by Grady, D. R.
“Oh, packing. We’ll be there early tomorrow morning. Give me the address again, I can’t find it. I’ll see about finding some boxes, and you know Millie has great markers. Lily can bring tape, and oh, Tessa just made a yummy sounding lemon cake....” and Max tuned her out.
He picked up a paper from his desk and wadded it up. Then he threw the makeshift ball at the window connecting his and KC’s offices. She ignored the first toss, so he picked up a super ball and threw that, finally catching her attention. He ducked to avoid the rebound.
When she looked up, he motioned for her to come into his office. She stood, trudged over to the door and quirked a brow at him. He covered his mother’s prattling with a palm. “I’ve got Mom on the phone right now. She’s buzzing like a hummingbird, so prepare for a siege. She’ll be on your doorstep early, which probably means six. Oh, and sounds like she’s bringing most of the aunts.” Not that he knew this for certain, since he tuned her out.
“Excellent. Are you sure she doesn’t mind doing this?” KC sounded tentative.
Max stared at her in absolute puzzlement and wonder for a moment before he leaned over and snagged her wrist. Tugging her closer, he removed his palm from the receiver and his mother’s excited chatter filled the room. KC’s lips twitched and then she bit her lower lip before she left the room, slammed the door, and erupted into peals of laughter.
While he was grateful to see her laughing, it still left him stuck with his over-excited mother.
“Um, Mom? Mom? MOM!” he finally yelled into the phone and that cut her off.
Silence.
“Mom, I’m sorry to have to cut you off, but I’ve got a meeting in two minutes. I have to go. I’ll tell KC you’re excited about this because she is worried she’s taking advantage,” Max said seriously.
“I’ll call her myself and assure her how much we’d like to help, then,” his mother answered, forgiving him that quickly for cutting her off.
“I’d appreciate that, and I know she would too. Only, she’s got to be in the same meeting I’m nearly late for.”
“We’ll talk to her tomorrow. Tell her to expect us around six, okay?”
“Sure thing. She’ll be up and trying to rouse Ryan about that time.” Max said goodbye then hung up.
He rose and strolled to the door between their offices. KC wiped tears off her gorgeous face and stared at him in disbelief.
“I can’t believe she’s that happy to come and help me.” She shook her head and the overhead lights caught in her tawny blonde hair.
“Are you kidding? This’ll be the highlight of the month.” This set her into peals again.
She wiped away more tears and said, “Oh it feels good to laugh.”
He glanced at the clock. “Good. Um, don’t we have a staff meeting now?”
“Oh, right. Whoops.”
Max wished he had been the one to make her laugh. He wanted to see her staring back at him with passion in her eyes, for him. Many a night had passed when he longed for KC to see him as a man rather than as her nerdy co-worker. Since he was wishing, he’d like a Lamborghini too.
And horses would toss pigs over the moon.
Chapter 4
Max poked around his house and wondered what would happen when KC and Ryan moved in. He definitely anticipated that time, but he hated that KC was going overseas to Kuwait. Even the thrill of helping with Ryan diminished when he thought of the danger she faced. And knowing KC she would face it fearlessly and head-on too. Any flipping out would happen before she left and then when she returned home. To him, hopefully.
Should he tell her how he felt about her before she left in case something happened, or risk never telling her? Or by telling her, would that make her question whether he was a good candidate for keeping Ryan while she was gone? He didn’t doubt that, but what if she did? It was always a possibility. Would telling her make KC think of him while she was gone? Or would it completely ruin their relationship?
A friendship he valued because they could tell each other practically everything. She was his best friend. This was unusual for him, since KC was one of the most beautiful women he had ever seen and he generally had no idea what to do with beautiful women.
KC possessed tawny, wavy blonde hair and a sweet, beautiful face, all of which were especially attractive to him. A heady combination of an all American girl gorgeousness paired with the pretty girl-next-door comfort. Her eyes were a unique shade of green-blue. Almost aqua in color. They were amazing, eyes he could get lost in. He had noticed her immediately upon meeting. Max was pretty certain he bought her dad’s company solely because of her, not because the business had been a no-brainer.
Which it wasn’t. He had managed to salvage Gilmore Products, but her dad hadn’t made things easy for him. Max learned over the year they worked together that KC had actually pulled the company out of the nosedive the medical manufacturer and supplier had been headed for. KC was the one who had made the company attractive enough to buy. But her dad hadn’t been interested in allowing her to buy him out.
She kept the thirty-five percentage of shares her grandmother left her, and Max bought her father’s sixty-five percentage of shares, not realizing that she desperately wanted them. Yet she was never snippy or nasty to him. Instead, they uneasily felt their way around the other and eventually decided they enjoyed working together.
Together, they made decisions neither would have wanted to make alone, and had formed a united front. Now, she concentrated on the research and development of their products, while he focused on the business aspect. They shared the manufacturing responsibilities and helped the other out when warranted. He and KC had formed an amazing team in the past year.
Now he couldn’t imagine not seeing her every day. How would he work through his days, without the motivation of seeing her to roll him out of bed? Without warming himself in her smile? Without cheering from her laughter? Who would he pick on?
With no answers, Max turned away from the picture he stopped in front of. A photo of the two of them dancing at the Christmas party, laughing and having a great time. He had the picture blown up and framed and it now hung in his study. In the place of prominence above the mantle.
Max left the room and hopefully his thoughts behind, closing the door after him. Too frustrated with what the future held to dwell on the depressing subject. He couldn’t imagine eight months or longer without KC.
The very thought made him nauseous.
*****
When the doorbell rang at ten to six the next morning, KC still hadn’t managed to coax Ryan out of bed. She was semi-dressed in her top, but still wore her pajama bottoms. Glancing down at herself, she figured Max’s family wouldn’t care, if they even noticed. At this point, sweet-talking her son out of bed and to the breakfast table were the most important items on her agenda.
She whisked open the door and stared at the feminine assembly on the other side. Five women stood there, and all looked prepared to do battle. Wearing scarves on their heads, wielding brooms, mops, boxes, newspaper, bubble wrap, tape, and large marking pens, they appeared a force to be reckoned with.
“Hello, love,” Max’s mom said, as she stepped inside and kissed KC on the cheek.
The other women trailed after her, jabbering and clucking excitedly as they looked over her place. One of the aunts plunked down a bag so redolent of wonderful smells, KC’s stomach rumbled in interest.
“Good morning, ladies,” she answered, slightly bemused. “I made coffee.” She hoped that didn’t sound as inane as she thought.
“Oh, wonderful.” Tessa, one of Max’s many aunts rubbed her hands. KC silently pulled down more mugs and the ladies helped themselves. Tessa opened the bag and tugged out a lemon cake, and cinnamon rolls. Another bag, one KC hadn’t even noticed, revealed a wide assortment of cookies. A dazzling selection spread out in glory, right in front of her. This fare might entice Ryan out of bed, so long as she could stop drooling long enough to coax him.
“This
is wonderful.” She breathed in again and decided to alter her agenda.
“Well, we figure if we’re going to work hard today, we should eat well too,” another of the aunts, she thought it was Lily, said and they all laughed.
Ryan wandered to the kitchen doorway, his blanket trailing behind him. Spuds bounced around his ankles.
“Hey, sleepyhead,” she said, smiling at him.
He blinked up at the women filling his kitchen, but when he saw Max’s mother, he squealed, “Gwanme!” and launched himself into her arms.
Max’s mom bent down and scooped him up, covering his face with kisses. Ryan laughed in delight, and KC’s confidence level that her son would be in good hands while she was in Kuwait hit the full mark. These women were all mothers and most of them were grandmothers. They were professionals; Ryan would be perfectly safe with this contingent aiding in his care. Once his “Granme” finished with him, she passed him to one of her sisters or sisters-in-law, whom KC couldn’t keep straight.
They passed a happy Ryan around the circle and then one of them put a cinnamon roll in front of him and he tucked into the treat with glee. Someone fetched him a large glass of milk and he swung his legs as he ate and took in the happy chatter around him. He looked cheerful and content and she knew he would be fine.
KC accepted a cinnamon roll and took a sugar cookie with bright yellow frosting and blue stars, relieved with her son’s home situation. Not that she doubted his happiness with Max, but she hadn’t been certain how the rest of his family felt. From what she just witnessed, they considered Ryan a part of the family already. And these ladies came prepared to pack up her apartment for her. With a startling revelation, KC realized they must sort of consider her part of the family, as well.
After they finished the fat fest, Max’s mother, Monica, shooed her in to get ready for work while she took over helping Ryan dress. The other ladies looked everything over and discussed their plan of attack.
“Have you done this before?” KC asked, watching as they wrote down ideas and made suggestions.
“Oh, yes, love. You could say we’re professionals,” Monica assured her as she and Ryan joined them.
“Between us we have about forty children, and that doesn’t include their spouses or extended family, which makes the number closer to what, a hundred, Millie?” Tessa said.
“Probably a hundred and fifty,” Millie corrected.
“We’ve definitely done this before,” Tessa declared and they all grinned.
KC’s lips quirked and she felt a surge of happiness that these women were willing to come help her like this. “Well, thank you. From the bottom of my heart.”
“Thank you,” Monica said. “Max’ll finally have a dining room table.”
“This is good,” Lily said.
“Very good,” Tessa added and they all laughed and sipped their coffee.
When she and Ryan finally left, fifteen minutes later than usual, Ryan had a huge bag of cookies to share with his daycare class, which would make him instantly popular. While she clutched a smaller bag to share with the office.
Which would make her instantly popular. Especially since with her deployment, everyone had already realized their work load was about to increase dramatically. Although it would strain everyone, they took a vote, and in a nearly unanimous agreement, most everyone had voted to take on a few of her responsibilities while she was away.
Those parts that couldn’t be added to someone else’s load would just be put on hold until she returned. Which KC hoped would truly be in eight months.
As she drove, she darted a few looks at Ryan in the back seat, who sang softly to himself.
“Hey, cutie, how are you?” She needed to hear him say he was fine, for some reason.
“I’m good, Mommy,” he said, and rolled his eyes. Which looked funny on a five-year-old.
“Good. Did you like seeing Granme this morning?”
A grin split his already too cute face and he yelled, “Yeah! I liked having hew and Aunt Tessa, and Aunt Millie, and Aunt Lily, and Aunt Heathew thewe.” How did he keep them all straight?
“Did you like breakfast?” Already knowing that answer.
“Can we have cin’mon wolls evewy day, Mom?”
“No, but they are good sometimes, aren’t they?” She laughed. Thinking he might eat them often while living with Max, come to think of it. She better sit Max down and give him a stern talking to on the merits of Ryan’s diet being healthful. Because otherwise it could be anarchy when she returned.
Of course, Max did have lots of nieces and nephews, so he should have a good idea of the affects of too much sugar and caffeine on a child.
“Mom?” Ryan asked from the back seat.
“Yes, sweetheart?”
“Why was Granme at ouw house?”
And she swallowed, because then she remembered that they would be moving in with Max all too soon. Why hadn’t their impending move bothered her yesterday? Maybe because today too many things were happening all at once. But Max was her oasis in the midst of a hurricane, one of her best friends, and his mother was at this minute packing up her possessions to move her into his house. This shouldn’t be a problem.
“Mom?” Ryan’s voice held impatience.
“Oh, sorry, Ryan. Granme’s at our house because she’s packing us up so we can move into Uncle Max’s house.”
“You’we moving in with Max and me?” Ryan demanded. They had already talked about this, but repetition seemed to work best with five-year olds.
“Yes. For a little while. Just until I have to leave,” she assured him, realizing she was encroaching on their male time. A female shouldn’t do that, apparently.
“Okay,” he said, and that seemed to appease him.
Grinning at him, she ignored the ache in her heart.
Chapter 5
KC took Ryan to his daycare and then wound her way up the stairs to her office. Max nearly ran her over. She stopped him by brandishing the cookie bag.
“What have you got there?” he asked with a lecherous look in his eyes. He wiggled his eyebrows up and down.
KC laughed.
“Cookies.” She fluttered her eyelashes.
“From the bakers?” He suddenly looked very interested in her wares. Well, she was too, since she could smell the yummy scent of frosting and spices.
“Oh, yes,” she said on a sigh. She dug out another frosted sugar cookie, this one with blue frosting and green stars, and bit into it. Max followed her movements much like Spuds would.
His blue eyes turned liquid in entreaty. “You are going to share those, right?” His voice had gone all husky. Mmm, she liked that.
KC tilted her head to one side. “Maybe,” she flirted.
He licked his lips. She giggled. Max reached out an arm, snagged her around the neck, stole her cookie, and gave her a noogie.
“I guess the honeymoon’s over.” She pouted.
Max grinned around his – her – cookie. “I guess so. I love the bakers,” he said and stole two more cookies in an easy snag.
She shook her head sadly. “You do have to share those, you know.” KC folded her arms under her breasts.
“I do not.” He sounded remarkably like Ryan.
“Yes, you do. Your mother said so.” She stuck her tongue out at him.
“Would you two stop,” Jean directed as she swept past them down the hall. She turned suddenly and helped herself to some cookies before continuing on her way.
Max looked aghast. And apparently was speechless, because he pointed and his mouth opened, but no sounds came out.
KC laughed. Max looked pained, but helped her down the hall, humming and eating cookies as he went. One of the least moody people she knew, he recovered quickly. Give the man sugar, and he was happy.
Max placed the treats by the coffee maker and they turned toward their offices.
“We’ve got that meeting with Marketing at nine,” he reminded her and KC nodded before entering her office. As sh
e plunked into her chair, she thought again about her wish for some excitement and of her subsequent deployment. Then she thought about Max and Ryan together without her. Oh, be careful what you wish for, she reminded herself.
*****
When KC dragged herself home later that evening, Ryan bobbing beside her, she forgot all about the women who had been in her home that day. So when she unlocked the door and shoved it open for Ryan, the unfamiliar shapes stacked neatly in places they shouldn’t be almost made her scream.
“Mom, what happened to ouw house?” Ryan exclaimed as he ran from stack to stack of boxes.
“Looks like Granme and the aunts were busy, doesn’t it?” She was amazed at the difference in the place with none of their belongings displayed. The space looked like an apartment now, not a home.
“Why awe all these boxes hewe?” Ryan careened off one stack, jumped on the couch and off the other side, to race across the room, Spuds on his heels.
“Because our things are in them.” She watched the boy and dog play together.
“Why’s ouw stuff in ‘em?” he asked, not stopping from his course of kid destruction.
“Because we’re moving in with Uncle Max, remember?” She hoped this made some sense to his young brain.
“Yeah, we’we going to Uncle Max’s, but why awe we taking ouw stuff? Can’t we come back hewe?”
“No, sweetheart. Once I get back we’ll look for another place to live. Maybe a house, would you like that?” She looked around their apartment, one of four in an old, converted Victorian house. It wasn’t huge, but spacious enough for them, and KC had made it comfortable.
“A house? Like Max’s?”
“Sure, maybe we can find one like Max’s.”
“Mommy, why don’t we just stay with Max?”
KC turned and looked at her son. Life was so easy for a child. “Don’t you think Max will be tired of us by then?” She tickled him.
