Tired of having the same conversation, Damian stood. “I’m leaving tomorrow.”
His mother sucked in a breath. “I can’t believe you’re blatantly disobeying my wishes. You are walking on thin ice.”
And there it was. A veiled threat. That’s how his mother operated. He stood and crossed the room, grabbing his coat. “What are you going to do, Mother? Write me out of your will? Go ahead. I don’t need your money. I have plenty.”
The phone clicked and he clenched his teeth, shoving the phone into his pocket. His mother would not forgive him for digging up this skeleton. But he couldn’t pretend it wasn’t there, like his mother. He had a brother. He needed to go see him. And if he was in Pleasant Hollow, he could see Kat.
He shook his head. Pathetic. He packed his briefcase and headed out to the elevators. Tonight he’d call Amelia. Maybe she would get his mind off Kat.
***
Kat wiped down the table and restocked the napkins. With no other jobs in town, Harriet had taken pity on her and given her a job waitressing tables. The pay was next to nothing, so she was relying on tips to save her. So far, she wasn’t seeing much, though.
She picked up the pitcher of water and went to refresh the glasses of the couple sitting at table seven. “Do you need anything else?” she asked.
The woman smiled at her. “No, thank you.”
At least they were nice. The teenagers earlier had taunted her and made rude comments. She may or may not have added pepper to their Cokes. She didn’t feel bad. They left a lousy tip.
She finished cleaning the table in the corner and wiped her forehead. She’d been on her feet all day. She was ready to go home and veg in front of the television.
Harriet smacked her gum. “You doing okay, Kat?”
“I’m fine. It will all work out, I’m sure.” Lie. She was barely making ends meet with her newspaper salary. She was in deep trouble.
Harriet gave her a small smile. “I’m sure it will.”
Kat hung up her apron in the back room and grabbed her purse and coat. Maybe she’d soak in a bubble bath after watching a movie. That sounded divine.
Her phone buzzed as she slid into the driver’s seat. She pulled it out of her purse. Damian was calling Amelia. Nice. She almost didn’t answer, but she was curious as to what he wanted, so she slid her finger across the screen. “Hello?”
“Hi, it’s Damian.”
“Hey. What’s up?”
“Just wanted to talk. Are you free?”
“Yeah. I’m all done managing all those hedge funds for today.” She clamped her lips together. She was so dead. Why did she say that? He was going to figure her out any second. She put her car into gear and pulled out onto the street.
“I feel like I’m always talking about me, so I thought of some questions I wanted to ask you. Do you mind?”
“Go for it.”
“Okay.” Paper rustled in the background. “Question one. Are you more of an outdoors person or an indoors person?”
Kat sped through a yellow light. “Did you write these down?”
“I didn’t want to forget any.”
“That’s a little anal retentive, don’t you think?”
Damian made a scoffing noise. “Just answer the question.”
“Okay. I’d say I’m more of an outdoors person. I love hiking and nature. But I also love curling up with a good movie and a bowl of popcorn, so I wouldn’t say I’m always outdoors.”
“Fair enough.”
The sound of paper crinkling came through, and Kat laughed. “Are you writing down my answers?”
He paused. “No.”
“Oh my gosh, you so are. You’re a weirdo, you know that?”
Damian was silent for so long that Kat started to worry. “I was kidding,” she said.
“I know. I just thought you sounded like someone for a second. Never mind.”
Kat froze. Oh, dang. She’d forgotten she was supposed to be Amelia. She couldn’t do that again. She had to keep her voice low and act more like a million-dollar heiress would. She slowed as she came to her house, promising to pay more attention to what she said, and how she said it.
“Question two. If you could meet a famous person, who would you want to meet?”
“Stephen Hawking.” She was trying to think like a hedge fund manager who went to some fancy college, although she did think it would be interesting to meet him.
“Really? Why?”
“He’s done so much, and overcome so much. He has a brilliant mind.”
“Interesting. I love your answer. Okay. Number three.”
“You don’t have to number them. It’s making me feel like I’m taking a test or something.”
He chuckled. “Sorry. I’ll just ask the questions.”
“Thanks.” Kat entered her house. Her sister hadn’t been there for a few days, so it surprised her when Hilary walked in.
“Hey, Kat,” Hilary said.
Kat put her finger to her lips, and mouthed, “Damian.”
“Oh. Gotcha.” Hilary grinned at her. “You’re undercover,” she whispered.
Kat nodded while trying to listen to Damian’s next question. “What’s your dream vacation?” he said.
“Dream vacation? That’s tough. I rarely take them.”
“Ah, I knew we were compatible. I don’t believe in vacations either.”
“Wait, you don’t believe in them? They’re not a religion.” Kat rolled her eyes and pulled off her boots to stuff in the closet.
“No, but vacations waste valuable time.”
“Not when you spend them with the right person.” Kat mentally kicked herself. She needed to shut up and answer like Amelia would.
Damian seemed to be thinking about that because he didn’t answer right away. “Maybe you’re right.”
Kat refrained from exclaiming, “Ha!” She tried to think of what refined Amelia would say. “I often am.”
He laughed at that. “Okay, I’m curious about this next one. It’s important to me.”
“Really? What is it?”
“Do you have pets?”
“No.”
Damian let out a breath of relief. “Good.”
“What? You didn’t let me finish. I don’t have any pets right now, but I’ve always dreamed of having a puppy. You know, something cute for the kids to play with.”
Damian coughed. “You want kids?”
Kat plopped down on her bed. “Yes. I want kids. That’s definitely a deal-breaker for me.” Crud. She was slipping again. Kat wanted kids. But would Amelia want them? Too late now. Amelia wanted kids, whether it made sense or not.
“That’s good to know.”
Now, intensely curious, Kat had to ask. “What about you?”
Damian took a few seconds to answer. “I didn’t think I’d ever have them, so I guess I never thought much about it. If I did ever have a child I would want to be sure they knew they were loved.”
Kat’s heart warmed. He was a good man, even with his faults. “I’m glad.”
“Is the puppy a deal-breaker for you?”
She giggled. “I can’t believe you don’t like puppies. Who hates puppies?”
“I don’t hate them. I just dislike slobber on my shoes and scooping up poop.”
“You can train a dog not to chew on your shoes. And the poop…well, I’ll just say that sometimes the benefits outweigh the downsides.”
“That’s fair. I don’t love the idea of a pet, but I suppose it’s not a deal-breaker for me. If I found the right woman, and she came with a puppy, I’d find a way to make it work.”
Kat found herself smiling despite herself. “Was that the last question?”
“Oh, no. I have lots more.”
“How many?” Kat piled her pillows behind her to get comfortable.
“You don’t want to know.”
She laughed. “You can keep going. I have time.”
Chapter 21
Damian awoke on Friday in a good mood.
He’d talked to Amelia long into the night. He thought talking to Amelia would get Kat out of his head, but that hadn’t worked. It was funny, but Amelia was a lot like Kat, which made him want to see Kat even more. He should be upset about that, but he couldn’t muster up the needed energy. He just wanted to forget about the obstacles, and enjoy his trip to Pleasant Hollow.
He wanted to take Kat out and see what happened. Forget about the things making it impossible to have a relationship. He wanted to just spend time with her. Something was pulling him toward her, and even though it seemed impossible, he wanted to see where things could lead.
The flight seemed to stretch out forever. It was noon by the time he’d rented his car and driven into town. He couldn’t wait to see Kat, so he parked in front of the newspaper and walked inside.
A woman in her seventies sat behind the receptionist’s desk, a pair of orange glasses perched on the end of her nose. “May I help you?” she asked.
Damian blinked. “Where’s Kat?”
“Who?”
His collar suddenly felt too tight. “Katherine. She used to be the receptionist here.”
The woman shrugged. “Sorry, I’m new.”
Heat crept up his neck. Had Lydia fired Kat? His gaze traveled back to the closed office door. “I need to speak to Lydia.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. She doesn’t want any interruptions right now.”
“Too bad,” he said under his breath. He stalked around her desk. The woman sprang up out of her chair and followed after him. She was amazingly spry for her age.
“Sir, you can’t go back there.”
Damian ignored the woman, his footsteps sounding on the hard floor. Everyone looked up from their computers as he walked by. He burst into Lydia’s office. Lydia looked up with a startled expression.
“I’m sorry, Ma’am. He wouldn’t listen.”
Lydia held up a hand. “It’s okay, Marion. This is Mr. Warren. He owns the paper.”
“Oh.” Marion flattened a hand to her chest. “I’m sorry Mr. Warren.”
Damian was too upset to even care. He glared at Lydia. “You fired Kat?” He hadn’t meant to shout, but it ricocheted through her office like a bullet.
Lydia flinched. “Please close the door when you leave, Marion.”
Once the door was closed Lydia placed her hands on her desk. “I’m sorry Mr. Warren, I had to let her go.”
Damian clenched his jaw. “Why did you fire her?”
Lydia blanched. “She wasn’t a team player.”
“That’s nonsense and you know it.”
Lydia seemed to assess the situation. She straightened her spine. “I did not realize you had a vested interest in Katherine’s employment here.” She looked like she was choosing her words carefully. “If you want her hired back, I can see what I can do, although our budget would not allow me to keep Marion on as well.”
Great. If he insisted on Kat being hired back, he’d be responsible for a little old lady being fired. He sighed. Since when did he care about these things? He’d grown soft. “Don’t fire Marion.” He rubbed his temples. Maybe he could find a way to keep them both on. The newspaper could make more money if they had their own printing operation. “Give me some time to figure things out.”
Lydia nodded. “I can do that.”
“I’d like to meet my brother. I’ve cleared my calendar, and I want to spend some time with him.”
Lydia’s face flushed. “I’m not sure that’s a good idea.”
“Why not?” He was back to yelling, and he deliberately lowered his voice. “I have a right to know him.”
“Wes is special.”
“I know he has Down syndrome. That doesn’t mean he can’t understand the situation.”
“I was hoping—”
“I don’t care what you were hoping,” Damian interrupted. “I’m not leaving here until I’ve established a relationship with my brother.”
“Half-brother.”
Damian shot her a glare, and Lydia wilted. “Okay.”
“I’ll be spending the day with him tomorrow.”
Lydia sighed. “Okay,” she repeated.
He shoved his hands into his gloves. “Where’s Kat? Did she get another job?”
Lydia swallowed and shifted in her seat. “She’s waitressing at Dale’s.”
“Thanks.” He stepped out of her office and shut the door. He nodded to Fred as he passed by his desk.
“Good day,” he said to Marion.
He pushed the door and walked out into the cold. He walked down the block to Dale’s. As he approached the diner, he could see Kat through the windows. She wore an apron and was gathering up plates from a table. Her hair was pulled back into a bun. It looked good on her. His heart squeezed. He’d missed her more than he realized.
He entered and Kat’s gaze connected with his. She nodded curtly. “Damian.”
Suddenly he felt tongue-tied, like a kid facing his first crush. “Kat.”
She turned her back on him and went into the kitchen. He seated himself at a table in the corner. The place was mostly empty, there was only one man sitting by the window, and a woman sitting with a young child near the door.
Kat came back with a menu. She handed it to him. “Would you like some iced coffee?” she asked. She had that fake sweet smile on her face.
He hid a smile. Yep. There was that sass he loved. “No, thank you.” He opened the menu.
“How about some water?” Her voice was clipped.
She was mad, but he didn’t blame her. He was rude to her. He needed to apologize. “Can you take a break and join me?”
She gave him a flat look and slowly blinked. “No.”
Harriet appeared behind her. “Oh, honey, take a break. I’ll cover the tables for you.” She gave Kat a little push toward the seat.
Kat glared at Harriet, but the look was either lost on her, or she ignored it. Kat slid into the seat across from him. “Fine. What is it you want?”
“I want to apologize. I treated you badly, and that was wrong.”
She assessed him. “Yes. You did.”
“I’m sorry. Sometimes I get in the way of myself.” He made a face. This wasn’t coming out well. “I get something in my head and that’s all I see.”
Her eyebrows knit together. “What are you talking about?”
He leaned on the table. “I can have tunnel vision. I wanted to get the newspaper off the books, and that was all I had planned on. I didn’t expect to come here and find you.”
Surprise showed in her eyes, but she didn’t comment.
“I was rude to you, and I’m sorry. I want to make it up to you. I didn’t mean to get you fired.”
Kat tapped the table with her fingers. “Yeah, well I’m the one that went against her majesty’s wishes.”
“I dragged you into this whole thing and didn’t think about what might happen. It was my fault.”
Her gaze softened. “No, it’s not your fault. I’m the one who made the choice to go against Lydia.”
He studied her from across the table. The need to make things right between them grew. “Look. I’d like to take you to dinner. Maybe to someplace in New Haven? Are you free tonight?”
“Yes, she is,” Harriet called from behind the counter.
Damian chuckled. “I guess she’s forgiven me for thinking about closing down the newspaper.”
Kat made a face. “She and Hilary should team up. They’re both good at butting in where they don’t belong.”
“So how about it? Want to go to dinner with me?”
Kat looked down at the table, indecision playing across her face. “Okay,” she finally said, her voice so quiet he almost missed it.
“Where do you want to go?”
“I haven’t eaten at The Acorn yet.”
“Perfect. What kind of food do they serve?” He actually couldn’t care less. She’d said yes to going out with him. It felt like a victory.
“It’s a bar and grill. I’ve heard their h
amburgers are good.”
“What time should I pick you up?”
Kat sat back in her seat. “Ugh. You drive like a grandma.”
“And you drive like you have a death wish. I was in one terrible car accident if you remember. I don’t want a repeat.”
Her face drained of color. “I’m so sorry, Damian. I didn’t think.”
He waved it away. “Don’t worry about it. I’m mostly teasing you.”
“You can pick me up at six.”
“That works for me.”
Kat stood. “Okay, now what do you want me to bring you, or did you just come in to bother me?”
He grinned at her. “I’ll take a ham on rye.”
Chapter 22
Kat hurried into her house, tossing her keys in the bowl. She had less than forty-five minutes to make herself look presentable. As she stripped off her clothes Hilary poked her head around the corner. “What are you doing? You look like you’re in a relay race and have to get naked before the other team.”
“I’ve got to take a quick shower. I have a date.”
“For reals?” Hilary made a face. “With who? Elliot?”
Kat made a gagging noise. “No.” She slipped off her socks. “It’s with Damian.” She grabbed a sweater, new underwear, and her nice skinny jeans and ran into the bathroom.
“Damian?” Her sister’s voice came through the door. “I thought he left town. You’ve been all mopey.”
“He’s back.” She didn’t want to talk about it. Didn’t want to think about it. Because she knew he wasn’t back to stay. Why she said yes to go out with him was beyond her. Stupid, really. But her body betrayed her and said yes when her mind wanted her to run away.
She turned on the shower and waited for the water to heat up. If her sister said anything else, the noise of the water drowned her out. After her shower she dressed and turned on her hairdryer, attacking her head with her brush. Ten minutes later it didn’t look half-bad.
The doorbell rang and Kat rushed to get the door, but when she entered the living room Hilary had already opened it. Damian walked in and Kat tried not to suck in a breath. How could it be that every time she saw him, he grew even more handsome? He just wore jeans and a button-up shirt, but the way it hugged him, he could have walked off a movie screen. She tried to form a complete sentence. “Hey, Damian.” She gave herself props for not drooling.
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