The Best for Last

by Maria Geraci

  “You’re still meeting with Tom Donalan, right?”

  “I’m seeing him at ten.” He was about to click off, but then he remembered how bizarre his morning had been. “Hey, Kit, is there some reason that Frida would be mad at me?”

  There was a pause on the other end of the line. “Mad at you? Like…how?”

  “I don’t know. Did I forget to tip her or something? She’s actually charging me for the milk I put in my coffee now,” he added with a confused chuckle.

  “Oh, um, that’s weird.”

  “Tell me about it.”

  He thought briefly about telling her about the business card Betty Jean had given him. Kitty would probably laugh about it, but on the other hand, maybe not.

  “Don’t forget about dinner tonight,” Kitty said. “We’re meeting Dad and his surprise at The Harbor House at seven.” He could hear a slight edge of tension in her voice. For Kitty’s sake, he hoped good old Dad didn’t show up with another Miley Cyrus look-alike.

  He drove to work and spent the next hour laboring over a project budget. At exactly 10am his assistant, Stacey, buzzed Donalan into his office.

  Steve stood and they made the usual niceties. “Let’s get to it.” He waved the man to a chair behind his desk. Donalan was tall. Clean cut. Nice suit. A college boy. But Steve hadn’t missed the calluses on Donalan’s palm when they’d shaken hands. He was used to getting his hands dirty. A quality Steve appreciated in another man. Especially a man he was about to hire.

  “I’m looking for a project manager. Someone with good experience. You seem like you might fit that description,” Steve said. He went on to give details about the job. The demolition of the old senior center and the subsequent construction of the town’s new state of the art recreational center. “I’m doing this at cost as a goodwill thing for the city. But the pay is decent. Not what you’re used to in Atlanta, but there’s the potential for a few nice bonuses. And if your work is excellent, a promotion in the future.”

  “Sounds good.”

  Steve let a few seconds of silence pass between them. “So why the move? Whispering Bay must be pretty tame after Atlanta.”

  Donalan shifted around in his chair. “It’s home. Plus, my ex and my son moved back to town a few months ago, due to some family issues. Being a long distance dad was never in my plan.”

  Steve nodded. Maybe being a long distance ex-husband wasn’t in the guy’s plans either. Maybe he wanted his ex-wife back. Not that it was any of Steve’s business, but it was good to hear he had strong ties to the community. It meant he was serious about relocating. And just as importantly, staying. “The job’s yours. I’ll have my assistant draw up a benefit package. You can tell me by the end of the week if you want it.”

  “That’s it?”

  “Yeah. You got a big thumbs-up from my…girlfriend.” Steve frowned. That was odd. He’d referred to Kitty as his girlfriend for a long time now, but for some reason today the title sounded all wrong.

  “Kitty Burke, right? I heard you two were together.” For the first time since he walked in the room, Donalan smiled. It seemed like a stupid thing, but Steve didn’t like the way the guy’s eyes lit up at the mention of Kitty’s name. “Believe it or not, she used to babysit me when I was in grade school. I was ten and she was fifteen and…” Donalan’s face suddenly went blank.

  Didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what came next.

  “And you had a crush on her,” Steve finished.

  He looked relieved that Steve had said it first. “You could say that.”

  Steve stood. “Okay, we’re done here.”

  Donalan looked a little shaken by his abruptness. He reached his hand out and Steve shook it for the second time in less than ten minutes. “I have to say that’s the shortest successful interview I’ve ever been on. I don’t need a week to think about it. I’ll take the job.”

  “Good.” He knew he sounded gruff, but he couldn’t help himself. Donalan was a good-looking guy. An unattached good-looking guy. A guy who had some kind of history with his girlfriend.

  It suddenly occurred to him why the title had seemed all wrong.

  He hadn’t wanted to call Kitty his girlfriend.

  What he’d wanted to say was, his woman.

  #

  Steve got to the restaurant first, which didn’t really surprise him any. In all the while he’d known Terrie, she’d never been on time for anything. He’d just ordered a beer when he spotted her weaving her way through the tables toward him. She was tall and model thin, with long dark hair and the best tits money could buy. The kind of woman who turned heads and knew it. She was also a snake and a liar. But a smart one, he’d give her that. It was hard to believe that at one time he’d been in love with her. Or at least, he thought he’d been in love with her.

  They’d met a few years after he’d moved to Tampa. He and Dave were just getting started in the construction business and they were making good money. Terrie was a real-estate attorney, a few years older than he was, and divorced with a young son. She’d encouraged Steve to invest in a company with one of her clients, Ted Ferguson, a hotshot land developer from south Florida. Dave hadn’t wanted in on it, so Steve had kept his two businesses separate. It didn’t take long for the investment to pay off. Before Steve knew it he’d made his first million, and the money just kept on coming. The relationship with Terrie had flowed naturally. She was attractive and they’d started sleeping together. He thought the fact that she had a son and was professionally stable was a good omen. But the minute they’d said “I do” things had gone downhill.

  “My God, it’s hot out there!” She made a face then sat down, leaning over just enough to give him a deliberate view of her cleavage. “I detest Florida in summer. Thank God for air-conditioning.”

  The waiter brought him his beer and Terrie fluttered her fake eyelashes at him. “Will you be a sweetheart and bring me a water with lemon, please?”

  The poor shmuck smiled right back. He brought her the water and they proceeded to order.

  “Tell me about the offer,” Steve said, getting down to business.

  “It’s a hundred thousand less than the asking price, but I don’t think we’re going to do much better than that.”

  He tried to hide his irritation. “I told you that two years ago.”

  When they’d first put the house on the market, he’d insisted that they price it to sell. The faster they got rid of the house, the better. But she’d squawked at every offer that came along, refusing to consider any kind of negotiation. After a few months, the offers stopped coming. Not that it was any skin off her nose. He’d paid for every square inch of that house with his own cash, although technically, according to the state of Florida, the place was considered joint community property. Terrie stood to make a very nice undeserved profit at closing.

  “Yes, well, you were right.” She gave him a well-practiced smile. “We should have priced it better.” It was the closest she’d ever get to admitting that she’d been wrong.

  The server brought them their food. Steve waited until he left before he said, “So what changed your mind? Let me guess. You need cash.”

  She narrowed her eyes at him. “You’re revolting. Is everything about money to you?”

  He shrugged. This was one game he wasn’t going to let himself be dragged into. When they’d been married, she’d loved to rub his nose in the fact that he barely had a high school education. She hadn’t minded his money, though. She’d spent that like his wallet was on fire.

  “I still haven’t heard anything that we couldn’t have talked about over the phone,” he said.

  “I just… I wanted to make sure that you understood that we need to accept this offer. If you must know, I have an opportunity to invest in a land deal in south Florida, so yes, some extra cash will come in handy now.” She looked over at him through her lashes. “What about you? Isn’t it about time you got a place of your own? You must be tired of playing house with what’s he
r name.”

  Terrie knew damn good and well Kitty’s name. Last year they’d been forced to work on a real estate deal together.

  “I’m happy where I am now, thanks,” he said tightly.

  She shook her head sadly. “Oh, Steve, I really hope you’re not leading that poor girl on. I mean, she doesn’t think that you’re going to marry her, does she?”

  He stilled. “That’s none of your business, Terrie.”

  “Not technically, but as a former wife of yours, let’s just say I know what I’m talking about.” She sighed. “I know you must hate me and I forgive you for that, but I’m just trying to be your friend here.”

  She forgave him? What a joke. He didn’t hate her, though. Hate implied strong emotion and what he felt for her was barely more than mild irritation. Still, she knew how to get under his skin. He counted to three. “Really? You want to be my friend?”

  “Is that so hard to believe? Think of all we’ve been through together. It wasn’t all bad, was it?”

  “You mean like when I walked into your office to see you on your knees with your mouth wrapped around Ferguson’s dick? Yeah, good times.”

  “I only did that because you made me!” She looked startled, as if she hadn’t realized what came out of her mouth until after she’d said it. She glanced around the restaurant but with the exception of an elderly lady sitting in the table next to them, no one paid them any attention.

  He laid down his fork. “I made you give Ferguson a blow job?” He laughed. “Now that’s rich.”

  She managed to reclaim her composure. “I had a long talk with my therapist the other day about you and it all came out in the open.”

  “You talked to a shrink,” he said slowly. “About me?”

  “How do you think I’ve been able to get past that disaster we called a marriage? What I did was wrong, I admit that, but I would never have cheated if I was getting the kind of affection I deserved. You might have been a good provider, and you were certainly no slouch in the bedroom, I’ll give you that, but a woman needs more. She needs to feel loved and appreciated. She needs a man who can express his feelings. Something you are totally incapable of. So, I overcompensated by spending your money and trying to get affection elsewhere.” She managed to squeeze out a tear. “My therapist says I was emotionally abused by you.”

  Was she for real? He’d almost forgotten how special she was.

  “Let me get this straight. You spent my money and fucked around on me because I made you do it?”

  “You don’t have to be so crude,” she spat.

  “Hey, if I remember right, you used to like crude. A lot.”

  Her cheeks reddened.

  Okay, so now he was just being a dick. It was way past time for him to walk out on this conversation. He stood. “Thanks for an enlightening lunch. Tell the realtor we’ll take the offer. We’ll split the money and never have to see each other again.”

  She opened her mouth to say something, but he was already walking away.

  #

  A woman needs more. She needs to feel loved and appreciated. She needs a man who can express his feelings. Something you are totally incapable of.

  He shouldn’t let her get to him. She was his ex-wife, for God’s sake. Of course she’d have nothing good to say about him.

  Steve slowed his truck and got into the right lane. He was just a few minutes away from Panama City where he had a construction crew working on an addition to the local mall. Maybe he should stop by and check up on their progress. Pick up a hammer and do some real work. Not that what he did at his desk all day wasn’t work. But he’d love nothing better than to pound the crap out of something right now.

  He parked his truck in the small lot across the street from the construction site. A cream-colored stucco building with a red-tiled roof caught his attention, but it was the sign above the door that made him stop cold.

  His chest suddenly felt like it was on fire. Damn indigestion. Maybe he shouldn’t have eaten that fried grouper.

  My therapist says I was emotionally abused by you.

  He snorted. Right. Her therapist. It was probably some quack that Terrie paid a hundred bucks an hour to agree with everything she said.

  Still…

  She needs a man who can express his feelings. Something you are totally incapable of.

  So he was a man of few words. So he didn’t like to go around wearing his emotions on his sleeve. What guy did? Actions should speak louder than words, right?

  Except, Kitty was going to need those words. And soon.

  He glanced once more at the sign. Dr. Joanna Carson, LCP, Family Therapist.

  Aw, hell. He was probably going to regret this.

  He backtracked, opened the door, and walked inside.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Kitty stared at the dresses she’d flung on her bed in disgust. In less than an hour, she and Steve would meet her father and his “surprise” at The Harbor House for drinks and dinner, and she wanted to look good.

  No. Scratch that. She needed to look spectacular.

  Her father’s last girlfriend had been twenty-two with a body even a Playboy pinup model would envy. Was it vain of her to not want to be shown up by her sixty-five-year-old father’s trophy girlfriend? Nope. Not vain at all.

  She’d showered, shaved, washed and straightened her hair, and had on a new matching bra and underwear set. A nude-colored, lacy number she’d gotten at Victoria’s Secret. She’d just slipped on her black heels when she heard the garage door open and close.

  It was about time! If they didn’t leave soon they’d be late.

  A few minutes later, Steve came walking into the bedroom. He leaned against the doorjamb and crossed his arms over his chest. “Personally, I kind of like this look, but if you think I’m going to let you walk into The Harbor House like that then you’re crazy.”

  “Ha-ha.” She scooped two of the dresses off the bed and placed them side by side for his inspection. “What do you think? The green or the blue?”

  He tugged off his shirt. “Either one. Do I have time for a shower?”

  “A quick one,” she said, opting for the blue. Or should she wear the black?

  She was about to try it on when he spun her around and drew her against him. “Or better yet, do we have time for a shower together?” he asked huskily.

  “Tempting, but I just spent forty-five minutes getting my hair to look this way and I don’t want to get it wet again.”

  “Seriously?”

  The heat in his dark eyes could melt the polar ice caps. And she was only human, after all. “Well…” He began to kiss her neck. “Not fair. You know what that does to me,” she panted. Maybe a little wet hair wouldn’t be so bad…

  Her cell phone buzzed. She glanced over at the bedside table. “That’s probably my dad.”

  “Maybe he’s going to be late,” Steve said. “Or better yet, maybe he’s canceling.”

  Her phone buzzed again. She reluctantly tore herself from Steve’s arms to pick it up.

  Got in early. Already at the restaurant. Can’t wait to see you!

  She showed Steve the screen.

  “Give me three minutes in the shower.” He stripped off the rest of his clothes and headed into the bathroom.

  Sigh. Shower sex would have been so lovely. She opted for the blue dress, then touched up her makeup in the bedroom mirror. “How did the interview with Tom go?” she asked loud enough to carry into the adjoining bathroom.

  “He took the job,” he said over the noise from the shower.

  “Great! I tried calling you this afternoon to see how it went, but your phone went straight to voicemail.”

  He didn’t answer back. Not that her statement required an answer, but Steve was in the habit of calling her every afternoon, just to see how her day was going. It was a sweet gesture and she’d gotten used to it. So when he hadn’t called today, she’d missed talking to him.

  He came out a couple of minutes later with nothing but
a towel wrapped around his hips. She watched as he quickly dressed in a pair of dark dress slacks and a blue, long-sleeved shirt. He looked so handsome it made her bones ache. It made other parts of her ache, too. They were definitely having shower sex when they got back from dinner. Or bed sex. Or couch sex. It didn’t really matter where.

  She cleared her throat. “How did lunch with Terrie go?”

  “Looks like the house is going to sell. We accepted the offer this afternoon. If all goes well, we should close in thirty days.”

  Kitty sat down on the edge of the bed. “Are you sad? I know you really loved that house.”

  “Not really.” He shrugged. “I mean, yeah, it was a great house, but I’ll build another one.”

  Now that was a surprise. Steve had never talked about building another house before. A house for them? Or one just for him? She couldn’t imagine living anywhere but here in Whispering Bay. But if he asked her to move, would she?

  The answer was so clear to her.

  Yes. She’d go anywhere he asked her to. But would he ever ask?

  “You know, I think today was the first day in almost a year that you didn’t call me in the afternoon.” She sounded whiny, but she couldn’t help herself.

  He glanced away to adjust the cuffs on his shirt, which was odd because he’d done that already. “Sorry, I was out at a construction site and there was no cell phone service. Did you need something?”

  For a second, she didn’t know what to say. Had Steve just lied to her? He’d never lied to her. Not that she was aware of. But he was suddenly having trouble meeting her gaze. “Um, no, I just wanted to know how the interview with Tom went.”

  His right eye twitched. “Like I said, I hired the guy.”

  Okay. There was definitely something off. His answer bordered on almost hostile. What was going on here? If they weren’t already running late, she’d take this conversation further.

  She picked up her clutch purse. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  She’d turned to walk out the door, when he grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips, gently kissing her knuckles. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to sound abrupt. You know I would do anything to make you happy, right?”