Tomorrow Will Be Too Late (27 page)

‘I thought you moved to New York,’
Kate said
, trying to buy some time. She had no doubt whatsoever she would decline the offer
,
but cowardly feared
the
wrath that was sure to follow.

‘Well, consider it a thing in the past, Kate
.’ G
reen eyes glimme
re
d cheerfully as she crossed her slim legs, her very high heels with tiny metal orbs making Kate think of lethal weapon
s
. ‘I’ve moved back, just very recently. And that made me think how much I missed being a part of the scene back here. Of course
,
I can reconnect with everyone if I want to, but having Justin at my side would make things so much easier.’

It sure would, their power couple status something she must have definitely missed. Kate remembered all the attention they
received
when they were together.
Vic
had been
basking in the glory of having a husband
who
made headlines almost daily. Before the nasty divorce
,
nothing even remotely negative
was
to be found on him, the praises for his
ethical
business
attitude and achievements making him a role model to other entrepreneurs.

Victoria didn’t care about her ex
-
husband one bit, Kate thought as she finally felt all the pieces falling into place. It
was
all about the image and his position, pretty much as it
had been
in the past. He’d be a great accessory, adding prestige and confirming Vic’s omnipotence. After all
,
if she proved she could get him back, anything else was possible.

The sense of protectiveness that descended upon
Kate
after this realization took her by surprise.
S
he worried about Justin more than she had any right to,
Kate
realized. What if Vic was right? What if he still loved her, deep down under the layers of resentment and regrets? She’d use him a second time, trampling over his heart and discarding him if he wasn’t needed anymore.

‘No,
I don’t think I can help you
,
’
she
said now, her voice hoarse with an emotion she didn’t dare to analyze. ‘
Y
ou don’t deserve him now
any more than
you did in the past. Feel free to come and try your charm, but don’t count me out
,
by any means.’

‘Pity
.
’ Victoria’s lips pursed in a gesture of disappointment, her eyes darkened. ‘I thought you were smarter,
Kate
, I really did. I didn’t want to take it so far, but you leave me no choice.’ She
leaned
forward, her short, flesh
-
colored silk dress barely covering her French lingerie bra underneath. Kate had to think of all the padding it used
in the past
, Victoria’s boyish
form and flat chest something that she hid from the public. Well, she needed to fear no longer. A voluptuous set of perky breasts barely needed any bra, their perfect roundness a testament to some plastic surgeon’s skills.

‘I told you I can help your career, now that you’re back in town, my dear
,
’
she
continued
, oblivious to Kate’s thoughts. ‘
But
at the same time, I can really make it difficult for you if you leave me no other choice. So
,
think it over.’

‘
There
isn’t anything to think over, Victoria
.
’
She’d
had enough, Kate decided, her hands itching to grab Victoria by her skinny shoulders and push her to the door. She didn’t want her
t
here, especially not when she talked about Justin and
reminisced
about
their love. Would it really be so easy for her to reel him in?
Would
he fall for her agai
n, forgetting the past? Who knew? And why did it hurt so much to consider
that
possibility? She didn’t want to think about it, especially with Vic’s careful eyes watching her every move and most probably interpreting
them correctly
even before she could understand herself.

‘I guess I’ll have to risk that,
won’t
I?
’
Vic said with a smile
, her eyes going to the door.

Well
,
so much for being passive aggressive,
Kate
thought sarcastically, annoyed with her own lack of assertiveness. If
Kate
were
Alice, Vic would
have found
herself sitting on the street already, before she even knew what
had gone
wrong.

‘
Don’t
say I didn’t warn you
.
’
Finally
, Victoria must have realized the futility of her attempts. She rose to her feet, Kate’s admiration for
her
being able to walk in
those
hazardous shoes
distracting her for a moment.
Her tiny
, bejeweled hand smoothed out an invisible wrinkle on her short dress, a large diamond ring sparkling with a myriad of colors.

‘
It
was my engagement ring from Justin
.
’
She
must have followed
Kate’s
gaze, for she smiled, satisfied. ‘
If
all goes well, he might ad
d another one to it very soon.’

Turning
to Kate just before she left, she shook her head,
her gaze regretful
.

‘
I wish you were smarter, Katie. In the end, it
won’t
matter if you make it difficult for me, you must know that.
Justin will always be part of my life
, no matter how much you might th
row yourself at him. We’ve
got history
together
,
while all you have going for you is one lousy moment two
years ago and some quick sex romp, darling. You need to ask yourself, knowing Justin, which do you think he’ll pick in the end?’
She
twisted the doorknob, her last words still hanging in the air, even after she left, the definite sound of the lock falling into place breaking the silence.

‘Are you sure you want to do that?’ For once Alice’s voice seemed to have lost all its vibrant energy, replaced with a pleading note. ‘I mean, I am so happy things are progressing between you and Justin, of course. Just… it’s all kind of fast, isn’t it?’

‘I thought you couldn’t wait for me to be in a relationship, Alice?’ She watched her sister nod hesitantly, visibly struggling to put her thought
s
into words.

‘I do, I know.’ She nodded again, her expression torn. ‘
But
I didn’t expect you to fall for Justin so fast,
Kate
. I mean, it’s been
just one
week! I feel like your relationship had been put on fast forward, you know. Just think about it, Kate. A week ago you didn’t even know the man and now you’re going away for a weekend with his friends. That’s so not you, I can’t even believe it.’

Neither could
she,
for
that
matter. But
she had
no easy way to explain it to her sister without admitting that things weren’t exactly what they seemed.

‘Don’t worry so much
,
’
she
tried instead, injecting a cheerful note into her tone. ‘
It’s
just a weekend out of town, not eloping to Vegas to get married.’

‘
Still
, it’s a serious step forward. I’ve been told he never brought anyone there
,
save for his ex
-
wife
,
of course. I’m still amazed he asked you so soon. Tom was telling me how careful he got after his divorce, how distant to any kind of relationship. Doesn’t it really worry you one bit?’

‘Nope
.
’
I
t was crucial to remain cheerful, however difficult it might be. Alice had been drilling her about this weekend with an unheard
-
of thoroughness, something so out of character for her rather spontaneous and romantic sister that she wasn’t quite sure how to deal with it at all. Yes, her romantic side was something to be exploited if she ever wanted to escape the hearing, Kate thought with a very
non-sisterly
burst of inspiration.

‘
Well
, it’s fast
.
I know.’ She smiled now, trying to make her voice all gooey and wistful. It scared her how easy it actually was when she spoke of Justin. Definitely too easy, all things considered.

‘But, I really feel we have a connection, sis.’ She hesitated briefly before doing something totally unplanned and potentially risky. ‘
And
to tell you the truth
,
it wasn’t a week ago when I first met him.’

‘No?’
H
er eyes huge, Alice watched her with
a
slightly open mouth, totally taken aback with surprise. ‘
You
said you never met him when you worked for Victoria. That she never brought him to the office or the
parties,
remember? We even joked
that
you found out about the private life of your boss from tabloids, never meeting the man in question himself. Or did you lie about it?’
She
looked at Kate accusingly, her eyes demanding an answer.

‘No, I didn’t lie, of course not.’ Would she regret this spontaneous moment of honesty? Maybe, but it was too late to reconsider
,
and anyway
,
she was dying to have at least one person know more about what was turning out to be the love story of the season, accordingly to high society, at least.

‘I met him once when they were already getting divorced.’ She managed not to blush, which was a big improvement. ‘
We
talked
,
and I really liked him.’

‘How much did you like him?’ Alice had the tendency to go for the
jugular
, Kate had to think, unnervingly finding the right spot and clinging to
it, merciless in her pursuit. ‘
Did
you fall in love with him back then? Wow, Kate, that’s something else, I have to say.’

‘I liked him a lot,’ she whispered, horrified with the sudden lump rising in her throat and threatening her voice. ‘
Too
much, to be honest. I knew it didn’t stand a chance, Alice.’

‘Rubbish
.
’
One
simple word, very Alice-
like,
managed to shatter the mood, Kate’s laughter holding just a tiny bit of hysteria.

‘No, don’t laugh
.
’
H
er sister glared at her, her face less worried now. ‘
Of
course you had a
chance;
look at the two of you now. I
’ll
tell you what I think,
Kate
.’ S
he
leaned
forward across the kitchen table w
h
ere they were
sitting
, her features agitated. ‘
I think he felt it
,
too, whatever connection you guys
made. That would explain what T
om told me
,
anyway.’

She looked
shrewd, waiting for Kate to press for some answers
,
but as she remained silent,
Alice
caved in adding
,
‘Well, Tom said that he showed him a photo of the two of us
—you and me—
just to make it a bit more interesting
, t
o warm him up to the idea of being a best man with a beautiful maid of honor. And he told me that when Justin looked at you, he was totally sold. I mean,
suddenly all his doubts were gone
,
and he was
absolutely positive about doing the whole thing. Now we know why
,
’
she
finished triumphantly, taking a deep
,
satisfied breath.