Authors: Celya Bowers
CHAPTER 13
Cole paced the living room waiting for Taylor to return to the house. The walk to Kendall’s house and back shouldn’t have taken more than ten minutes at the most. It was now riding on an hour and Taylor still wasn’t back.
Was forcing Kendall’s company on his son the right thing to do? Had he put Kendall in harm’s way trying to force a relationship between her and Taylor? How well did he really know his son?
He didn’t really know his son at all. He grabbed his keys and headed for the front door just as it opened. Taylor walked inside and closed the door.
“Where are you going?” Taylor stared at his father.
Cole didn’t want to start off lying to his son, and also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “Oh, I was just going to get the paper.” It wasn’t a total lie.
“Dad,” his son pleaded. “The paper is on the coffee table. I set it there this morning. You were worried about her, weren’t you?”
“I was also worried about you,” Cole pointed out. He wanted Taylor’s transition into his life to be as smooth as humanly possible. “I know I was asking a lot of you, but I wanted you to get to know Kendall.”
Taylor plopped down on the couch. “I got to know her all right. I saw a side to her I wasn’t quite expecting. She was acting all hard at breakfast like nothing could break her, but I found her breaking point.”
Cole’s blood chilled at the calmness in his son’s voice. Was Kendall lying on her living room floor gasping her last breath? He walked to his son and grabbed him up by his shirt, pulling him up so that they were face to face. “What did you do to her?”
Taylor’s eyes reflected the hurt that question raised. “You think I’m some kind of monster? I’m not like the kids on TV, Dad. I’m not as coldhearted as Mom, either. When we got to her place, she couldn’t find her dog. She actually started crying.”
Cole released his son slowly. “Oh, God, I’m sorry, Taylor. I didn’t mean to imply anything. We don’t know each other, so it’s going to take some time for us to trust each other.”
Taylor shrugged and smoothed out the wrinkles on his T-shirt. “You love her, don’t you?”
Cole stared at his son. “What on earth would make you ask me such a thing?”
“I’ve never seen you ready to defend Mom like that. You were ready to kick my ass, I mean, butt, across the room. You probably should call her. She was pretty upset.”
“Did you find Jordan?”
Taylor nodded. “Yeah, he was in the garage. He was sleeping under her car. Did you know Kendall had a Jag? A top-of-the-line model?”
Cole nodded. “Was Jordan okay?”
“Yeah, I think he was a little ticked she was gone so long.” Taylor smiled at his father. “I’m sorry I was so rude to her this morning, but you never mentioned you were seeing anyone. It was a shock seeing you guys like that, and I guess I took it out on her. But once I got to know her, she was cool.”
“It’s going to take time, son. Don’t worry. It’s just you and me. So why don’t we spend the day getting you settled?”
Taylor’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree. “You mean that, Dad? Just you and me, and no one else?”
That happy expression on his son’s face told Cole everything he needed to know. His son had been neglected emotionally. He had all the material things a teenager could want. He just didn’t have his mother’s love, or his father’s, for that matter. “Just you and me, kid. First, I need to make a few calls and then we’ll go out and finish furnishing your room.”
Taylor nodded and headed for the stairs. “I’ll go shower and change while you’re doing that.”
Cole smiled as he picked up the phone. The first call was to Kendall. “Hey, how are you feeling?”
She sighed. “Much better now. Jordi gave me such a fright. If it hadn’t been for Taylor, I think I would have lost my mind.”
“What did Taylor do?” Cole feigned ignorance of the situation. He was very proud of his son.
“He found him.”
* * *
Jami woke up that morning, exhausted. She’d spent most of the previous night moving her belongings into storage. Thank goodness her soon to be ex-husband was out drinking all night. She was able to make her getaway, thanks to Keerya and her brothers.
Now came the incredibly hard part. She had to move in with Kendall. She still had misgivings about it, but it would be the best thing for her and Dylan. Kendall lived in a gated community and they would be safe. Jami just hoped that Dylan didn’t break anything expensive in Kendall’s house.
She quietly got out of bed and hurried down the hall to take a shower and get dressed before waking Dylan. She met Keerya in the hallway. Keerya was already dressed for a day of moving in old jeans and an oversized T-shirt.
“Hey, are you ready for the big day ahead?”
Jami shrugged. “I don’t know. I tossed and turned all night. I keep dreaming that Dylan is going to break a vase at Kendall’s that costs a year’s salary.”
Keerya laughed. “Stop worrying. It’s going to be fine. Kendall has mellowed out since she’s been getting some. If I knew that was all it took, I would have set her up with one of my brothers years ago.”
“Stop it, girl. You know she started changing before she and Cole started hitting the sheets. I think it started at Nurses’ Night Out.”
“I still think Cole has a lot to do with it. You probably should thank him when you see him walking through the house one morning.” She winked one of her unmade-up eyes at Jami.
Jami inhaled. “I don’t think I’ll be seeing him. Max said something about Cole’s son moving in.”
“Oh, I just love a good story,” Keerya said with a sly grin. “When’s Max going to finally make his move?”
Jami didn’t try to deny it. “He kissed me the other day.”
“It’s about time. You know I don’t advocate the whole married man thing, but I know Max just has to realize how important you are to him and divorce that cow of a wife and pledge his undying love for you.”
“I don’t know if I have that kind of time,” Jami said honestly. She didn’t want to be one of those women waiting out a marriage. “Max has his own set of issues he needs to deal with,” Jami said, more for herself than for Keerya. “By the time he works all that out he might not find me interesting anymore.”
“Yeah, I’ll believe that right after the Texas Rangers win the pennant.”
“It’s possible,” Jami said.
Keerya placed her hand on Jami’s shoulder. “We both know once Max decides on his divorce, it will be all downhill from there.”
* * *
Kendall didn’t know if she had the strength to continue. All she wanted to do was sit on her bed, hold Jordan in her arms and have a good old cry. She was afraid she’d lost him earlier, didn’t know how she would live without her canine friend, but in the end he was okay.
She had to get hold of herself emotionally. Jami would be arriving shortly to move in, and Kendall had to at least appear in control of her world.
While Jordan ate his third helping of breakfast, Kendall went upstairs to change clothes. She’d just struggled into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt when the doorbell rang. “That’s probably Jami,” she muttered. “Time to slap on a happy face.” She went downstairs and opened the front door.
Jami looked as frazzled as Kendall felt. “Hi, Kendall, I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time.” She shifted her weight from foot to foot. “This is my son, Dylan.”
Kendall looked at the little boy with his baby suitcase in his hand. He was the spitting image of his mother, with dark-chocolate skin and big brown eyes. She bent down and took the little boy’s bag and then shook his hand. “It’s nice to meet you, Dylan.” She motioned them inside. “Come on.”
“Keerya and her brothers are going to bring a few of my things over.”
Kendall smiled. She was going to have to do something to make Jami feel more at ease or this wasn’t going to work. “That’s fine, Jami. This is your home, too. Why don’t we sit on the couch where we can talk?”
Jami nodded and walked to the living room. “This is such a beautiful home, Kendall. Max was right, this is one gorgeous place.” She sat down on the couch with Dylan in her lap.
“Thank you, Jami.” Kendall glanced around the room. Her brothers often called it a showplace. She shook her head. Every piece of furniture had been perfectly placed, and yet it looked empty. In the years she’d lived there, this was the first time anyone other than her family had stayed there. “And while you’re here, this is your home, so feel free to do whatever it takes to make you comfortable.” She took the envelope she’d placed on the coffee table earlier and handed it to her new roommate. “Here are the keys to the house. My mom says if you need a babysitter, she’ll be happy to help out. I think she’s given up on me giving her grandchildren and thinks this is as close as she’ll get.”
Jami nodded. “I’ll definitely need to take her up on that. I won’t be able to leave Dylan at that daycare now. I just don’t know what Karl will do.”
“You’re safe here. Mom can even come here if you like.” Kendall took a deep breath. “You should file a restraining order for him not to come near you or Dylan. That way it’s on record that he’s threatening you.”
Jami sighed and hugged Dylan closer to her. “Thank you, again, Kendall. My brain doesn’t seem to be working. I’ll file a report today.”
“I have some patients this afternoon, but I could go with you later, if you like.” Kendall glanced at the wall clock. She’d lost most of the morning to Jordan, and she barely had time to get dressed and get to work before her first patient was due.
“Keerya will go with me after we finish unloading stuff. How about I fix dinner to celebrate you taking me in?”
“You don’t have to, Jami. You have enough on your mind already. Don’t worry about me. I just want you to relax and get yourself together.”
“Thank you, Kendall.”
Kendall didn’t think she could take it anymore. “Please quit thanking me. I should be thanking you. You and Dylan showed me I was missing something. You make my house a home.”
“I don’t understand,” Jami said. “You have a lovely house, and I can’t imagine you thinking your house isn’t a home.”
“It’s not about the furniture, Jami. It’s about the feeling of a home.” Dylan slid out of Jami’s lap and moved closer to Kendall. She picked him up and placed him in her lap. Dylan studied her for a moment, then hugged her. “This is what it’s all about.” She hugged the little boy, fighting back her tears.
Dylan raised his head and looked at him. “Hungry.”
Kendall didn’t give another thought to her work schedule and led the little tyke to the kitchen and made him breakfast.
CHAPTER 14
Kendall made it to work just minutes before her first afternoon appointment. Max met her at the employee entrance of the hospital, grinning. Not even his smart-aleck attitude would get to her today. Despite his grin, she knew her friend’s mind was on something serious.
“Did Jami get moved in okay?”
“Yes, she did.” Kendall wanted to know how Max was handling all the changes in his life, but the hospital was not the place to have that kind of conversation. She didn’t want either of her friends to get hurt, but knew it was more than likely, considering they were both married to other people.
Max lowered his voice as they entered the hospital. “It was really nice of you to let her bunk with you. I was worried for her and Dylan’s safety. I offered to help her find a place but she refused me.”
That made Kendall proud. Jami refusing Max’s help showed her character. “She refused me too, at first. I think Keerya talked her into it.” Kendall walked to her office door. “I’ll go put on my jacket and meet you in the lab.”
Max nodded. “I’ll go warm up the machine. By the way, you’re working that dress. Too bad Cole isn’t coming in the hospital today. I think he’d flip his literary lid.”
“Says you.” Kendall had picked out a bold olive green dress that morning with Cole in mind, even though she knew he was preoccupied with his new responsibilities as a full-time father. The dress hugged her curves and did wonderful things for her dark complexion. Her matching satin stilettos completed the ensemble.
Max shrugged his broad shoulders. “Hey, I might have to keep an eye on you for Cole. I heard a certain pharmaceutical salesman is back in town.”
She looked back at him and tilted her head. “Oh, yeah, I heard that, too. My mom thinks he’ll try to get in touch with me. I doubt my ex would want to even look at me.”
“I think he will. In fact he already called once this morning.” He sauntered off in the direction of the lab.
“Damn,” Kendall muttered as she opened her door and retrieved her lab coat. The last thing she wanted to do was talk to that excuse of an ex-husband. But James Matthews could be a force to be reckoned with when he wanted to be. Kendall hoped his move back from the West Coast wasn’t for her.
* * *
Cole sat in his attorney’s office with his son by his side. He was concerned about the ramifications of his son coming to Texas without his mother’s consent. Cole didn’t want to be on the wrong side of kidnapping charges. Luckily, his attorney was also his close friend and Kendall’s brother, Charlie.
Charlie listened as Taylor explained why he came to Texas in the middle of the night. He nodded at the appropriate times and made notes. He looked from Taylor to Cole. “Our first course of action will be to file for custody. Taylor needs to call his mother and let her know exactly where he is. The sooner the better.”
Cole nodded. “He called her before we came here.”
“And?” Charlie jotted more notes.
Cole recounted the brief conversation Taylor had with his mother. “She told him not to return.”
“Her exact words?” Charlie looked at Cole with sympathy in his brown eyes.
“Unfortunately,” Cole said. “She’s transferred the hatred she had for me to Taylor.”
Charlie shook his head. “Women. Some days it just doesn’t pay to know one.”
Cole laughed. “True. Some days. Other days, I’m glad I do.” He instantly thought of Kendall and how he was glad he knew her. He hoped she adapted to the changes in his life quickly.
Charlie cleared his throat, beckoning Cole out of his daydream. “I have enough to get started with Taylor’s deposition. I’ll have the custody change filed with New York County by tomorrow. I’m sure I’ll be hearing from her attorney within a few hours of the filing and we’ll go from there.” Charlie stood and shook Cole’s hand. “I’ll be in touch if I hear from her attorney.”
“Great, Charlie. I just wanted to get something on paper,” Cole stated. “You know how it is. I don’t need another scandal attached to my name. I also don’t want reporters descending on Taylor in the quest for a story.” Cole wrapped a protective arm around his son and led him out of the office.
Once outside, Cole tried to judge his son’s mood. So much had happened in the span of twenty-four hours; he wondered how Taylor’s teenaged brain was processing all the changes.
Like all teenagers, his son was quiet.
“How about some lunch?”
Taylor nodded and started walking toward Cole’s Range Rover. “Dad, is that stuff really true? Could Mom actually charge you with kidnapping just because I wanted to visit you?”
Cole disarmed the car alarm. “Well, yes and no. Legally, I do have a right to see you, being that I’m your legal parent and I do pay child support. But I don’t know if the courts know about my address change back to Texas.” Cole didn’t want to go into the legal ramifications with his son. “But don’t worry, son. Charlie will sort it all out. Not only is he one of my oldest friends, but he’s one of the best attorneys in Texas.” He opened the door and slid behind the wheel.
“I always wondered why Charlie was your attorney even though he lived in Texas while you lived in New York.”
“He’s the best,” Cole said.
After Taylor was belted in, Cole started the car. “How about the Olive Garden?”
Taylor nodded. “Sounds fine. I didn’t mean to get you into trouble, Dad. I just wanted to know the truth about you, and coming here was my only option.”
Cole started down busy Cooper Street, heading for the Italian restaurant. When his son’s words hit home, he asked, “What truth?”
Taylor sighed, looking out of the tinted window. “Ever since the divorce Mom has been singing this song about how you didn’t want anything to do with us, namely me. Why did you move here?”
Cole knew this was going to be a lengthy conversation and probably should take place at home, but he didn’t want his son to think he didn’t want to be seen in public with him, either. “I moved back because nothing seemed to be holding me in New York. You refused to see me. I had broken up with my last girlfriend and wanted to be near people who loved me. New York had lost its charm.”
“Mom was playing us against each other. She told me you didn’t want to see me.”
The bitterness in his son’s voice told him it was the truth. Did his ex hate him that much? Enough to deny her own son a healthy relationship with his father? Charlie was right, he mused. Some days it didn’t pay to know women.
* * *
James Matthews entered Briarwood Hospital unnoticed, which was something with his movie star looks. Being six feet, four inches tall, he stood out like crazy. If his memory served him correctly, Kendall’s office was down this corridor. It had been five years since she’d tossed him out on his ass. Surely she was over the whole cheating thing.
“James?” a male voice called.
He turned around, wanting to know who had breached his incognito thing. His eyes rested on a pale form and he sighed. He should have known. Max was better than any guard dog. “Hey, Max. Long time no see.” He extended his hand in greeting.
“Yeah, man, what’s it been? Like five years since Kendall caught you cheating on her for the millionth time?” Max took his hand.
“Something like that.” James wished he could have said something to wipe that smug grin off Max’s face, but the truth was the truth. “You know, it’s been some time. Maybe she’s ready to forgive me and take me back.”
“Is that why you’re back in Texas?” Max’s grin told him not to count on winning Kendall back.
“Partly. I got a promotion. I’m the sales manager for the Dallas area. Right now I’m just touching base with the local hospitals and doctors, trying to get a feel for what’s needed.”
Max nodded. “And Kendall is the go-to person for not only Briarwood, but also InfaCare, so why not seduce two birds with one kiss, right?”
“Harsh.”
“Sorry, James, I just call it like I see it. You forget who had the chore of telling Kendall you were cheating with the head nurse in cardiac care, the nurse in geriatrics, the surgical nurse at the new hospital, and we won’t even talk about the ones at Arlington General.”
He was a dog and he’d screwed up royally. But everyone deserved a second chance, right? James held up his hand in surrender. “Okay, man, I get it. You’re still pissed. You’re worse than her momma and her brothers. Is she around?”
Max hesitated. It was clear he didn’t want James within spitting distance of Kendall, but he relented and said, “Yeah, she’s in her office. She’s got an appointment in ten minutes. Don’t make her late.” Max walked off without another word.
“Yeah, it was nice seeing you, too,” James muttered at Max’s retreating back. If he didn’t know how professional Kendall was, and that she didn’t believe in mingling with co-workers, he’d swear Max had a thing for her.
James headed down the hall and encountered another familiar face. It felt like a homecoming, seeing all these familiar faces, he thought. “Hello, Keerya. You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”
“She’s in her office, Mr. Matthews.” Keerya continued working.
Being dismissed, James walked the few feet to Kendall’s corner office and knocked on the closed door. He waited an eternity before she invited him in. Like a condemned man on the last mile, he took a deep breath, hoping the warden would be kind, and entered.
He almost didn’t recognize her. The woman he divorced would never have had her feet propped up on the desk, actually relaxing. What had happened to the workaholic he was married to? He liked the dress she was almost wearing. She always did have great legs. She was still a little thin for his taste, but overall the picture was quite enticing. “Hello, Kendall. Nice to see you.” He meant that, no matter how trite it sounded. “I really like that dress.”
She took her feet off the desk and rose, straightening her dress in the process. “James, what brings you by? I have an appointment.”
“I know. In ten minutes. I met Max in the hall. I just wanted to say hello and maybe ask you out to dinner. How about it? Got a spare dinner for an ex-husband?”
“Why do you want to have dinner with me? I was only married to you for eight years.”
“Look, baby, I know I cheated on you. I’m sorry. I was lonely. You were working all the time. What was I supposed to do?”
She stalked over to where he stood. “You were supposed to be supportive, not use my very expensive bed for your extracurricular activities.”
James held up his hand. “I didn’t come into this damn hospital to fight with every employee here. All I wanted to do was have dinner with my ex.”
“And tell me that the hospital is your new territory,” Kendall said.
“You already knew and you’re reading me the riot act?” James asked incredulously. “This is so typical of your controlling ways. That’s why I cheated. I wanted to do something you couldn’t control. I was tired of sleeping with an ice cube. When we did have sex, all you did was lay there like a frozen lake.” He wished he could take back every word he’d said. He hadn’t meant to lash out at her. He’d wanted to soften her up, not prepare her for war. Instead of the old Kendall spouting how worthless he was, she laughed.
“Well, James, tell me how you really feel.” She walked back to her chair and sat down. “Dinner will be fine. Check with Keerya on your way out to see when I’m free. I’m tied up the next few days, so anytime after that should be doable.”
James didn’t want to press his luck. He didn’t know what alien had come and taken over his ex-wife’s body, but he was going to get out while the getting was good. “I’ll be in touch.” He hurried out of her office.
Kendall giggled at her ex-husband’s retreating back. In the old days James’s accusations would have started an all-out war, with her taking no prisoners. But Cole Highpoint had changed all that. In the few short days she’d been intimate with him, she’d realized she was no longer an ice cube, but a simmering inferno. Too bad she couldn’t thank him in person. Why couldn’t she? She reached for the phone just as Keerya knocked and entered her office at the same time. “Yes, Keerya.”
Keerya took a seat in one of the leather chairs after she closed the door. “Kendall, it’s not my place to say anything.”
She knew exactly what the young woman was going to say. “I appreciate your input, Keerya. I know you think I’ve lost my mind, but trust me, I know what I’m doing.” And for the first time in four years, Kendall knew exactly what she was doing. She was getting closure.