by Tina Martin
Chapter 21
Kurt arrived home early in the morning which was fine since he didn’t have to go back to work until Monday. Still, after waking up around eleven and having lunch, he went to The Champion Corporation to meet with Dante. He was sure Dante had questions for him and he wanted to clear everything up without having to worry about it over the weekend.
Phyllis, the receptionist in the lobby, smiled at him and said, “Hey, I thought you weren’t going to be back until Monday.”
“That was the plan, but I came in to talk to Dante. Is he free?”
“It looks like he’s on the phone at the moment but you can go on up. I’ll ping him and let him know you’re on your way.”
When Kurt got off of the elevator, he slid his hands into his pockets not sure of what he would say. Before he could ponder any further on it, Dante waved him inside.
“Kurt, how are you, man? You’re not bruised and battered are you?” he joked. “Desmond told me the meeting wasn’t any better than the last. Said Barringer Blackstone wasn’t down to play ball.”
“If you ask me, that was to be expected. Listen…before we get too deep into that, I need to bring something to your attention. I don’t know if Desmond has mentioned anything to you already or—”
“About what? All Desmond talked about was the meeting.”
“Well, I’m in a relationship with Candice Blackstone.”
Dante’s brows went up. “You are?”
“Yes, and full disclosure, she’s Candice Hempstead now.”
“She’s your wife?”
“Yes.”
Dante got up from his desk and walked over to slap hands with Kurt. “You sneaky dog. Congratulations, man.”
“Thanks,” Kurt said, baffled. He thought the news would have Dante in a different mood than the joyful one he was currently displaying.
“How long have you been married?”
“A month. We dated for five months and decided to make it official.”
“You must be on some real top-secret stuff because I didn’t know anything about it.”
“That’s the way we wanted it. We didn’t want anyone from either side telling us what we should and shouldn’t do so she kept it quiet and so did I.”
“Until now, that is.”
“Yeah, until now.”
“Why’d you choose to break your silence?” Dante inquired.
“I told Desmond. I figured it would only be right to let you know what was going on. That way, everything’s out in the open. And I also wanted to let you know that I’ve always told Candice I would keep our business life separate from our personal life.”
“That’s easier said than done. How’s that working out?”
Kurt shook his head remembering his last conversation with Candice. He was too upset to look at her when he walked away, something he regretted now.
“Not so good. It was working at first, and then she told her brothers about us and they disapproved—well, I think I’m working on gaining the oldest one’s trust at least. The others, I’m not so sure about just yet. Then she told her parents and I know for a fact she’s not getting any support from her father.”
“So you brought her back here with you?”
“No. She’s still there.”
Dante frowned. “Still where?”
“In Wilmington.”
“Then why are you here?”
“My home is here. My job is here.”
“But your wife isn’t here. All the other stuff doesn’t matter. You need your wife here to make the home and the job mean something. Right?”
“Of course, man, but it’s not that easy.”
Dante grinned. “It’s never easy when it’s the right one. Trust me. I know. I had to pretend to be some dude online to get to know Emily because she didn’t like me. Don’t know what it was—but in the beginning, she just didn’t like me. I used to go by her shop and buy stuff just for the heck of it—just to have an opportunity to see her. I did what I had to do to get the girl I wanted to get. And now I got her, and she’s mine. What you need to do is go get your woman. If her family is giving her a hard time, who better for her to lean on than you?”
“You don’t have an issue with me and Candice being together?”
“No. Not at all. Why would I have an issue with that?”
“Come on, Dante…there’s clearly a conflict of interest here. That’s why I kept my relationship with her hidden for so long.”
“The only conflict I see is this disagreement going on between you and your wife. And, let me give you some advice, man. It’s only going to get worse if you let it fester. Go handle your business. Desmond will be just fine a few days without you. Family is more important.”
“You’re right. Thanks, man.”
“Oh, and Kurt.”
“Yep.”
“The job is yours for as long as you want it. It’ll be here when you get back.”
Kurt nodded. “Hey, why did you want to buy Blackstone, anyway? I thought you were more interested in bringing them on as a subsidiary.”
“I only wanted something to happen and quickly. Since now I know where they stand, I can close the door on that and move to other options for the company.”
“I see.”
“Now, you go handle your business.”
“Yep.”
Kurt left the meeting with the assurance that his job, his livelihood, would be intact when he smoothed things over with Candice. That’s if he was able to do so. If the way they left each other that night in the parking lot of the restaurant was any indicator, he was in trouble. And it was his fault. But how else is a man supposed to react when he saw his wife having dinner with her ex-boyfriend?
He went home, repacked and called Candice as he began the drive back to Wilmington. It was a long, boring drive, but it would give him some time to process their relationship. He shouldn’t have left in the first place. He realized that now. Exhausted and all, he realized that.
He dialed Candice’s number and when it went to voicemail after the fifth ring, he left a message:
Hey, Candice. It’s me. We need to talk. I want to talk to you in person but I just have to say I’m sorry how I left things between us. I take full responsibility for that. I’m on the way back right now. I’ll see you soon. I love you.
Chapter 22
Candice arrived at Seashell Island Resort and could already smell the scent of relaxation – lavender, chamomile and rosemary – wafting through the lobby from the resort’s spa. That’s what she needed – to relax – to let her mind drift and be free of the constant drama of her family.
And then there was Kurt…
He didn’t know what he was getting himself into when he became her husband and subsequently a member of her family. Her brothers, even her father, wasn’t willing to welcome him with open arms. Instead, he was being judged and talked about – the subject of ridicule as to why he wasn’t good enough for her.
She’d gotten a call from Kurt last night. She didn’t answer. She listened to his voicemail, but she didn’t want to talk to him or anyone else. She just wanted to take the time to process what she was feeling and determine at this stage in her life how she would move forward. A woman shouldn’t have to choose between her family and her man, but here she was at a fork in the road.
At breakfast, she bit into a croissant and glanced at her phone when she saw Bryson’s number on the display – a call she let go to voicemail. This was her day of peace. No one would ruin that.
After breakfast, she went to the fitness room to workout followed by a hot shower then a trip to the spa. She laid there, closed her eyes and relaxed, breathing deeply as the masseuse had suggested and while she did, she tried to think of reasons her family were so opinionated when it came to her decisions. They loved her. And weren’t they supposed to care that much? She appreciated that about her family. No matter how much they got on her nerves, that was a constant that always remained true – they cared about her.
Her issue was navigating around their judgments.
* * *
Saturday evening had come quickly and Kurt was starting to worry when he couldn’t get in touch with Candice. He pulled up at her apartment and right away noticed her car was missing. He decided to go inside since he was already there. The place was just like he’d last seen it – half-packed boxes in the living room and kitchen.
“Candice, are you here?” he asked, walking to the bedroom but she wasn’t there. The bed was made, curtains open. He knew she wasn’t at work, so where was she?
He called Bryson, the one brother he’d established a rapport with.
“Hello.”
“Hey, Bryson. It’s Kurt.”
“Oh. Hey, man. What’s up?”
“I’m looking for Candice. Have you seen her?”
“Wait—what do you mean you’re looking for Candice.”
“We got into an argument yesterday and I went back to Asheville. I drove all the way back here to talk to her and she’s not at her apartment, she’s not at work and she’s not answering her phone.”
“Where are you now?”
“I’m at the apartment.”
“Okay. Meet me at my house. I’ll text you the address.”
“Alright. I’ll be right there.”
Chapter 23
The massage was so good, she didn’t want it to be over. Her body was so relaxed, she didn’t want to get dressed. As she made herself put on clothes, a call came through from Kalina. She almost answered it. Almost, but something told her to let it be. She’d had a beautiful, uninterrupted day so far. She wanted to continue that streak.
She ate a late lunch and then slid into a bikini and reclined by the pool. The thing that bothered her the most about this whole situation was probably the fact that her family didn’t take the time to get to know Kurt. They were so busy trying to sabotage the relationship that they didn’t bother getting to know who Kurt was as a person. And then there was the devious plan Barringer had set up so Kurt would catch her with Quinton. And what about Quinton’s allegations that Bryson was the cause of their failed relationship?
She couldn’t believe they would stoop so low. Was Blackstone Financial so important to Barringer that he’d intentionally ruin her marriage to save the company? And was Quinton so bad of a person that Bryson had to threaten him to stay away from her?
When her phone beeped, she rolled her eyes behind her shades and looked at it. There was a text message from Kalina:
Hey, where are you? Kurt is on the way here and he’s worried since he hasn’t been able to reach you. Please text me back when you get this. We’re all worried at this point.
And now another call was coming through – from Bryson. Then Kurt, again. Moments later one came from Calista. Next, June.
Annoyed, Candice responded to Kalina’s message only hoping it would calm everyone down so they’d stop calling back-to-back.
Candice: I’m fine. Taking some time for myself to figure some things out. Tell everyone I’m fine so they can stop calling and texting me.
Kalina: You’re not taking calls from Kurt either?
Candice rolled her eyes. She could hear the insinuation in her question. Like, who wouldn’t take a phone call from their husband?
Candice: I’ll call him later, too.
He wasn’t getting off the hook so easily. He’d turned his back and walked away from her, drove all the way back home just to turn around and come back. Would this be a pattern for him? When things got tough, he’d bail? She wanted a man who would fight for her. Who’d make it work no matter what happened – not someone who walked away from an already stressful situation, making it much worse.
Chapter 24
When Kurt pulled up at his house, Bryson was outside digging holes for the evergreen trees that would separate his yard from the neighbors. Kalina thought trees would look much nicer than a fence. He agreed.
“So what happened?” he asked Kurt.
Not knowing where to start, Kurt rubbed his chin.
“You told me you’d fight for my sister. Said you’d do anything for her. So what could possibly make you run back to Asheville?”
“A bunch of nonsense. I got a call from Barringer telling me to meet Garrison and Candy at a bar. I’m thinking it’s going to be something business-related so I show up and Garrison wasn’t there. Candy was there. With her ex-boyfriend.”
Bryson stopped digging but left his right foot on the metal part of the shovel. “What?”
“Candice was sitting with a guy who I figured out was her ex-boyfriend, Quinton. So here I am caught off guard and dumbfounded that my wife is, for some reason, having dinner with her ex. She leaves the restaurant and I see her in the parking lot. First of all, she looked shocked to see me like she knew she was doing something she had no business. That bothered me because if it was innocent why would she be shocked to see me.”
“Maybe she didn’t expect you to be lurking in the parking lot.”
Kurt shrugged. “That still doesn’t explain why she was there with him. I asked her what the conversation was about and she couldn’t tell me.”
“What you should do is ask Barringer why he sent you there in the first place. Sounds like a setup because if it’s one thing I know about my sister is, she’s loyal. She’s not a cheater. And if you claim to love her, you wouldn’t jump to conclusions.”
“I do love your sister.”
“Then why’d you leave town?”
“What would your reaction be if you saw your wife having dinner with her ex?”
“I would ask her about it, of course, but I wouldn’t make assumptions because I know my wife loves me—this from a man who’s been cheated on. I was married before Kalina. That relationship ended because my wife at the time cheated on me.”
“Wow.”
“Yeah, and for a while, I dealt with trust issues until Kalina came along, but let’s get back to Candy. I told you before and I’ll tell you again, man. We’ve all done things to protect her from men we see as threats. Maybe this was Barringer’s way of protecting her from you.”
“More like protecting his company…”
Bryson resumed digging when he said, “Barry doesn’t live far. I’ll call him up so he can come over here and straighten this thing out. You cool with that?”
“Yeah. Call him.”
Bryson stopped digging again, wiped sweat from his face with his forearm then dialed Barringer. They spoke briefly before he returned his attention back to Kurt. “He’ll be here in a few minutes. I guess I’ll take a break.”
The men walked to the house and on to the kitchen where Kalina looked up and saw Kurt.
“Hey, Kurt. I’m Kalina.”
“Nice to meet you, Kalina.”
“Oh, I’m sorry, baby,” Bryson said. “It completely escaped me that Kurt hasn’t really met the family.”
“Yeah, we should do something about that, shouldn’t we?” Kalina asked.
“We should,” Kurt said. “I would love to meet everyone.”
“You would?” Kalina asked. “After the way everybody’s been treating you, I’m surprised.”
“Well, I’m trying to be understanding. I know everyone doesn’t know me and people fear what they don’t know. If everyone would just take a moment and get to know me, I think Candy will feel a lot better about us. It shouldn’t be this way.”
“You’re absolutely right. It shouldn’t.”
“Did Candy tell you where she was, by the way?”
“No. She just said she’d call you later.”
Kurt nodded.
“Can I get you something to drink? Water or tea?”
“Tea would be nice.”
“Okay. I’ll bring you some, too, Bryson.”
“Thanks, baby.”
When the doorbell rang, Bryson said, “Come in,” guessing it was Barringer. It was.
“Yo,” Barringer said.
“Hey, man. We’re in the kitchen,” Bryson said.
“That’s because I actually wanted you to show up.”
Kurt looked at Barringer and instantly felt anger seep through his pores.
“What’s up? Why am I here?” Barringer asked.
Kurt said, “I have some questions for you. I—”
“About what?” Barringer asked, cutting him off.
“Thursday, you called me and told me to meet with Garrison and Candy at that bar. When I got there, Garrison was nowhere to be found. I did, however, see my wife having dinner with her ex-boyfriend. So my question to you is, was that intentional? A stunt to break us up?”
“What if it was?” Barringer asked. “My sister can do better.”
“You’re right. She can do better than a brother like you. What kind of man would do something like that to his own sister?” Kurt asked, heated.
“What kind of man would pretend to like my sister only so he can steal my company?”
Kurt balled his fists and closed his eyes to channel his frustration. Then he said in an eerily calm voice, “That’s not what I did. I’ve always told Candy we’d leave business out of our relationship. That’s what I’ve done. But maybe I was focused on leaving business out when I should’ve been more concerned with her leaving you out and anybody else who has a problem with me. I’m a good man and I love your sister. I couldn’t care less about taking your company. All I want is her. Now, I understand why she was so leery about introducing me to her family. I didn’t get it back then, but it’s clear to me now. So, here’s what I’m going to do—I’m going to take my wife and we’re going to get out of here as fast as we can. I’m tired of the games and I’m not playing them anymore.”
