Head Over Heels

by Crystal B. Bright

  “The men you’re talking about aren’t men.” Relenting, he handed her the handset. “Look at me and be honest. Did I hurt you?”

  Kari swallowed hard. “No. I told you. I’m fine. You even apologized for cursing in front of me at one point.” She hung up the phone. “Trust me. Had you been the least bit inappropriate with me, I wouldn’t be standing her talking civilly with you. The police would have you locked up already.”

  “I couldn’t live with myself if I thought I disrespected a woman, especially—” He stopped. Thane went to the bedroom again and came back with his phone. “I’m grateful for all you did for me last night. Had I gone to the hotel bar, I can only imagine who I would be having a conversation with this morning.”

  “But?” Kari could hear it coming.

  “However, I’m happy with Alec. When and if he retires, I’ll make a decision about my representation.”

  “You know Alec plans on closing his agency. Did he tell you that?”

  Thane slipped on a black leather jacket. “What my agent and I discuss is our business.” He opened his door. “Thank you for everything you did for me.”

  “Nice jacket. Looks custom. You know I can get you a deal with a lot of designers to be the face of their brand.”

  “Thanks for the compliment, but I’ll pass.”

  Kari picked up her purse and headed to the door. “I’ve left my business card on the coffee table, and you already have my number.” She saw him opening his mouth to comment, but realization must have hit him that she had been calling him on a regular basis in the past, and he hadn’t blocked her number. “If I were your agent, I would have asked for double what you’re getting now. And, yes, I already know you’re the highest paid baseball player out there.” She regarded him for a moment. “You’re worth it.” She tucked her hair behind her ear and dropped her gaze for a bit to gather her wits. Thane had a way of making her feel vulnerable and defenseless. For a woman who had become an expert on the games men played, she couldn’t get her head wrapped around that concept. “You would be in a house rental and not a hotel, or at least with your brother. I’m sure he has a well-protected place here. I also would have made it so that no one outside of family and friends could have gotten close to your mother’s funeral.”

  “That means I never would have met you.” He watched her as she strolled out the door.

  “Good thing you have a subpar agent and a questionable manager.” She smiled. “I’ll be in town all this week if you would like to meet.”

  “I’m not going to change my mind, Ms.—Kari.”

  She turned to him as she walked down the hall. “Never say never, Mr. Wells.”

  “Thane.”

  “Thane, you know I’m very persistent. Hopefully, you’ll come to realize I’m the best person for you.” As Kari walked away, she hoped two things would happen. She wanted him to keep her number to call her soon. She also hoped she had intrigued him enough to keep him watching her every move. She turned and caught Thane standing outside his hotel room, staring at her.

  Bingo. Now, would he call her? Time would tell.

  Chapter 7

  Kari Meyers’s intrusion had kept Thane’s mind off losing his mother. Getting an up close and sober view of Kari paled in comparison to what he’d imagined. Her light skin tone reminded him of golden honey. She had seductive eyes that captured his attention. Her full lips had him wanting to kiss her again, but this time he would remember it.

  A ripple of embarrassment inched through his stomach when he thought about what he’d done to her in his drunken state. According to Kari, he had kissed her and propositioned her. He shook his head as he drove his rental car to the attorney’s office.

  Thane had meant it when he’d picked up the phone to call the police. He didn’t tolerate teammates accused of similar crimes. He wouldn’t be a hypocrite. He also wouldn’t be getting drunk like that again. He would have to deal with the pain in his life in other ways.

  He pulled up to an office building and backed into a space across from the front door. Now that his head felt better since he’d eaten a bagel and followed it with some strong coffee, he bounded into the office. He wanted to get this meeting done so that he could get back down to Florida to train.

  His coaches and the team’s manager had been very good to him. They’d shipped a large flower arrangement to the funeral home. It couldn’t be missed. A large wreath with a wren in the middle. The head coach told him to take as much time as he needed. Thane didn’t want to hang around town for very long. The faster he got back to work, the easier it would be for him to forget all this.

  Thane walked up to the front desk. The receptionist blinked when she saw him. She smoothed her hand over her hair and flashed a bright smile. Too bad he couldn’t reciprocate.

  “My brothers and I are supposed to meet Mr. Ubo regarding Elizabeth Sommerville.” He tapped his fingertips on the counter.

  “Yes, Mr. Wells. Mr. Ubo and your brothers are already in the conference room waiting for you. I’ll take you back there.” She stood and came around her desk.

  Thane glanced at his watch. “They’re kind of early, aren’t they?”

  “No, the meeting was supposed to start at ten. They’ve been waiting for you.” She opened the door.

  Thane caught Gunnar’s glare first. “I apologize for being late. I was told the meeting was starting at ten-thirty.” He shook the attorney’s hand before sitting down next to Gideon.

  “I called you several times last night and this morning to let you know about the change,” Gunnar said between gritted teeth.

  Thane looked at his phone. He saw Kari’s number first. He shoved the phone into his pocket.

  “Guess you were too busy with your new female friend.” Gideon cleared his throat and sat up taller.

  “It’s not like that.” Thane shook his head.

  “Let’s not go into it now. I’m sure Mr. Ubo has other things he needs to do today.” Gunnar directed his attention to the stately dark-skinned attorney.

  The lawyer adjusted his wire-rimmed glasses on his nose. “Nice to meet you, Mr. Wells. Now that you’re all here, we can get started.” He opened a file and peered down. “Your mother drafted this a year ago. She contacted me a couple of months ago to confirm that she didn’t want to make any changes to it.”

  Thane nodded.

  “Each son will get controlling asset of a business.” Mr. Ubo turned to Gunnar. “Gunnar will own Press ’N Curl, the hair salon.” He faced Gideon. “Gideon will get Pick ’N Clip, the flower shop.” Then he looked at Thane. “Thane will get Sharp, the clothing boutique.”

  “No surprises there.” Gideon scanned Thane and Gunnar’s faces.

  “Yeah, I figured Mom would do that.” Thane nodded. “As soon as I can, I’ll sell the space.”

  Gunnar’s face flashed to a dark crimson. “You’ll what?”

  Thane didn’t understand Gunnar’s anger. “Sell it. I’ve got a career, and I’m at the top of my game. I’m not going to retire like you and stay in town to run it.” He turned to Gideon. “Are you giving up football to run your shop?”

  Gideon shook his head. “No. But Janelle runs that for me, so it’s still in the family. Don’t you want to preserve Mom’s legacy?”

  Mr. Ubo cleared his throat before more could be said. “Elizabeth Sommerville included in her will that the only way one business could be sold is by having all three brothers sign off on the deal.”

  Gunnar crossed his massive arms over his chest and leaned back. “That settles it. I’m not signing jack.” He glared at Thane. “You don’t want to run it? Fine. I’ll take care of it. Spring time is coming up and you know what that means.”

  Thane did, but he knew Gunnar would remind him.

  Gunnar continued. “School dances. Mom always donated dresses to that underprivileged school in Chesapeake. You’re going to let them down?”

  Thane hadn’t thought about them. He knew that hi
s mother would take on interns and temporary help to assist her in running the place when she opened it after Easter each year. Unlike Gunnar and Gideon, he didn’t have to worry about a full staff of employees. He didn’t want to disappoint a group of school girls. He presently had other priorities.

  “Can we move on with the reading, please?” Thane had a lot to think about now that he had something that tethered him to the community.

  Mr. Ubo held up a piece of paper and continued. “Gunnar will get the house and Elizabeth’s car.”

  “No surprise there either.” Thane peered down at the table.

  “What’s that supposed to mean?” Gunnar asked.

  “You’re the oldest. Of course you’ll get the lion’s share of everything.” Along with love and attention, Thane wanted to add.

  “Boys, come on.” Gideon tapped his knuckles on the table like a judge’s gavel. “Hold it together.”

  To keep the session going, Mr. Ubo said, “Her assets totaled four million dollars.”

  Thane sat up taller. “You mean liquid assets? You’re not talking about her home and the businesses?”

  Mr. Ubo nodded. “Her accounts held that amount.”

  Gideon shook his head. “I’m not sure why we’re all surprised. Mom was a smart woman.”

  “She wants that money going to the Oceanfront Community Center.” The attorney flipped a paper over.

  “Sounds like Mom.” Thane smiled as he thought of his mother.

  “Ms. Sommerville also had life insurance that totaled twenty million. That she wanted split equally among the three of you.”

  “My share can be donated as well.” Thane waved his hand.

  “To the center?” Gunnar asked.

  “Sure. Or the American Heart Association.” Thane wouldn’t want another family to experience a heartache like this.

  The lawyer removed an envelope from the folder. “Ms. Sommerville also had a safe deposit box.” He slid the envelope toward Gideon. “Gideon gets the contents of it.”

  Gideon looked at Thane and Gunnar. “Did you know she had a safe deposit box?”

  Thane and Gunnar shrugged and shook their heads.

  “News to me.” Thane looked over at Gunnar.

  “I didn’t know. But there’s a lot about Mom that I didn’t know.”

  “This may also shock you all. She owned a beach house in the Outer Banks, North Carolina.” Mr. Ubo removed another envelope. “That she wanted it to go to Thane.”

  Thane didn’t even touch the envelope. “What? Mom owned another house?” He volleyed his gaze between Gunnar and Gideon. “Did you guys know that?”

  “No.” Gideon shook his head. “She never told me about it or took me there. Gun?

  Gunnar also shook his head. “No. I’m not surprised though. Mom loved the beach. She loved peace and quiet.”

  “I have all of the necessary paperwork for you all to sign to take over all of the assets, the homes, the car, the businesses, and the money.” Mr. Ubo stood, revealing his full height.

  “None of that will bring Mom back.” Gunnar tapped his fingers on the table. When the attorney left the room to get the rest of the paperwork, Gunnar turned his full attention to Thane. “So what happened with you yesterday?”

  “I was upset about Mom. I drank way too much. It was all a mistake.” Thane shook his head. “I apologize for making a fool of myself. Trust me. It won’t happen again.”

  “Yeah? And the woman who went up to your hotel room, was she a mistake?” Gunnar pulled out his cell phone, clicked a couple of items on his screen, and turned it around to Thane to view it.

  Thane saw a video of him stumbling in the hotel and Kari coming to his side. As she’d told him, she had helped him into the elevator. Gunnar pulled his phone back, made a swiping motion over his screen, and showed Thane another video.

  The black-and-white shot looked like it had come from a surveillance camera. The pulled-back image showed Thane leaning against Kari as she helped him to his room. Thane brought his face in closer to the screen in time to catch a view of himself kissing Kari and pushing her back into his room.

  “Classy, dude. The day of your mother’s funeral. Mom would be so proud.” Gunnar slammed his phone on the table.

  “Excuse me.” Thane sprang to his feet and walked out of the meeting room.

  He looked up and down the hallway for a bathroom. After running down one end of the hall, he found the men’s room. Thane bolted through the door, pushed his way into a stall and purged his guts into a commode.

  All he’d drunk last night hadn’t made him nauseous. The idea that he disrespected his mother with his actions hurt him more than anything. Another good heave into the toilet and Thane felt a little better, until he saw spots of blood in the murky water.

  He balled toilet paper around his fist and wiped his mouth before anyone could see it. He flushed away his feelings and turned around to catch Gunnar standing behind him.

  “You want to talk about it?” Gunnar asked.

  Thane washed his hands and splashed some cool water in his face. “You don’t want to hear what’s going on with me. You want to make judgments and comments.” He ripped a couple of sheets of paper towels from the dispenser. “You don’t have to pretend you like me anymore. I get it. The least we can do is be polite about it.” He started to walk by Gunnar when Gunnar stepped into his path.

  “Man, talk to me. What is it? Tell me. The last few years, I felt you pulling away from me, pulling away from the family.” Gunnar wrapped his tree-trunk sized arms around Thane’s shoulders and hugged him. “I love you. You know that, right?”

  Thane didn’t hug him back. His arms remained down by his sides. When Gunnar released his embrace, Thane threw away the used wad of paper towels he’d continued to hold after he’d dried his hands and face.

  “We should get back to the meeting room and sign the paperwork.” Thane made it around Gunnar.

  One day he would reveal the real reason for his distance. Thane couldn’t do that now.

  After the meeting, Thane looked at Gunnar and Gideon. He really stared at them, studied them. Until Gunnar cut his hair, they could have almost passed for twins. Both dirty blond. All three had blue eyes, but Gunnar and Gideon’s eye color matched a bit more.

  “There’s still plenty of food at Mom’s house from the funeral yesterday.” Gunnar stood. “The two of you want to come by for some lunch?”

  “Sounds good.” Gideon rubbed his stomach. It took him a bit to get on his feet. With the help of his cane, he started to move around a little better. “You coming, Thane?”

  Thane thought about his actions the past few days, well, more like past few years. Like Gunnar said, Thane had been pulling away from them for a while. He could go to lunch and clear the air.

  Thane started to open his mouth to respond when his phone rang. He glanced at the screen and saw his agent’s name. “One sec, guys.” He left the room and went down the hallway close to the bathroom. “Alec. How are you?”

  “Hanging in there, kid.” His agent’s voice sounded a bit gruffer than normal. With Alec in California, the man had probably just gotten out of bed. “Sorry about your mother. I know that was rough for you.”

  Thane rubbed the back of his neck. “Very. But I’m dealing.”

  “Speaking of deals, I need to tell you something.”

  Thane paced. He hoped Alec wouldn’t reveal what Kari had told him this morning. Deep in his gut, he knew she hadn’t lied.

  “Shoot,” Thane said.

  “I’m closing up shop, kid. Time to take it easy.” Exhaustion laced every word.

  “I hate to tell you, but I already knew.” Thane leaned his back against the wall.

  “What?”

  “Yeah, a competing agent tried getting me to sign.”

  Alec snorted. “Bastards. The chum is already in the water and the sharks are circling. Listen, kid, I have plenty of agents here who can represent yo
u.”

  Thane nodded. “That’s what I thought. That’s great.”

  “Yeah, competent guys. The good thing is that I’ve already established a great deal for you. Your new agent will have to make sure the team doesn’t screw you.” Alec coughed, not unusual for the pack-a-day smoker.

  Of course, whenever he and Thane met, he never smoked around him. Alec protected his client. The idea reminded Thane of Kari and how she’d said she would look out for him if she represented him. It didn’t seem possible. For one thing, he’d never heard of her. He had heard of her agency. Thane checked out East Coast businesses first in his quest to find representation. When he’d received the call from Alec Fogel himself, Thane’s search ended.

  “I knew you would look out for me.” Thane started to head back to the conference room to see his brothers.

  “Of course. Like I said, you should be content with what you have,” Alec replied.

  The hairs stood on the back of Thane’s neck. “Are you saying no one else could get me a better deal than you?”

  Alec paused before continuing. “I’m the last of a dying breed. I’m still hungry for making deals. Agents nowadays aren’t like that.”

  Maybe one still fit that category. Persistent. Kari had described herself that way.

  “I’ll shoot over some names of agents. I personally like Jack Johannsen. He’s been an agent here for fifteen years, but in the biz for twenty. He’s developed a rapport with owners all over. The great thing about him is that he’ll stay out of your business. You don’t need an agent who wants to appear on camera with you or anything like that. A strictly behind-the-scenes kind of guy.”

  “Quiet.”

  “But powerful.” Alec coughed again. “Let me know if you need anything, kid.”

  “Sure.” Thane disconnected the call and returned to the conference room only to find it empty.

  He snatched his jacket and personal items he’d left in the room. Thane stomped out to the parking lot where he found Gunnar and Gideon standing by Gunnar’s Hummer.

  “Everything okay?” Gideon hopped to the front of the vehicle.