Ties That Bind

by Heather Huffman

  “Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to Gavin Nichols. Turns out he had a show here yesterday so he’s here even sooner than we expected,” Jack couldn’t keep the pleasure out of his voice. Kate rose mechanically to join the others in shaking Gavin’s hand. Jack was motioning to each of them. “Gavin, this is Jessica Reid, Liz Bellinger and Kate Yager.”

  “Oh Katie and I go way back,” Gavin’s eyes sparkled with mischief and his lips seemed to twitch ever so slightly as he took her hand in his. She resisted the urge to yank it back at the electric current his touch created. “How have you been? It feels like ages since we last met.”

  “Peachy,” Kate practically glowered at him. “And yourself?”

  “Peachy,” at that he did chuckle. “You left a little abruptly at our last meeting…. I hope everything is okay.”

  “Just fine, thanks,” she ground through her teeth.

  “Looks like everyone else is ready for the meeting,” Liz came to her rescue. She might not know what was going on, but she could sense Kate’s need to be rescued.

  “Just let me grab my notebook,” Kate motioned for the others to go on without her. Gavin looked ready to hang back but Jack was ushering him towards the conference room.

  Jessica’s wide eyes demanded an explanation to which Kate simply shrugged helplessly. “It’s him,” she mouthed. A giggle escaped Liz and her hand flew to her mouth. Confusion clouded Jack’s eyes but Gavin’s lips were twitching again. Kate made a mental note to ask him if he had a nervous tic or something.

  Kate wasn’t sure if it was fate or Gavin’s maneuvering, but she found herself squeezed in next to him at the meeting.

  “You could have told me who you are,” she whispered fiercely as she sat down.

  “That seemed less fun somehow,” he shrugged with another smile.

  “Weren’t you supposed to be here next week?”

  “Because I had the show this week… but I woke up this morning with the sudden urge to report to work early.”

  “Stop grinning like the village idiot,” she snapped, wishing she hadn’t been so quick to tell a stranger where she worked.

  “Ouch, that was harsh,” he winced a little but his smile didn’t diminish.

  “Sorry,” she apologized out of habit before turning her attention to Jack. He began the meeting the moment everyone was in their seat and quickly dove into the status of the upcoming launch. He seemed pleasantly surprised that Kate had booked a venue for the next two events and she flushed with an odd pleasure at having made him happy with her.

  The interchange wasn’t lost on Gavin. But then, Kate thought ruefully, nothing seems to be lost on him today. It was hard for Kate to concentrate with him so close, too. He might be infuriating, but he still smelled the same as he did last night. The same heat rolled off him, its long fingers licking at her skin. She struggled to make sense of the words people were saying but they all came across as incoherent as Charlie Brown’s teacher. She just hoped no one turned their attention to her any time soon.

  Her wish was granted and she was eventually free to seek fresh air. She was making a bee line for the door when she was intercepted by Tara.

  “Kate, I’m so glad I caught you,” Tara smiled warmly as she reached for Kate’s hands. Kate wanted to pull away, but allowed herself to be held hostage. She smiled patiently and waited for Tara’s next words. “I got a call from the caterer and they wondered if I could swing by with my new wedding planner. They have some shrimp concoction they want us to try.

  “Oh I don’t know; I really want to get a start on the launch party….” Kate hesitated.

  “Nonsense, we can talk about the wedding on the way. You need a break from this place.”

  While Kate wanted to argue that she barely got to spend any time in this place, the thought occurred to her that it would get her away from Gavin.

  “I’ll go get my purse.”

  “Great!”

  Kate grabbed her purse and waved a quick goodbye to Liz and Jessica.

  “Oh don’t do this to me,” Liz protested.

  “Lunch?” Jessica called out hopefully as Kate scurried off.

  “Yes, let’s all do lunch,” Gavin called gleefully behind her. “Don’t worry though; I’ll pass the time catching these two up on everything.”

  Dang it. She hadn’t thought about that. Surely he wouldn’t. Right? She spent the first part of the drive worrying about what Gavin would say. Kate had exactly two friends in this world at this point and she wasn’t thrilled at the prospect of losing them.

  The more Tara chatted excitedly about the wedding, the more Kate’s thoughts shifted to how much she didn’t like her soon-to-be step mom. She didn’t feel like trying to sort out whether that was a fair assessment or not. The fact that the woman was her age–or in her age group at least–and getting ready to marry Kate’s dad was enough.

  Kate just found him, she wasn’t ready to share. She was just now coming to accept that he was her father. She wondered off-handedly what Tara would think if she knew who Kate really was. Would it shatter Tara’s fairy tale? Probably. That realization made Kate feel a little dirty. She didn’t want to be the person to ruin someone else’s happily-ever-after.

  Kate made the decision right then to keep her mouth shut until after the wedding. Better yet, until after the honeymoon. Besides, how could she be sure Jack was her father? Maybe the fact that he was a moss-green eyed boy from her mother’s past who’d haunted her for more than 30 years was just a coincidence. Sure, that had to be it.

  “You okay today?” The pretty blonde eyed Kate for a minute after they’d parked the car.

  “Yeah. Just a little tired.” Well, it was sort of true anyway.

  “Are you ready for this?” Tara’s eyes lit up. “These caterers are amazing!”

  “Lead the way,” Kate climbed out of the little blue BMW and stretched.

  It didn’t take her long to agree with Tara’s assessment. These caterers were amazing. With the wedding menu settled, Tara offered to spend the rest of the morning introducing Kate to some of her favorite caterers. Tara had impeccable taste. Kate found herself not hating her quite so much as the morning wore on. What would have taken days on her own was accomplished in hours, and Kate felt her spirits lifting. In fact, her heart felt almost light as they made their way back to the office.

  She was in such a good mood, she promised herself not to allow Gavin to get the better of her. He would not determine the tenor of her story. Eventually his effect would wear off and they could become friends. She just had to outlast her hormones. It could be done. She wasn’t a teenager, after all.

  He was lounging in her chair, chatting easily with Liz and Jessica when Kate walked back into her office. His feet were propped on her desk. Kate glowered. Something about those feet propped on her spotless, orderly desk caused little red dots to dance in front of her vision. She knocked them to the side with a disdainful look.

  “Your foot rest is over there,” she pointed to his already-messy desk. “This is where I do something called work.”

  Liz and Jessica exchanged meaningful looks and Gavin just chuckled.

  “Where are we going for lunch?” he reminded her.

  “I’m not hungry,” she deleted an email with more force than necessary.

  “Nonsense, we have to take Gavin to lunch on his first day,” Jack declared as he entered the office at precisely the wrong time.

  “Silly me, what was I thinking?” Kate smiled prettily at Jack, clamping down firmly on her annoyance.

  “Who wants vegetarian?” Jessica offered brightly.

  “Not me – is there anywhere to get a burger in this town?” Gavin’s stomach growled as if to emphasize his point. Kate thought wistfully about the good old days – back before she turned thirty and her metabolism shut down – when she could eat things like burgers. At that moment, she could have easily hated Gavin for his lanky form that seemed untouched by the fact that he still got to eat things like bacon cheeseburgers
. Wherever they went, she knew she’d be ordering a salad. Oh, she’d tried to fight it, to ignore the fact that her diet needed to change. At first anyway. Then she’d packed on twenty pounds that had been excruciating to take back off. So now she ordered salads and dreamed of burgers. When had she become that girl?

  She was careful to sit across from Gavin. It made it harder to ignore his eyes never leaving her, but easier to ignore his scent and the jitters caused by his close proximity.

  “So the question is,” Jack began around a mouthful of bacon cheeseburger. “What angle are we taking with this first issue?”

  “What about working the launch party in?” Liz suggested.

  “The launch party that won’t be happening until after the magazine is written?” Jack teased.

  “What about the preparation process, though?” Liz persisted.

  “Yeah, we could write about Kate tasting the flavor of the town to plan the party,” Jessica added excitedly.

  “Oh I don’t know…,” Kate didn’t like the direction things were heading.

  “No, I like this,” Jack chewed thoughtfully.

  “You know, I think it’s great. I can follow her around to get the photos,” Gavin offered helpfully. “I’ll never leave her side.”

  “I don’t think that’s…,” Kate’s protest was cut off.

  “I really like it. We could carry this through several issues – San Francisco firsts and all that.”

  “Don’t you think people would get tired of seeing my face?” Kate suggested miserably.

  “I don’t think that’s possible,” Gavin responded quietly.

  “Well, I think it’s settled, then,” Jack added happily.

  “This should be good,” Liz couldn’t help the glimmer that had come to her eye.

  “Just great,” Kate agreed miserably.

  Chapter Four

  The nights were always the worst; they stretched achingly before her. No amount of organization could make them move any faster. Never one to waste time on television, Kate tried to watch an old movie but lost patience with it halfway through.

  She wound up sorting through the menus she’d gotten from the caterer over her own meal of Chinese takeout, consoling herself with the knowledge that Jack would be pleased with her progress. She took the batteries out of the clock on the wall – its incessant ticking was slowly driving her crazy. That helped. A little.

  And then blessedly, it was morning. She’d been in too sour a mood the day before to give the purple pumps a proper inaugural run. Today, she determined, would be different. She donned her new charcoal slacks, violet silk cami and the matching deep gray fitted jacket with piping. Almost reverently, she slid the heels on, taking a moment to admire them before heading out the door.

  Her contentment at being in her cozy little office surrounded by a steady hum of activity dissipated briefly when Gavin ambled in. He greeted her with a wink. She greeted him with a stiff nod.

  “You know, you could stand to loosen up,” Gavin cocked his head to the side and sized Kate up.

  “You could stand to tighten up,” she retorted.

  “How so?” His eyes widened innocently.

  “Your hair looks like you just rolled out of bed,” Kate blurted out the first thing she could think of.

  “Yours looks like it should be covered by a habit,” he countered. Her hand flew instinctively to her neat ponytail before she could stop herself.

  “I haven’t had much time to do anything with it lately,” she offered feebly.

  “Me either. Completely swamped.”

  “You know, you’ve gotten a lot done for the launch party,” Liz began innocently. Kate froze, her eyes locked with Jessica’s in a silent plea for help. Jessica’s head dipped to hide a grin. “You two could totally take some time this morning and go together to get haircuts.”

  “That’s not funny,” Kate shook her head. “In fact, it’s absurd.”

  “I’ll do it if you will,” Gavin challenged defiantly.

  “Really, Gavin, this isn’t third grade.”

  “You know, I think she gets kind of mean when she’s cornered,” he whispered noisily to Liz and Jessica.

  “He’ll just keep teasing you until you do it,” Jessica told her.

  Kate hesitated. Jessica did have a point. And hadn’t Kate debated a haircut just two days ago? Why make this more painful than it had to be? “Fine,” she finally caved in. “We’ll go after the morning meeting.”

  “So do I get to choose your hairstyle?” Gavin could barely contain his anticipation.

  “Do I get to choose yours?” Kate arched an eyebrow and waited for a response.

  “Sure,” he leaned back abruptly. “Why not?”

  “Alrighty then. Why not?” Dang. She hadn’t counted on that.

  For the second day in a row, she had a hard time concentrating during the morning meeting. She had been right; Jack was pleased with her progress on the launch party. It was already taking shape and there was no excuse to not begin her San Francisco excursions with Gavin.

  After the meeting she drug her feet through checking messages and returning emails, only to have Jessica remind her that she could always do that later. With one last look at the traitors who were barely suppressing their giggles, she followed Gavin out of their office. Defeated, her shoulders slumped as she trudged out the door, every bit the lamb being led to slaughter.

  “So, what exactly do you have in mind?” She was almost afraid to ask.

  “Haven’t decided yet.”

  “Would you tell me if you had?”

  “Nope.”

  “Figures,” Kate sighed heavily. Come to think of it, what would she do to Gavin? She toyed briefly with the idea of having them give him a mullet, but quickly tossed the idea aside for two reasons. Retaliation was one, and more importantly, she couldn’t bear to ruin her own view like that. Not that she was about to admit that second reason to anyone.

  The idea of retaliation made her realize that there was a certain amount of strategy to be employed here. If she let him off the hook too soon, then he might not be encumbered by anything as noble as fair play. He might be free to give her hot-pink spikes. Well, spikes at least. She hadn’t agreed to have her hair colored.

  “Careful,” he cautioned, humor tinting his voice. Kate was dismayed to realize that she had been so intently debating her strategy she had nearly smacked into the glass door he was now opening for her.

  “Thanks,” she nearly winced at the harshness of her own voice. Since when had she become such a shrew? He didn’t seem to notice, he was busy sweet-talking the receptionist, trying to garner them an appointment. Kate held her breath, hopeful that he wouldn’t succeed. When he sauntered back towards her, his smile was much too triumphant for her liking.

  “They can get us in at six o’clock,” he proudly informed her.

  “That’s almost eight hours from now,” she looked at him as if he were insane.

  “It usually takes weeks to get in,” he grabbed her hand lightly and tugged her out the door. “Besides, this is perfect. I have a few ideas for how to spend the day.”

  “Is that so?” She narrowed her eyes, unsure if she trusted his ideas.

  “Come on, you’re going to love it.”

  “Somehow I doubt that.”

  “Spoil sport.”

  “Flip nut.”

  “What?” He paused, unsure if he’d heard her correctly.

  “Flip nut?” She repeated.

  “I’m telling myself that’s an American term of endearment.”

  “That’s exactly what it is,” she patted his shoulder patronizingly.

  “We’re here,” he stopped abruptly as the road ended.

  “Why are we at the pier?” She eyed him nervously.

  “Well, I know we were supposed to start with things having to do with the launch party, but you’ve come so far on that already. It wouldn’t hurt to get started on the next issue…”

  “What are you talking a
bout?”

  “Okay, okay, you caught me. This just looks fun.”

  “What looks fun?”

  “Kayaking,” he dazzled her with his smile. “Come on. But you have to promise not to tip; I have my camera with me.”

  “No way.” Kate dug her heels in and shook her head firmly. “Absolutely not.”

  “Are you scared?”

  “This isn’t third grade,” she reminded him for a second time that morning.

  “Seriously, I understand if this kind of thing is just way too spontaneous for you. I get it.”

  “What do you get?”

  “You don’t brush your teeth without scheduling it on your Blackberry, do you? What about showers?”

  “I am perfectly capable of tending to personal hygiene without the assistance of my handheld.”

  “So, where’s the line?”

  “What line?”

  “We’ve established you can be spontaneously hygienic… but you won’t get on a boat without proper notice…even if it’s part of your job. I’m just wondering where the line is.”

  “This isn’t for work.”

  “Sure it is,” he’d moved even closer to Kate; his nearness was driving her to distraction.

  “No it’s not. It’s for your own sadistic enjoyment. Nice try,” Kate could feel her face heating up.

  “You’re right; should we call Jack and ask his opinion?” The look he gave her was pure innocence. The one she bathed him with was something else entirely – more like loathing. She toyed with the mental image of using one of her heels as a weapon.

  “That’s fighting dirty,” she muttered.

  “True,” he agreed, pulling his phone out of his pocket.

  “Really dirty,” she folded her arms across her chest.

  “Yep.” He began to dial the phone.

  “Fine,” she heaved a sigh and stalked passed him. “Let’s get this over with.”

  “Daddy’s little girl,” he triumphantly pocketed his phone.