by Peggy Jaeger
With a subtle shake of his head, he took the offered cake and fork, and said, “Nothing unusual or out of the ordinary. Everyone seems to be having a great time.”
She smiled and put down the cake server.
“Aren’t you having any?” he asked.
“Later. I know what it tastes like.”
“Heaven,” he said simply, his mouth filled with the delicious confection. “Pure heaven.”
She grinned up at him. All of a sudden the noise around them ceased. They could have been alone and isolated on the deck for all the attention they paid to their surroundings.
“Magnificent as usual, honey,” Hannah said, coming up to them with an empty plate in her hand.
Kandy blinked rapidly a few times.
“Thanks, Mom. Want more?”
“Oh, good gracious, no. I’ll explode.”
Josh and Kandy both laughed as Hannah patted her flat stomach. “Would you mind if I kidnapped Josh for a bit?”
Kandy turned to him, her eyebrows rising. “Is everything okay?”
“Fine,” her mother assured her, wrapping her arm through Josh’s. “I just want to get to know him better. That’s all.”
Kandy’s grin held an evil, playful glee in it. “Sure. But Mom?” She lowered her voice, turning serious. She placed a hand on Hannah’s arm and said, “Be gentle, please. I need him around for a little while more. In one piece.”
With the skilled finesse years of coquetry had instilled in her, Hannah maneuvered Josh away from Kandy and down the deck stairs.
“I thought we might take a little stroll down to the water’s edge,” she said, her arm still entwined in the crook of his elbow.
They began at a slow amble.
“Was there something you wanted to talk to me about, Hannah?”
She squeezed his arm and charmed him with her dimpled smile. “Can’t a girl just want to spend some time with a handsome guy on a lovely day?”
Josh smiled and relaxed. “Sure. I’ll buy that.”
Her laugh sounded like crystal chandelier drops blowing and twinkling against one another on a gentle breeze. “My sister said you were smart. And gorgeous. A pretty lethal combination in a man.”
“Your reputation precedes you, too.”
“Yes, well, we’ve all had our moments in life, but I didn’t ask you to walk with me to discuss my past.”
“I didn’t think so.”
Her blue eyes impaled him. “Lethal.” She sighed heavily and said, “I want to know what’s going on. Gemma and the others have peppered everything they’ve told me with drama. But I want to know the facts—without the drama—about what’s been going on with my daughter. Will you tell me?”
He nodded and did. She was Kandy’s mother and he felt she was entitled. Revealing everything, including the phone calls, he finished by asking, “Do you have any idea who could be behind this?”
She gazed off at the ocean for a few moments, silent and pensive.
“Unfortunately, I don’t. I can’t see my brother doing any of these things. Oh, I know he was upset about the whole agent thing, but deep down he knows it wasn’t Kandy’s doing. Peter is, and always has been, a middle child. Having two girls in front of him and two girls behind wasn’t easy when we were growing up. And Dad was more interested in flirting with the neighborhood women than in playing baseball or doing other father/son things with him. It had to have an effect on Peter.”
“Kandy mentioned Mario was a good friend when they were kids.”
“They were best friends. But then they grew up. Went their separate ways. Peter has always just, well, floundered is the best word. He’s single-minded when it comes to his writing. He wants to be the next Hemingway.”
Josh stayed silent.
She stared up at him and cocked a crooked smile. “You’re being polite by your silence, but if you know about Peter, then you know he’s not the world’s next literary laureate.”
With a nod, Josh said, “I got that impression. So you don’t think he could have had anything to do with it?”
“No.”
They stood for several seconds, the cool water lapping at their bare feet. “What about the man Kandy was seeing for a few months?” Hannah asked.
“Evan Chandler?”
“Yes. I heard through the family grapevine he didn’t go quietly.”
Josh told her what he knew, including the incident that had occurred as he and Kandy were leaving the city.
“Gemma said he was an idiot.”
“You never met him?” he asked, surprised.
“No, and I’m glad I didn’t after hearing about him and how he hurt Kandy. Do you think he could be behind all this?”
“He’s definitely up there on the list. Although, she doesn’t think he’s smart enough to have done it. Stacy agrees with that.”
“Well, where does that leave you in your investigation?”
He wanted to say “at a wall.”
“Things are progressing. I’ve had a few new thoughts and tidbits of info today I need to look into. I’m hopeful this will end soon. She’s holding up well, but who knows how long she can last without breaking.”
“Oh, don’t sell my daughter short, Josh. Kandy is nothing if not a fighter and survivor.”
“I agree. But sooner or later all this tension and worry is going to take its toll. She is, after all, human.”
“That she is.” Hannah nodded. “And when you do find out who’s responsible for making her life so miserable, what happens then?”
“Whoever’s doing this will be arrested and prosecuted. It’s Kandy’s right.”
“Yes, I know, but I mean what happens with the two of you?”
“I’m sorry?”
Hannah’s broad smile twinkled and lit up her eyes. “You’re not that good an actor, Josh. Take it from one who is.”
Stunned, he said, “Hannah, what are you talking about?”
She smiled and patted his cheek with her free hand. “You’re just like Kandy,” she said. “You wear your heart on your sleeve.”
When he remained silent, she continued. “I saw it the moment she walked into the kitchen this morning. The look in your eyes, the way your breathing increased. Your entire face came to life when she joined us. I’d say you have some feelings, other than just professional ones, for my daughter.”
Because it wasn’t a question, he didn’t answer.
“Not going to confirm or deny, huh?” She laughed. “I imagine you’re very good at what you do. But your feelings toward Kandy are what they are. I’m sure.”
“How can you be?”
Her grin grew wicked and dazzling. For a second, Josh mistook her for Kandy, their smiles almost identical. “From one who’s seen that look tossed her way a few times and recognizes it for what it is.”
He could only stare at her, not trusting his voice.
“Do you know how she feels about you?”
“In all honesty, no. I think this situation has been hard for her. I’ve been thrust into her life without warning, and without being prepared for it. I can’t expect she’s happy about it.”
Hannah looked up at him, a strange expression in her eyes.
“Whatever happens later, I can’t let anything cloud my judgment right now. I was hired to find out who’s been making threats and to protect her from further harm. I can’t do that if I’m preoccupied. I need to focus on her safety. Uppermost in my mind right now is that and that alone.”
Hannah considered him. “I can see why Max thinks you’re the best. All right then, what about when this is over? What do you intend to do?”
“I haven’t let myself think that far ahead yet. I can’t.”
“I understand, I really do. But for what it’s worth, I think you’re wrong about Kandy.”
“How so?”
She turned away from him and stared out at the ocean. “When they were growing up, all my other girls wo
uld go to sleepovers, spend time with friends when they could. Do normal girl things.” She turned back to him. “Kandy never did. She was always focused on cooking. It was her passion and her life. Even as a child. After my husband left, she became even more focused. Driven, if you like. Nothing was going to get in the way of doing what she loved best.”
“She’s the most goal-oriented person I’ve ever met.”
Hannah smiled. “It’s more, though. It’s almost as if she needs to prove to everyone, including herself, she’s self-sufficient and self-reliant. That she can do it all by herself and never feel dependent on someone else. She doesn’t need another person to feel complete. Do you understand what I mean?”
“I think so. From what I’ve experienced so far, she likes being in control of her world.”
“Kandy to a T. But in addition to her world, her emotions, even her very being. I’m sure my divorce affected her much more than she realizes. She’s never once slipped off that pedestal of self-reliance.”
She looked up at him and put a hand on his arm. “Just as I saw how you looked at her this morning, I saw how she looked at you.”
Josh was afraid to hear what her next words would be.
“I also happened to notice the two of you when you came out of the garage.”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t be coy, Josh. That’s my job. I saw how flustered and disheveled the two of you were.”
Josh couldn’t help it, his face got red.
Hannah laughed. “Now that’s the most charming thing I’ve seen a man do in quite some time.”
“Hannah—”
Interrupting him with a wave of her hand, she continued. “I think Kandy’s beginning to slip, Josh, and I think you’re the reason.”
“I don’t understand what you mean.”
“Don’t you?” She smiled and looked back toward the house. “Well, maybe you don’t. Just be there for her when she stumbles off that platform. She could use a man like you to catch her.”
Josh didn’t know how to respond, so he stayed silent.
Hannah solved the problem when she twined her arm back into his and said, “Well, I’ve had enough of the water. What say we go back?”
Chapter Seventeen
“What’s going on with you and the hunk?” Gemma asked as she helped Kandy carry the leftover cake back into the kitchen.
“What are you talking about?”
“The two of you have been walking around each other on eggshells all day. I noticed it the second I got here. What happened?”
“Why do you think anything’s happened?”
“Stop answering me with questions, Kandace Sophia, and tell me what’s going on. I know you like I know the lighting stops on my camera. Have the two of you slept together?”
“No.” The explosion echoed in the kitchen. “For goodness’ sake, Gem, what do you take me for?”
She shot her sister a cool, smug smirk. “A fool if you haven’t. I’d fall into bed with him in a heartbeat if he asked me.” When her sister’s mouth fell open, Gemma added, “Don’t be mad at me for the truth.”
She took Kandy’s hand in hers and rubbed it. The sisterly show of affection made Kandy sigh. “I’m not mad at you.”
“Then tell me. What’s going on with you two?”
Kandy sat on a breakfast bar stool and rested her hands on the counter. “I don’t know.” A second later she added, “No, that’s not true. I think I know, but I’m not sure.”
When she sighed again, Gemma took a seat next to her. “Tell me.”
Kandy looked into her sister’s eyes, identical in every way to her own, and saw concern wash through them.
With a great deal of reluctance, she related the scene in the kitchen the night before. Supreme embarrassment prevented her from telling Gemma what had transpired in the garage earlier.
“I’ve never acted like that before,” she said, dropping her head into her hands. “So needy, so totally off the wall sexually. It was scary.”
“It sounds exciting as all get out.”
Kandy shook her head and gave her sister a small smile. “Beyond exciting. I can’t describe how good it felt to be kissed like that. I can’t believe it was me.” She threw her head down into her hands again.
“It’s about damn time,” Gemma said, yanking her sister up by her hair, her gaze slicing into her. “All you do is work. You never have any fun, Kan.”
“Cooking is fun for me.”
“Yeah, well, we all know you’re not normal.”
“That’s mean.”
“No, it’s the truth. I can’t imagine a better diversion for you than having a hot, torrid, sexfest with this guy. It’s absolutely perfect. Go for it.”
“Gemma, I can’t have an affair with him.”
“Why not?”
“Well, for one thing, he doesn’t want me.”
Gemma’s eyes widened, making her brow groove in disbelief. “I don’t believe it for a second. I saw the way he looked at you in your office the other day. There was enough longing in his eyes to comfort a small, underdeveloped nation.”
“Then why is he the one who keeps pulling the plug every time we get in a clutch?”
Gemma shrugged. “Some weird sense of duty, maybe?”
“Right.” She shot a finger at her. “He keeps telling me I’m a client. That’s all I am to him, Gem. A job.”
Kandy’s heart ached when she said the words out loud. Admitting them to herself was one thing. Telling them to her sister, giving a real voice to them, was quite another. And it hurt.
It hurt like hell.
“Did he kiss you back?” Gemma asked.
Oh, baby, did he ever! “Yes.”
“Peck-on-the-cheek kiss, or I’ll-die-if-I don’t-wrap-myself-around-your-tonsils kiss?”
Kandy snorted. “The latter.”
“There you go.” She sat back, a smug smile wiggling across her mouth. “What more proof do you need? The guy wants you, Kan. I say go for it with all you’ve got. Enjoy the heck out of him.”
“And then what?”
“What do you mean?”
“What happens next? When this whole thing is over and he leaves? What am I supposed to do then, Gemma? Just go on as if it never happened?”
Gemma shrugged and rose. She opened the refrigerator and took out a pitcher of ice tea. “I don’t know. Why think about it now?”
“Because I think I may be falling in love with him.”
Gemma stopped pouring midstream and leveled a frown at her sister. “You can’t be serious.”
“I am. I’ve never felt like this about a guy before. It’s more than just the physical attraction. I like being with him, having him around. When we went out to dinner last night, for the first time in a really long time I was relaxed and comfortable. I can talk about anything with him. He listens. He hears and understands. I get a safe and warm feeling in the pit of my stomach every time I think about him. I can see the two of us together, sitting in the kitchen, drinking coffee, discussing the kids. I’ve never let myself think about children and carpools and starring in my own happily-ever-after before. Never. It’s never been an option for me.”
Gemma cocked her head. “Because of Daddy and what he did?”
Kandy nodded. “I don’t want to love someone as much as Mom did and then have it all turn to crap. I’ve done everything I could to protect myself from ever being that vulnerable.”
Gemma’s sigh was forceful. “And you all say I’m the one who’s screwed up the most in this family.”
“Gem, no one says that. Truthfully.”
“But you all think it. I know you do.”
The sisters stared at each other for a moment.
“Look.” Kandy finally broke the silence. “I don’t know what to do about this, how to handle it. Whenever we’re in the same room, all I want to do is have him hold me. When he’s not around, I’m thinking about him
.” She told Gemma how he’d left her for an hour after the rat incident. “All my mind could focus on was how long it was taking him to get back.”
Gemma sat next to her sister and took her hand. “You sound like you’re in love with him already, no maybes about it.”
Kandy swallowed.
“Can’t you ever do anything halfhearted?” Gemma said, a lopsided grin tripping over her face.
“What?”
“Why’d you go and fall in love with the guy?”
“It’s not like I could help it. Don’t you remember what Grandpa used to tell us?”
Brow furrowing, she answered, “The thing about lightning?”
“Yeah. One day you’re walking along without a care in the world, and then bang, like lightning, you get struck through the heart for good.”
Gemma grinned again. “Grandma used to get all teary-eyed when he’d say that.”
“Because it’s what happened to him the day he met her.”
“And you feel this way about Josh?”
Her head moved up and down, slowly, a few times. “Believe me, if I could have prevented it, I would have. I don’t need this right now in my life, you know I don’t.”
On a sigh she said, “Yeah. I do.” Gemma took a sip of her tea. “So, what are you going to do? Pursue it and get your heart potentially stomped on, or let it go and wonder what could have been?”
“Oh, don’t be so melodramatic,” Kandy said. “This isn’t some Jane Austen novel. I have more choices than just those two.”
“Like what? Aside from using him for sex or marrying the guy, I don’t see a lot of options looming on the horizon.”
Kandy shook her head and hugged her sister. “You’re an idiot. I love you dearly, but you’re an idiot.”
* * *
Kandy squeezed Declan’s little body in a hug and kissed his cheek before she settled him in his car seat.
The sun was low across the ocean and the majority of the birthday guests had departed.
Gemma, Abby, and Hannah had decided to spend the night, while the rest of the family said their good-byes and thanks to Kandy.
Mother and sisters were in the kitchen cleaning up and talking.
