Head Over Heels

by Crystal B. Bright

  Deep down, Kari knew what he’d said held some genuineness. He’d damn near begged her to call the police on him for actions he hadn’t remember doing. He opened doors for her. He pulled out chairs for her. When she stood, he jumped up to his feet. All those gentlemanly traits seemed perfect, but Kari had been fooled in the past by men who promised her the world and treated her like a queen until they got what they wanted.

  Kari took a deep breath. “I’m sorry for falling asleep here. I didn’t mean for you to take care of me. I should have gone home sooner.”

  Thane dropped his gaze to the floor and shook his head. “I can’t catch a break, can I?”

  She gripped her purse strap and attempted to regain her professional countenance. “I’d still like to represent your interests.”

  He snickered. “Of course. You have standards. I’m a young baseball player you want to do business with. That’s a cocktail for disaster for anything else, right?”

  Kari didn’t respond. She didn’t know what she could say to salvage the moment.

  “Did you ever think that you’re not the only one who might be afraid of all this?” He moved in close to her only to grip the doorknob and open the door for her. “Good day, Ms. Meyers.” Thane wouldn’t look her. “If you’ll excuse me, I have a lot to take care of before I leave for Florida.”

  Damn. She’d lost him. Frank would be pissed. She saw her chances at getting made a full agent going right out the door with her.

  Kari walked by him into the main hotel hallway. The slam of Thane’s door behind her expressed his anger. What could she have done in that moment? Slept with him? Kari wouldn’t have been able to look herself in a mirror, let alone be a role model to her son.

  After this gigantic stumble, she would have to do some serious regrouping if she hoped to still get his business. She couldn’t give up, not when she had gotten so close to getting her man.

  * * * *

  Thane hung his head under the streaming water in the shower as he allowed the last few minutes to roll around in his head. He’d been determined not to get close to Kari. She’d wowed him when she’d spouted his stats. He never thought he would meet a woman he’d have so much in common with so quickly.

  It didn’t help that she smelled so good and looked even better. Had dear Queen Elizabeth been alive, she would have popped him on the back of his head had she caught him looking at her luscious backside. Even in her somewhat conservative pantsuit, he’d seen the hellcat lurking underneath.

  When she kissed his cheek and he felt her body brushing against his, his will had shattered. He hadn’t had a full connection like that in months. The bond went beyond the sexual chemistry. He’d enjoyed talking to her, until she’d accused him of being a player.

  Thane had heard the stories about himself before. Then he hadn’t minded being known as a lover boy. Hearing it from Kari snapped him into reality. He didn’t want to be that guy. Right now he didn’t have time to do any damage control. Thane had to get back to what he knew.

  After his shower, he dried himself off and secured a towel around his waist. He’d learned his lesson from the last time he paraded around naked. Before he did anything, he called his coach.

  “Hey, man.” Jermaine spoke in a low and slow tone as though he had to talk Thane off a ledge.

  To bring his head coach back around to business, Thane made sure to talk like he wanted to come back to work. “Hey, Jay. I’m going to tie up some loose ends here. I should be back down for training by this weekend.” He glanced at his watch.

  Thane would need to go back to Sharp to pack up some personal items he wanted to keep, then he would arrange for his flight back to work.

  “Are you sure you’re ready to come back? If you need more time to—”

  “No, I’m ready.” Thane paced. “Didn’t mean to interrupt you. I’m ready to get my mind on something else.”

  “Yeah, I can understand. We want you back.”

  That same strange tickle crept up the back of Thane’s neck. “But?”

  Jermaine sighed. “We want to make sure you’re ready. You’re dealing with a lot right now. First your mom, and now switching agents.”

  Damn, did everyone know Thane’s business? “Work will get me back into the game, pun intended.”

  “Cool. Besides your mom, we know about your other issues.”

  Thane rubbed his hand over his stomach. So far, he hadn’t felt any pains yet. The day had only begun.

  Jermaine continued. “If you’re not ready, we have Witt waiting in the wings.”

  Thane gritted his teeth. He knew about the young player groomed to take over the pitching spot when Thane couldn’t perform. This wouldn’t be Witt’s moment. Thane had to get back. If he didn’t, he could spend his upcoming season riding the bench.

  “I’m fine. I’m ready. See you this weekend.” Thane disconnected the call.

  He would have to figure out what to do with Sharp. He needed an ally. The best person for that would be Gideon. Always the peacemaker, he would be able to sway Gunnar to see things his way.

  Now dressed, Thane left his room and drove to Sharp. On the way, he called Gideon.

  After the third ring, his brother answered. “What? Did you oversleep again?”

  Thane felt a knot bunching between his shoulders. “What are you talking about this time?”

  “Christ, really? Yesterday, before you left the attorney’s office, you said you were going to come over to Mom’s for dinner with us. We didn’t hear from you at all.”

  Thane pulled into the Sharp parking lot and parked his rental. “No, I said maybe. Something else came up.”

  “Really?” Doubt filled Gideon’s voice. “Was it another woman, or were you on a bender?”

  “I went to Sharp and came across some pictures and stuff.” Thane covered his eyes with his hand. “It was a lot, you know.”

  A pause lingered before Gideon spoke. “Where are you now?”

  “Here at Sharp. I’m going to pack up some stuff.” Thane stopped before admitting what he had planned. He still needed Gideon to be on his side.

  “You’re close enough to my house. Why don’t you come by for lunch? I should be done with physical therapy by then.” Gideon’s voice lightened. He started to sound like the protective older brother Thane remembered.

  “I don’t want you to rush on my account. How about dinner?” Thane suspected that after the events of that morning, he wouldn’t be seeing Kari again. “I promise I have nothing else on my agenda. I really need to talk to you.”

  “Seven sharp. If you’re late or don’t call, I’ll come find you and beat your ass.” Gideon completed the threat with a chuckle.

  “Duly noted. See you later.” Thane disconnected the call.

  His mind immediately went to Kari and what she must be thinking now. Did she really believe he had bedded countless women? Hell, even his brothers believed it.

  Brothers. It had been a while since Thane had truly thought of them that way, especially Gunnar. He would keep that secret buried deep, at least until he could get out from under his familial obligations, the business, and the house he had yet to see.

  Thane entered the boutique again and locked the door behind him without glancing around. Despite his brothers’ wishes, he wouldn’t be reopening the place.

  He stepped into the office, and found an empty box in the corner. Had he truly been prepared, he would have brought one with him. He knew his plan.

  He slammed the box on the desk, which blew some stray papers around and onto the floor. Until then, he hadn’t noticed the flashing red light on an answering machine next to the desk phone. He had to laugh at his mother’s reliance on an old-fashioned machine. Thank goodness she had. He wouldn’t have known her voicemail password.

  Thane hovered his finger over the play button and stopped. If he listened to the message, he would be investing time and energy into the business, more than he’d planned. What if he
could hear his mother’s voice again? Queen used to call herself all the time to leave herself reminders.

  Curiosity got the better of him and he punched the silver button.

  “Three new messages,” the female computerized voice said in a monotone fashion.

  “Queen, make sure you order those silk fabrics for the dance season.”

  Thane smiled as soon as he heard his mother’s voice. He took a seat as he absorbed each word. She sounded so strong, so healthy. He wanted to remember her that way always.

  Elizabeth continued her message. “Call the boys to get them over for Christmas.”

  The smile slipped down Thane’s face. He had no idea his mother even came to the business during the holiday season after she closed it for the year. His heart stopped when he realized how wrong he’d been to avoid his mother, especially during the holidays. Actually, he hadn’t been dodging seeing her. He hadn’t wanted to chance confronting his brothers. He’d done a great job of steering clear of them. By doing that, he also missed a lot of time with Queen.

  He balled his hand into a fist and pounded it on the desk. So many mistakes.

  “Message two.”

  Thane directed his attention to the small, rectangular machine.

  “Hey, Ma.”

  The sound of Gunnar’s voice bristled Thane. He scooted the black box closer to him to find a way to skip the recording.

  “Got your message about coming home for the holidays. I’m not sure if I can get away. I’m in training for a fight coming up in January. Hopefully Gid and Thane will be there. I talked to Gideon. Still can’t get in touch with Thane. Think he’s avoiding me.” Gunnar sounded a bit down at the tail end of his message.

  Thane leaned back in the chair. Maybe he needed to let the past go. If it didn’t hurt as much as it did, he would have.

  “Final message.”

  Good. Thane didn’t know how much more of his past mistakes he could take in one sitting.

  “Hi, Queen. It’s Arlene Sortoberg calling about the girls. I’ll be there around the first or second week of March with the girls to try on dresses. I appreciate that you do this for the Rosa Parks Middle School students each year. You don’t know how much it makes their day.” The woman’s bubbly voice echoed in the small office.

  Thane pulled out his phone and glanced at the date. With it being the middle of the second week in March, maybe this woman had forgotten.

  As though he’d cued it, a knock sounded at the door. He thought about avoiding the person on the other side. He could sit still in the office and act like he hadn’t heard it. He made the mistake of peeking through the doorway from his seated position to view the front door. A corner of a newspaper that hung in the window remained pulled down, allowing the person at the door to look through and spot him.

  “Oh, hello!” A plump woman beamed as soon as she made eye contact with him. She waved at him and pointed to the door.

  “Great.” He lumbered to his feet and made a slow trek to her.

  He unlocked the door but blocked her entry.

  “Oh, my. Aren’t you a—” She fanned her face. “I don’t remember you here at Sharp.”

  With the chill of the spring air down at the Oceanfront, no way could she be hot. He shivered thinking that he could have elevated her temperature.

  In her purple top and matching pants and purple suede boots, she looked like a grape. It didn’t help that she’d topped her look with a green hat. Her light brown skin tone almost matched his mother’s, but she looked a bit ashen. The piles of makeup she used to cover a multitude of sins didn’t help her cause.

  Her eyes widened and she pointed at him. “I know you.”

  Thane had expected her to talk about his baseball career.

  “You’re Queen’s boy, the one who helped her around here. I haven’t seen you here in years.” She opened her arms and pulled him in for an unexpected hug.

  The large woman caused Thane to stumble backward into the store.

  “Thane Wells. I’m Elizabeth’s son.” He pried himself out of her grasp.

  “Arlene Sortoberg. I’m a counselor at Rosa Parks Middle. You and your mother have done great things for the girls at the school.” She smiled and patted him on his shoulder. “Where is Queen? I was hoping to see her.”

  Thane felt like a waterfall of ice water had dropped on him. He had assumed everyone who knew his mother knew about her passing. “My mother passed away about a week ago. Her funeral was earlier this week.”

  Arlene covered her mouth with her chubby fingers. “Oh, no. I had no idea.” She fanned her face again, but for a different reason.

  “Let me get you a chair.” Thane darted to a dressing room and pulled out a wooden chair. He placed it next to Arlene and helped her take a seat.

  “Thank you.” She shook her head. “It sounds silly, but I never thought Queen would ever die.” She pulled out a couple of tissues from her large red purse. “When kids come to me when they experience death in their families, I tell them how death is a part of life. I need to give myself that pep talk.” She dabbed under her eyes, careful not to remove any of her caked-on makeup. Then she peered up at Thane. “It’s great that you’re continuing your mother’s work.”

  He sighed. “That’s the thing, Ms. Sortoberg. I’m—”

  Arlene cut off his speech. “Your mother did such great things. She was so generous and giving.” She dove into her purse again.

  “Yes, she was. I know you getting these dresses is important to you.”

  “And the girls.”

  Thane nodded. “Yes, but—”

  “I need to give you this.” Arlene pulled an envelope from her purse and held it up to Thane.

  He didn’t want to take it until he looked at the outside and recognized his mother’s handwriting. He didn’t mean to, but he snatched it from Arlene’s hand.

  “I got that in the mail earlier this year from Queen with a note saying not open it, but to bring it with me when I came to get the dresses. She said to give it to whoever was here if she wasn’t.”

  Thane tore into the envelope and read the letter.

  If you’re reading this, that means I’m no longer here. I’m either enjoying myself at my beach house or I’m at that big beach house in the sky.

  He smiled at the reference.

  Whoever is here when Arlene comes in, be sure to help her and those girls. They don’t have a lot. These dresses give them some self-worth. Stand up straight. Always say please and thank you. I love you.

  Thane stared at Arlene. “You got this earlier this year?”

  She nodded. “It was in my Christmas card, but I didn’t open it until January. I spent my two weeks’ vacation from school visiting my oldest boy in Michigan.”

  Elizabeth must have known about her failing health before she went into the hospital the first time. The fact that this woman had kept the letter in her purse all this while amazed him. It could have been a check for a million dollars. It wouldn’t be out of his mother’s character to do something like that. He crumpled the letter and ran his free hand over his head.

  “So I’ll be back here on Friday with about twelve girls, okay?” Arlene nodded.

  “Great.”

  Chapter 11

  Kari hadn’t stopped thinking about the kiss since it happened that morning. She wanted to push it and Thane’s disappointed expression out of her mind, chalk it all up to bad decisions. Now she had to think about her next step. She couldn’t go back to work with her tail tucked between her legs. She’d promised Frank she could sign Thane to their agency. If she didn’t, she could kiss her chances of a promotion good-bye.

  She would have to avoid catching up with her boss and Chelsi on her progress. She had other priorities.

  As Kari sat in her hotel room, she picked up her phone and called Reagan.

  “Hey, boss.” Reagan’s voice sounded light.

  Must be a good day at home.

&nbs
p; “Hey. How’s my little man?” Kari crossed her legs.

  “Excellent and exceptional, of course. How are you doing? How’s the headhunting going?”

  “Okay.” She peered up and caught her reflection in a mirror over the dresser. She wondered if her lips looked different than before. Had the kiss made them swell?

  She touched them, brushing her fingertips over the thin skin. It brought her back to memories of the man who had possessed them without apology. Her skin tingled like it had only a few hours ago. Kari ran her hand up her arm and averted her gaze from the mirror.

  “Hey, I was thinking maybe you two can pack a bag and come on down to Virginia Beach to hang with me for a week.” Kari twirled her hair around her finger, a habit she thought she’d long outgrown.

  “Whoa. Really?” A pause lingered before Reagan spoke. “What happened with the pitcher? Did he sign already?”

  Kari kicked around the idea of lying to her friend, but she could barely look at her reflection now. She couldn’t imagine avoiding Reagan’s stare. “Let’s just say that I want to enjoy a week with my family and friends before I get fired.”

  “Holy crap. That bad? Are you sure? Maybe it’s—”

  “Michael’s out of school on Friday, right?” Kari stood from the bed and strolled over to the desk in her room where she had her tablet. She kept a constant vigil over all gossip sites to see if any of them reported information about Thane.

  “Yes, half a day tomorrow and off on Friday and all next week for spring break.”

  Kari smiled. She couldn’t wait to see her baby again. He would give her balance. “Good. Drive down here on Thursday after he gets out of—”

  “Hey, stop on third. Don’t slide on home. You know me and driving long distances. Not a good thing.”

  Kari imagined Reagan shaking her head and tightening her already thin lips.

  “Okay, fine. I’ll pay for a one-way flight down to Virginia Beach. I’ll pick you two up at the Norfolk Airport and bring you over to my hotel. Will that work for you?” She moved off the tabloid site to make travel arrangements for Reagan and Michael.

  “First class?”