Stargazing (The Walker Family Book 2)

by Bernadette Marie

  “Where does he live?”

  “His family lives about forty-five minutes out of town. Twenty minutes on dirt,” she said with a chuckle. “Lydia and Tyson live out that way too.”

  “And Susan and Eric are building?”

  Bethany gripped her hands tightly in her lap. “His house burned down a few months ago. So they are rebuilding.”

  Kent shifted a glance at her and then back to the road. “It burnt down? Was anyone home?”

  She swallowed hard. “He and I were there. No big thing. We’re both okay.” She wasn’t going to tell him the story of another day when she just wasn’t perfect. There had been enough of that for one night.

  “I’m glad you’re okay,” he said as he reached for her hand and laced his fingers with hers.

  She sat and looked at their hands rested between them. When was the last time someone had held her hand like this? She couldn’t even come up with a time. Had no one ever just reached for her?

  She could fall in love with this man. It was possible, she thought. He’d run. He’d run fast and he’d run far. The fact that he didn’t even live in Georgia should have sent her a million signals to let go of his hand and say goodnight when he dropped her off at the door.

  They didn’t say much more on the drive, but he never dropped her hand.

  When he pulled up in front of her house he told her to wait. He hurried around the car and opened her door. She might have swooned when she stepped out and took his hand.

  “This is a cute place.”

  “Susan has an eye for it. The inside is very bright. Would you like to come in?” she asked, and hoped, as he walked her to the front step.

  “Yes, but I’m not going to.” He pulled her in tightly and pressed his body to hers. “I’m going to kiss you goodnight and head back to my place cursing myself for not going inside. But I wasn’t raised like that. I’d like to ask you to dinner tomorrow though.”

  A part of her ached from his rejection, but the other half of her realized it was a blessing. For the first time in her a life a man wanted to do more than just her. Kent Black was a gentleman. She’d never met one and she was sure she was going to mess this up expecting the worst from him.

  “I’d like that.”

  “Good,” he let out a breath. “I’ll pick you up at seven?”

  “I’ll be here.”

  He took his phone from his pocket. “I’d better get your number and give you mine. Just in case you change your mind.”

  Who was he kidding? It would be him that changed his mind in time.

  She took his phone and typed in her number. “Text me when you get to your place and I’ll have your number.”

  “Good idea,” he said, slipping the phone back into his pocket.

  He stood on Susan’s front porch just looking at her, but she didn’t fear him. Men who stared at her wanted her or something from her. Sure, she was confident that there was a spark between her and Kent Black, but he didn’t just want her body or one night. If he did he’d have taken her invitation. There was more behind those eyes.

  “Can I kiss you goodnight?”

  “I’d be disappointed if you didn’t,” she admitted, as she stepped in closer to him, wrapping her arms around his neck and letting him pull her in until there was no air between them.

  Again, their mouths pressed together and she took possession of him this time. The moan was distinctly his. His hands remained in the small of her back, flat-palmed, holding on for dear life. She tangled her fingers into his hair and sent their tongues on a dance that again had her head spinning.

  They were breathless when they parted. She nearly asked him inside again when he stepped back from her.

  “I have to go. I’ll see you tomorrow,” he said with a wave and a quick step away from her. “Seven.”

  She nodded and watched him open the door to the car.

  “You have to go inside. I’m not allowed to leave my date at the door without seeing her inside,” he yelled from the street.

  God, how did she get this one?

  She gave him another wave and let herself into the house. The sound of his car driving away was only heard after she’d closed the door and fallen against it.

  Kent Black. What had he done to her? He’d made her want again—for more than just affection.

  “Was that Kent that just left?” Susan’s voice came from the dark living room.

  Bethany pushed away from the door and walked toward the room.

  Susan turned on the small lamp on the table beside her.

  “Yes,” Bethany said on a very obvious sigh, which she hadn’t meant to let out.

  “You had a nice time?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’re swooning.”

  What the hell? She might as well sit down and tell her all about it.

  “He’s taking me to dinner tomorrow,” she said as she curled up on the couch next to Susan.

  “That’s wonderful. You hit it off.”

  “We did.”

  “Are you still mad at him?”

  She shook her head. That had really been a dumb fit to throw. “How could I be? He’s a real gentleman.”

  “A real family man too,” Susan added.

  “He drives a minivan. That was not a turn on.”

  “But you’re still interested?”

  Bethany rested her head back against the couch. “I am. I don’t want to be, but I am.”

  “Why wouldn’t you want to be?”

  “My life is complicated right now. This is no time to get worked up over a man.”

  “I don’t know about that. Maybe it’s the perfect time. Not all men are Douglas Brant. They don’t all want to hurt you.”

  She believed that, but Douglas Brant hadn’t been the first. It was going to take awhile to trust that even Kent Black wasn’t only out for sex or power.

  Though, his refusal to come in tonight should have made that clear.

  “I don’t think Kent is the kind of man to hurt anyone on purpose. But some day he’s going to leave Georgia. He doesn’t live here.”

  “Enjoy it until then and who says you can’t go with him?” She patted Bethany’s leg. “Okay, I’m going to bed. Eric wanted me to wait up for you.”

  “He doesn’t have to worry about me.”

  “He always will. You’re his family.” She blew her a kiss and walked up the stairs.

  Bethany sat alone and let the silence envelop her. She wondered if Kent would wait up for his sister too. There was no reason to think otherwise.

  He was a good man.

  It was time she got to know what that was like. She closed her eyes and just enjoyed the natural buzz still tingling in her body. She was relaxed, calm, and very tired.

  Chapter Twelve

  I made it home safe and sound. No one kidnapped me or even tried. It’s quite disappointing, his text to her read.

  Kent tapped his fingers on the top of the small table in his hotel room waiting for her to answer.

  Do I know you? JK! I’m glad you’re safe. It would have ruined my dinner plans for tomorrow, was her reply.

  He ran his fingers over the screen as if it would pull her in closer to him.

  I like your sense of humor. I can’t wait for tomorrow night.

  Her text was quick. Neither can I. Goodnight, Mr. Black. Sweet dreams. She added an emoji of a happy face blowing a kiss and he could feel his entire body warm with just the thought of the goodnight kisses they’d shared.

  Goodnight.

  No more texts went through, but Kent held onto his phone as if it still connected them.

  His sister would throw a fit if he called her at midnight in Texas, but he was dying to tell her all about Bethany. Instead, Kent pulled out his laptop and composed a detailed email. She’d call when she got it.

  Sitting back in his chair, he replayed the night in his head. After the signing, he’d been sure he’d never see Bethany again. What a very nice surprise to find her seated at that table a
nd next to the empty chair.

  Letting out a long and satisfied breath, he tucked his hands behind his head and kicked his feet up on the coffee table. That kiss on the street was the most intimate kiss he’d ever had with a woman. Which made him nervous too. Had he been that bad of a lover, if this was the best kiss?

  No. It just meant this kiss meant more. But why?

  The red hair and green eyes were stunning, that was no surprise. It didn’t make her though. There was something deeper that made Bethany Waterbury who she was.

  He’d already figured out that she wasn’t very trusting, didn’t believe in fate, and way out of his class. But deep inside of him, he didn’t care. He wanted to get to know her—the Bethany no one else knew.

  There was backstory and he wanted to know it. Why was she not raised with her father and her cousins? Why wasn’t she going back to California to pursue her career? Why did her body mold so perfectly to his when he held her in his arms?

  All he had was time, he thought, as he sat up and placed his feet on the floor. There were a few more stops on his book tour, one of them was in Texas only thirty minutes from his family. But then he thought he’d return to Georgia. He simply wasn’t done getting to know Bethany Waterbury.

  ~*~

  Moonlight streamed through the window and patterns, from the blowing tree limbs outside, created moving murals on the wall.

  Bethany watched the designs change as she wished for sleep.

  Her heart was still fluttering, her body buzzed, and the kiss between her and Kent played over and over in her head.

  Men were always interested in her. It was part of her former career. But no one had ever made her feel quite like Kent had. She wasn’t sure what to do with her feelings.

  As sad as it was to admit it to herself, she was more comfortable with men wanting her just for sex and power. She understood that.

  Pure, unadulterated interest—she wasn’t sure what to feel.

  It was nearly two o’clock in the morning and Bethany just couldn’t lay there any longer. She needed her sleep.

  A cup of tea would be helpful. Perhaps a few yoga poses.

  Bethany bit down on her lip when another thought crossed her mind and she sat up. Brewing a cup of tea would take ten or fifteen minutes.

  Yoga was always a great way to relax, but she simply wasn’t motivated at the moment to unroll her mat and go through the motions.

  Swinging her feet over the side of the bed, she wrung her hands together. So what if she couldn’t sleep. She could download one of Kent’s other books and read. It would be as if he were with her. But she was beginning to shake just feeling the need for sleep.

  Quietly she walked to her bathroom and opened the cabinet behind the mirror.

  A sea of golden hue bottles with white tops lined the shelves. Each bottle was labeled VIOLET WATERBURY and she had promised herself she’d throw them away. But tonight she needed their magic. She needed to sleep.

  Bethany looked at the labels and found the one she knew would give her a few hours of uninterrupted sleep. Maybe half a pill wouldn’t be bad, she thought. It would just take that edge off and give her some rest.

  She opened the bottle and poured out one pill.

  One pill would give her hours of rest, but no. She would only take half.

  Sticking her fingernail into the groove on the pill, she managed to split it in half.

  She slipped it between her teeth and swallowed it down then chased it with a handful of water from the sink faucet.

  Without hesitation, she put the bottle back into the cabinet and closed the door. Looking into the mirror she tried to see past the dark circles under her eyes and the hollowness in her cheeks. It was late and she was tired. Again, she promised herself that she would throw the bottles away in the morning. But for now she was going to get some sleep.

  The only problem with sleep brought on by a pill was how hung over Bethany felt the next morning. She rubbed her eyes and stretched, only to feel twice as tired.

  There had been no dreams—and she’d hoped she’d dream of Kent.

  Rolling out of bed she pulled off her pajamas and slipped on her running shorts. She’d better get in a few miles before it got too hot.

  As she jogged down the stairs she could hear pans rattling and dishes clanging in the kitchen. Susan was up early.

  She poked her head around the corner. “You’re busy already.”

  Susan spun to look at her. Her hair was a mess piled atop her head and her apron was covered in flour.

  “Nice that you could finally get out of bed. We have a catering job at one. Did you forget?”

  “No. I’ll be back in time to help.”

  Susan’s eyes widened. “It’s eleven. I’ve been busting my ass all morning because I couldn’t wake you up. You were sleeping so soundly, you didn’t even hear me when I stood over you and talked to you. I even touched you trying to wake you. I need you to be at this luncheon.”

  Bethany stepped into the kitchen and looked at the clock. “I’m sorry. I thought it was only six.”

  “Are you kidding me?”

  “I’m sorry,” she stammered as she backed out of the kitchen. “I’ll go get ready.”

  She hurried up the stairs and stumbled through her room, and to the bathroom cursing herself the whole time. It had been a bad idea to take that pill. God, what if she’d taken the whole thing?

  Susan had never let her down. She couldn’t betray that by letting her mother’s medicine cabinet dictate her life.

  Bethany turned on the shower, stripped down, and opened the cabinet. The bottles, all in their line, sat peacefully as if to offer her comfort. But they weren’t. They were demons, just as they were for her mother.

  As tears began to roll from her eyes and down her cheeks, she pulled the bottles out and threw them in the trash. She didn’t need them. They offered her nothing in return but heartache and pain.

  They had taken her mother from her. Why had she kept them? Why had she ever even used them?

  When the trash can was full, she stepped into the shower and let the pain of it all wash away.

  No more, she promised herself. She was going to free herself from her vices. No longer was she a Hollywood starlet, or even a want-to-be. She had a family who loved her in Georgia and that was where she was staying.

  As she tipped her head back into the stream of hot water she thought of Kent. She had him too, she thought. Certainly that meant she loved him. She’d never been in love before, but when someone consumed your thoughts, that was what it meant, right?

  Now she felt the anticipation of need for him rise in her chest. Seven o’clock couldn’t come fast enough. She needed Kent more than she ever needed anyone.

  Chapter Thirteen

  If it could go wrong, it had. Bethany had heard the unmistakable sound of Susan’s door slamming when they got home. She hadn’t even unloaded the car, as she diligently always did.

  Bethany’s hands shook as she carried in the first tub of dishes. Her head spun and beads of sweat trickled down her neck. It was six o’clock. She’d get showered and ready for dinner. She could wait till then to eat as she hadn’t all day.

  For now, she’d finish carrying in the catering tubs and try to make up for the disastrous afternoon, which she had been mostly to blame for.

  Bethany made two more trips from the car to the kitchen before she heard the front door fly open.

  Heavy footsteps hurried into the house and a moment later Eric was standing in the kitchen.

  “Where is she?”

  “She ran upstairs to her room and slammed the door.”

  He stepped in. “What happened?”

  “Eric, I’m sorry.”

  His eyes narrowed as he inched further into the kitchen. “You’re sorry? What did you do?”

  “I made us late. I didn’t help because I overslept and then she forgot items that had been my responsibility.” Bethany ran her hands over her pant leg. “I dropped a serving tray f
ull of food,” she said as the tears began and wouldn’t stop.

  “Hey,” he pulled her into him and held her. “Now things go wrong once in a while. It’s okay.”

  He pulled back and looked her over.

  “Are you feeling okay? You look a little pale and skinny.”

  That caused her to snort a laugh. “I’m fine. Pale and skinny are normal where I come from.”

  “They’re not normal here,” he said taking her hands and looking at them. “You’re shaking.”

  “I haven’t eaten today.”

  “You eat. I’m going to go check on her.”

  “I’m going with Kent to dinner. I’ll eat soon.”

  Eric nodded and started for the stairs.

  She called after him and he turned back. “Tell her I’m sorry. I never meant to hurt her. I understand why she had to let me go.”

  He walked back toward her. “She said that?”

  Bethany bit down hard on her bottom lip as she nodded. “She has no choice. I understand that.”

  He touched her cheek. “I’ll talk to her.”

  She watched him walk away and knew that she deserved to be fired. How could she blame Susan?

  A glance at the clock told her if she didn’t get her ass in gear she was going to be making Kent wait for her too. It was a trait she wasn’t too keen to have. Her mother was always late. She lost countless jobs over it too. No, Bethany wasn’t going down that road.

  ~*~

  “I like the blue shirt. No tie,” Kent’s nephew said.

  “Ties are nice.”

  “Nope.”

  He laughed as he removed the tie and looked back at his computer. “Better?”

  His nephew shrugged and ran off in another direction.

  His sister laughed. “I liked the tie.”

  “I’ll think about it.” He picked up the computer from the dresser top and walked toward the window, setting it on the small table. “Do you believe in love at first sight?”

  “I believe in being alone so long you think it’s love at first sight,” she said.

  Kent sat down and thought about that for a moment. “I don’t want that to be the case.”