Authors: Celya Bowers
He continued listening to the conversation and wanted to laugh out loud as Kendall and Max were discussing the very thing he wanted. A date with her.
Things had just gotten a lot easier.
* * *
Later that evening, Cole watched as Max downed his third beer in less than an hour. He hated taking the sensible role, since a well-lit Max would be an easier mark than a sober one, but he had to do the right thing. “Max, maybe you should slow down.”
Max signaled the waiter for another beer. “I’m perfectly aware of what I’m doing, Cole.”
“Of course you are, Max. I just don’t want Kendall blaming me when you have a hangover tomorrow. I would like to get on her good side and you showing up to work smelling like a brewery isn’t going to help.”
Max grinned as if he knew a secret, which he most likely did. “I know what would get you on her good side.”
“What?”
Max shook his head. “Not so fast, Cole. I need to know why you want her so bad.”
Cole didn’t know the answer to that. It was something about the way she looked at him as if he were wasted space. He had to prove her wrong. “I wish I knew, Max. I know for some reason she thinks I’m worthless. I just want to prove her wrong.”
Max nodded. “So it’s a competition thing. You guys are going to kill each other. You’re like two kids fighting over a toy.”
“Are you going to tell me or not?”
The waiter placed another beer in front of Max. He took a long sip, then set the glass on the table. “Okay, I’ll tell you. I’m only telling you because I got a feeling about the two of you. If you want to get on her good side, ask her about InfaCare.”
Cole knew of Arlington’s only charity children’s hospital. It was known nationally for its good work and the fact that underprivileged children were getting quality medical care without their parents having to incur the cost.
“What about it?”
“It’s almost in the red.”
“What’s that got to do with me?”
Max laughed. “Make the red go away.” Suddenly, his head plopped on the table.
Cole knew that sound. That was the sound of a man whose life was in the toilet and who was hiding his pain through liquor. Max was out cold and in no condition to go home. “Just what I freaking need,” Cole groaned. “Just freaking great.”
* * *
After getting Max settled in the car, Cole drove to his house and helped Max inside and into the guest room. Max groaned and passed out on the bed.
Cole left the room and headed to the living room to call Max’s wife. Cole was surprised no one was home. It was after eight. As the answering machine kicked on, Cole decided just to leave a short message.
“Caitlin, it’s Cole. Max had a little too much to drink, so he’s at my house.” He hung up the phone and went to his computer.
Since Max was not an option anymore, Cole went to his laptop to search the Internet for InfaCare. On his first attempt he hit pay dirt, or at least he thought he had. InfaCare was a hospital, and it was located in Arlington, Texas. But what did that have to do with Kendall?
He clicked on the link to the hospital and got his answer. Definitely wasn’t the one he was looking for. According to the website, Kendall was one of the founders of the hospital. Why? She didn’t have kids. Maybe she was looking for penance for something in her past, just as he was.
The light finally went on in his thick skull. The few words Max had got out before he passed out finally made sense. InfaCare was in financial trouble. He could see a very devious plan hatching. If it worked, Kendall would be his.
* * *
Friday morning Kendall stifled a yawn as the accountant for InfaCare explicitly laid out the trouble she was headed toward.
“Ms. Matthews, although the facility is still financially sound at this time, we should really consider letting investors in.”
Kendall shook her head. “No investors. I’ll solicit donations or something, but that’s it. When people start investing they start trying to tell me how to run this place, and I’ve done just fine.”
The mature gentleman smiled at her. “Yes, you’ve done an excellent job, but this year the patient load increased by thirty percent.”
“That’s not my fault. Call the president and tell him to find these parents a job so they can have insurance.”
He chuckled. “I know just how you feel. My wife was just caught in the downsizing crunch and I share your sentiment about jobs.”
“How are we doing for the rest of this year?” Kendall braced herself for the bad news.
“Actually, you’re doing pretty good and have the remainder of the year wired. But if you want to start handling cancer victims, that’s going to require a full time person. Well, two actually. Possibly a department.”
Kendall hadn’t planned on a whole department. Maybe a therapist, a doctor, but not much else. A department would entail too much. She sighed in defeat. “Okay, maybe we could outsource that.”
The accountant nodded. “Very sensible.”
But then she thought about what that sensible decision would cost a child. “Forget that. I’m doing the cancer center. I’ll just have to start doing fundraisers or something. Outsourcing is part of the problem. We have to start taking care of our own problems and not farm them out to someone else.”
“Now that sounds like the Dr. Matthews I know. But to do that, we’re going to have to get a game plan.”
Kendall smiled back at her accountant. “I’m already working on it,” she said, brimming with confidence. “I’m actually meeting with one of my board members for dinner later. I’m sure that between the two of us we’ll come up with something.”
* * *
Something indeed, Kendall thought as she walked into her favorite restaurant and jazz club. Brooklyn’s was an upscale eatery situated on the edge of Dallas. It hosted only the best jazz musicians on their way to stardom.
After such a grueling day of meetings, consultations, and sonograms, she was ready for a night of relaxation. She wanted no baby talk, and definitely no Cole talk. She knew she’d get both with her best friend, Staci Diaz.
She walked through the entryway not giving one thought to the many men staring at her. This was her night, and no man was going to ruin it.
“Hello, Dr. Matthews, Dr. Diaz is waiting for you.” The young man smiled at her as he escorted her to her favorite table.
“Thank you, Dante. Who’s playing tonight?”
“Oh, it’s a special treat. Javier and the Boys are doing a set. You got here just in time. It’s probably going to be packed in another hour.”
“I thought Javier was out of the country on tour.” Javier Maxwell was a hometown boy and had played at Brooklyn’s over the years. He had been rewarded with a huge recording contract the year before and was promoting his new CD.
“He flies out to London tomorrow.” They arrived at Staci’s table. “I’ll make sure he comes and says hello.” He pulled the chair out so Kendall could take a seat.
“Thank you, Dante. And tell your dad hello for me.”
He handed Kendall a menu. “You know Pops is going to give you a shout the minute I tell him you’re here. He still can’t thank you enough.”
Kendall smiled ruefully. “How is Kenyon?”
“Running us all ragged. Who knew my dad getting remarried would lead to me having a little brother with the energy of five kids? But he’s a blessing. That’s what my stepmom says.”
Kendall nodded. “You know you love it. I’ve seen you with him.”
Dante smiled, his white teeth contrasting with his dark-chocolate skin. “Yeah, you got me, Doc. He’s the best birth control I know. When my boys get a load of him, they’re running to the drugstore.” He bowed and left the table.
“Well, Doctor, what is that we have on and when can I borrow it?”
Kendall unfolded the linen napkin and placed it on her lap. “This is what we in fashion circles call a dress. You remember, I bought it in Paris last year. And no, you cannot borrow it, because it would drag the floor since you’re only five-two.”
Staci laughed. “Only because you’re eight inches taller than me. I could still wear it and have my husband’s tongue hanging out of his mouth.”
Kendall didn’t doubt it for one minute. “You could have on a granny gown and Miguel would probably jump you at the door.”
“True. Latin men are the bomb.”
“Where is Mr. Romance, anyway?”
“He’s watching Carmen. His parents are visiting for two weeks, and his mother is about to drive me nuts. She wants to cook every meal. I needed a break. Miguel wants me to bring him a doggie bag. We’ve had fajitas or enchiladas every night since she’s gotten here. Sometimes you just want something else.”
Kendall laughed. “See what happens when you marry out of your race? If Miguel was black you’d be eating soul food.”
Staci smirked at her friend, knowing she was joking. “Yes, and I would do it again. No man has ever made me feel the way Miguel does. You’ll see what I mean when you meet the man who can melt that wall of ice you have around your heart.”
Kendall opened her mouth to issue a retort, but Kenneth Harper, the owner of Brooklyn’s, approached the table with two drinks.
“Ladies.” He placed one drink in front of each of them.
“Kenny, you didn’t have to.”
He smiled at her. “I didn’t. That gentleman at the end of the bar sent them. He wanted me to tell you hello.”
Kendall stared at the drink. It was a caramel apple martini, her favorite. Her eyes reacted before her brain could tell it not to. She stared into the hazel eyes of Coltrane Highpoint. “What’s he doing here?”
“If you bothered to read the newsletter I email to you every month, you would know that he was signing books earlier. Did you know he and Javier were friends in high school?”
She had forgotten. “Yes, I remember now that they were until Javier’s parents moved to Dallas. I guess they stayed in touch.”
Kenny smiled. “Yeah, business has been booming. With him signing and Javi coming to sing tonight, I think I’ll have Kenyon’s college on lock.”
Kendall nodded, easily making the translation that his youngest son’s college fund was growing. Though in his forties with a twenty-year-old son, Kenny tried to keep up with the slang.
“So, Kee, what you want me to tell ole boy? You know the gold diggers been hovering around him like birds of prey. You better make your move, girl. He’s a catch, although I know that don’t matter to you.”
Kendall was too stunned to speak. So Staci did her bidding. “Please ask Mr. Highpoint to join us, Kenny.”
CHAPTER 5
“I see that I’m going to have to kill you now,” Kendall said through gritted teeth. “Why on earth would you invite that moron over here?”
Staci laughed, picking up her menu. “One reason is that you called him a moron. That tells me there must be something fighting its way to the surface. What did the brother do? Make a pass at you? Tell you how incredibly beautiful you are?” She snapped her slim fingers. “I know. He told you that although he has more money than five gold diggers can spend, he would pay any price to have you.”
Kendall tried to fight it, but she couldn’t help it. She giggled at Staci’s words. “You’re awful. He kissed me.”
Staci glanced in the direction of the bar. “You know you don’t have much time. Share.”
“Not much to share. Turns out he lives in my subdivision and he was out walking one night, and I was out skating.”
“What kind of kiss?”
“The bad kind,” Kendall admitted. Not that Cole wasn’t a good kisser. He was. He could probably make cement have an orgasm with that tongue.
“Was he that bad?”
Kendall shook her head, ready to explain, but Cole was fast approaching their table. “I’ll explain later. Hush.”
“Hello, ladies. Thank you for inviting me to your table. I hope you enjoy the drinks.” Cole sat down at the vacant chair closer to Kendall.
Staci, being Staci, said, “Oh, thank you, Mr. Highpoint.”
He gushed. “Please call me Cole.”
Staci extended her hand to him. “Staci Diaz, and please call me Staci. I’m a pediatrician.”
Cole shook her hand, but glanced at Kendall. “Another doctor. Nice to meet you, Staci.”
“How did your book signing go? I got here just as you were finishing up,” Staci explained. “I can’t believe you know Kendall.”
Cole smiled at Kendall. “Yes, her brother and I go way back. I was best man at his wedding. He’s also my attorney.”
Kendall knew she should probably say something, but her tongue refused to move. They were talking as if she didn’t exist!
Staci nodded. “It’s good to have friends like that. Kendall and I are like that. We met at a medical convention years ago, in Florida, I think. We have kept tabs on each other over the years. She’s one of the best friends I have. ”
Cole nodded. “Are you married?”
“Yes. We have a four-year-old daughter. Her name is Carmen.”
“Kids are a joy at that age. I remember my son asking about a zillion questions about everything,” Cole stated.
Staci snickered. “Yes, Carmen does. And lately it’s been, ‘Where do babies come from?’ ”
“Why on earth is she asking that?” Kendall finally joined in the conversation. “Carmen is a smart and intelligent child. She probably could tell me.”
Staci smile faded. “Oh, I meant to tell you the minute you sat down, but the dress took all my attention.”
This wasn’t boding well for Kendall. “What is it? You know you don’t have to beat around the bush with me.”
“I’m pregnant.”
“What? Are you nuts?”
Staci gasped. “I know. Here I am over forty and pregnant with my second child. Miguel cried when I told him. You know he’s hoping for a son.”
“What about your practice? I mean, you just got things like you wanted and now you’re pregnant.”
Staci threw the napkin on the table. “You know, I think my mother was happier for me than you are. Are you that pissed about me having another baby?”
Kendall felt emotions coming to the surface, and there was no stopping them this time. “You’re right, Staci. I apologize for my behavior. That was inexcusable.” The first tear trickled down her face. She couldn’t let them see her bawl because her friend was one hundred percent correct. She hastily rose, mumbled an excuse, and took off for the ladies’ room.
* * *
Staci looked at Cole’s shocked face and felt his confusion. Usually when she and Kendall traded barbs like that, they ended up laughing, not Kendall running to the bathroom like a siren from an old movie.
“Must be her time of the month,” Staci said.
Cole shrugged and pretended to be interested in the menu. “Maybe you should go after her. She seemed pretty upset.”
“Maybe you should tell me about the kiss.”
He closed the menu and placed it on the table. “A gentleman doesn’t kiss and tell.”
This should be fun, Staci thought. “A gentleman also doesn’t stalk a woman. I know for a fact that the book signing was over hours ago. While I was waiting for Kendall, Kenny told me you had been hanging out at the bar, nursing some mineral water for about two hours.”
“I see.”
“Cole, if you’re trying to get on her good side, forget it. You’re a man, and it’s not going to happen. Think of Kendall as your most challenging project. Most women you can romance, but Kendall isn’t like that. You’re going to have to break her wall down one brick at a time.”
“Yeah, I’m getting that picture.”
* * *
Cole was definitely getting the picture when Kendall returned to the table ten minutes later. She was composed and ready to face her dinner companions. In other words, another brick had been placed in the wall.
“Excuse my outburst.” She took her seat and sighed.
Staci winked at him as if to say, “I told you so.” “Do you have room in your schedule to handle my pregnancy?”
“Of course,” Kendall said without hesitation. “When are you due, anyway?”
“Mid-February, around Valentine’s.” Staci smiled proudly.
“Perfect.” Kendall reached into her bag and extracted a PDA and began tapping on the small display screen. “February is a slow month, baby-wise, so it will be a perfect time to deliver.”
Cole felt as if he had just walked in on a bad joke. He just didn’t understand these two women and their special relationship and realized he probably never would.
Knowing he was licked, he sat back and watched the women as they discussed the pregnancy. It was as if the earlier episode had never happened. He noticed Kendall’s wistful expression. Could the good doctor harbor dreams of motherhood?
The waiter appeared, ready to take their orders. Both he and Staci ordered steaks. Kendall, to his surprise, ordered a vegetable plate.
“Kendall is a lacto-ovo-vegetarian,” Staci explained. “She only eats things that are grown from the earth, eggs and milk.”
Cole nodded. He would never understand why someone chose to eat only vegetables. He was definitely a meat eater.
Kendall turned to him. “Go ahead and ask me.”
Cole was at a loss. “What?”
“Why I’m a vegetarian,” Kendall said. Without waiting for his nod to continue, she did. “I dated this guy in college and he was a vegetarian. I didn’t like it then, but over the years and after the meat scandals, I started cutting meat out of my diet.”
Cole shrugged, not knowing exactly what to say. “Well, I guess that means more meat for me.”
* * *
It had been over a week since her dinner with Staci, and Kendall still couldn’t get it out of her mind. Cole didn’t kiss her that night, didn’t touch her in any way, but it had seemed to heighten her awareness of him. And Max singing Cole’s praises for the last few days wasn’t helping matters any.
She sat on the edge of her king-sized bed with Jordan by her side. She held a silk blouse in her hands, and there was a black short skirt lying on the bed. In the spirit of trying to connect with the nurses, Kendall was going to attend Nurses’ Night Out, a monthly occurrence. The nurses usually picked a restaurant/club for the night out. Usually, Friday night was reserved for laundry, but this was the start of something different and quite scary.
Kendall arrived at the club determined to have a good time if it killed her. She was now wearing in a silk blouse and short skirt with black stilettos. The blouse’s bottom half was sheer and displayed her flat stomach. The short skirt revealed her long, slender legs, and her three-inch stilettos finished off the ensemble. Her shoulder length hair hung over her shoulders. She was ready for a night of bonding.
* * *
Cole had the feeling he’d been set up. Max arrived as promised for a Friday night of partying. As soon as they cleared the security gate of the subdivision Max dropped the bomb.
“By the way, I think Kendall is going to be at the club,” Max said quietly.
“Why is she going to be there?” Cole couldn’t keep his voice level. It had risen at least two octaves. “I thought it was beneath her to associate with the nurses?”
Max laughed as he navigated the road. “She’s trying to change. I think if she can let go of some of the hurt she’s walking around with in her heart, she’ll be able to connect with them.”
“So why is she trying to connect with them all of a sudden?”
“Actually, it’s because of something you did.”
Cole looked at Max sideways. “What could I have done?”
“Remember when you came up and we had lunch?”
Cole remembered it well. It was the first peaceful visit he’d had at the hospital. Kendall wasn’t in her office or on the floor. “Yes.”
“She overheard you talking to Jami.”
Cole didn’t really understand. “I didn’t say anything off-color. Jami is a very nice young woman going through some major changes in her life. I was giving her the name of a good lawyer. Kendall’s brother, as a matter of fact.”
“I know, Cole. I’ve been telling Jami she needs to divorce her husband, but she thinks her son won’t have a male influence. I think she could do just as well without her husband. She needs someone who will love her.”
Cole nodded. Max sounded like a man in love, or at least deep like. “Max, do you have feelings for Jami?” He expected his friend to deny it.
“Does it show that bad?”
Cole sighed. “Man, you do realize that you’re not in a position to have feelings for anyone but your wife?”
“Yes, Cole. I haven’t acted on anything. She has no idea of how I feel, and I plan to keep it that way. Besides, I don’t want to lose her friendship over something that could turn out to be nothing.”
Cole wished he had that kind of control. “That’s why you’ve been drinking so much.”
“No, my wife is my reason for my drinking. But I’d rather not talk about her, if you don’t mind.”
“Got it.”
Max laughed. “What I would like to talk about is how you’re going to approach Kendall when we get to the club.”
Cole had figured he was being set up, and his new best friend had just confirmed it. He was headed for trouble, he knew, but he was going to take Kendall down with him.
* * *
“He’s just a man,” Kendall chanted to herself as she walked to the table in Arlington’s hottest place to be seen. “He’s just a man.”
In her first effort to bond with the nurses and other members of her staff, Kendall was in the one place she’d always thought she’d never return to. Larry’s Ribs and Blues was the place where she’d caught her ex cheating on her the first time. She hadn’t been inside the place since.
But that was the old Kendall. The new Kendall was trying to make a change in her life. The new Kendall was going to face her demons from now on, and that included one Coltrane Highpoint. She approached the table, plastered a smile on her face, and greeted her co-workers. Of course everyone but Jami and Max looked at her as if she were definitely in the wrong place. Cole was staring at her until she returned his gaze. She instantly realized he was looking at her attire.
Okay, staring or gawking would be a better word. Exactly the effect she’d hoped for after Jami informed her that Max was bringing his new best friend. She decided to make the best of a semi-awkward situation by greeting everyone. “Hi, guys, thanks for inviting me.”
Cole tried his best to hide his nervousness behind his glass of Scotch. Kendall looked hot! He’d never in all his days seen a woman so beautiful. He couldn’t keep his eyes from straying to her cleavage until Max cleared his throat.
“You’re gonna blow it,” Max whispered. “Quit looking at her chest. She hates when men do that.”
Cole knew Kendall would be a challenge even if she hadn’t dressed in a revealing blouse. He took a swig of Chivas Regal scotch, feeling the drink warm his soul. “Please sit down, Kendall. I promise I won’t bite.” He nodded to the vacant chair next to him.
Kendall sighed, took the seat, and hung her purse on the back of the wooden chair. Cole didn’t need to be a rocket scientist to feel the tension at the table. He felt it from Kendall, too, and there was only one thing to do to relieve it. He leaned closer to her and whispered, “Let’s dance.”
Kendall shook her head. “No, thank you.”
“Do you disapprove of me that much? It’s just a freaking dance, not a proposal of marriage.”
She turned to him with a look of anger that made Max gasp. “I don’t dance,” she said just above a whisper. “My ex-husband said I’m stiffer than cardboard.”
He’d stuck his foot in his mouth, of course, but he’d fix it. He reached for Kendall’s hand and stood. She’d never make a scene, so he felt pretty secure that she’d follow him to the dance floor.
She did. Suddenly, he realized that now Kendall was at least an inch taller than his six feet, one inch. How tall were those stilettos?
As the band settled into a slow number, Cole pulled Kendall closer to his body. She did move rather stiffly, but he would soon fix that. His hands settled around her waist. She was a perfect fit.
“See, this isn’t so bad, is it?”
Kendall shook her head, glancing around the room, obviously waiting for the dance police to arrest her.
“Kendall, this is supposed to be fun. If you don’t relax, I’ll be the only enjoying the sensations of one body rubbing against another,” Cole teased, hoping to put her in a better mood. “Why don’t you take a deep breath and relax? This is a slow number, and no one is watching you.”
“Liar. The whole table is watching me. I told you I couldn’t dance and you still dragged me onto the dance floor. Are you trying to humiliate me in front of my staff?”
He heard her voice tremble. “Kendall, no one is trying to embarrass you. I’m trying to get you to melt that block of ice around you so someone can get in.” He looked into sultry brown eyes that were now moist. Surely she couldn’t be on the verge of tears? “What’s this really about?”