by Dara Girard
“I don’t care.” His father sat and placed his large canvas bag on the ground. Martha jumped up to his side in greeting. “She likes you in case you were wondering.”
All the time. “I wasn’t.”
“You should have heard the glowing praise she was heaping on you this morning. Have you asked her out yet?”
“We’re working together.”
“She’s not an employee, therefore, I very much doubt that would be a problem. However, did you know that the word ‘employee’ originated from—”
“I’m not interested.”
“In her or my explanation?”
“Take a guess.” Brett sat behind his desk. Perhaps, despite his knitting projects, his father still had too much time on his hands. But he’d have to endure his father’s lack of more to do. Brett knew he either had to hear his mother complaining about his father being underfoot or he’d have to deal with his father teasing him. He’d take the teasing.
“Your mother told me you were grinning about something the other day.”
“That was weeks ago. Don’t you two have better things to talk about?”
“Unfortunately, no.” His father paused before he said, “She seems to have a strong personality. Very amiable and forthcoming.”
Brett sniffed, wondering how his father had formed that opinion. “She’s easily terrified. Trust me.”
“That doesn’t mean she’s not worth the risk. People gain courage in the strangest ways.”
“You don’t know that.”
His father’s gaze sharpened. “So you are interested?”
He’d revealed too much. “Right now I have to focus on work.”
“That’s all you’ve focused on.”
“I’ve dated—”
“Women who will never threaten your heart.”
He sighed. “Do we really need to do this now?”
“You know of a better time?”
“Sure. Never fits on my schedule, how about yours?”
“So you’re fine pouring your heart into your cats and trying to improve the lives of your employees? While that’s admirable you still end up alone.”
“I’m not alone.”
“Ghosts don’t count.”
Brett gripped his hand into a fist. His father knew him too well. Knew too much about him. Could strip him bare and see all his scars and flaws; see wounds so blistered and deep that he felt like an ugly man. Beautiful? Corinne had said he moved so beautifully. Why had he let that seep in? Why had it touched him? He shouldn’t have let those words even come close to his heart. But the soft, awkward way she’d said them had surprised him. He wanted to know more. He knew she was eager to listen if he told her. Most people were curious about him. He was an oddity. Always had been. It had never bothered him before. The different personas he made for himself worked and protected him. Only this last persona had become something of a prison. Something of a tomb. His father knew it, he knew it, but he wasn’t ready to change.
“I’m worried about your mother, though,” his father said with a tired sigh.
Brett stiffened. “Why? What’s wrong?”
“I’m not sure Ms. Baylor could handle your mother.”
Brett groaned. “Dad, it’s not going to happen. I’m not dating Corinne.”
“Did she like the cats?”
“I don’t know. Doesn’t matter.”
“Then why use them as a test?”
“I didn’t use them—” He stopped when his father gave him a knowing look. “Alvin needs to go to the vet—”
His father shook his head. “He went last week.”
Brett stared at him.
His father stared back.
He swore and surrendered. “Fine. So I was curious how she would react.”
“And?”
“Alvin fell asleep on her papers.”
“And how did she respond?”
Brett remembered the look on her face with affection. She looked adorable and tried to figure out what to do next. She wasn’t sure if she should pick Alvin up, push him aside or poke him. “I rescued her.”
His father’s eyes shone bright. “You’re grinning again.”
He covered his mouth and forced his grin to drop. “So what?”
“You haven’t grinned like that in a long time. It’s not every day you meet someone who’s good for you.”
“You’re making too much out of this. I was only curious, it’s not—”
“Ask her out. You’re not one to let an opportunity slip through your fingers.”
He knew that she liked him. He’d never had anyone be as attentive to him as she had been these last several weeks. She still hesitated to look directly at him when they weren’t talking about work, but she was gaining confidence and he liked that. He liked a lot about her. He liked how she sometimes mimicked his movements—the way she would stand or sit forward in her chair. He didn’t know why, but he found it endearing.
He’d known she was making up reasons to see him and he’d followed her lead because he was having fun and he knew it would end. It had to end. A woman like her couldn’t handle a man like him. He wouldn’t want her to. He’d tried that once. He’d never get that close again. He couldn’t trust her to be strong. He knew how fragile she really was in spite of the new clothes and her slowly rising confidence.
He’d never forget the woman who’d walked towards the edge of the platform…
He felt the weight of a man’s grip on his shoulder. He’d been so lost in his thoughts that he hadn’t noticed his father had moved to stand behind him. He closed his eyes. “Don’t.”
His father’s grip tightened. It didn’t hurt but he wished it did. “Pretending you don’t care won’t change the fact that you do.”
“Dad—”
He spun Brett’s chair around, forcing him to face him, his voice as determined as his gaze. “Listen to me. I can’t stand to see another year go by with you living in the past. I don’t care about how many futures you help to make better, how many dreams you help to come true when you sacrifice yourself in the process. You’re too young to start dying now. She may not be the one. It may not work out, but what she said about you—”
Brett looked away, annoyed by how the thought of Corinne gave him hope, shook his heart. “She doesn’t know me. Not really.”
His father tapped Brett’s cheek. “Look at me. A Lattimore doesn’t look away.”
Brett took a deep breath and shifted his gaze. He saw the love in his father’s eyes and the worry and it tore him apart. “I’m sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize anymore. You can move on. All the things she said about you were true. They weren’t empty words of flattery. She didn’t know who I was so she had no need to impress me. She spoke about you with pure admiration.”
“But she doesn’t know—”
“I don’t think it will make a difference. But you won’t know if you don’t have the courage to try.” He patted him on the shoulder. “Come on, let’s get a drink.” He grinned. “Your treat.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Corinne was nearly home when she realized Brett had forgotten his cell phone. Just her luck. All the other times she’d had to make up excuses to see him and now she had a legitimate one and she dreaded it. Clearly she’d upset him more than he’d let on if he’d left his phone behind.
She returned to his building and was stepping out of the elevator when she saw one of his assistants racing down the hall. Her name was Alyssa and Corinne had always found the young black woman with gold conch shell earring and light brown eyes to be friendly and courteous. Today she looked frightened.
She stopped in front of Corinne and stared at her wide eyed. “Did you see anything?”
“What do you expect me to see?”
“Everyone’s gone and I’m the only one here. You’ve got to help me before Brett gets back.”
“Help you with what?”
She grabbed Corinne’s arm and dragged her towa
rds Brett’s office. “He went out with his father and asked me to look after them.”
“The cats?” Corinne guessed.
Alyssa nodded before she pulled Corinne into Brett’s office and closed the door.
“Okay, but why do you need my help?”
“He asked me to put them in their carriers so that he could just pick them up when he gets back.”
“And?”
“Martha’s missing. I didn’t lock the carrier the way I should have. What should I do?”
“Look for her.”
“I’ve looked everywhere,” she said with a note of desperation.
“Well, at least you kept the office door closed so she couldn't have…” Her words faded when she saw the look of chagrin on Alyssa’s face. “You didn’t.”
“I left the office door open for a couple minutes, that’s all. I thought it would be okay since they were locked up.”
“Well, she’s somewhere on this floor because the exit to the stairwell is closed and the doors to the elevator closes fast. Someone would have noticed a cat climbing on. That’s something.”
“Brett’ll be coming back soon and—”
“Okay, you check the other places and I’ll check the waiting room and his office again.”
They split up and for the next several minutes frantically searched for the missing cat.
Back in Brett’s office, Corinne saw the two carriers sitting on Brett’s desk—Alvin peeked out from one, and the one beside him sat empty with the door wide open. “Now, where could your sister be?” she asked the cat.
It yawned.
Corinne got down on her knees and looked under the desk, chairs and couch. She then crawled behind them. She knew the cat was shy and likely would want to find a tight, cozy spot where it couldn’t be seen. She looked at the large plant in the corner of the office. That would make a good hiding place. She crept closer.
Alyssa rushed into the room. “What are you doing?”
“Shh...I have to be careful.”
Her voice rose in a panic. “We don’t have time! Brett will be back soon.”
“Actually he's already here,” Brett said, standing in the doorway.
“What’s wrong?”
“Corinne returned to your office without me knowing and knocked Martha’s cage,” Aylssa said. “Now she’s missing.” She shot Corinne a look. “I don’t know how you could be so careless.”
Corinne gaped at her. “What?”
She returned her attention to Brett. “I know I should have called you and told you about the situation, but she begged me not to. I’ve been trying to help her find Martha before you came back and she—”
Corinne turned away inwardly fuming as Brett’s assistant continued her lies. That conniving, horrible woman! She took a deep breath and continued to slowly crawl towards the pot. She didn’t care what lies the woman spread about her. All that mattered was finding Martha.
And she did, curled up in the corner, hidden behind the potted plant.
She looked at Brett. He stood with his arms folded and continued listening to his assistant’s story. Corinne waved her arm wide to catch his attention, not wanting to shout across the room and scare the cat. He turned to her.
She pointed and mouthed, “She’s here.”
His expression didn’t change but the tension in his posture eased. He walked over to her, bent down and released a breath in relief before he picked up the cat.
“That’s lucky,” Alyssa said. “You really should be more careful next time.”
Corinne gritted her teeth.
“That’s enough,” Brett said. “You can leave now.”
Corinne stood to her feet as the younger woman left. Now she could just return his cell phone and go.
“What were you doing in my office?”
I wasn’t in your office, she wanted to say, but wasn’t sure he’d believe her. Calling his assistant a liar might not be the best strategy. She pulled out his cell phone from her handbag. “I wanted to return this.”
He glanced at the cell phone then turned and placed Martha in her carrier. “Sit down.”
“I’d prefer to stand.”
He closed the carrier door with a soft click then turned to her, his eyes filled with anger. “Don’t ever do that again.”
“But I didn’t...” She bit her lip. “Okay.”
He closed the distance between them. “Do you even know why you’re apologizing?”
“Because of my carelessness Martha escaped.”
“Really?”
She paused. Was he talking in riddles again?
He took a deep steadying breath, his anger almost palpable. And he was close. So close.
“I’m sorry I upset you this afternoon about pressing you about your past,” she said in a quiet voice, “and I’m sorry about—”
“This isn’t about Martha.”
“It isn’t?”
“No, I’m talking about why you took the blame for something you didn’t do.”
“I’m sorry?”
Brett rested his hands on his hips. “I know you didn’t leave the cage open. Alyssa’s done it before. It will be her last. I can tolerate some mistakes. I don’t tolerate lies. Why didn’t you say something?”
“I didn’t want...I didn't think you’d believe me.”
“Why? You don’t trust me?”
“No, it’s not that.” She felt foolish. Embarrassed that he’d known the truth. Guilty for trying to mislead him. Stupid for standing up for someone who didn’t deserve it. Why did this man always seem to catch her at her worst? She lowered her head. “I’m sorry.”
He lifted her chin and softened his tone. “Next time tell me the truth. I don’t like working with people I don’t feel I can trust.”
She nodded.
He paused and the expression in his eyes changed. “Corinne, I—”
Her cell phone interrupted him. It was her mother. She’d answer later. “What?”
“Never mind.”
“No, please say it.”
She waited, the air around them feeling electric, she wondered if he sensed it too.
He opened his mouth then sighed and turned away. “Thanks, for finding her.”
Her heart fell, sensing he was about to say something else. “Brett, I think—”
“You should go. Thanks for returning the phone.”
He’d closed the door, taking away a chance to get closer. To let her in. She wouldn’t cross the line. She turned to leave, feeling his gaze on her back. “Anytime.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
Jason always knew when his dad and stepmother were talking about him. They were never quiet about it. He could comfortably sit on the stairs, rest against the wooden railing and hear them talking in the family room. His Dad’s house was much bigger than his mom’s and even though he liked his huge bedroom and the indoor swimming pool, he always felt smaller there.
“I didn’t sign up for this,” his stepmother said. He liked her; he wished she liked him. She still wouldn’t let him play with his baby sister even though he’d asked her and told her he would be careful.
“You knew I had a son,” his father said. He sounded sad and that made Jason feel sad too.
“I also knew you had an ex-wife who he was supposed to be staying with most of the time. I’ve got Beth to look after and I don’t want to have to pack her up to go to his school because your son doesn’t know how to control his temper.”
“He’s going through a lot right now. I need you to be patient.”
“Patient? I think I've been more than patient to have to deal with your other life.”
He heard his father sigh. “Corinne and Jason will always be part of my life. My past doesn’t just disappear when it’s convenient for you. You are my present, my future. I can’t choose.”
“You did before.”
“My relationship with Corinne was already breaking down when we met.”
“Yes and you forced me to wait a
year before we got married. How long am I supposed to wait until I can feel it’s just us?”
His tone hardened. “There’s no ‘just us’. I told you that Jason comes with the deal.”
“Not all the time.” Her voice rose to a whine. “It can’t be all the time. Talk to her. Tell her that it’s not working, tell her that—”
“This is what Jason wants not her.”
She sniffed. “So we’re supposed to upend our lives for the sake of a seven year old?”
He sighed. “Take a minute to understand.”
“No, I don’t want to. I'm stressed out as it is. The next time the school calls, he’s your problem.”
Jason jumped to his feet when he heard her footsteps approach. He hurried to his bedroom and buried himself under the bedcovers.
He squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears.
A problem. That’s all he was. A problem at school. A problem at home. He didn’t want to be a problem anymore.
“It’s not working out.”
Corinne sat at her kitchen table while her reheated dinner of red beans and rice grew cold. She gripped the phone as she listened to her ex’s tired voice. “What do you mean?”
“Jason staying with me. It’s not going to work.”
“It’s barely been three months.”
“I know but...Jason got into a fight.”
“Jason doesn’t get into fights.”
“He does now. The school called. I was busy at work so Lily had to go and deal with it.” He released a sigh. “Let’s say she was less than pleased.”
Corinne didn’t care. “Is he okay?”
“He’s fine, but—”
“Then talk to him. He wants to connect with you anyway.”
Harrison sighed again. “With my schedule it will be tough.”
“You can find the time. You’re not just the fun weekend Dad anymore.”
“You’re still mad at me.”
“I’m not mad, but you were the one who encouraged this. Take responsibility. He’s your son.”
He hesitated.
“What?”
“Lily is—”
“I don’t want to hear it. Is she the queen handing down a royal decree? Isn’t it your house too?”
