by Celya Bowers
“James?” a male voice called.
He turned around, wanting to know who had breached his incognito thing. His eyes rested on a pale form and he sighed. He should have known. Max was better than any guard dog. “Hey, Max. Long time no see.” He extended his hand in greeting.
“Yeah, man, what’s it been? Like five years since Kendall caught you cheating on her for the millionth time?” Max took his hand.
“Something like that.” James wished he could have said something to wipe that smug grin off Max’s face, but the truth was the truth. “You know, it’s been some time. Maybe she’s ready to forgive me and take me back.”
“Is that why you’re back in Texas?” Max’s grin told him not to count on winning Kendall back.
“Partly. I got a promotion. I’m the sales manager for the Dallas area. Right now I’m just touching base with the local hospitals and doctors, trying to get a feel for what’s needed.”
Max nodded. “And Kendall is the go-to person for not only Briarwood, but also InfaCare, so why not seduce two birds with one kiss, right?”
“Harsh.”
“Sorry, James, I just call it like I see it. You forget who had the chore of telling Kendall you were cheating with the head nurse in cardiac care, the nurse in geriatrics, the surgical nurse at the new hospital, and we won’t even talk about the ones at Arlington General.”
He was a dog and he’d screwed up royally. But everyone deserved a second chance, right? James held up his hand in surrender. “Okay, man, I get it. You’re still pissed. You’re worse than her momma and her brothers. Is she around?”
Max hesitated. It was clear he didn’t want James within spitting distance of Kendall, but he relented and said, “Yeah, she’s in her office. She’s got an appointment in ten minutes. Don’t make her late.” Max walked off without another word.
“Yeah, it was nice seeing you, too,” James muttered at Max’s retreating back. If he didn’t know how professional Kendall was, and that she didn’t believe in mingling with co-workers, he’d swear Max had a thing for her.
James headed down the hall and encountered another familiar face. It felt like a homecoming, seeing all these familiar faces, he thought. “Hello, Keerya. You’re looking as beautiful as ever.”
“She’s in her office, Mr. Matthews.” Keerya continued working.
Being dismissed, James walked the few feet to Kendall’s corner office and knocked on the closed door. He waited an eternity before she invited him in. Like a condemned man on the last mile, he took a deep breath, hoping the warden would be kind, and entered.
He almost didn’t recognize her. The woman he divorced would never have had her feet propped up on the desk, actually relaxing. What had happened to the workaholic he was married to? He liked the dress she was almost wearing. She always did have great legs. She was still a little thin for his taste, but overall the picture was quite enticing. “Hello, Kendall. Nice to see you.” He meant that, no matter how trite it sounded. “I really like that dress.”
She took her feet off the desk and rose, straightening her dress in the process. “James, what brings you by? I have an appointment.”
“I know. In ten minutes. I met Max in the hall. I just wanted to say hello and maybe ask you out to dinner. How about it? Got a spare dinner for an ex-husband?”
“Why do you want to have dinner with me? I was only married to you for eight years.”
“Look, baby, I know I cheated on you. I’m sorry. I was lonely. You were working all the time. What was I supposed to do?”
She stalked over to where he stood. “You were supposed to be supportive, not use my very expensive bed for your extracurricular activities.”
James held up his hand. “I didn’t come into this damn hospital to fight with every employee here. All I wanted to do was have dinner with my ex.”
“And tell me that the hospital is your new territory,” Kendall said.
“You already knew and you’re reading me the riot act?” James asked incredulously. “This is so typical of your controlling ways. That’s why I cheated. I wanted to do something you couldn’t control. I was tired of sleeping with an ice cube. When we did have sex, all you did was lay there like a frozen lake.” He wished he could take back every word he’d said. He hadn’t meant to lash out at her. He’d wanted to soften her up, not prepare her for war. Instead of the old Kendall spouting how worthless he was, she laughed.
“Well, James, tell me how you really feel.” She walked back to her chair and sat down. “Dinner will be fine. Check with Keerya on your way out to see when I’m free. I’m tied up the next few days, so anytime after that should be doable.”
James didn’t want to press his luck. He didn’t know what alien had come and taken over his ex-wife’s body, but he was going to get out while the getting was good. “I’ll be in touch.” He hurried out of her office.
Kendall giggled at her ex-husband’s retreating back. In the old days James’s accusations would have started an all-out war, with her taking no prisoners. But Cole Highpoint had changed all that. In the few short days she’d been intimate with him, she’d realized she was no longer an ice cube, but a simmering inferno. Too bad she couldn’t thank him in person. Why couldn’t she? She reached for the phone just as Keerya knocked and entered her office at the same time. “Yes, Keerya.”
Keerya took a seat in one of the leather chairs after she closed the door. “Kendall, it’s not my place to say anything.”
She knew exactly what the young woman was going to say. “I appreciate your input, Keerya. I know you think I’ve lost my mind, but trust me, I know what I’m doing.” And for the first time in four years, Kendall knew exactly what she was doing. She was getting closure.
CHAPTER 15
Later that afternoon, Cole unlocked the door to his house to let Taylor inside. His brain still whirled on the information his son had revealed at lunch.
Cole’s ex-wife had done a mental number on their son just so he wouldn’t come near his father. Taylor was more shell-shocked than a war veteran straight from the combat zone. He was cautious when he spoke. Taylor reminded Cole of some of the politicians on the hot seat, making sure not to let anything slip out.
Cole could strangle his ex for what she’d done in the name of revenge. He hadn’t had any real communication with his son in four years, so they had a lot of ground to cover. But they needed a go-between, someone they both trusted, and someone who could ferret out the truth. There was only one unbiased person he knew who was right for this job: Kendall.
He watched his son plop onto the sofa and reach for the remote control. Taylor, being a healthy male teenager, channel-surfed until he found a music video channel. Cole shook his head in wonder as he watched the young women gyrate and Lord knows what else on screen. Seeing the concentration on Taylor’s face, Cole knew better than to start the father-son bonding. He’d wait for a time they could concentrate on each other.
Cole went to the kitchen to call Kendall. Not being able to talk to her all day was beginning to wear on him. He’d noticed another car parked in front of her house when he and Taylor arrived home. He could be a good neighbor and call her just to make sure everything was all right.
Cole quickly dialed the hospital.
“Dr. Matthews,” Kendall said after he was finally put through to her.
“Hey, baby,” Cole said. “I was wondering if you’d fix something for me.”
Kendall laughed. “I’m sorry, sir. You must have misdialed. This is not the help hotline.”
Cole laughed as well. She sounded wonderful to his ears. “I was kind of hoping you were the help hotline. I need someone to listen objectively to both me and Taylor. My ex has fed each of us so many lies, we don’t know quite where to begin. So I was hoping you could maybe join us for dinner.”
“As wonderful as that may sound, Cole, I can’t have dinner tonight. It’s Jami’s first night at my house. I want to make sure she and Dylan are settled in.”
�
��How about tomorrow night?” Cole knew he sounded pitiful and Max would probably ask for his man card back for it.
“Now that sounds doable.”
Cole relaxed. “I’ll even make a vegetarian meal just for you. Of course, Taylor and I will probably eat steaks while you’re munching on your salad.”
“You know, I think I would like a steak, too. It’s been ages since I had a good piece of beef.”
“Are you playing with me?” He hoped so. “Are you using euphemisms for sex? All you have to do is ask, baby.”
“If I were, and I’m not saying that I am, where would we have this sex?”
And there was the problem. Her place was definitely out of the question with her new houseguests and his place was definitely out. “How about the lake house?”
“How about you focus on your son?” Kendall giggled.
Cole shook his head. That woman had him seeing condoms when he should have been concentrating on his son and their fragile new relationship. “You’re right, as usual. Guess I’ll have to rein in those hormones until a more appropriate time.”
“I didn’t realize you were such a chicken. The Coltrane Highpoint I know would have figured out a way,” Kendall hinted. “But I guess you’re preoccupied.”
She was actually daring him! He hated to be challenged, and this woman had just crossed the line. “I’m going to get you for that.”
“What?” she asked innocently.
“You know what, woman, and you’re going to pay for what you’ve done to me,” Cole teased. She had him hard as rock with just a little innuendo.
“I have no idea what you’re referring to, Cole.”
Oh, she was good. “I’ll refresh your memory,” he promised. “Tomorrow.”
“I’d like to see you try it.”
“You will.”
* * *
Kendall laughed as she replaced the phone in its cradle. She was definitely losing it. Cole had her thinking naughty thoughts, knowing very well that they wouldn’t be able to act on those thoughts. Darn that man!
Max entered her office with a scowl marring his handsome face. He plopped down in one of the chairs reserved for her patients and let out the most dramatic sigh she’d ever heard. He was dressed in navy scrubs, and his short blond hair looked as if he’d been running his fingers through it in frustration all afternoon.
Something was wrong. This wasn’t the happy-go-lucky man who’d bulldozed his way onto her staff and into her life. “Okay, Max, give.” They’d been friends too long to dabble in pleasantries neither of them were feeling.
“Oh, it’s nothing. Just my life is in the toilet and I have no idea how to fix it.” He gazed at her with those penetrating blue eyes.
“Am I the black version of Dr. Laura?”
“No, but you’re as close as I’ve got. And if I don’t talk to someone soon I think I might just explode.” He let out another sigh.
This wasn’t going to be a boss-and-employee talk; this would be a friend-to-friend talk, she realized. She stood and walked to the vacant chair next to her friend and sat down. “Why don’t you start from the beginning?” Kendall said softly. “It always helps me to solve a problem if I look at it from all angles.”
“You know Caitlin and I have been having serious problems for about the last two years.”
Kendall nodded. “You guys were going to counseling.”
Max gave her a short laugh. “Yeah, that lasted about two months. I kept going for a while because I honestly wanted to try to make it work for Carson’s sake, but now even that isn’t enough.”
Kendall knew what it was to be the only one in a marriage. “Have you guys thought about a trial separation to see what each of you really wants?”
“Okay, that was last year. We tried it for about three months. Caitlin claimed she was ready to make it work, so I, like the idiot that I am, believed her and moved back home.”
Kendall shook her head. She didn’t remember any of this. Was she so self-involved that she hadn’t noticed her best friend was in a crisis? “I take it she didn’t want to make it work.”
“No, she didn’t. But with her being from the Campbells of Dallas, divorce is not an option. She claims a divorce would kill her parents and they would disinherit her for disgracing the family name.”
Kendall also knew all about image. Max’s wife was from a very affluent family. Harold and Elizabeth Campbell could never hold their heads up at the country club if their only daughter was divorced. Poor Max. “So what are you going to do?”
“I wish I knew. Then there’s Jami. I didn’t mean to fall in love with her, but I have. She’s everything Caitlin isn’t. Jami is a good mother, a caring soul, and a great listener. I get goose bumps every time she smiles at me.”
Kendall saw the train wreck ahead. “Max, both you guys are married to other people. You need to take care of one problem first before you try to tackle another. First, you need to decide what to do about Caitlin and your marriage.”
Max sighed again. “This is where it gets real sticky.”
“Give it to me,” Kendall said, not keeping the dread out of her voice.
“You know, you sound like my mom when you say it like that.” Max laughed. “Last weekend I told Caitlin I wanted a divorce. Her dad offered me a million dollars not to pursue it.”
Kendall was stunned. A million dollars? “What did you tell him?”
“To take a hike.”
“Good for you. Show that billionaire you’re not for sale.”
Max lowered his head, running his fingers through his hair. “No, not good for me. Caitlin still refuses to go to counseling and refuses to talk about the marriage. We don’t even sleep in the same room anymore. My only bright spot in all this besides my son is coming to work and seeing Jami.”
“Max, focus. If you guys aren’t sleeping in the same room, what good is the marriage?”
“Exactly. I’m tired of living like that. Caitlin is never home. She’s always out, most of the time with her socialite friends. She leaves Carson with the nanny constantly. I’ve been in a sham of a marriage for ten years, and it’s time to get off the marriage-go-round.”
Kendall felt her friend’s sorrow. She picked up his hand and held it. “Max, there’s not going to be an easy solution. You need to figure out what you really want. Do you want Jami because she’s the total opposite of Caitlin in every way, or are you truly attracted to her? You guys both have a lot a baggage to work through before you can even think about being together.”
Max nodded, listening to her every word. “Yeah, but we’re not the only ones with baggage around here. What are you going to do about Cole and his son?”
Kendall dropped his hand and shrugged. “I don’t really know. We had a rocky beginning, but he helped me locate Jordan the other morning. Cole wants me to act as an arbitrator for them. It seems his ex did a number on both of them.”
Max shook his head. “Women. I wonder why we even try to love them. They only hurt us in the end.”
“Not all women. There are still some good ones out there. And if you ever get out of this mess, you’ll see that I’m right.”
* * *
A few hours later, Kendall pulled up in front of her mother’s house. She’d been summoned just minutes after her talk with Max to have dinner with her parents. Being the youngest, the only girl, and single, there was no way she could refuse.
She slid from behind the wheel of her car and headed into the house. She spotted her stepfather, Evan Duncan, reclining in his favorite chair, his eyes glued to the television. Evan watched CNN, the cable news network, faithfully. He was dressed in a polo shirt and slacks. “Hey, Dad. How’s it going? Play any golf today?” She walked to him and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Evan snickered. “Yeah, took your mother out there on the links. I just hope I haven’t been banned. Your momma caused a scene today.”
“Not my sweet, docile mother,” Kendall said sarcastically. She could easily imagine her pet
ite mother causing a commotion at the Arlington Hills Country Club.
“She was defending your honor.”
Kendall sat down on the nearby sofa. This was going to be good. Her parents had been members of that country club for the last thirty years. Zenora and Evan were one of the first African-American couples to join the formerly segregated club. “Okay, what happened?”
Evan smiled, revealing his white teeth, which at the age of sixty-eight were all his own. His smooth pecan skin glowed as his laughter lit up his face. “We were on the ninth hole and things were going well. I was letting her win.”
“Wise man.”
“We ran into Cole’s mother, Martha, and her sister-in-law.”
Kendall gasped. “Uh-oh.”
“Yeah, uh-oh is right, young lady.”
“How was she defending my honor?”
Evan turned toward her, leaving CNN’s commentators to fend for themselves. “Martha hinted you were trying to snag Cole so he’d make another big donation to the hospital, just to keep you happy.”
Kendall shook her head. “Oh dear.”
Evan nodded and returned to watching CNN. Some young correspondent was reciting some horrible news about the war front with a smile on her face. “Yep, she put that woman in her place, but good. Before I knew it they were yelling at each other like you wouldn’t believe. I was getting ready to stop the shouting match when the club manager appeared out of nowhere, telling all of us to leave the club.”
Kendall took a deep breath. It didn’t sound like her parents’ membership was threatened, thank goodness. Arlington Hills had one of best golf courses in Tarrant County. “I’m seeing Cole, but not for his money. And for the record, Cole volunteered the donation. I didn’t ask him for it. When he initially offered it to me, I refused it.”
“I know, honey. And your momma told Martha so.”
Kendall groaned and leaned back on the sofa. “How bad is it?” Her mother and Martha Highpoint had been friends since before Kendall was born. “Are they speaking?”
