Cat sucked in a breath. God, he was so brave.
“Now, there one last thing I want you to promise me. Well, maybe two.”
She couldn’t stop her shoulders from shaking, but she sucked in gulps of air and found a way to speak. “If you said three things, I was so out.”
“That’s my favorite girl. I need you to go find this boyfriend, honey. Don’t miss the shot to have something great because of fear. He’s a tropical beach. Swear it. Promise me, you’ll see what you can see.”
“How do you always know?”
“You were in here cryin’, honey. It sure wasn’t over some phone sex.”
Gripping the lapels of his suit, she laughed. “Number two?”
“You smile whenever you think of me, would you? Please. Please smile.”
“Always.”
Always.
Flynn followed Nella, one of the nurse’s aids, and backed away from his mother’s wheelchair after positioning her in a patch of sunlight.
“Thanks, Nella,” he said on a smile he didn’t feel.
He pulled a chair out and sat down, grabbing his mom’s hand. “Hey, Mom. How goes it today?”
The corner of Della’s mouth lifted and she squeezed his hand. There was warmth in it. Every day, she warmed up a little more.
“Did you finish The Sheik’s Baby Mama?” he teased.
Her tongue slipped out from between her lips and she tweaked the skin on the back of his hand, sharing her displeasure at his joke.
Flynn laughed. “Okay, fine. So I finished Supernaturally Yours....” he said with a leading tone.
Her eyes flashed her approval as she waited.
“You want my opinion?”
Della nodded.
“Say the word yes, and it’s all yours. I know you can. Cat told me you can. So no holdin’ out on me now.” He grinned at her
Della’s lips screwed up as Flynn watched her try to make her lips and her brain connect. “Ye...sh...”
“Good job, Mom. Okay, so here’s my two cents. That Dimitri was a total player. Telling Lucinda he had to have sex to live? How did I miss trying that line out?”
Della swatted his hand with her ever more fluid fingers. “Sto...op, sill...ee,” she chastised, but her eyes were glowing.
Flynn grinned again. “Oh, c’mon, Mom. How many women do you think would fall for that in this day and age? Okay, I’ll give you this, he’s a vampire, and they have all sorts of special needs. They drink blood, blah, blah, blah. But did he try not having sex to find out if he’d live? He didn’t have to because Lucinda all but fell at his feet. And the soul-mate thing? I can’t remember the last time I talked a woman into believing she was my soul mate because I was a vampire from 1822.”
“Rowwmantic.” Della shot the word at him, sitting back in the chair, pleased with herself.
Flynn made a face at her. “You women and your romance. Whatever happened to pizza and a movie?” he teased. “You know what my favorite part of the whole book was? The showdown between Gor and Dimitri. Now that was my kind of romantic.”
“Bah,” Della murmured, then cocked her head. “Cat?”
Yeah. Cat. “What about her?”
“You li...ke her!” she said triumphantly.
“She’s very nice, Mom.”
Della lifted a crooked finger and shook it. “Girlfriend.”
Well, look who could talk now. Cat was like the magical answer to everything. “No. She won’t be my girlfriend, Mom.”
“Whyyy?”
Because it was over. Because he lived in New York and she lived here in Georgia. Because she didn’t believe anyone stuck around. Because she was chaos and he was organization.
Because the bridge he’d tried to build had crumbled. Because she didn’t want it as much as he did. Because he’d sort of called her a hooker.
“Because we’re not right for each other, Mom. Cat doesn’t want the things I want. She’s everything I’m not. I need someone who’s...”
His mother waited patiently, tucking her chin to her chest.
“Never mind. How about we just leave it at, Cat’s not the right girl for me?”
Damn. That hurt.
Chapter Thirteen
“Landon? Landon Wells?”
The man dressed in an expensive suit with a lemon-colored ascot turned around. “That’s me.” He held out his hand, his eyes greeting Flynn with warmth.
Flynn grasped the hand, unable to shake the strange feeling he’d like this man if they met under any other circumstances.
But today, he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like Landon Wells. Somehow, he’d gotten lucky when he’d caught the postman delivering the mail, and managed to catch sight of the name attached to the penthouse address.
To say Flynn was shocked he knew him not only as an internet business icon, but also as someone from his father’s hometown, was understating it. It left him with the perfect opening to get some answers.
Measuring his words, he said, “You probably don’t remember me, but I’m Flynn McGrady. My cousin Emmaline Amos is from your old hometown. I’m sure on my visits there, we must’ve crossed paths as kids.”
Landon’s smile grew as though he’d just put the pieces of a puzzle together. “Of course! How could I forget the last name McGrady? Emmaline, such a great soul. What brings you to Atlanta? Business?”
“My mother, Della. She’s over in Oakdale, recuperating from a stroke.”
The surprise on his face was evident. “How did I miss that connection? If I had known Emmaline’s aunt was holed up over there, I’d have paid her my propers. How is your mama? Better now, I hope?”
“She’s doing much better, thanks. So you really are the guy who owns the penthouse?” Was this man really the legendary millionaire who came from his father’s childhood home in Plum Orchard? He ran an escort service?
“That’s me.”
“Does a Cat Butler work for you?”
Landon’s expression changed. It was a quick-fire moment that passed before his eyes went right back to being cheerful, but Flynn saw suspicion written all over his face. He did own an escort service. Cat really was an escort. Jesus.
“Why do you ask?”
Because he had to know. No way was he going to let her do something illegal to pay for her mother’s care. He’d help. He’d protect her. “Forget it. It was rude of me to put you on the spot.”
Landon put his hands on his hips. “Whoa. Whoa, whoa, doggie. You’re her boyfriend, aren’t you? Holy heck! Can’t believe I didn’t put the two together. Chalk it up to my forgetfulness these days.”
“So she does work for you?”
“You bet she does.”
Why would he so freely admit Cat worked for him as an escort when her boyfriend didn’t even know she was an escort? Was he just okay with spilling the beans on Cat? What wasn’t fitting here?
The elevator doors from the penthouse shot open and the two women he’d seen a few weeks ago spilled out. The one with the bleached blond hair and the other with the KISS makeup. His stomach sank—sank hard.
Landon watched Flynn for a moment before his eyes popped open. “Oh, naw,” he sputtered. “You think...” He didn’t finish the sentence before the lobby filled with his laughter, the echo of it taunting Flynn until the tips of his ears turned red.
Landon laughed so hard, Flynn thought he’d pass out. When he finally caught his breath, he sputtered, “Oh, this is beautiful. B-E-A-U-tiful! I don’t own an escort service, and I’m not some drug kingpin. Call Girls is a phone sex operation. Cat’s not having sex for money, you fool! She’s working an honest nine-to-five as my general manager.”
The color drained from his face. Oh, McGrady, you’ve fucked up. Big. So, so big.
�
��I can see by the way you’re as pale as those vampires you’re readin’ about, you had yourself one big dilemma, didn’t you?”
“I...” Flynn looked down at the book in his hands.
Landon clapped a hand on his shoulder and captured Flynn’s gaze. “Would you have loved her any less if she was a hooker or sellin’ drugs, buddy?”
“Who said anything about love?”
Landon gave his shoulder a shove. “Bah! Don’t play games with me. I’m not some heartsick fool who can’t see past his own nose. You love her. She loves you. But that’s not what I asked you. I asked you if you’d love her even if she was an escort?”
He damn well would. “Yes.”
“Were you makin’ all sorts of plans in your mind about how to get her out of the lifestyle and into your arms?”
He damn well was. “Maybe.”
Landon barked another laugh. “You are priceless, but you also just passed the test. So one more question and then a bit of advice.”
“What’s the question?”
“How do you feel about Plum Orchard?”
None of this made any sense. What did that have to do with Cat? “I liked it when I visited as a kid.”
“Would you follow Cat there if she was goin’?”
“I can go anywhere. My company is internet-based.”
“Not what I asked, and remember, I’ve seen all your cards.”
“Okay. Yes. I’d follow her anywhere.”
“Because?”
“Because I’m madly in love with her.”
“So soon?”
“Don’t get your meaning.”
“Y’all have only been datin’ a few weeks....”
“But I’ve waited thirty-six years for her.”
“Hah! Good answer! So, come in close now.” He pulled Flynn in for a huddle. “’Cus here’s my advice if you wanna get your girl back....”
* * *
Cat skidded to a stop just outside of Della’s door when she caught sight of Casper Reynolds and began to run the other way. Damn him. She had something important to do.
Tell Flynn she was a fool. A total moron for even considering running away. After her talk with Landon last night, where she saw, up close and personal, what it was like to leave this world with no regrets. Landon had shown her what pure love was. What a pure heart looked like. He’d shown her that time truly was always of the essence, and she didn’t want to waste any more time.
Huffing out a breath, she headed for the exit by the rec room.
Who knew Casper had it in him to keep up?
He cut her off at the exit door by the rec room, putting his hand on the wide bar.
Damn. She held up her hands, her eyes grainy and sore from last night. “Look, I know I’m late with Mama’s payment, but I promise, I’ll be all caught up by the end of the month. Please, please, please, don’t boot her out, Mr. Reynolds! She needs care around the clock ’til she heals. You wouldn’t kick someone out and leave them to their own devices when they’re so down on their luck, would you? You’re not that kind of man, are you? Mama—”
“Save it, Miss Butler. The bill’s been paid with an open tab until your mother leaves.”
Cat’s eyes flew open. “What?”
“You heard correctly. Your mother’s bill is handled.”
How? Who? “Who paid it?”
“A benevolent donor who wishes to remain anonymous.”
Landon. Somehow, he’d found out about her predicament. He was like God. Everywhere. Of course, it was Landon. He knew everything. “But...”
Casper stuck his hands in his trousers and rocked back on his heels. “Figured I’d better tell you before you had to start training for marathons just to get away from me. Have a good day, Miss Butler.” He gave her a tip of an imaginary hat before strolling off to the rec room.
Before she did anything, before she went and found Flynn to tell him what a complete fool she was, before she begged him to give this another shot, she was going to call Landon and give him some good old-fashioned hellfire and brimstone.
He was dying and while he was doing it, he was still saving everyone. How he had the wherewithal to manage to think of everyone else but himself made her love him even more. But she was standing on her own two feet now, thanks to him.
That was more than enough.
Pulling her phone from her purse, she unlocked it and scrolled until she pressed Landon’s private number.
“Kit-Cat?”
“Landon, sit down—because I’m about to give you some hell!”
Chapter Fourteen
“Cat?”
“Flynn?” She whirled around, so glad to see his handsome face—so afraid she’d screwed up the one thing that was finally right. As he walked toward her down the long hall to her mother’s room, gorgeous and tall and strong, with what looked like a hat in his hand, she began to speak. But he caught her up in his embrace and put his finger to her mouth, pulling her tight to him.
“Just so you know, you’re the air that I breathe. And you know that’s true because I’m not a vampire and I really have lungs.”
Her head tipped back and she laughed, before she popped upright and began to recite what she’d practiced in her head. “I’m sorry,” she blurted out, all her thoughts, all her fears, colliding into one big thought. “It was all too good. Too much. I was convinced it couldn’t last. We come from very different places, and I did everything I could to use our differences against you. Against us.”
He pulled her in for a kiss. “So now, you have to tell me, because I’m not letting up until you do—why, why are you so afraid everything will fall apart when it was going pretty great?”
Her worst fears. She was going to share her worst fears with the man she was falling in love with. “It was the same way it was with my mom and dad. One day we were all on a picnic, eating fried chicken and potato salad on a blanket, laughing, being a family, and the next day, he was gone, and he never came back. No warning, no goodbye—just gone. Every time I thought I might be getting close to that with anyone, I ran away, because I was convinced if I left first, it would hurt less. This time, it didn’t hurt less. It hurt more.”
Cupping her cheeks, Flynn gazed down at her. “I’ll never do that to you, Cat. But you have to give me the chance to show you I’ll never do that to you. I can’t promise we won’t have problems. I can’t promise there won’t be times when we disagree—because we’re different, we’re really different. There’s no denying that, but if you ask me, that just means we can see both sides of the fence better. Don’t run away, Cat. Don’t run away because you think I will first.”
She buried her face in his strong chest, inhaling his scent. Flynn’s scent. “You paid Mama’s bill. Why would you do that?”
“How did you find out it was me?”
“Because it wasn’t Landon. It had to be you.”
“You promise not to get mad.”
“I promise,” she murmured against his chest.
“You’re going to laugh.”
“Probably, but it’ll be with you, not at you.”
He rested his chin on the top of her head with a sigh. “In my mind, I was saving you from either selling your body to strange men for a fee or ending up in federal prison for being a drug mule. I know, I know. Crazy, right? But do you see why I thought you were doing something illegal? I was just connecting dots, and I wanted to help. The thought of you...well, you know what I mean. I just wanted you not to have to worry about your mother.”
Cat laughed harder, loving the idea that Flynn wanted to help her.
“I think that’s laughing at me,” Flynn teased.
“I think you’re right, but I swear, I’m not doing anything illegal.”
“I know all about th
e phone sex job, honey.”
She leaned back in his embrace, confused. “Who told you?”
“Landon. After he was done busting a gut. I ran into him in the lobby of the apartment building. And I know you probably thought conservative me wouldn’t like it, but I’m okay with it. Not that what I think matters. It’s your career. Your job.”
She didn’t know what to say, but Flynn apparently did.
“Did you know, my father’s from his old hometown? Plum Orchard? He knows my cousin, Emmaline.”
“What a crazy small world, huh?” The mention of Landon made her tear up. “I have so much to tell you.”
Tipping her chin up, he swiped at a tear rolling down her cheek. “I know about Landon, Cat. He told me. From now on, talk to me. Always talk to me. When you’re afraid, when you’re overwhelmed, when one of your friends is dying. Just talk to me, and we’ll figure it out. I promise.”
“Okay then, right now, I’m afraid. I’m afraid I won’t be able to pull off what Landon needs me to do. I’m afraid of the day he won’t be here anymore. I’m afraid of losing him.”
“You have every right to those fears. But I’ll be here to help you. I’ll always help.”
Standing on tiptoe, she gave him a soft kiss. “Now about that hospital bill...”
“Don’t get mad, now.”
Cat shook her head. “No. I’m not mad,” she whispered. “Thank you...”
Flynn planted another kiss on her lips before grabbing her hand and pulling her toward Della’s room with a grin. “So I made you something.”
“You did? For me?” she asked as they strolled hand in hand.
“I worked on it for two solid weeks. It was torture. Tedious. Intricate work. I spent hours picking out the right color, all in an effort to win your heart.” He pulled that something out of his pocket and held it up with a grin.
The hat. A purple-and-white hat, totally crooked on one side, and sort of loosely threaded on the other with what she thought was an attempt at a pom-pom. “For me?” She squealed her happiness. “Does this mean we’re goin’ together, Flynn McGrady? Anyone who knits a hat as fine as that beauty right there must mean business.”
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