have some reaction. That need bothered me a lot.

  The afternoon was over before I even realized it started. Kade walking in was the only thing that brought me out of my haze. I was working with Betty when our eyes met. He gave me a half smile before starting his workout with Danny. The kick in the gut feeling was back.

  “What’s wrong? Liz, are you okay?”

  “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me.” I never was a good liar, and I just proved that point again.

  “Liz, you aren’t all right. Did something happen between you and Mr. Parker? You both look like you’re in torture. You need to sit down before you pass out. Danny, can you come here?”

  Danny’s head popped up. He looked confused as he looked over at us. “I’ll be right there, Mrs. Handover.” He said something to Kade before walking over to us. “What can I do? Liz, do you feel okay?”

  “No, I think she might pass out.”

  I feebly shook my head no. “I just need to go home, if that’s okay.”

  “Of course, Liz, that’s fine. Let me go call you a cab. You shouldn’t walk home like this.” Before he could get up, Kade walked over.

  Kade didn’t speak to me. “Danny, don’t worry about it. I can have my driver get her home. That way we know she made it home safe.”

  With that, Danny helped get me into Kade’s SUV. Even though, Kade was standing within touching distance, he never laid a finger on me or said anything to me. That only made me feel worse. It felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest.

  Tony must have helped me into my apartment because the next thing I knew Meg was kneeling next to my bed. “Liz. Honey, you need to wake up. You need to eat something.” I sighed and shook my head no. “Liz, I’m not going to go away. If you’re sick, you need to eat something.” I knew she wouldn’t go away, so I begrudgingly sat up. “Can you please tell me what’s going on? Kade called to tell me I needed to get home, and now you are scaring the crap out of me.”

  “Sorry. I just…” I threw myself at her almost knocking her over.

  “Liz, it can’t be that bad. We can figure this out. Come here.” I laid my head on her leg as she started running her fingers through my hair. “Tell me what’s wrong.”

  “Kade and I had a little moment before I went to lunch with Andrew, then he saw Andrew kiss me when he walked me back to work. He walked away from me at first but then he told me I did nothing wrong and acted like he didn’t care. Meg, he just walked away. It felt like he kicked me in the gut.”

  “Oh honey. I’m sorry.”

  “The worst, though, is when he wouldn’t even touch me when Danny helped me into his car. Since when has he liked any guy touching me?”

  “Lizzy, you know I’m on your side always, so I say this with love: how did you expect him to act?”

  “I don’t know. I never thought about it, but I guess I would have expected something.” She nodded her head. “Meg, I love him.”

  “I know you do, honey. It’s obvious. I’ve said you two aren’t over and maybe I shouldn’t have done that. I just want what’s best for you, but sometimes what’s best for us isn’t always what we want.”

  For the next few days, I did what any self-respecting girl with a broken heart would do: played hooky and ate ice cream, lots of ice cream. I avoided seeing Andrew by telling him I was sick. I hated lying to him, especially considering he sent chicken noodle soup a couple of times and flowers every day.

  I didn’t hear anything from Kade.

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Friday, October 11

  Friday morning, Meg jumped on my bed. “That’s enough! Get your butt out of bed. You’re going to work today! Besides, if you don’t go in today, it’s going to mess with our plans for Saturday night.” I didn’t remember mentioning the plans I made with Andrew. “Yeah, that’s right, I know about them. Not from you, of course. Andrew happened to mention something to Brent, who mentioned it to me.”

  “I don’t want to go in today. He usually has an appointment today.”

  “Hey, guess what? I don’t give a crap. I’m not going to let you ruin your life over this, and you are in serious need of a shower. Plus, I want to dance! Now, get your lazy butt out of bed and get dressed, or I’m coming back in with ice water.”

  “Fine, fine. I’m getting up!” I can’t even put into words how badly I did not want to do this, but I dragged my butt to the bathroom and took the first shower I had taken since Monday. The warm water felt so good that I stood under it until it ran cold. I stared at myself in the mirror. I looked horrible! What in the hell was wrong with me? I needed to stop being a baby and get the hell over myself.

  It’s true what they say: looking better makes you feel better, so I made an attempt at curling my hair and did my makeup. I took one last look at myself and walked to the kitchen for coffee.

  “Damn. I’m impressed. I knew I was rubbing off on you.”

  “Oh, shut up. Now give me my coffee so I can go to work.”

  “Yep, you’re back. Oh crap, I almost forgot to tell you. Andrew called you this morning, but you were in the shower, so I answered it.” She said it like there was no problem with her answering my phone, which in all honesty there wasn’t. “He’s coming over this morning to take you to work.” Right on time, the doorbell rang. “That’s probably him now.”

  I took a deep breath before opening the door. “Hey Andrew. It’s nice to see you, but you didn’t have to come over. I know you’re busy.”

  He ran his knuckles down my cheek, “I’ve been dying to see you. I didn’t know I could miss someone this much.” Swoon. His lips were on mine before I knew what was happening. Our lips molded together like before, but this time our tongues intertwined. He sighed as he pulled away. “I’ve been thinking about doing that since Monday.”

  I was speechless. Not because of the kiss, but because of what it lacked. All I could think to say was, “Yeah.” He seemed to buy it because his smile grew wider.

  I heard Meg yell from her room, “Liz, before you go, I need to talk to you.”

  “I need to go see what she wants. Have a seat and I’ll be right back.”

  Meg punched me in the arm once I shut her bedroom door. “What the hell was that for?”

  “Oh, don’t be such a baby. I barely hit you.”

  “That’s easy for you to say,” I replied as I rubbed my arm. “Seriously, though, what did I do?”

  “It’s what you didn’t do. You have a guy sitting in our living room who is very attractive, wealthy, and seems to genuinely like you, but you won’t stop thinking about Kade.”

  “I was not thinking about Kade,” I hissed.

  “Okay then, how was that kiss? Was it better than Kade’s?” she challenged.

  “I don’t know; I didn’t compare.” She lifted her eyebrow. “Okay, fine. No, it wasn’t as good as Kade’s, but it was better than Brent. See? I’m an equal opportunist.”

  She busted out laughing, “I can’t believe you just said that. I’m serious, though. I know you aren’t ready for something really serious, but try not to let Kade stop you from living.”
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br />   “I get it!” I snapped as I turned to storm out of her room.

  Andrew jumped off the couch as I stormed through the living room. “I guess you’re ready,” he murmured as he silently followed me out.

  “Yep looks like it,” I snapped.

  Andrew’s car was parked right by the door. Of course, why would a man who has money park in a regular spot? What was it with rich guys wanting flashy cars? Why the crap did he help me in the car? Holy crap. What in the hell is up with my attitude? As I was thinking about what a horrible idea it was for me to be around people today, my phone went off.

  Meg: Liz, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you. I just want you to be happy.

  Me: I know. I’m sorry too. I have no idea what this mood is about. I guess I’m just a little nervous to see him today. I’ll get over it. Are we going out tonight? Girls’ night?

  Meg: Damn right! Have a good day.

  When Andrew got in the car, I took a deep breath before saying, “Andrew, I’m sorry about the attitude. I have no idea what is wrong with me today. I wanted to tell you thank you for the soup and the beautiful flowers. Also, thank you for picking me up this morning. You have been amazing, and I’ve treated you horrible today, so I’m sorry and thank you.”

  He leaned over to kiss my forehead then intertwined our fingers. “You haven’t been horrible.” If I said that to Kade, he probably would have called me on it. I loved that about him; he wasn’t a pushover. Damn it! No thinking about Kade when I’m with Andrew!

  “You don’t need to lie. I’ve been a total bitch.” He didn’t argue; he just brought my hand to his mouth to kiss each knuckle. The rest of the ride was spent in comfortable silence as he rotated between kissing my forehead to kissing my hand.

  I started to reach for the door handle. “Liz, let me get the door for you.” Okay, I knew there had to be something wrong with him now. No man is this sweet and thoughtful after having serious attitude thrown at him.

  As if the universe agreed with me, the same time he helped me out of the car Kade pulled up. I was hoping Kade would stay in the SUV until I was already in the building. I didn’t want to face him while I was standing with Andrew.

  Andrew intertwined our fingers as he walked me to the building door. “Can we do lunch? I went without you for a week and I don’t think I can take another day.”

  “That sounds amazing, but I can’t. I haven’t been here all week, so I know I’m going to have a ton to catch up on. Can I take a rain check on lunch?”

  He frowned before replying, “Yeah, sure. We’re still on for tomorrow night, though, right?” I didn’t speak because I was pretty much speechless with Kade this close, so I just nodded. “Great! Well, until our date. If you need anything before then, just call me. Have a great day, sweetheart.” He kissed my forehead and then my hand before letting go to walk back to his car. I watched him walk away then noticed Kade’s window was down. The look on his face told me he not only saw everything, but most likely heard it too. No matter how badly I wanted to, I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him. He looked so torn, so troubled, and so hurt. I wanted to walk over there and hold him to make that face go away, but my feet wouldn’t move.

  I wasn’t able to move until he rolled up the window and opened his door. He stepped out, looking as sexy as ever. Then there was the usual charge; it normally made me feel a little weak in the knees and my stomach flutter, but today it almost knocked me on my butt. Lucky for me, when I stumbled I found the wall. He walked forward like he was going to catch me but he stopped, looking undecided before turning to walk into the building. I was hoping the saying ‘time heals all wounds’ was true, and it wasn’t going to be ‘distance makes the heart grow fonder.’ I took a deep breath then pushed myself off the wall; guess it was time to get this day over with.

  Danny welcomed me back with open arms. “Liz! How are you feeling?” If he knew the real reason I missed work, he probably wouldn’t be so understanding. “Are you sure you’re okay to be back? I don’t want you to push it.”

  “No, I’m feeling great. I hated that I missed work.”

  “If you’re sure, because we missed you. Thankfully, it was a light week.” I felt even guiltier for missing over some stupid guy. “We had a few clients finish their therapy. The only one you ever worked with was Mr. Parker, though. There will be a new client coming on Monday to replace him.”

  What? Was he done? This was good? Yeah, this was good. It’ll make moving on easier, hopefully. The day went by smoothly since I didn’t have to worry about Kade’s appointment.

  I have no idea what possessed me to tell Meg we should have a girl’s night. Why I put myself in these situations, I’ll never know. “Liz, are you about ready? You know, we aren’t getting any younger.”

  “Oh my gosh, Meg, would you zip it already? I’m almost done. It’s not like the clubs close anytime soon anyways.”

  “I know. I’m just excited! We haven’t just gone out the two of us in forever.” As I walked into the living room, I heard, “Well hello, legs. Hot damn, girl! You look amazing.” I had decided on a simple white tank, black leather skirt, and hot pink stilettos to match the hot pink bra.

  “Really? It looks okay?” I don’t even know why I tried; next to her, I always looked so plain.

  “Ah yeah, you could say that. You look amazing. Let’s take a picture to send to Andrew.”

  I shook my head no. “That’s so dorky. He isn’t going to want a picture of me.”

  “Trust me, he is going to want to see you in this. Now strike a pose, baby!” I didn’t want to argue, so I let her take her damn picture. “All right. Now, to send it to Andrew.”

  “I can’t believe you just sent him that. You did put that it was from you, right? I don’t want him thinking I’m some crazy friend, girlfriend, or whatever it is you would call us.” As if on cue, my phone went off.

  Andrew: Nice picture. Tell Meg thanks, but you aren’t actually going out in that, are you?

  Me: Don’t encourage her. She wouldn’t let me out of here unless I posed for that.

  Andrew: I like the picture, but let me ask again: are you going out in that?

  Me: Yeah. We’re getting ready to walk out the door.

  Andrew: Can you change into something else or at least just spend the night at my club? Drinks will be on the house.

  Me: What? Why?

  Andrew: Because, honey, you look s-e-x-y, and I won’t be there to fight off any guys.

  Me: You’re sweet, but this is girl’s night. Gotta run!

  Andrew: You’re killing me here. Have a good time, but not too good!

  “What did lover boy have to say? He liked the picture, didn’t he?”

  “Yes, he said to tell you thank you. He told us to have fun but not too much.”

  “Ha, that’s funny. Of course we’re going to have too much fun. Let’s go dance our butts off!”

  “You have no idea how amazing that sounds! Where are we off to?”

  “I was thinking first we would go to Night.”

  “First? How many places are you planning on going?”

  “I don’t know. That’s still to be determined. Let’s just say it’s going to be a long night. Get your butt out the door. Our cab is already downstairs.”

  Night was a small club—well not really a club. It was more of a bar and a couple tables with a stereo. We stepped one foot inside and froze. The crowd in here was a little different than we expected. We were dressed to party; this crowd looked ready for a business convention.

  An older blonde woman greeted us, “Ladies, you’re right on time. We’re just getting ready to start.”

  “Start what exactly?” We said in unison.

  “You guys aren’t here for the speed dating?”

  Meg looked at me before responding, “No. No, we aren’t.”

  “That’s a shame. I couldn’t talk you ladies into staying, could I? I’m in a desperate need of ladies for this event.”

  “No, thank you. W
e’re both in committed relationships.” I turned towards Meg, “Number two now.”

  We decided to go somewhere tried and true, Legacy. Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait in the massive line for long. All Meg had to do was walk up to the bouncer, bat her eyelashes, and flaunt her stunning figure. He didn’t even move his eyes from her chest as he stepped aside to let us in.

  She grabbed my hand, dragging me to the bar. “Tequila shots!”

  We each took a couple of shots before hitting the dance floor. It felt so good to just get out and let our hair down. When we weren’t dancing, we were throwing back shots. I had a pretty good buzz going when I felt it. That familiar charge started tingling throughout my body. I froze.

  “Liz, are you okay?”

  I turned to her. “He’s here. Kade’s here.”

  She instantly started looking around, “Are you sure? I can’t see him anywhere.”

  “I would know that feeling anywhere. He’s here.”

  “Okay, do you want to go?”

  “Yes, no, yes. Ya know what? I don’t want to leave. I can’t hide every time I see him, but I think I may need more to drink.”

  “That’s my girl!”

  On our way to the bar, we literally bumped into Kade. Meg mumbled, “Excuse us.” Meg tried to pull me away, but all I could see where those piercing blue eyes. We just stood there staring at each other like no one else was around.

  I was brought out of my daze when she practically ripped my arm out of the socket. That’s when I noticed the two blonde bimbos hanging on his arms.

  I shook my head before plastering a smile on my face, “Excuse me, sorry about that.” I looked between him and his ‘dates.’ “Hope you enjoy your evening.” I sidestepped around him and continued my way to the bar but not before I heard him say, ‘H.’ It took everything I had not to turn around.

  “Well, that was awkward. Did you see how slutty those two were?” I just numbly nodded my head. “Oh, Liz, I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.” I don’t know if I was more upset with him or the fact that it bothered me. I was moving on with Andrew, so why shouldn’t he?