Leon jerked back a few steps and peered angrily at Kacey. “Don’t you dare accuse Nona of setting this fire! She loves this place as much as I do.”
“Just thinking out loud,” Kacey defended.
“Don’t! That’s a terrible thing to say! You don’t know Nona the way I do.”
“I know that Nona James is not a stable woman and it wouldn’t surprise me if she’d do something like this, just to hurt me…and for the attention. All…”
“Stop it, Kacey,” Leon interrupted, his voice getting louder and angrier by the moment. “You’re way off base. Why would she destroy the company where she makes her living?”
“People under pressure have done stranger things,” Kacey threw back.
“Maybe in New York, but not in Rockport. Folks in these parts don’t do crazy stuff like that.”
“Harrumph,” Kacey grunted, jerking her head toward Nona’s car. “Believe that if you want to, Leon, but if I were you, I’d be over there asking her a whole lot of questions.”
Leon shook his head in denial, glowering at Kacey. “I can’t have this discussion now.” He walked a few steps away and then stopped. “I’ve gotta go over to the sheriff’s headquarters to fill out a bunch of papers. He’s the one who asks the questions, not me.” Leon hesitated, as if steadying his emotions. “I’ve gotta do all I can to help the fire department figure this out as soon as possible because the insurance company won’t come through until every question is resolved.”
“Sure, I know. I’m sorry,” Kacey relented, realizing that he was under a lot of pressure and she shouldn’t have brought his friendship with Nona into the mix. Maybe Leon was right. Maybe Kacey was jumping to the wrong conclusion and ought to trust his judgment. After all, he knew his employees better than she did and it was his problem to solve. “Yeah, you go ahead,” she told him, stepping closer, letting him know she was sorry. “I’m going back to the motel to call Hadley. Gotta let him know what happened.”
Leon opened his arms and Kacey moved into them as he held her tight. “Forgive me for yelling. I’m sorry,” he murmured against her hair.
“Forget it. This is not your fault,” she comforted.
“But I feel responsible. Your dream went up in ashes on my watch.”
“Yours did, too,” Kacey comforted, feeling the rapid beat of Leon’s heart against her breast. She knew he was devastated, as he should be. All she could do was be there for him, encourage him to remain positive. At least no one had been hurt. Archer’s insurance would kick in so the family could rebuild and go on.
But can I? Kacey worried, dreading the phone call to Hadley that she knew she had to make.
“I’ll catch up with you later,” Leon told Kacey, giving her a firm kiss on the lips before letting her go.
“Stay strong,” she told him, returning his kiss, one hand caressing his cheek.
As Kacey headed across the road, she looked over at Nona, who had been watching her and Leon. “I hope you saw whatever you were looking for,” Kacey said in a voice loud enough for Nona to hear. As she passed by Nona’s car, Kacey gave the woman a withering look, then got in her car, made a U-turn and headed back toward town.
Chapter 22
The days following the fire passed in a blur of activity, during which Kacey rarely saw Leon, who was swamped with complaints from upset clients, interrogations with the sheriff’s office, and calls from his insurance company. He helped his employees file for unemployment—which everyone took except Nona. Leon decided to keep her on the payroll to help him piece together company records that he’d salvaged from the fire. At least many contracts had been safeguarded in the fireproof safe.
When Leon wasn’t comforting anxious employees or meeting with the Archer family lawyer, he was relaying messages to his parents through their travel agent because his mom and dad were in the middle of the desert on safari. His dad had given him three directives to follow: First, do not cancel any contracts; let the clients do the canceling. Second, contact American Textile in Houston and arrange for them to finish any pending projects. And finally, Leon was to use the family house as Archer Industries headquarters until everything was resolved.
With his company in ashes, Leon did as his father asked. He successfully arranged for American Textile Manufacturing to take over clients who did not want to cancel their contracts, and set up a temporary office in his father’s study. As he and Nona worked through the paperwork nightmare, he quickly saw that the financial loss for Archer was going to be substantial. Even though Archer’s insurance would eventually cover most of his losses, getting cash in hand was going to take some time. However, taking care of his clients was his first priority because once Archer was back in business, he hoped they would return.
Under great strain, Leon stayed closeted in his makeshift office with either Nona or Gerald Ayers day and night as they feverishly worked to sort everything out.
While Leon dealt with Archer Industries’ problems, Kacey made progress of her own. She asked Hadley not to cancel their agreement with Archer, but to allow Leon to shift the production to American Textile in order to complete her swimsuit line. He agreed to think about it, but ordered Kacey back to New York until the decision was made.
Hopeful that SunKissed could be saved, Kacey packed her bags and prepared to head home, relieved to have Hadley’s fragile support. Leon, who wasn’t happy to see Kacey go, was at least grateful that the Leeman’s contract remained under his control.
On the night before her departure, she went to see Leon at his beach house for a final evening together. During the drive there, she thought back over all that had happened since her arrival, which seemed like ages ago. She’d never guessed when she arrived in Rockport that leaving would be so difficult, but then she had never thought she’d fall in love, either. Leon was trying hard to be brave about the separation, but she knew he was hurting as much as she was. Hopefully, they’d find their way back to each other before too long. At least, that was what she kept telling herself as the coastal landscape slipped by.
Leon welcomed Kacey with a deep kiss that totally aroused her need for him and made her moan in satisfaction. As his tongue explored hers, she cupped her hands around his tight, hard butt and squeezed, ready to surrender. However, their goodbye session was quickly interrupted when Leon’s cell phone rang. Answering it, he scowled, let go of Kacey and went to sit down on one of the canvas lounge chairs on the deck.
“What did you say?” he snapped, voice sharp and hard. “You’ve got to be kidding!” He covered the mouthpiece and whispered “Chief Evans” at Kacey, who sat down beside Leon on the chaise.
“What’s going on?” she hissed into Leon’s ear.
He placed a hand on her thigh and answered with a slow shake of his head, as if whatever the fire chief was saying was too incredible to interrupt. “Impossible. I’m shocked,” Leon finally stated, sinking back into his chair to stare glumly at the blue-black sky. “Yeah, I can do that, chief. I’ll be there first thing in the morning.” And then he clicked off.
Running his thumb over the screen of his cell phone, he focused on the floor of the deck while shaking his head in amazement. “That was Rodney Evans, the fire chief.”
“Yeah…I know. So what’d he want?”
“The mystery of the fire has been solved.”
“Damn! Does he know who did it?”
Leon swung his head back and forth while a stream of air escaped his lips. “Yeah. It was Bob Truett.”
“Bob Truett! You’ve gotta be kidding.”
“Wish I were.”
“Why? How’d they find out it was him?”
“He confessed.” Leon tilted his body forward, gulping back his shock. “The chief said Truett walked into the sheriff’s office tonight and turned himself in. He confessed to setting the fire, and he was responsible for sabotaging the electrical grid and the backup pattern disk, too.”
“What? But why?” Kacey pressed.
“Evans said Truett was ra
mbling on about how much he missed working for my father. That he didn’t like the way I was running the plant. That I was overworking him and he couldn’t take the stress. “
“What did Truett do? How’d he start the fire?”
“He placed open containers of cleaning solvents next to the fabric cutting machines and left them running all night. They overheated and started the fire.” A pause while Leon sat in stunned silence. “I can’t believe he’d rather see the place destroyed than work for me. He could have quit. He was old enough to retire,” Leon said, sounding depressed.
Kacey touched Leon on the arm. “Well, at least, the sheriff can close the case, and now you know what happened.”
Leon simply nodded.
Kacey bit her lip, took a deep breath and then plunged ahead with what she knew she had to say. “Leon, I was wrong about Nona. I never should have accused her. I’m sorry, Leon.”
Leon took her hand and squeezed it. “That’s okay. I understand.”
“Thanks, because I didn’t. She’s your friend, and I shouldn’t have doubted your trust in her. I’m sorry, really, I am.”
“I appreciate your saying that, Kacey. I know this hasn’t been easy for you, either. I’m just happy that Leeman’s might still go forward with your line with American taking it over.”
“Another good thing that will come out of this,” Kacey started, “is that Truett’s confession means the insurance company can settle your claim.”
“Yeah, so I can start to rebuild.”
Kacey nodded. “Right. So why don’t we focus on the positive side of the chief’s news and not dwell on anything sad tonight.”
Leon stood, took Kacey by the hand and tugged her to her feet. “Good idea. I’m not about to let a phone call ruin my last night with you. Now, can we pick up where we left off before my cell phone rang?”
“Absolutely. Let’s go inside,” Kacey agreed in a voice that drifted into a whisper.
After entering Leon’s wild–animal themed bedroom, they came together in a tender embrace, gently and deliberately, as if creating memories to last until they could reunite. Not knowing when that would happen added tension to the experience, creating an invisible thread of caution that heightened their anxiety, as well as their drive to seal their commitment.
Fueled by the tormenting prospect of a long separation, Leon used his lips to nibble a path along Kacey’s neck, over her chest and onto each breast, fondling her nipples with his slippery tongue. His hands swept her torso and seared her thighs, massaging her silken skin. When he reached the pleasure point between Kacey’s legs, she bucked upward, accommodating his fingers, which he slid deep inside to slick her pulsing core. With his other hand he reached over to grab protection, which Kacey helped him open and slide on.
Impatient to have him completely, Kacey gripped his rock-hard manhood and guided it inside, replacing his fingers with what she craved most—the sensation of his rigid rod filling her up, taking her completely and burning itself into her flesh. As she groaned, writhed and moved under the weight of his naked body, Leon transported her to a place where none of their troubles existed. All that mattered was the connection that bound them, the love that they shared and the promise of tomorrow.
Afterward, they lay side by side in his huge bed, wrapped in each other’s arms as they struggled to define the shape of their future.
“I don’t want you to go,” Leon told Kacey, stroking her hair as he kissed her on the forehead.
“I don’t want to leave, either, but I have to,” she replied, reaching up to cup her fingers around Leon’s chin.
He kissed her fingertips, dragging his tongue over her skin in a sensuous sweep. “You don’t have to go. Not really. Didn’t you say that Hadley has already talked with American?”
“Yes,” she whispered.
“So why do you need to go to New York?”
“Because I have work to do. I do have a job, remember?” Kacey responded, shifting in Leon’s arms to look at him, trembling with longing as his gray eyes penetrated hers.
“Stay here with me for a few more days,” Leon begged. “I need you, Kacey. Hadley can manage the production. You don’t need to go.”
“Yes, I do,” Kacey replied, hating to sound so cold, but knowing it was time to return to reality. The dream escape was over, for now, and she had to face the truth. “I can’t throw away my career. I worked hard to get where I am, Leeman’s has invested a lot in me and Hadley expects results. As much as I’d like to stay, I can’t. I have to leave tomorrow.”
Leon shook his head and ran a finger along the side of her face, studying her as if trying to memorize her face. “Kacey, I don’t know how I’ll stand it, being so far from you. I understand why you have to go, but I still don’t like it. I wish you would leave New York completely. Live here with me. We’ll get married. Rebuild the plant. Start over together. Leeman’s can sell your swimsuits and send you a fat check for your designs. Cut ties with them—and the city—and stay.”
“I can’t do that,” Kacey told Leon, edging out of his arms. She got out of bed and started to dress. Looking out his bedroom window, she saw that the full moon had made a silvery path on the surface of the pitch-black Gulf, leaving a shimmering road that seemed to have no end. As her eyes traced the moonlit water, she thought that the pathway resembled the long road ahead that she and Leon faced. Where would it end? How long would the journey last until they reunited? What awaited them on the other side?
“If you loved me, you’d stay,” Leon suddenly challenged.
With her back to Leon, Kacey frowned, troubled by his remark, as well as his attitude. Didn’t he see how torn she was over her complicated dilemma? No way could she simply walk away from her career. Why didn’t he understand?
Whirling around, she faced Leon, irritated that he expected so much from her while giving up so little of himself.
“Why are you making this so difficult for me? Aren’t you being a bit selfish?” she pushed back, confused by his inability, or refusal, to realize that she wouldn’t dream of bailing on Steve Hadley, who’d gone to great lengths to advance her career as a designer.
“No, I’m not being selfish,” Leon countered. “I love you. I want you with me.”
“Leon, I love you, too, but I can’t be with you now.”
“You could…you could stay. You don’t have to live or work in New York to be a swimsuit designer.”
“Don’t you understand what returning to New York means? That’s where I earn a living. The city is my home. Where I belong. At least for now.”
“You belong wherever you can be happy, and you can’t tell me that you’re going to be happy if we’re apart.”
Kacey sucked in a long breath, allowing his words to roam her mind, knowing what he said was true. “You’re right…I won’t be happy, but under these circumstances I’m willing to sacrifice my personal happiness to achieve something just as important.”
“What?”
“Success in my career.”
“Ah…now I see where you’re coming from. You choose career over love. Okay, go for it, Kacey. Thanks for letting me know exactly where I stand.”
Kacey stared at Leon, shocked by the hurt in his voice. Was she finally seeing Leon for who he really was? A self-centered man with no feelings for things that meant so much to her? With the future of her swimsuit line in jeopardy and Leon’s crazy attitude filling her head with doubts, maybe the best thing Kacey could do was return to New York. She wasn’t that keen on small town life, anyway.
“I’ve got to go,” Kacey told Leon, now dressed. She reached for her purse. At least she’d didn’t have to ask him to drive her to the motel.
Still naked, Leon got out of bed and walked toward Kacey, appearing disappointed and upset. “Not yet,” he murmured, reaching out to her. “I hate that I snapped. It’s just so damn hard to let you go. Forgive me?”
Kacey nodded, feeling his misery, and knowing how hard it was going to be for them both. “I
’d better leave now. Let’s use this time apart to think about what we want and how we can keep our lives together.”
“I know what I want,” he whispered, inching closer to Kacey, his manhood at attention. “I have only one desire, to live happily ever after with you. To love you forever. If I have to leave Rockport and move to New York, I will. I’d sacrifice all I have here to be with you. You know that, don’t you, Kacey?”
Kacey swallowed the pain that stabbed her heart to hear him say those words. “Yes…and everything will work out for us, Leon…but we need time to sort this out. Will you give it to us?”
He pulled her hard to his chest and crushed his mouth to hers. “Yes, you know I will. But let’s not take too long,” he murmured against her neck.
Without a reply, Kacey pulled away, raced out of his bedroom and across the deck, as the sound of waves hitting the shore pounded in her ears and tears of longing filled her eyes.
Chapter 23
Leon spent his days working out plans to rebuild the factory and his nights reflecting on his and Kacey’s dilemma. They spoke on the phone every night, but nothing was the same. The strain of their separation was taking a toll. He missed her like crazy but refused to press her about the fate of their relationship, willing to bide his time until her swimwear was in Leeman’s stores and selling well, until she had completed the most important step in her new career. Then, they’d make a decision about what they ought to do.
One thing Leon knew: remaining stuck in limbo as precious time slipped away made him feel like a prisoner awaiting his sentence—hoping for the best, but dreading the worse. The situation grew more unbearable every day.
Two weeks after he and Kacey parted, Nona showed up at Leon’s beach house, holding a bottle of brandy and wearing a too-tight tank top that made her nipples stand out like two silver dollars. When she swept inside and started gloating over the fact that now that Kacey was out of Rockport, everything was back to normal between them, Leon’s patience snapped.
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