by Susan Crosby
“Sure. I was hoping I could stop by after work,” Venus said, a hopeful lilt to her voice. “Maybe I’ll see you then, Kevin?”
“I’m not sure. Got some stuff goin’ on.”
Kevin usually changed plans to be around whenever he knew Venus planned to stop by. Maybe his interest in her was waning? A silver lining to this investigation?
“Let’s go,” she said to her son, guiding him away. They reached the break room, a meager space not designed for comfort but for grabbing a quick bite to eat, putting your dog-tired feet up for a couple of minutes then returning to the floor refreshed, if such a thing were possible. “What’s up?” she asked as they sat on the vinyl sofa. “Why aren’t you in class?”
Kevin frowned. “It’s Wednesday.”
Oh. Right. He didn’t go to school until 2:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Considering he’d been up most of the night going through the boxes of Paul’s paperwork, she would’ve expected him to still be sleeping.
“Mr.… He called,” he said.
Caryn didn’t know whether the twinge in her midsection came from thoughts of James and how he’d touched her a couple of times yesterday—or if she was jealous that James had contacted Kevin and not her.
“What’d he say?”
“He wants me to meet his mother today.”
“Today?”
“Fast, huh? Mom, what do I say to her?”
“I think you can count on James to guide the conversation. He will have told his mother everything in advance, I’m sure, not just drop in on her with you as a surprise.”
“I know, but it’s…weird. This whole thing is weird.”
Tell me about it. Caryn wasn’t sure how she felt about Kevin meeting the woman. What if their extraordinary relationship withered after they’d taken the investigation into Paul’s death as far as they could? Was it fair to any of them to foster a connection with a grandparent, a loose term in this instance, when they didn’t know how everything would turn out?
On the other hand, Caryn understood the woman’s loneliness and depression after her husband’s death. If Caryn hadn’t had Kevin, she might have stayed in bed many, many days.
“James is doing us a favor,” she said to her son. “It seemed really important to him. You, of all people, understand how hard her life must’ve been this past year.”
“I know, Mom. I do. But, like, what do I say?”
“You make small talk. You answer questions. You ask her some questions, too. No one expects you to like each other instantly. It’s going to seem awkward to her, too.”
“Would you come? Please?”
She wanted to say yes, especially since he asked, and she was, in fact, a little miffed that James hadn’t asked her. But the fact was she hadn’t been invited, period. “If he’d wanted me there, he would’ve asked me. When are you meeting him?”
“At noon. At least, I can’t stay long, with class at two o’clock.” He shoved himself up, frustration evident in every taut muscle. “What if she asks me about Dad? I mean, her son is— You know. God, Mom. I can’t even tell anyone about this.”
“I know the feeling.” She went to stand beside him and rubbed his back. “I’m sure it’ll get easier with time.”
“You and Dad couldn’t just have adopted like a normal couple?” He grinned finally, silently acknowledging that he knew he wouldn’t have been there without James’s contribution.
She smiled. “I’ll try to call you on your cell before your two o’clock class starts.”
“Okay. I feel like I’m going up in front of a firing squad.”
“I think I’ve got a bandanna somewhere if you want a blindfold.”
He smiled.
She hugged him. “I’m proud of you, Kevin. Dad would be proud of you.”
“Thanks.”
“Sorry.” Venus had opened the door. “Didn’t mean to intrude. But your table is ready for their check.”
“I’ll be right there,” Caryn said.
“If you give me the book I’ll take care of it.”
“No, it’s all right.”
With a curious look between Kevin and Caryn, Venus backed out of the room.
“Are you going to let her go home with you?” Kevin asked.
“I think so. It’ll help me pass the time until you get out of school.” And she could count on him coming straight home, knowing that Venus would be there.
She cut her break short and carried the bill wallet to table eleven. The next time she looked at her watch it was noon. A new chapter in Kevin’s life was just beginning.
James had arrived at his mother’s house at eleven-thirty, recited the history of Paul and Caryn and Kevin, then went outside to await Kevin’s arrival. His mother had reacted pretty much as he’d expected—with reserved curiosity. Now all he could do was hope that Kevin didn’t make things difficult. On the phone earlier Kevin had obviously wished himself to the moon instead of meeting James’s mother.
It didn’t matter to James if Kevin acknowledged him as a father, but he hoped in time his mother would be acknowledged as grandmother. She needed something to look forward to.
“Hey.”
James turned, surprised. “Where’d you park?” he asked Kevin, who had his hands stuck in his pockets, a pose James was beginning to think he would always associate with him.
“Up the street. I like to get the lay of the land first.”
“You’d make a good P.I.—or a cop.”
“Yeah?”
Shoot. Caryn would kill him for making such a remark. She’d be about as pleased as his own mother when he announced his plan to become a bounty hunter. “Figure of speech,” James said.
Kevin’s mouth lifted in a half smile. “I won’t tell Mom you said so.”
“Thanks.” He resisted the urge to put an arm around the boy’s shoulders. “Ready to meet my mom?”
“Guess so.”
James recognized Kevin’s apprehension. “Just be yourself.” They started up the stairs. “How’s your mom?”
“Good. I stopped by and saw her at work. Told her I was coming here.”
James had debated whether to invite her, but decided against it. Too many people might complicate a situation that should be as simple and nonthreatening as possible. But he also had no doubt his mother would pick up on the attraction between him and Caryn. No doubt at all. His mom would’ve made a good P.I. herself.
“Was she okay with it?” James asked.
“Guess so. She’s pretty cool.”
“But unpredictable, you said.”
“Yeah. But that’s what makes her cool. Sometimes.”
“He’s here,” James called out after they’d stepped through the front door.
“She’s baking cookies,” Kevin said after sniffing the air. “Chocolate chip.”
“Yeah?” After a second James nodded. He wondered how she could’ve made the dough so quickly. They wouldn’t be from a store-bought cookie dough, that much he knew. She was the from-scratch queen. “Good nose.”
She rounded the corner, wearing a bright pink apron over her purple jogging suit. Her ash-blond hair might have come from a bottle but the short style wasn’t too matronly for her sixty-three years, nor too youthful. She wore classic but trendy clothes that suited her petite frame.
“You look just like Jamey did at—” She put both hands to her mouth. Her eyes took on some sheen. “Kevin,” she said. “I’m so glad to meet you. I’m Emmaline.”
A long moment of silence passed, then he grinned. “You made cookies.”
“Come in the kitchen. They’ll be done in two minutes.”
James started to follow.
“We’ll be all right without you,” Emmaline said over her shoulder. “You can get back to work.”
Dismissed by his own mother, who would undoubtedly get to know all kinds of things about Kevin that he didn’t know yet, maybe would never know. He refused to admit he was jealous. Kevin had smiled at his mother, a full, all-out grin, not holding
back anything, not the nervous smile he’d given James a couple of times.
He hadn’t expected this to be easy. Walls of resistance were hard to break down, after all. He knew he had to earn Kevin’s respect and friendship, yet James’s mother—
No. It was exactly what he wanted for her. Why shouldn’t one part of this situation be easy? His mother and Kevin deserved that much.
James climbed into his car, pulled out his cell phone and dialed.
“Cassie Miranda.”
“Hey, it’s Jamey. Had lunch yet?”
“No, why?”
“Want to meet me at the GGC?”
Cassie whistled low. “You joined that fancy place?”
“No. But I have connections. I did a job for the board president a while back. I think he’ll arrange admittance for me. I hear they do a killer filet mignon.” He could almost hear her drooling.
“You buying?”
“I invited, didn’t I? Can you leave now?”
“Sure. See you in fifteen.”
James’s next call was to the board president. So it was a bit of a subterfuge, taking Cassie along as if she were his lunch date, but he needed to tell Caryn about Kevin and his mom.
He should keep some distance between him and Caryn. He wanted to settle down, have children, and that wasn’t going to happen with Caryn—it would be too bizarre—so he should try to keep things simple between them, especially since they would be linked forever because of Kevin. James just wanted to prevent awkwardness in the future.
Or so he tried to convince himself, as he drove to see her anyway.
Seven
“Table eight is asking about you,” Venus said to Caryn at the beverage station.
Distracted, Caryn checked her watch. Twelve-thirty. How was Kevin doing? She wished it was closer to two o’clock and she could call him. “What?” she said to Venus, her words finally registering. “Someone…? Who?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t seen him before. Dark hair, kind of muscle-bound.”
Panic nipped at her. She looked for an escape route. They’d followed her. They wanted more money. Or maybe it was someone else. Maybe Paul had other debts…
She found her voice. “What’d you tell him?”
Venus frowned. “I said you were working a private party. Shouldn’t I have?”
“No. I mean, yes, it’s fine. I’ll take a look.”
She peeked around the corner. James sat with a very attractive woman. Relief struck first, then…disappointment? A tiny twinge of jealousy, too, perhaps? James and the woman were talking and smiling, obviously relaxed with each other. She wore an engagement ring with a diamond large enough for Caryn to see from thirty feet away. She was attractive, too, with a long, thick braid down her back and a body like Caryn used to have before she lost so much weight.
Then it struck her. He shouldn’t be here. He should be with Kevin.
What was she supposed to do now? She couldn’t exactly march up to him and ask where her son was, not in front of the woman or the other customers. Not to mention that Rafael was in a foul mood. She didn’t dare do anything to put her job in jeopardy.
If this was James’s way of getting even with her for not telling him who she was when they first met…
But he’d been attracted, too. He’d invited her to dinner before he knew who she was.
Men. Games. To heck with— What was she thinking? She was not jealous.
“Tell him I said hello,” Caryn said to Venus. She flipped through her order pad, double-checked the drink orders against what she’d put on the tray, then tucked her pad into her pocket and lifted the tray, positioning it on her shoulder and distributing its weight. She could avoid him easily enough, could find the patience to contact Kevin first. Maybe he’d decided against meeting the woman. “Oh, and also tell him that I recommend the poached salmon.”
“But the salmon is—” Venus stopped. Her eyes sparkled. “Is he an ex-boyfriend? You want to get even with him for something?”
“Something like that.” Okay, so maybe she was a tiny bit jealous, but as quickly as that thought came, she shoved it aside. She had work to do.
Caryn headed to the private dining room. As soon as she served the drinks and took the food orders from the women celebrating the end of a golf tournament, she would sneak into the locker room for just a few seconds and call Kevin.
But when she emerged from the dining room she found James waiting by the door.
Her irritation had escalated as the minutes ticked by. “What are you doing here?” she demanded, harsh and low, looking around for Rafael. “Where is my son? Why aren’t you with him?”
The door to the private dining room hit her in the back as it opened. “I beg your pardon,” a woman said.
“No, I’m sorry,” Caryn said, moving aside. The woman kept walking toward the restroom. Caryn fired a furious look at James.
“I came specifically to tell you,” he said calmly, his brows raised as if surprised by her anger. “Kevin and my mother hit it off, which is a mild term for the instant connection they made. Anyway, they didn’t want me around.”
Jealousy—a different sort—hit in full force now. She had enough to be worried about with James, now his mother…
“Me, too,” he said, his gaze softening.
“You, too, what?”
“I was jealous that they found such quick common ground.”
“I’m not—” She stopped. Blew out a breath. “I should be glad.”
“That’s what I told myself, too. Listen, I won’t keep you. I just wanted to let you know what was going on.”
“Thanks.” Who is the woman you’re with? she wanted to ask.
He turned back. “So that’s the famous Venus who’s waiting on us?”
Caryn nodded.
“I can see why Kevin is bewitched.”
“Just what I needed to hear.”
He laughed quietly.
She held up her order pad. “Gotta run.”
“If you get a free minute, stop by my table. I’d like to introduce you to someone.”
“If I can. I’m pretty busy.”
He didn’t reply for a few seconds, then said, “Venus said you recommend the poached salmon?”
Caryn faced an ethical dilemma. She couldn’t tell him how mediocre the salmon was, without making Venus seem idiotic, that she’d told him the opposite of what Caryn had recommended.
“I don’t like fish,” he added. “Can you suggest something else?”
Dilemma solved. “Pot roast, if you like hearty.”
“Yeah. Thanks.”
She waved over her shoulder as she headed to the kitchen and turned in the sixteen lunch orders. She offered a smile of sympathy to the head chef, silently acknowledging his hard work, knowing that getting on his good side would result in less stress for her and the potential to make more money in better tips. It was one lesson she hadn’t had to teach Venus, who was naturally accommodating to everyone. Even the dishwashers tripped over their feet to help her.
Caryn took eight salad plates from the refrigerator and prepared the side salads, then ladled three bowls of clam chowder. It took that long for her to ponder why James was eating at the club. Was he a member? He must be or he wouldn’t be allowed in. Unless the woman was. She did look athletic…
“Caryn.” Rafael came up beside her. “Do you need a reminder of the rules?” He didn’t try to keep his voice down, but almost shouted above the kitchen noise.
“Excuse me?”
“I made an allowance already today for your son to talk to you during working hours. Then you took advantage by conversing with that guest, Mr. Paladin. You know that’s not allowed.”
Caryn went rigid, but occasions like this demanded contrition, not explanation. “I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
He walked away. She’d never been reprimanded for any infraction before. Her face burned. Her conversation with James hadn’t even lasted a minute. And she hadn’t approached
him, but vice versa, although she couldn’t tell Rafael that, could she? What was she supposed to have done? Be rude to the customer?
She fixed a smile on her face and served the soup and salad, refilled the bread baskets, then checked the beverage station again while she had a few minutes before the entrées were ready. She had no outlet for the emotions tumbling riotously inside her—about Kevin, about James, his mother and now the criticism by her manager. She’d thought her life had settled in and settled down. Apparently she wasn’t to be allowed that luxury.
Because she couldn’t stop herself, she glanced at James and his companion. He angled his head and raised his brows expectantly, as if inviting her to the table. She turned away, dangerously close to tears.
“Are you okay?” Venus asked from just behind her.
“Sure.” She grabbed a cloth and wiped down the outside of the soda dispensers.
“Do you want help serving when the entrées are up?”
“Rafael will assign who helps. But thanks.” She walked away before Rafael, who seemed to see and hear everything, even if he wasn’t in sight, caught her. Knowing she couldn’t slip away to call Kevin before his two o’clock class frustrated her even more, but she couldn’t take any chances. Not today. So, she wouldn’t know what happened until he got home after five.
All because of James.
Oh, get real, she told herself. She wasn’t mad because Rafael had chewed her out. She was mad because James hadn’t told her he had a…fiancée, apparently.
And why should that bother her? It made her life much less messy, if James wasn’t available for a relationship other than what he built with Kevin. Granted, she would welcome James into her life if Kevin wanted her to, but beyond that there wasn’t a reason to learn more about each other.
Easy come, easy go.
“Who was the waitress?” Cassie asked James as they headed to their cars after lunch.
“Her name tag said Venus.”
“Not the America’s Sweetheart, Jamey. The other one. The redhead with the short hair and red lipstick.”
“You don’t miss much.”
“I’m not supposed to miss much.”
They reached Cassie’s car. “Her name is Caryn Brenley.”
