Kelly scowled. “Would you care to expound on that last remark?”
“After the plane disappeared, I used my power of attorney to transfer the money in your separate checking and savings accounts into our joint account. A few days later, when it was assumed you were dead, I paid off your credit cards, and the companies cancelled them. They do that, you know, so no one else can charge things to your account, claiming to be you. You don’t have a red cent to call your own, and absolutely no credit. As of this moment, you’re broke, totally reliant on my benevolence, so if I were you I’d give some thought to being nicer to your ol’ hubby.”
“In your dreams, Brad. And I won’t be without funds for long,” she continued confidently. “Now that everyone knows I survived, they’ll re-issue new credit cards to me, and I expect—correct that, I demand—that you repay every last dime you took from my bank accounts, less the outstanding balances on the cards, of course.”
Brad crossed his arms over his chest, a self-satisfied expression on his face. “It’s gonna take some time, maybe a very long time, to sort out what’s rightfully yours and what’s mine, sugar. What with the funds combined now, and all. It might even take an accountant, or a court order, to get it done.”
“You’re a real sleazeball, Brad. I suppose you made an insurance claim, too. How much was I worth to you—dead, that is? A million? Two? Too bad you won’t be collecting on my untimely demise. And the picture isn’t as bleak as you’ve painted it, dear heart. I’ve still got my health clubs, and the income they bring in.”
Brad shook his head. “You haven’t got jack squat. As your power of attorney, I closed the clubs, and the boutiques. I’m very close to sealing a deal on them with a prospective buyer.”
“You what?” she shrieked, her blood pressure shooting through the roof. Sydney, who had been half asleep, gave a jerk and began to wail again. Most of Kelly’s fellow passengers had turned in their seats to stare at her.
“Everything okay back there, Kelly?” Zach called from the front of the bus.
“Other than the fact that my dearly bereaved, soon-to-be-ex-husband has been stealing me blind in the past two months?” she yelled back. “Sure. Everything’s just dandy!” She turned back to Brad, fury on her face and venom in her voice. By now, those sitting closest to her, especially her family members, were hanging on every word. “If you think you have me over a barrel, you’re sadly mistaken, Brad Sanders. I’m going to beat you at your own game, you sneaky weasel. By the time I’m finished with you, you’ll wish you’d never been born, let alone filch from me. I’ll ruin you so badly you won’t be able to run for dogcatcher, let alone the Senate.”
“You don’t have the guts or the connections.”
“We’ll just see about that, and you can kiss that deal with the buyer for the clubs goodbye. I’m back, and in charge of my own affairs now, and I don’t intend to sell. Any contracts you made on my behalf are null and void.”
“It might not be that easy,” he informed her arrogantly. “After all, I did have the right to negotiate in your stead, which makes it all perfectly legal and binding.”
“Surely, when I filed for divorce, that power of attorney foolishness was revoked. Who, in their right mind, would believe I’d still want you conducting my business dealings?”
“But there is no divorce pending,” he reminded her again. “And I’m still the beneficiary of your life insurance policy and your will, as well as executor.”
“Something I’ll remedy immediately, I assure you,” she replied through clenched teeth. “Thank you for reminding me of it. Do I still have a car, or did you sell that, too? What about the things in my apartment in Phoenix, my personal possessions, like my furniture and clothes?”
“I didn’t have time to bother with the small potatoes, or that clunker you’re so fond of driving. I assume your stuff’s still in your apartment above your club, unless someone has broken in and burglarized the place. You’ll have to move out, once the business is sold, unless the new owners agree to rent it to you. But, you don’t have the money to do that, do you?” he smirked. “Guess that means you’ll be coming back home to Houston. It’ll be just like old times, only better, because you won’t be working anymore.”
Kelly fumed. She could barely restrain herself from reaching out and strangling him with his expensive silk tie. If not for Sydney, and about a dozen avid witnesses, she might still have tried it. “I wouldn’t move back in with you if you owned the last house in the universe. In fact, I wouldn’t spit on you if your pearly white, perfectly-capped teeth were on fire! How could you possibly do this, yet still expect me to come back and be your wife, as if everything was all sunshine and roses? Do you have any idea how much I detest you?”
“Dad and I will loan you some money, and you can move back home with us, sweetie,” her mother offered from the seat behind Brad.
“Or with us,” Cole said from the seat ahead.
“Thanks, but only if it’s a necessity,” Kelly told them. “If Brad wants to play hard ball, and not willingly transfer my money back to me, or give me my divorce without making a fuss, so be it. I’ll make a stink so bad they’ll smell if from coast to coast. Then we’ll see what his political future looks like, won’t we?”
Brad jeered, “Do you really think anyone outside your family will care? I can sling mud, too, Kelly. Remember that. You could come away looking like a candidate for the laughing academy.”
“Thinking of having me committed, Brad?” she countered snidely. “I hope not, because I have witnesses.”
“And I have clout,” he claimed pompously. “If you really want that divorce, you’re going to have to fight for it every inch of the way, which will be mighty costly. Take me to court, sugar, and by the time all is said and done, you’ll come away looking like a slut, and I’ll be the poor, wronged husband who is still willing to forgive and forget.”
She sneered at him, all bluff and righteous anger. “You’ve got it all figured out, right down to the last little detail, don’t you? You’ve been a very busy little snake while I was gone. But you never really planned on me coming back from the grave to louse up your best plans, did you? Well, I’m back, Brad, and raring for revenge. I’m going to nail your hide to the barn door and use it for target practice—and that’s a promise you can take to the bank!”
* * *
Kelly marched into the hotel lobby, at the tail end of the line, all but speechless with rage. After waiting nearly half an hour for the guests ahead of her to check in, she approached the desk. “I’m Kelly Kennedy. I’d like the key to my room, please. Oh, and what kind of beds are in there? I’m going to need a place for the baby to sleep.”
The desk clerk checked his register. “Ma’am, the room is equipped with a king-sized bed. I can have a cot or a crib sent up for the baby, if you wish.” The fellow looked past her shoulder, spotted Brad, and gave a congenial nod. “Your husband already has both key cards.”
Kelly whirled around. “Okay, hand them over, you rat. Both of them.”
Brad shook his head. “Nothing doing. I’ve already unpacked.”
Turning back to the desk, she said, “I want a separate room please, for me and the child.”
The clerk was momentarily nonplussed. “I’m sorry, ma’am. We’re booked solid. Every room is already taken.”
“You don’t understand,” Kelly told him. “Mr. Sanders and I are separated and getting a divorce. I cannot possibly share a room with him.”
“May I find you a room elsewhere, perhaps at a neighboring hotel?” the clerk suggested.
Kelly sighed. “Will the airline pay for it?” she inquired impatiently. “It seems my credit cards have been cancelled, since everyone assumed I was dead.”
“Oh! You’re that Ms. Kennedy!” the clerk exclaimed, “I should have recognized you from your picture on the news. Welcome back to civilization, ma’am. If there’s anything you need, anything at all, just let us know.”
“My room?” she re
minded him, wearily shifting Sydney to her other arm and hip.
The clerk frowned. “Ma’am, the room Mr. Sanders has taken is the room the airline reserved for you.”
“Then toss him out of it,” she commanded curtly. “It’s my room, and I don’t want him in it. And be sure he gives you both key cards. I don’t want any nasty surprises in the middle of the night.”
“But, Ms. Kennedy…”
“Now, Kelly…” Brad began.
She rounded on Brad with murderous intent. “Get out, Brad. With or without your clothes. I will not aid and abet your schemes by cohabitating with the enemy, if that’s your game plan. You’ve got to have a screw loose to think I would agree to such an asinine arrangement, especially after all you’ve done, the misery you’re causing me.”
The clerk cut short Kelly’s tirade. “Sir, please hand over your keys.” When Brad hesitated, the fellow added reluctantly, “I’ll be forced to call security if you don’t comply.”
Brad dug into his breast pocket for the key cards, and tossed them onto the desk. “Have my clothes packed and stored until I can find other accommodations,” he instructed the clerk. To Kelly, he said with a snarl, “Enjoy your piddling victory, sugar. It’ll be your last.” With those parting words, and a sullen glare, he stalked out of the hotel.
“Well done, daughter,” Ryan commended proudly. “I’d have intervened, had it been necessary, but I know that stubborn, independent streak of yours.”
“You’re right. I’d probably have bitten the hand that was trying to feed me,” she admitted ruefully.
“I knew you could handle him, with one arm tied behind your back,” Cole told her. “We’re two of a kind, Kelly girl. No snot-nosed puffed-up lawyer’s going to get the best of us. But if you get into something deeper than you can tread, give Dad and me a whistle. We’ll come running.”
“I will,” she promised. “But right now, I’m going to give it my best shot on my own. I guess I want to prove to myself that I can, after knuckling under and letting him try to run my life for the past five years.”
Her mother frowned. “You know, dear, I didn’t say much. I figured it was your own business. But I never could quite understand why you let him get away with bossing and belittling you the way he did.”
“Me, either.” Kelly gave a derisive laugh. “Chalk it up to having stars in my eyes, or youthful stupidity. But the blinders are off, and so are the gloves. From here on, it’s all-out war, one I intend to win.”
Zach was presently dealing with his own problem— namely Becky, who had glued herself to his side and had scarcely let him loose long enough for Zach to shave, shower, and change into some fresh clothes his family had thoughtfully brought along from home. Zach was equally thrilled to have his daughter near again, and he fully understood her need and her fear. She’d been traumatized, thinking she’d lost him a mere three years after her mother had died, and now she was afraid to let him out of her sight. In fact, Zach’s mother had confided that Becky had been so desolate that they had started sessions with a child psychologist to help the girl deal with her loss and depression, and the angry tantrums she’d begun throwing as a result.
Zach understood all this, and regretted it deeply, but he also realized that they were going to have to get their lives back on track, the sooner the better, for everyone concerned. He and Becky both had issues that needed to be resolved—she, her lingering fright of being orphaned and thus the tendency to cling so tightly, and he the panic that rose whenever he thought of flying again, plus his fears for his father’s health. It seemed they each had to learn how to trust again, and there was no time like the present for taking that first step.
Zach, his parents, and Becky were staying together in the suite Zach had been allotted. Zach’s sisters and their families had visited for a while, then went to their own rooms down the hall. His father was resting in one of the two connecting bedrooms included in the suite. Sarah was chatting with her son and granddaughter in the living area. Becky was snuggled next to Zach on a small loveseat, clutching his arm with such force she was cutting off the blood flow to his hand.
Gently, he loosened her grip and flexed his numb fingers. “Hey, princess, take it easy on your old dad,” he teased. “If you want to arm wrestle, you’ve got to give me a fighting chance.”
Becky giggled. “Sorry. I’m just so happy you’re back.”
“I know. Me, too. So, catch me up on everything you’ve been doing while I was gone.”
Becky’s smile melted away. “I cried a lot.”
“Yeah, I suppose you did. I’m awfully sorry about that, but there wasn’t any way of letting you know I was okay.” He changed the subject. “Has school started yet?”
“Two weeks ago,” she told him, not sounding terribly enthused about it.
“How do you like seventh grade?” he prompted. “Are your teachers nice? Do you like going to the new junior high school?”
Becky shrugged. “I guess so. There are a lot of different kids in my classes, though, from some of the other elementary schools.”
“Then you must be making lots of new friends, huh?”
“Not really.”
“Why not?”
Just like that, Becky’s temper flared, taking Zach by surprise. “I’m just not, okay? I’ve had a lot on my mind.”
Sarah immediately scolded her granddaughter. “Young lady, that is no way to speak to your father! He simply asked you a question, and you might answer in a respectful manner.”
The girl leapt from the love seat, her face twisted with anger and her hands bunched into fists. “You’re always yelling at me! I’m not perfect! Just leave me alone!”
She started to run to the other bedroom, and Zach momentarily considered letting her go. Then he thought better of it. This was something best nipped in the bud at the outset. In his sternest father-means-business voice, he called her back.
“Rebecca Ann Goldstein! Get your huffy little rear end back here this minute.”
She stomped back, to stand in front of him. “What?” she asked belligerently.
“Apologize to your grandmother, please.” His tone indicated it was an order, not a request.
“Sorry,” Becky muttered.
“Not good enough,” Zach told her. “Say it like you mean it.”
“I’m sorry for sassing you, Gramma.” Becky glowered at Zach. “Can I go now?”
“May I,” he corrected.
“May I go now?” Each word emerged with exaggerated precision.
“No, you may not. Sit down and try to behave yourself.” Becky plopped herself onto the floor, her lower lip protruding in a pout.
Zach swallowed a sigh. “I understand you’ve developed quite a temper lately. That’s got to stop, Becky. I suppose you’re angry with me, the same way you were with your mom after she died, but you can’t go around taking it out on other people. If you’ve got a bone to pick with me, do it, and let’s clear the air right here and now.”
Becky glared at him, tears glistening in her eyes. “You left me!” she shouted. “You didn’t even let me come visit you in Australia when school let out for the summer!”
“I’ve explained that I was too busy finishing up last minute details to spend any time with you then. Besides, if you’d been with me on that flight home, you might have been hurt or killed, and I’d never have forgiven myself if that had happened. This way, it turned out all right in the end, didn’t it, even if we did all have a tremendous scare?”
“No, it’s not all right!” Becky insisted adamantly. “You came back with that… that woman! And that kid!”
“Oh, dear!” Sarah murmured. “The plot thickens.”
“Ah, so that’s it.” Zach nodded. “You’re jealous.”
“I am not! I just don’t like them. I don’t want them hanging around us… me… you.”
“Me, most of all,” Zach deduced. “Becky, honey, you don’t have to be jealous of them. Making them part of our family isn’t going t
o mean I’ll love you any less than I always have. I’ve loved you since before you were born, and I’ll love you forever. Moreover, I thought you, of all people, would sympathize with Sydney and want to help her. She’s just a baby, and both her parents were killed in the crash. Without us, she’s all alone in the world, with no one to love her. Besides, weren’t you the one who was always whining about wanting a brother or sister?”
Becky wasn’t so easily swayed. “That was when Mom was alive. I wanted someone to play with. I’m older now, and have my own friends, and Sydney’s too little. She’d just be a pest. And you’re wrong about her not having anyone to love her but us. She has those other people, too.”
Zach tried to explain it more clearly. “Gavin has to go back to being a soldier, Beck. He can’t take Sydney with him to the army. And Blair already has two children and another one on the way. As for Alita, she can’t watch a baby very well while she’s on a music tour or making a movie. She’d have to hire a babysitter, a stranger, to take care of Sydney.”
“That other woman can take her,” Becky insisted hatefully. “The one you were kissing on the boat. The one you said you want to… to marry!”
“Her name is Kelly, and you might as well get used to calling her that instead of ‘that woman.’ I know you’re not happy that she and I are going to be married, I know it’s an unwelcome surprise, but I think you’ll really like her once you meet her. I’ve told her all about you, and she’s looking forward to getting to know you.”
Becky’s face clouded even more. “I’ve already met her, and I don’t want her, or anybody else, for a mother. Gramma and Aunt Leah and Aunt Beth and I are doing just fine, without anyone else butting in.”
“You met Kelly long enough to say hello, and that was it,” Zach pointed out. “As for the rest of it, Gramma has been great, but she has Grandpa to take care of now that he’s going to need an operation on his heart, and your aunts have their own families keeping them plenty busy.” He tried another, more persuasive tack. “Wouldn’t you like to live at home all the time, instead of shuffling off to Gramma’s every time I have to go out of town to work? Kelly would be there, just like Mom used to be, and she’s terrific when it comes to girl things, like buying clothes and doing hair. She runs a health club, and a beauty shop and a boutique, so she knows all about the latest styles and ways to keep fit. It could be a lot of fun for you.”
Horizons Page 26
