Authors: Celya Bowers
“Yes, I believe she did say she was from CNT,” Kendall said. “Do you know her?”
He nodded. “We’ll talk later,” he whispered.
Philippe picked up the conversation. “Make sure you get back to her as soon as possible. We need that to happen during sweeps week.”
Kendall already knew that. An interview on a national news network during sweeps week would mean maximum exposure for the hospital for minimum cost. “She wants to do a telephone interview first.”
Philippe snapped his chubby fingers. “I just had a great idea. Why don’t you and Cole both do the interview? I think it would work great. We could capitalize on his celebrity status and he could explain about the hospital and it wouldn’t sound so cheesy.”
“I’ll bring it up when I talk to her.” Out of the corner of her eye, Kendall could see all this Holly talk was making Cole quite uncomfortable. But Kendall couldn’t do anything to ease his pain at the moment, because it sounded like a good idea.
“How are the plans coming for the cancer wing?”
“Still on the drawing board at this time. I’m looking at several designs for the wing. My accountant is crunching numbers as we speak.”
Harold Bryant, public relations director for the hospital, asked, “When are the PSAs scheduled?”
“Actually,” Cole started, “I’ve had a recent family situation arise and haven’t been able to work on them, but I think if Kendall and I get together over the next couple of days we should be ready to go next week.”
Kendall stared at him. Was he nuts? “Cole, are you certain? You do realize that’s not that far away.”
“Trust me. I thrive under pressure.” He winked at her.
Kendall just bet. She didn’t want to trust him. She’d already given him her heart. Did he want her brain, too? “Then we’d better get busy.”
“Why don’t we start tonight?”
That was definitely trouble, Kendall thought. And it was a challenge of the highest degree. The hospital hung in the balance if she didn’t complete this task, and that sealed her decision. “Of course, Cole.”
“I’ll come by later and we can discuss it,” he said for the sake of the others listening.
“We’ll schedule the first PSA filming for Monday afternoon. How’s that work for you guys?”
“I’m pretty flexible,” Cole volunteered. “I can create anytime.”
“Monday isn’t going to work for me,” Kendall said. “I have a Caesarean Monday afternoon. Perhaps later that evening.”
Harold nodded. “That may be better. Less traffic and less chance of you being paged for an emergency, hopefully.”
Kendall laughed. No matter how much a Caesarean birth was planned, babies still entered the world when they wanted to. “You can always hope.”
CHAPTER 21
Holly Banton answered the ringing telephone on her desk. Hopefully this was the call she’d been waiting for all afternoon. Dr. Kendall Matthews was going to be her ticket back to prime time. “Holly Banton.”
“This is Dr. Kendall Matthews returning your call,” a very businesslike but feminine voice said.
“Yes, Dr. Matthews. I wanted to set up a time for a phone interview,” Holly said. “I’m very flexible, and I know how busy your schedule is.”
“Please call me Kendall. Actually the board wanted the phone interview to include one of the donors if that’s possible.”
Holly would have agreed to walk on hot coals to get the interview process going. This woman had been impossible to get any real dirt on. Her professional record was beyond reproach. Holly hated that. “Sure, who’s the benefactor?”
“Coltrane Highpoint, the author,” Kendall said.
So that was where the elusive bum was, she mused. After the debacle with the senator, Cole had disappeared from Holly’s life like a thief in the night. Granted, she was at fault, but he didn’t even give her time to explain. Not that she could have ever told him the truth. Maybe this was her chance.
* * *
Cole knew he had a lot to discuss with Kendall later that evening. The script for the PSA was minor. Besides, he had already completed it. He needed to tell Kendall about Holly.
The breakup hadn’t been amicable by any means. Her betrayal had been the last straw. Spilled milk, he reminded himself. It didn’t matter anymore. He loved Kendall.
Kendall arrived wearing tight jeans and a crop top blouse. She’d worn the low-cut blouse on purpose, he thought, no doubt trying to distract him. But they had much to discuss. He kissed her softly on the lips before allowing her to enter his house. “You look good, baby.”
“Right back at you.” She walked to the living room and sat on the couch. “Where’s Taylor?”
“He’s spending the night with my mom. She’s spoiling him rotten, you know. She says she’s making up for lost time.” He sat beside her on the couch. “Tonight isn’t about anyone but you and me.”
Kendall nodded. “Do you have any ideas on the PSA?”
“I told you I had it under control. I wrote a script out this afternoon. It’s only a thirty-second spot, so it didn’t take long. You can look it over and tell me what you think. I thought we could do a few shots of the hospital, maybe a doctor, the facilities, and then we beg for money.”
“Wow, Cole, that actually sounds pretty good.” She leaned over and kissed him. “Now you want to tell me about Holly?”
She didn’t waste time beating around the bush. That was one of the things he loved about her. Might as well get it over with, he mused. “Remember when I finish this horror story that you asked me.”
“Yes, and I’ll tell you about James.”
He agreed and began his story. “I met Holly about five years ago at a party in Manhattan. She’d just been named prime-time anchor at CNT. She was pretty and knew all the right things to say.” He saw the disappointment in Kendall’s brown eyes. “Hey, I’m a man. She built up my ego when I thought I was a loser.”
She sighed. “You know, you sound just like James did when I caught him with the night nurse in our bed. Continue.”
“Before I knew it, we were a couple. I was just looking for something to smooth out the rough edges, but she’d all but moved in with me. People were calling leaving messages for her on my phone. Her mail was coming to my house.”
“She was establishing residency. How could you be so thick-headed?” Kendall folded her arms across her chest.
“I realized that and soon put a stop to it, but that took another year. The final straw came about three years ago. She announced she wanted a baby. She was nearing forty and thought we’d have a very intelligent child. She didn’t mention anything about loving me or the child. She felt it would help her career. I didn’t want a kid under those circumstances.”
“So how did you get out of donating to the cause?” Kendall laughed at her play on words.
“After a conversation with your brother, I started using protection even though she said she was on the pill. Holly can be very determined when she wants something, and I can be very crafty when I have to be. Eventually, I stopped having sex with her.”
Kendall laughed in disbelief. “A man refusing to have sex? Yeah, right.”
Cole was offended. “I beg your pardon, Dr. Matthews. Before you seduced me that night of the charity ball, I hadn’t had sex in about two years.”
“No wonder you lasted so long,” Kendall mumbled. “I thought I was just out of practice, but it was you trying to make up for lost time.”
“Partly.” He smiled at her, wanting to dispense with all these confessions and go upstairs and take advantage of the fact that Taylor wasn’t home. “Mostly because it was you. I’ve never been so amorous with anyone else.” He moved closer to her and kissed her.
“Finish the story,” she said against his lips. “What happened next?”
“Holly figured out what I was doing and started her own plan of attack. She tried everything to get me to cave and have sex with her, but I held firm.”
“I just bet you did.”
“Yes, I did. I won’t bore you with the sordid details of her escapades, but after about a year she finally gave up. Then the real trouble started.”
“What kind of trouble?” Kendall sat up straight. “And is it going to affect the hospital?”
Typical Kendall. The hospital was first in her life. Everything else was a distant second. “I don’t think so. I’ll do everything in my power to make sure it doesn’t come anywhere near you.”
He took a deep breath and got to the juicy part. “About two and half years ago, I decided I was tired of the big city and was ready to come back home. So, on the DL, I put my condo up for sale and started cleaning out my office. By this time Holly had the rep of being a hard-hitting investigative reporter. Then I found some information that didn’t quite jibe with the report she gave on TV.”
“So she was lying when she got two senators indicted for political fraud and sent to prison?”
Cole nodded, remembering those next few months. “Yeah. Then I made the mistake of confronting her. In her next story I was named as a chief donor to their political campaigns, along with a few other celebrities. My book contract was cancelled.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry, Cole.”
“You knew about that, didn’t you? Did my mother tell you?”
Kendall stared at him, wondering how much to admit to, if anything at all. “Parts of the story, yes, but not from your mother. Jami told me she found it on the Internet. The information is out there, and I know you overcame that glitch in your career. Mom said you just landed a big contract last year.”
He smiled at her. “So you do like me, huh? Searching for me on the Internet is the equivalent of driving by my house to see if I’m home.” He kissed her soundly on the mouth. “You like me, admit it.”
Kendall saw what he was doing and refused to be challenged about something this important. Besides, he should say it first. “No.” She kissed him back. Two could play at this game, and this time Cole was going to lose.
“Why not? You admit looking my name up on the Web. That says it all.”
“That only says that Jami looked you up.” Kendall tried to keep the sarcasm out of her voice, but it was useless. “Finish your story.”
He shrugged. “Not much else to tell. It took some killer PR, and I moved back to Arlington sooner than I anticipated, but I got a better contract. So everything did work out for the best. I haven’t spoken to Holly since that fiasco.”
“So how do you plan on getting through the interview?” Kendall wondered if the situation was salvageable. “Maybe Max could take your place.”
He shook his head. “No. I gave my word to do it, and I will. I don’t feel anything for Holly but disappointment. I just want to get through it and get you lots of donations for the cancer wing.”
“For the Coltrane Highpoint Cancer Wing,” Kendall said.
“Baby, you’d name your wing after me? I’m touched, or at least I’d like to be.” He winked his eye at her.
“Is sex the only thing on your mind these days? I mean, you’re not a young man.” She tossed out the dare.
He pulled her onto his lap. “You think I’m going to forget about you telling me about the ex. Well, I haven’t. I’ve seen your ex. What on earth could make you marry such a moron?”
She weighed her options. They weren’t good. “I could say that in a small way he reminded me of you and it was a way of getting you out of my system, but that would be lying.”
“Okay, I’ll bite. Why did you marry him? I remember parts of it. Charles said it was kind of sudden. You didn’t even have a wedding. You got married at the courthouse.”
She remembered it well. A small chapter in her life she wished had never occurred, but that was life. “Yeah, I was pregnant. No one knew. Not even Mom. I was about four weeks along when I found out. We got married the next week.”
“You had a miscarriage,” Cole surmised.
Kendall could feel a tear escape down her cheek. She nodded. “It was one of those quirky things. I started cramping, and that was that.”
Cole embraced her. “I’m sorry, Kendall. What did James do?”
“We were both hurt by it, but we dealt with it differently. I cried at work a lot, behind closed doors of course, but James refused to talk about it. That’s when his affairs started. I didn’t really care about his affairs in the beginning because I knew he would never change and was too immature to handle the responsibility of having a family. The final straw was about four years ago when I caught him in bed with a nurse from Arlington Memorial. I’d found out I was pregnant again, but this time I did something about it.”
“You didn’t?”
“Yes, I did. The day before I caught him cheating the last time, I’d flown to Ontario and had an abortion. I never told James I was pregnant. I wasn’t showing, so he had no idea. I just threw him and the nurse out of my house. You know, that cow had the nerve to walk around my house in my bathrobe.”
Cole chuckled and stroked her arm. “I’ve never heard you use such a term as ‘cow.’ James didn’t deserve you. I’m sorry you had to go through that. No one else knows, do they?”
“Only Staci. It feels good to get rid of the secret. Thank you for letting me vent.”
“It’s okay, baby. So why is he back in town?” Cole kissed her forehead.
Kendall relished Cole’s embrace. It felt good leaning on someone else for a change. “His mother is sick. He claims he’s changed. I don’t believe that for one second.”
“That makes two of us.” He kissed her. “Now that we’ve discussed the important matters of the night, how about a quickie before we order something to eat?”
“You mean you didn’t cook?”
“Well, no. I was working on the script.” Cole rose and reached for her. “I think we could order some Chinese food and have a short lovemaking session while we wait for the food.”
Kendall smiled as she wrapped her arms around him. “I didn’t think there was anything short about you.”
CHAPTER 22
After much loving and dinner, Kendall went home to ensure she would get a restful night of sleep. She also had to be prepared for Holly’s call the next morning. With all the history between Cole and Holly, Kendall had to make sure Holly didn’t realize she was seeing Cole.
She entered the house to find Jami sitting on the couch shaking with fear and Dylan watching his mother intently. Kendall rushed to the sofa and wrapped her arms around Jami. “What’s wrong?”
Dylan answered for his mother. “Daddy was chasing us.”
Kendall knew exactly what that meant. “Oh, no. Are you guys okay?”
Dylan nodded. “The man wouldn’t let Daddy inside.”
“It’s nice to know Kenneth is on the job at the gate,” Kendall said of the security guard.
Jami slowly regained her composure, her breathing returning to normal. “Karl followed us to McDonald’s, but I saw him in my rearview mirror. I floored it, and luckily Kenneth was on his toes and refused to let Karl inside the gate. I know this isn’t over.”
Kendall watched Dylan as he studied his mother. “Why don’t I put Dylan to bed and then we can talk. That way you’ll have a few minutes to collect your thoughts.” She walked over to him and picked him up. “You don’t mind if I read to you tonight?”
“No, Aunt Doll.” Dylan couldn’t say her whole name so he’d given her a new one. He wrapped his small arms around her neck and hugged her. “Will Mommy be okay?”
“Yes, honey, I promise.” She looked at Jami, waiting for her approval. She gave a timid nod.
“I’m fine, baby. Mommy just needs a time-out.” Jami leaned back and smiled at her son.
Kendall took Dylan upstairs to bed, wondering where her brain had gone. She knew very little about putting kids to bed. She kept her nieces and nephews only for a limited amount of time, usually daytime hours at that.
She helped him into his Superman pajamas and reached for the latest children’s book. As she read him a story of perseverance, she found herself getting involved in the story. She wanted to make sure this was the best story Dylan had ever heard.
“You read just like Mommy,” Dylan said, yawning.
Kendall took that for the compliment it was. “Thanks, Dylan.”
She continued reading, and before the main character was triumphant Dylan was asleep. She placed his favorite stuffed animal next to him. Jordan was also nestled next to him. She’d lost her companion to a little boy.
With a sigh, she turned on the night-light, turned off the large overhead light, and left the room. When she returned downstairs Jami had prepared two cups of tea for them.
“Thank you, Kendall. I don’t think I could have read to him tonight.”
“Jami, if something like that happens again, call me. I would have come home sooner. I don’t want you suffering through any of this alone.”
Jami wiped her nonstop stream of tears. “I appreciate that. I think I just lost it tonight. I don’t even know how long we sat on the couch. Thank goodness you came home when you did.”
Kendall was glad she stuck to her original plans as well. Cole hadn’t been happy about her leaving the one time they could have gotten their freak on, as he put it. “I hate to admit it, but I have an early call coming in the morning. That was the main reason I came home. Holly Banton is calling at seven our time.”
“Does she know about you and Cole?” Jami took a sip of tea.
“No, and I don’t intend for her to find out. The board wanted Cole in on the phone interview, but I think it would be better without him. He wants as little interaction with Holly as possible.”
“Did he tell you about her?”
Kendall took a sip of her tea. It was perfect. Jami knew exactly how much cream and sugar to put in it. It was almost as good as having a man, she thought. She also realized she had no idea on earth as to how Jami took hers.
“Kendall? Is there something wrong?”
“No, everything is fine. Yes, Cole told me about their relationship and its demise.” Kendall didn’t want to betray Cole’s confidence in her. “It sounded worse than my marriage.”
“James didn’t know how good he had it,” Jami said, taking another sip. “You know he’s looking for a place.”
“As long as he’s nowhere near here I’m fine.” Kendall took another sip of tea, vowing to watch Jami closely when she next fixed her coffee and tea and make a mental note on how she took her hot drinks.
Jami put her mug of tea on the table. “That’s just it. When I was running from Karl this evening, I noticed his Land Cruiser parked at the vacant house down the street. I think he was just looking, but still I thought you should know.”
“Thanks, Jami, but tonight isn’t about me or that idiot I married. This is about you. How are you feeling?”
Jami sighed. “Better. Max offered to follow me to McDonald’s but I told him no. Now I wished I had taken him up on his offer.”
“I know this is hard for you guys, but I’m sure it’s for the best. One disaster at a time.”
Jami laughed. “Yes, I can only handle so much stress. Max has to actually miss me and decide what he wants. I can’t believe he’s been married to her for ten years. I’ve only been married to Karl for five, and know it’s time to end it.”
“Are you ready for me to call my brother?” Kendall placed her mug on the table. “He’s not going to charge you as a favor to me.”
“Really?” Jami wiped her eyes. “You have been great through all this. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” She hugged Kendall.
Kendall feared what would have happened had she not intervened and offered Jami lodgings. “I’ll be right here beside you. And with that little stunt he pulled tonight, I bet you’ll be able to get total custody with no problem.”
“I hope so. I don’t want Dylan even going to visit him. I keep dreaming about those missing children. You know, when the parent takes off with them and they’re missing for years on end.”
“That’s not going to happen,” Kendall reassured her. “You’re surrounded by people who love you and won’t let Karl anywhere near you.”
“I know. You guys have been wonderful.” She stood. “I’m going to bed. You have a busy day tomorrow.”
Kendall supposed she did. “Yes, and to top all that, I have to start working on that PSA for InfaCare. They want to shoot it in a week.”
“I know you hate the idea of publicity for the hospital, but it would mean you could help so many more people who really need your help.”
“When I came up with this idea it was because of my stepfather. He’s the reason I’m a doctor. When I was growing up, he’d treat people all the time whether they had money or not. He always said sickness and disease didn’t know financial barriers, and neither did he.”
* * *
After a peaceful night’s rest, Kendall awoke extra early to prepare for Holly’s call. Knowing her reputation as an over-aggressive reporter, Kendall wanted to be on her toes. She was going over a few notes when the phone rang precisely at seven. “Hello.”
“Dr. Matthews, this is Holly Banton,” the caller announced.
“Yes, I was expecting your call.”
“Good, you’re alert and ready to go. Most times the interviewee isn’t prepared, and it’s a waste of my time.”
Kendall decided not to trade barbs with the woman, especially when she didn’t know anything about her. “Time is the one thing I don’t have much of, so if we could get started…” Kendall pointed out.
Holly laughed. “I like a woman who knows what she wants. Okay, let’s get down to business.” She shuffled some papers in the background. “How about InfaCare?”
“What about it?”
“According to my sources, you started the hospital about eight years ago. The hospital is one of the few charitable hospitals in the Dallas/Fort Worth area, excluding the county hospitals. You keep the hospital in the black by persuading some of the more notable doctors to volunteer their time.”
Kendall took a deep breath. She didn’t want to blurt out something that would bite her in the butt later. “Yes, that’s true. Doctors and nurses from the area hospitals volunteer their valuable free time. The only paid employees are the administrative staff.”
“So why start InfaCare? You come from a middle-class family and attended college and medical school at Fort Worth University, a private college, without financial assistance, I might add.”
“Yes, I was blessed with parents who could afford to send me to medical school. I wanted to give something back to the community. In a time where layoffs are more commonplace by the year, insurance is one of those luxuries some families can’t afford. I’m sure you can appreciate that there is a place like this out there for people who need it.”
“Good answer,” Holly chimed. “I’m sure the donation you received from noted author Coltrane Highpoint was a blessing for you. How did that come about?”
“He also believes in giving back to the community where he grew up. He and my oldest brother were best friends in high school,” Kendall said, hoping she didn’t give too much away.
“Your brother is Charles Stone?”
“How do you know my brother’s name?” Kendall asked, already knowing the answer.
Holly cleared her throat. “I know Coltrane. We dated a few years back. Cole mentioned his name a few times.”
Kendall wanted to ask more probing questions about her relationship with Cole, but that would give away the game and she couldn’t have that. “Small world, huh?”
Holly sighed. “You have no idea. I’m going to be straight with you, Kendall. This interview is very important to me. It means whether or not I can go back to being lead anchor.”
“And that means what to me?” Kendall tried to keep the attitude out of her voice. It was a losing battle.
“I think we can help each other. With a little cooperation from you, I can line up some big donors for your hospital that will make Cole’s million look like pennies. All I ask is that you give me Cole’s home phone number. I need to talk to him.”
Kendall knew Cole valued his privacy from the press, not to mention that Holly was persona non grata. “I’ll have to get back to you on that. How about we just do the interview with no incentives? I’ll give you the best interview possible.”
Holly pondered the turn of events. “At this point, you’re my best option, but once on-camera we will need Cole’s input.”
Kendall smiled to herself. “Not a problem.” She hoped she was telling the truth.