by Donna Fasano
We were seated, the two Harrisons on one side, Billy and I on the other.
Harrison waited until our coffee was poured, breakfast ordered, and then broke the unnerving silence. “Last night was a calamity.” He looked at his daughter, and Billy. Avoided me.
“I understand how shocked and horrified you both were finding us as you did. We can’t apologize enough. I’m speaking for Candy as well as myself when I say we’re both very ashamed of our actions and hope you can eventually put this aside and forgive us.” He glanced at his daughter and covered her hand. “Forgive me?”
She kept her head lowered, but I could see a splash of tears on her cheeks. I softened toward her. This was so very ugly and awkward, and she must be embarrassed, as were we all.
I’d promised my son to win her over, which meant a sincere apology despite my annoyance at her treatment of Billy. And Harrison’s of me, but that was something I would address with him, later.
“I am so sorry,” I said to both our children. “Please understand that I would never, ever do anything to purposefully hurt you.” I smiled and batted back tears of my own, noticing that Katie’s shoulders were not quite as stiff.
I added a layer of temptation to my apology. “As a small token I would like to offer you my car so that you two can drive to the Keys today. I will also take care of your hotel stay while you’re there. I’d hate for you to miss out on your plans because of this.”
“Wow—that’s nice of you, Mom.” Billy looked hopefully at Katie. “She’s got a convertible, babe. It’d be fun.”
Before she could answer, Harrison interrupted, “You don’t need to bribe them, Candy.” His voice was cold and sliced right through me. “Katie is going home with me today.”
“No, I’m not!” Her head shot up. “You have to stop making decisions for me, Dad. I’m going with Billy.” She glanced at him for the first time, and I could hear Billy’s sigh of relief.
“Great,” Billy said, his face flushed with pride. “As soon as we’re done with breakfast, go pack. We can run Mom home and grab my suitcase. I never unpacked. We could leave here in an hour.”
Katie granted him a small smile. “I’d like that. Thanks Mrs. Thompson. That’s kind of you.”
“Ms.,” I answered automatically. “Actually, call me Candy. And you’re very welcome. It’s the least I can do.” My son’s happiness eased some of the ache from the fiasco the night before.
Harrison, however, looked like a man that had lost his first big case. He was getting ready for the second round. I saw him wipe his mouth, clear his throat, and open his mouth to debate.
“Katie…”
I interrupted before things went sour. He didn’t realize his daughter was growing up, whether he was ready or not. I understood that he was grasping at straws, which made me feel kinder toward him and his controlling ways. “Harrison,” I said softly. “This is between them. They need to figure this out together. We blew our chance.”
His eyes held mine for a few long seconds, then he nodded. His lip twitched with a half-smile. “Guess you’re right.”
“Well, that’s settled,” I spoke cheerfully. “And here is our food. Right on time.”
Breakfast was broken up with excited chatter from the two young lovebirds who were now sitting closer together, smiling and planning their days in paradise. Snorkeling, ghost tours and, of course, the bars.
I finished my scrambled egg and whole wheat toast and dabbed at my mouth with my napkin. The thought of bars made me think of a possible buyer for mine.
Thinking out loud I said, “I know someone in Key West, a bar owner who tried to bamboozle me with an indecent offer for the Candy Bar a few years back. I really should go see him, see if he’s still interested.”
Horrified, Billy said, “You’re not thinking about selling the bar?”
“Yes—it’s been a decision that I’ve been fighting for a while, but I feel that the time has come.”
He sounded worried as he scrutinized my face. “You love that place. It’s everything to you. Always has been,” he added with an unexpected touch of bitterness to his voice.
“I’m sorry you think that way, because nothing has ever been more important than you.” I shrugged off the hurt. “It’s time for me to move on,” I said, giving him a long look. “It’s not doing as well as it used to, and I’ve given half my life to the place. I want a change.” I covered Billy’s hand. “It’s okay.”
“Don’t do anything too quick, Mom,” Billy said. “We need to talk about it, before making big decisions.”
I laughed. “Like getting married?”
He blushed.
Katie interjected, “So you want to come along to Key West with us?”
“No, honey. But I might drive down in the next few days, meet with the guy and take you two out for dinner. Katie, I would love a chance to get to know you during the short time you’ll be on spring break. That’s if you don’t mind.”
“We’ll have your car,” Billy reminded me, still watching me as if unconvinced I was being level with him.
“I’ll drive yours. Not as reliable as mine, but I expect it’ll get me there.”
“I can drive you,” Harrison said. “I’ve never been to the Keys. And I’d like to get to know Billy better too.”
“I don’t think so.” I felt my face heat and wouldn’t look at anyone. My plate held my riveted attention. “Not a good idea.”
“You can say that again,” Billy said, giving Harrison a “don’t you mess with my mom” glare.
Katie, in the middle of a sip of water, choked. “That’s the worst idea. How could you, Dad? Sheesh! You are such an idiot sometimes.”
He reached for his daughter’s hand, but she brushed it away. “I didn’t mean anything by it. The last thing I want is to sleep with the woman.”
I tossed back my head, and raised a brow. “Oh, really?” I didn’t mind making allowances for his shortcomings when it came to parenting, but I was through with his personal insults.
His face and neck turned fifty shades of red. “Last night was different.”
Oh, Gawd. Could it get any worse!
Billy stood up, looking like he might punch his prospective father-in-law. “How was that different? You were ready to do her until we walked in. Spoiled your little party.”
“Billy!” I said, mortified all over again.
Harrison had the good grace to look embarrassed. “That’s not what I meant. What I should have said is that we were together to discuss the two of you, but a little mutual attraction got in the way.” He glanced at me, then quickly looked elsewhere. “I think that’s fair to say.”
I snickered because I was so frickin’ uncomfortable with this entire ridiculous episode. If only I could conjure up some of that Candy Bar magic right now, I’d wish that I’d never met Harrison Wolfe, never heard of a girl named Katie. I’d just rewind the clock.
I rose, joining Billy. “Well, folks, it seems we have an unusual situation on our hands and since we can’t change it, all we can do is move forward. Pretend it never happened.” I smiled brightly. “Let’s try to move forward, shall we?”
Katie tossed her napkin down. “Billy and I are going to the Keys, and I don’t want the two of you showing up and spoiling it. Is that clear?” She got to her feet, glaring at her father.
He cleared his throat and stood as well. “I don’t like the way you are speaking to me, Katie. Show a little respect.”
“Whatever.” Katie sniffed.
Jaw tight, his eyes met mine. “Candy, it looks like the kids have some packing to do. Sit and finish your coffee with me, and I can give you a ride home.”
Was he insane? Waving a red flag in front of an angry bull. “Uh…I could go with Billy and Katie. I’d hate to put you out.”
“No sense in us all rushing.” Harrison sat back down, taking a slow sip of his coffee.
Billy looked from me to Harrison, and seemed reluctant to leave the two of us alone.
“What?” I asked Billy. “If you two are hell-bent on getting married, there are things we need to discuss.”
His face reddened and his mouth opened as if he wanted to give an earful, but Katie gave him a tug on his hand. “Billy, come help me pack. Let Dad and your mom finish their coffee.”
Harrison leaned back. “Since you’re determined to be your own person, Katie-bug,” he said with a straight face, “will it be okay to give you a little extra spending cash?” He pulled out his wallet and handed her over a wad of twenties.
Katie giggled, pink-cheeked. “Thank you, Dad.”
He’d stolen a page from my book, the rascal. Nothing soothes an angry kid like money. The older the kid, the more expensive the pay-off. “I’ll be home in less than an hour, Billy. Why don’t you take my credit card and make a hotel reservation?”
I filtered through my wallet and handed over my American Express, wondering what on earth Harrison wanted to talk about. Things were great, the kids weren’t furious, we could go our separate ways until the wedding.
“Can I keep it?” he asked, Katie glued to his side.
“Good try. I’m not that much in your debt. Matter-of-fact, I think this evens the score.”
“Thank you, Ms. Thompson,” Katie replied.
I didn’t bother to correct her, glad that she hadn’t called me something worse.
Harrison and I watched the two of them leave. They were holding hands and smiling at each other. I had done my good deed. Brought them back together.
As soon as they were out of ear shot, Harrison asked, “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Chapter 7
“What’s the problem, Harry?” I asked, feeling just a little weak in the knees. I sat down. He snarled at me, and my hormones thought it was foreplay. I tilted my head to see him better, as the morning sun was shining on the top of his head.
It was beyond me. How could a man nearing fifty look so darned good? I needed a lot of beauty products to achieve those results. Especially this morning.
“Harrison. I go by Harrison.”
“Sure you do,” I answered sweetly, “but if we are going to be family, then I like to keep it simple.”
“We are not going to be family. Let’s get that straight.” His jaw was set but there was a small tick in his cheek, so he wasn’t as cool as he pretended to be. “Why were you so amenable just now? Giving them your car? A hotel room?”
“I feel like I owe them, that’s why.”
He frowned. “Let me clarify. Getting these two hitched is not in their immediate best interest. Right?”
“I don’t know, Har,” I said, putting on my worried face. He looked so uptight that I couldn’t help but push some buttons. He needed someone to help him not take himself so seriously. If anybody knew how to laugh at themselves, it would be me. “I barely slept all night thinking about how the two of them will hate us if we break them up. Perhaps we should just let nature take its course.”
“You know that’s not a good idea. You agree they are too young and have a hard road ahead of them for the next few years. Getting married would make things extremely difficult We are doing this because we love them, and want what’s best for them.”
Clearly, he’d be great in the courtroom. Focused. Unwavering. But this was not a criminal case. It was our children we were talking about. “I know… but—”
“That’s why we have to be firm on this,” Harrison concluded. “Stand united. They were on the verge of breaking up, but you had to ruin it. What were you thinking?”
“Good, old-fashioned guilt, that’s what.”
“Last night was ugly, I agree,” Harrison said. “I’ve never heard Katie cry so hard. Not even after her mother passed.”
I swallowed, feeling a rush of sympathy. “Poor girl. I’m sorry. Is that why you wanted to meet this morning?”
“I’d hoped we could talk through the ramification of marriage. Not give them the keys to paradise.”
“Billy cares for your daughter. I care about him.”
“If we can convince them that breaking up is their idea, not ours, we can all live happily-ever-after,” Harrison said in conclusion.
“And how will we do that? They are so mad at us now, they wouldn’t listen to a word we say.” I pushed my empty coffee cup away.
“I like your idea of driving to the Keys. We’ll stay at the hotel. Force them to talk to us. We won’t be all over them, but get together for a few drinks, perhaps a dinner. If you really want to meet with that bar owner, I can go with you. Make sure you don’t get fleeced.”
“I’ve been taking care of myself my whole life, Har.” I thought of the consequences of forcing ourselves on the kids, when they so obviously didn’t want us around. “Do you really think this is a good idea? Won’t it alienate them even more?”
“We have to do something, and they only have a few days before they go back to school.”
“So you want me to book two more rooms?”
“Well, we could share one. That would sure get them talking.”
I laughed in surprise, liking his dry sense of humor. “That would go down well. They’d never talk to us again.”
“I’ll spring for the two rooms.”
I still balked. “I don’t think we should, Harrison. They’ll be furious.”
He lowered his voice. “I have no idea how to play this anymore than you do. But we can’t sit by, pretending we’re happy with their engagement.”
“They know how we feel.”
“We’ve got to at least slow things down between them—encourage them to wait a few years until Katie’s out of law school.”
“I agree, but how?”
Harrison drained his mug, grimacing at the dregs. “Katie’s a bright young woman. I have faith that once we give them our arguments, she’ll agree.”
“We can hope.” I don’t think Harrison has a realistic appreciation of hormones. Our kids are in the first throes of love, and will want to be together no matter what.
“So, we’ll drive down tomorrow.”
“I never said yes.”
He quirked a brow. “Please?”
Not a word he said often, I imagined. “We are not going to try and break them up? Just to slow them down. Right?”
“Right.”
I nodded. “Okay. Two rooms. You’re buying.”
His eyes gleamed in victory. “Which means there’s no reason you can’t have dinner with me tonight. Is there?”
“I can think of two.”
He smiled and my mouth watered as I remembered his kisses.
“Don’t say no. Even a simple plan needs to be thoroughly mapped out.” We were walking toward the lobby doors, and his fingers brushed against my hip.
Electric. My nerve ends tingled from the brief touch.
He held the door which meant I had to slide past him. Catching a whiff of his scent, I sucked in a lungful. His aftershave was clean, refreshing and subtle enough for me to want to lean in and stay awhile.
Instead, I rushed forward, marching toward the parking lot, not sure where I was headed. I just needed to distance myself from him for a minute or two to gather my composure. He grabbed my arm. “Whoa. Car’s not out here. I used valet.”
I stopped and looked at him. “Of course you did.”
He led me back to the hotel’s entrance, handed a young uniformed man his ticket and we waited a long five minutes for the car to arrive. It was a very nice light blue Jaguar.
He held the door as I slipped into the luxury leather seat. He scooted around and got behind the wheel, and I realized that I was holding my breath. Everything about him attracted me—like a flower to a bee. I wanted to sniff him, taste him, snuggle right inside.
I released a big sigh, and scooted my butt close to the door. Being near him was damn near as dangerous as stepping on a live electrical wire.
“What’s up? You’re not afraid of me, are you? Trust me; I only have the very best intentions. Getting our kids uneng
aged is number one.”
“It’s not that. It’s that scent you’re wearing. Or I have allergies. I can’t seem to get my breath right around you.”
“That a fact?” He raised a brow, and looked incredibly sexy.
“Yeah. For what it’s worth.” I pressed my knees together, wishing I had amnesia and could forget his kisses, the feel of him in my hand.
“Relax. Once we get the kids sorted out, I’ll be out of your hair.”
“Good.” My tension eased a little, and I shifted to look at him. “Back to Boston?”
“Not right away. I’ve been thinking about getting a winter place down here. Especially since my daughter seems intent to go to law school in Florida. I’ll be scouting around for a condo, preferably in Fort Lauderdale or Palm Beach.”
“Oh. Then you won’t be leaving right away.”
“Disappointed?”
“Kind of.” I shrugged and made a face. “I hate temptation. I live better without it.”
He smiled which got my heart doing back-flips, and I wished I could be less pragmatic and more carefree. Unfortunately, that type of behavior had never worked well for me.
“Dinner,” he said, his voice heavy, seductive.
“So you want a recommendation for a restaurant?” I said, watching my chest and abdomen as I practiced my Pranayama technique.
“Sure. You would know what’s good around here better than me.” He glanced my way. “What are you doing?”
“Yoga.” Breathe in. “When I get stressed I use certain breathing techniques to help reduce the stress, increase my energy--and it actually improves your overall health.” Breathe out. “You should try it.”
“My health is fine.”
If looks were anything to go by, I believed him. I took a couple more deep breaths, filling my lungs with oxygen, allowing the stress to rush right out of me. “Oh, that feels much better. So, where were we?”
“A restaurant?”
“Right. The Red Fish Grill.” I smiled with newfound peace and serenity. “The location is perfect, about a half-hour from here, but worth the drive. It’s in Coral Gables. We can dine outdoors and face Biscayne Bay.”
