Help Wanted (18 page)

“Keira, you’re lucky that when I called Dr. Gearan he said he would see you today. I know you told me about the crash, but you need to speak to a professional. Besides don’t you need the all clear from him before you can get back on an airplane?

“I thought you loved being a flight attendant and wanted to go back to your job unless you want to be my assistant at the shop,” Jim teased. “I wouldn’t mind having you within hands reach all of the time.”

“I know you would, but I want to go back to work. I miss my co-workers and the travel. I should have been back months ago, but the crippling nightmares kept me from going back. I’m still not sure about going to see Dr. Gearan.”

“What’s with him? Do I need to come up there with you for your first visit? I can call Dante and he’ll meet the plumbers at
Choppers
. I really don’t need to be there for any of that.”

“No, you go ahead back to the shop,” Keira said. “I need to go inside by myself or I won’t ever be able to come back here again. This is going to be the first step into getting my old self-esteem back and I can’t do it if you hold my hand.”

“Can you blame me? I care about you and so does everyone else. We all want the old Keira back telling us all what to do and how to act.” Jim winked at her.

“I’m glad to know you care about me,” Keira said in a teasing tone. “I wouldn’t want to have to trade you in for Dante.  He’s very cute and not as opinionated as you.”

Turning in his seat, Jim faced her looking her directly in the eyes. She smiled at the jealousy she saw hidden there. It felt really good to know that Jim didn’t want other men lurking around her even if it was just Dante., “Stay away from Dante,” he said, a thread of warning in his voice.  “He already thinks you’re hot. I don’t want to lose my best friend because of you, but I will punch him if he even thinks about touching you.”

“Sweetheart, I don’t see Dante in a romantic way at all.  Yes, he is gorgeous and I would have to be blind not to see how attractive he is, but I’m in lo… in a relationship with you and it is where I want to be.”

Keira congratulated herself on stopping before she told Jim had she felt about him. She was still amazed herself at how fast her feelings had grown for him. They had only been seeing each other for about two months and her life was totally different now.

He was building back her confidence with his passionate, challenging and involved attitude. She had to admit, he was inspiring her to take on the nightmares head on and push them into her past. It was beyond time that she got over what happened to her, so she could move on with her life and get things rolling the way they should be.

“Good, I’m glad you see it my way.” Jim smirked.

“Now, wait a minute, I have become friends with Dante and that isn’t going to change. I like hanging out with him when you can’t do something with me. You do know that I can have as many friends as I want to.” She wasn’t about to become his ‘yes’ woman and jump at everything he wanted her to do. She was still her own person and did anything she wanted to without his approval.

”As long as I keep the top position on your list then I guess it will be okay for you to keep Dante as a friend,” Jim said tersely. “He already knows that I have placed a
hands-off
sign on you anyway.”

“Are you serious?” Keira’s disbelief showed in the tone of her voice.

“Baby, you don’t have time to get into this with me. Aren’t you going to be late for your first appointment?’

Keira glanced at the clock on the dashboard and cursed under her breath. She only had about two minutes to get inside and up to her appointment with Dr. Gearan. Jim had done this on purpose and she was going to get him back for this.

“This isn’t over,” Keira warned as she opened the car door and got it. “We will discuss this later on at your house.”

“We can’t. Don’t you remember that Trevor is joining us for dinner?” Jim said .

“Are you sure he won’t be upset that he isn’t spending time alone with you.  I know how hard it is for you to get Kathy to agree to the joint custody half of the time. I can have dinner with you another night.”

“Keira, it’s time for Trevor to get used to us being in a relationship. I’ve already told him that the two of us are going out now and he only had a problem with it that one time. He’s been good since then.”

“Okay, I’ll come but if I see Trevor isn’t going to like me being there I’ll leave.” Keira closed the door and strolled towards the entrance of the building.

Jim watched Keira until she was completely inside the building before he drove off and headed for his business.

* * * *

Sitting outside in the waiting area, Keira lost count of how many times she swiped her sweaty palms down the front of her jeans. She couldn’t remember ever being this nervous before about something in her life.  Even getting interviewed for her flight attendant position hadn’t made butterflies in her stomach. She had been avoiding Dr. Gearan for so long that she wasn’t sure what his reaction might be to her, so she was prepared for anything.

When the office door finally opened Keira’s eyes froze on the tall, handsome blond man who looked like he should have been on the cover of a Viking romance book as he strolled towards her with a friendly smile on his face.

“Good morning, Ms.Winters. It’s so nice to finally meet you. I’m Dr. Thad Gearan.” He extended his hand.

“It’s nice to meet you too, Dr. Gearan,” Keira said as she stood up and shook the warm hand.

“Sorry, my secretary wasn’t out here to greet you. She’s at home with her sick husband.” Dr. Gearan released her hand. “How about we head on into my office and we can get better acquainted with each other?” Moving back, Dr. Gearan waved his hand towards his office and waited for her to go past him.

Once they got inside he closed the door and took a seat in a brown leather chair in front of a matching brown leather couch. “Why don’t you have a seat and we can get started?” he suggested.

Keira took a seat and tried to calm down so she wouldn’t blow her first visit.  She wasn’t quite sure how many of these meetings she’d have to make but she prayed that they went by fast.

“Keira, tell me why you’re here?”

“Don’t you already know that?” she asked taken aback a little. How could she get help if the shrink didn’t know why she was even here? She knew she didn’t come here for nothing.

“I have what the airlines sent over in their reports, but that isn’t the real reason you came to see me today after months of avoiding me. So, why are you here today?” Dr. Gearan asked again.

Looking at her doctor, Keira knew that he wasn’t going to give her permission to go back until he was 100% positive that she was ready to go back up in the airplane. She couldn’t deny the truth any longer. She was tired of the woman the plane crash had turned her into: scared, nasty and no longer wanting her mind filled with sour thoughts.

“I’m here today because I’m ready to get my life back. I’m fed up with being afraid to go to sleep in fear that the nightmares about Josh will come back.  I have a right to live my life without allowing the unknown to have controlling power over me all the time.”

“That was a very powerful speech you just made.” Dr. Gearan smiled. “Do you think you’re up to doing the work to make it happen for you?”

“I have that and ten times more because I’m pissed at this new me and the stronger side of me is dying to get back out there with the living.”

“Wonderful. How about you tell me about the crash? I need to hear your version of it so I can see why your mind might be holding on to memories instead of letting them go. I know with the two of us working together you will be back at your job in no time.”

Keira was impressed with the obvious confidence Dr. Gearan inspired. Just from these few minutes she had been speaking with him she sensed a new strength of independence coming back to her. She was elated by the real possibility that she could be back up in the air before the year was out.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Leaning back against the car seat, Dalton glared at the laughing people as they went in and out of the house like they didn’t have a care in the world. Seeing how happy all of them were pissed him off even more and made him want to get revenge. He hated Hayward, Clinton and Jenisha with the same passion, but the smaller woman wiping off the little boy’s face he despised with every fiber of his being. He wanted to make his move so badly right now, but he couldn’t because everything wasn’t in place yet.

The surprise he had for True only deserved the best and he was going to make sure that happened. It was hard to stay hidden since half of the police force was looking for him. He’d been able to sneak into a busy department store the other day and watch the news coverage about his escape. It was the hottest thing on television at the moment, even Nancy Grace devoted some of her precious time to him.

Well, he was going to make even more news stations after he finished with his masterful plan. He had to get this done right for the memory of his brother Mark. His brother came to the prison to see him every visitor day. It wasn’t fair that Mark died trying to get back at the bitch who put him here.

I better get going. I don’t anyone noticing how long I’ve been parked here staring at the Campbell’s house
. He was stunned that the wealthy construction worker didn’t live in a gated community or he wouldn’t have the easy access like he did now.

The sound of True laughing with her friends came through the open window of his stolen car. He was going to need to take another car before he went back to his hideout. He was pretty sure that the owner of this Lexus had already reported it stolen and the police were out looking for it and him. He only hoped that he got a chance to do what he had been planning before the cops caught him.

“You better enjoy all of that happiness now Ms. True Campbell because everything you hold dear in your world is about to change. I’m going to love every minute of the pain and agony my idea will toss your way.”

Starting the car, Dalton pulled away from the curb and drove off glancing at True and the rest of her friends and family before he turned the corner disappearing out of sight.

Chapter Thirty-Nine

“Trevor, I want you to be on your best behavior tonight when Keira gets here for dinner,” Jim said as he checked on the meatloaf inside the oven. He’d picked up Keira earlier after her visit with Dr. Gearan and taken her home because she wanted to shower and change clothes. While he was there he gave her directions to his house.

Everything had gone so smoothly there but here at his house Trevor was trying to fight him on Keira joining them for dinner. Why was Trevor behaving so badly when it came to Keira now? He used to like her so much when he saw her at Clinton and Jenisha’s house. Now, he acted like Keira was the worst person in the entire world.

“I don’t want to eat dinner with her! She isn’t my mother!” Trevor screamed.

“Trevor, Keira isn’t trying to be your mother, but she’s the woman that I’m dating now. I’ve told you numerous times that I’m never going to get back with your mother.  She has a new boyfriend now and she doesn’t want to get back with me either.”

“How do you know that?” his son asked coming further into the kitchen. “Mom isn’t happy that you’re dating Keira either. She said that Keira needs to stay away from her family because she will never have a place in your heart like she does.”

Finally! Trevor was telling him where his new dislike for Keira was coming from. He would have a long talk with Kathy the next time he saw her. She needed to stay out of his life because he sure in the hell wasn’t interested in her biased opinion.

“Trevor, we aren’t going to get into this tonight because Keira is on her way, but you will be nice to her or you won’t be going to the motorcycle show with me and Dante his weekend. Do you understand me, son?”

“I hate Keira. I wish she would go away and never come back!” Trevor ran out of the kitchen and a few minutes later Jim heard his son’s bedroom door slam.

“Damn it!” Jim shouted running his fingers through his hair. Kathy had too much of a hold over Trevor and he was going to put an end to it.  She was meddling in his love life, but constantly told him to stay out of hers.

First thing tomorrow morning, he would call his lawyer and see about having the custody agreement opened back up. He had been putting it off because he didn’t want to put Trevor through another trial, but he was done being nice when it came to his ex-wife. Kathy wasn’t fit to be a parent and he was going to sue for full custody of Trevor. His son’s whole future was at sake and he couldn’t let his part-time mother Kathy ruin it for him.

I better check on Trevor and get him back out here before Keira shows up. He will sit at the kitchen table and eat with us tonight. I won’t tolerate him hiding out in his room through dinner. I raised him to have better manners than he’s showing
.

Walking out of the kitchen, Jim was going towards Trevor’s bedroom when the doorbell rang. He glanced down at his watch and shook his head. “I should have known that Keira would be early.” Spinning around, he went to the front door and opened it smiling at the stunning woman standing on the other side.

“I’m a few minutes early,” Keira said. “I hope that’s okay.”

Jim pulled Keira into his arms planting a long, slow kiss on her mouth. “It’s just fine,” he breathed against her mouth. “I’m happy you were able to find the place. Come on in.”

“The place fits you,” Keira said as she strolled around noticing how well the dark browns and hunter green furniture and designs worked together. “I can definitely tell a man lives here.”

“I moved into this house after my divorce. It needed a lot of TLC but I did the work myself and this is the end result. I had a lot of offers from people who wanted to buy it, but I turned them down. I love this place and so does Trevor. I could never think about selling it.”

“The location is amazing because it’s still halfway in the city, but there’s this country feel to it too. Never thought a biker like yourself would like being a Mr. Mom,” Keira teased.