Catia (Starkis Family #6)

by Cheryl Douglas

  “Nope,” Elsie said, smiling at a picture of Lovenia with a bear as big as she was.

  “Does that mean the works?” I asked, winking.

  “The works?” Elsie looked confused. “What’s that?”

  I huffed, pretending to be baffled. “You mean you’ve never had a sundae with the works?”

  They both shook their heads, blond curls bouncing as they stared at me, wide-eyed.

  “In that case,” I said, reaching for a banana from the bowl of fruit I kept in the middle of the island, “we’ll have to make this a banana split, complete with chopped nuts, whipped cream, chocolate sauce, and a cherry on top. How does that sound?”

  “Yummy,” Emily said, grinning to reveal two missing teeth.

  “Girls after my own heart,” I teased. “I have a serious sweet tooth too. What’s your favorite dessert?”

  They wrinkled their noses, and the action made me smile. My sister and I had often mimicked each other in much the same way when we were kids.

  “Daddy doesn’t buy sweets.” Elsie sighed as she pointed at her mouth. “He says it’s not good for our teeth.”

  Then he definitely wouldn’t have approved of my sugary concoction. “Oh, I see,” I said, scooping out ice cream. “Then maybe this should be our little secret, huh? We wouldn’t want your daddy getting mad at us, would we?”

  The girls looked serious again as Emily asked, “Are you gonna marry Daddy?”

  I coughed when air got trapped in my throat. I’d never expected to have to field that question tonight, and I had no idea how to respond. After setting the dessert on the table, I said, “I like your daddy a lot, but we’re not going to rush into anything.”

  They ate in silence for a few minutes before Elsie said, “Our mommy and daddy aren’t getting back together.”

  I sat across from them, tentatively digging into my own sundae. “And you were hoping they would?”

  “That’s why we were mean to you,” Elsie confessed, looking at her ice cream instead of meeting my gaze. “We wanted to be a family ‘gain.”

  “I see.” It made perfect sense to me. They were little girls who wanted their family back. As far as they were concerned, I was the only obstacle.

  “We talked ta Dr. Wyndham,” Emily explained. “And Mommy and Daddy said we’re gonna live like this from now on.”

  I put myself in their position, and my heart broke for them. “I bet that made you sad, huh?”

  “Yeah,” Elsie said, her bottom lip quivering. “We liked our old house. Our dog was buried under a tree in da backyard.”

  “How did your dog die?” I asked gently.

  “He got hit by a car,” Emily said, glancing at her sister when a tear trickled down Elsie’s cheek. “Right afor we moved.”

  “Oh.” I bit my lip, wondering what I could say to ease their pain. “Maybe your daddy would let you have another dog someday.” I didn’t want to speak for Chase, but I couldn’t imagine he’d deny his daughters something they obviously wanted so much.

  “He said it wouldn’t be fair to a dog,” Elsie said, looking miserable as she ran her spoon through her melting ice cream. “Since we’re not home much.”

  I understood Chase’s position, but there were alternatives: doggy daycare, dog walkers. “Maybe if you had someone to help with the dog, your daddy would consider it?”

  “Would you help?” Elsie asked, sitting up taller. “I bet if you asked Daddy, he’d let us have a puppy.”

  Emily folded her hands beneath her chin, the same trick they’d used on their father earlier. “Please, please, Cat, will you talk him into getting us a puppy?”

  Oh, man. I’d really stuck my foot in my mouth this time. “Um, girls, I know you want a dog, but this really is your dad’s decision. If he doesn’t think you’re ready for that kind of commitment…” My words died when I saw their excitement displaced by misery again. “I can’t make any promises, but I’ll talk to him for you.”

  “Thank you, thank you,” they said, rushing around the table to give me a hug.

  Wow, if I’d known it would be that easy to win them over, I wouldn’t have wasted so much time worrying. I only hoped Chase would agree to getting a puppy so I wouldn’t revert to being public enemy number one again.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chase

  I stopped in my tracks when I saw Cat curled up on the couch in my family room under a soft throw. The electric fireplace was on, and the TV was turned down low. I’d never felt more at home in this house than I did watching her sleep. She belonged there, with us, and I prayed after her first night alone with my girls, she would see it as a possibility.

  “Hey,” she whispered when she woke, stretching her arms over her head. “When did you get in?”

  “Just a few minutes ago.” I sat on the edge of the ottoman facing her, and I brushed the hair off her face. “Sorry it took me so long, sweetheart. The emergency room was slammed tonight. Doctors running in all directions.”

  “It’s okay,” she said, reaching for my hand. “How’s your mom?”

  I smiled. “She’ll be fine. She’s tough. How did it go with the girls tonight?” I held my breath, hoping she wouldn’t tell me it had been the worst night of her life.

  “Actually, it went pretty well.” She released my hand and sat up. “I helped them get ready for bed, and they talked me into three stories: Franklin, Berenstain Bears, and Arthur.”

  I chuckled as I imagined them pleading for just one more. “I’m not surprised. Those also happen to be their favorite programs. They can’t get enough. Sorry.”

  “Don’t apologize. It was fun. I almost forgot how much I used to love reading books like that when I was a kid.”

  “Really?” Imagining a little Catia, who was so full of energy, settling down long enough to read a book was hard.

  “Really.” She gripped my leg. “I figure the practice will be good for me.” Her eyes drifted from mine to the fire. “Uh, you know, since I’ll be babysitting my niece soon. Kara tells me you should start reading to them right away, even when they’re infants.”

  “Yeah, we used to read to the girls long before they could talk. I think that’s why they like books so much now.”

  “So listen,” she said, looking guilty, “you might be mad at me when you hear what I did tonight.”

  I grinned. “What did you do? Ply them with sugar? Bribe them to get them to brush their teeth? Promise to buy them a princess castle if they ate all their veggies? No, wait, you gave them another can of Coke, didn’t you?”

  “I kind of told them I’d talk to you about getting them a puppy.” She covered her face with her hands as though she was deeply ashamed. “I know it was stupid, but I couldn’t help myself. They told me about what happened to their other dog, and well, they just looked so sad. And they’re so cute…” She pointed at me. “Which is partially your fault, by the way. So you can’t blame this on me entirely.”

  I laughed at her reasoning. “The fact that they want a puppy isn’t news to me, Cat. But I’m a little surprised you let yourself get dragged into this.” I thought it was nice that my girls now saw her as their ally though. “And don’t worry, I’ve been giving the dog thing some thought. I’m thinking maybe after the craziness of the holidays—”

  She lunged at me, wrapping her arms around my neck. “Really? Oh, that’s so awesome! They’re going to be so happy!”

  I laughed at her enthusiasm. “Sounds like you’re pretty happy about the prospect too. Don’t suppose you’d like to help with the training?”

  “I could be talked into it,” she said and bit her lip. “If you think you’ll need help. But I’m afraid I don’t have much experience with pets. You’re the expert.”

  “You’ve never had a pet?” I asked, trying to hide my shock. “That’s crazy. Why not?”

  “Well, we traveled a lot when I was kid, and my mother thought having a pet was impractical. Not to mention the fact that animals belong outside, according to her.” She rolle
d her eyes. “I’ve always been so busy, first with school, then with work. It didn’t seem fair to have a cat or dog waiting on me at home.”

  I brushed my thumb across her cheek. I knew it was selfish, but I couldn’t help but feel a commitment to our pet would mean she was willing to stay put. “Maybe now that you’re ready to put down roots, you’ll consider sharing the responsibility. Don’t know if I can do it all alone.”

  “I imagine you can do anything you set your mind to,” she said, her voice soft as she leaned in for a kiss.

  “Daddy, I wanna water.”

  I pinched my lips together when Catia looked horrified at being “caught” kissing Elsie’s daddy in front of her.

  “Sure thing, honey.” I jumped up to grab the glass of water. Since the kitchen and family room were combined, I could watch the interaction between my daughter and Cat.

  “Hi,” Cat said, smiling at her. “Is that your favorite stuffed animal?” She pointed at the threadbare teddy in Elsie’s arms. When she nodded, Cat smiled. “I used to have one just like that when I was your age. I called him Mr. Peepers.”

  Elsie laughed, and the sound was music to my ears. Apparently they had made progress in my absence. “Why’d you call him dat?”

  “Because my brother drew glasses on him with a magic marker,” she said, making a disgusted face. “I cried my eyes out when it wouldn’t come out in the wash. But my mom convinced me to make the best of it and call him Mr. Peepers. She said it only made him more special, since she’d never seen a stuffed animal with glasses before.”

  Elsie held out her stuffed animal, looking at it thoughtfully. I wouldn’t be surprised if she broke out the Sharpies in the morning to modify her own teddy bear.

  “Was Darius always doin’ mean stuff like that?” Elsie asked, stepping farther into the room so she could get closer to Catia.

  “Sometimes,” Catia said, shaking her head. “But me and Kara always got him back.”

  Elsie giggled. “What’d you do?”

  “Uh, before you put any ideas in her head for ways she can torment her sister,” I said, ruffling Elsie’s curls, “I better tuck her in.”

  Elsie took a tentative sip of her water as she watched Catia stand and refold the throw she’d used. “Are you leaving?”

  “Yup,” Catia said, running her palms over her jeans. “It’s time for me to get home. I had fun with you and your sister tonight, Elsie.” Catia knelt in front of her. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”

  Elsie tipped her head from one side to the other before she handed the glass back to me. “You’re welcome.”

  I smiled. If things continued to go as well as they seemed to be, it wouldn’t be long before my daughters counted my girlfriend among the short list of people they trusted.

  “Just let me tuck Elsie in, and I’ll walk you out,” I said to Catia.

  “Sure.”

  “You can come too if you want,” Elsie said to Catia, her expression expectant.

  “Thanks.”

  Catia grinned as she followed us up the stairs. She stood in the doorway as I tucked Elsie in and kissed her good night. My daughter surprised me again when she waved at Catia and blew her a kiss.

  Catia returned it with a kiss of her own, followed by a whispered, “Sweet dreams.”

  Once we were downstairs, I said, “Wow. It looks like you really won them over tonight.”

  Catia said tentatively, “We had a nice time, but I want to take it slow. I know how girls are at that age. They can like you one day, hate you the next. So I’m trying not to get my hopes up.”

  I wrapped my arms around her as she tipped her head back for a kiss. “Have I told you how much I appreciate the effort you’re making? I know they haven’t made it easy to like them.”

  She gasped, seeming appalled that I would even suggest my kids could be nasty. “They’re a part of you, and I love you. How could I not like them?”

  I inhaled deeply as I held her close, resting my chin on the top of head. I’d spent countless hours praying for a chance like this, wanting to see her forge a relationship with my kids and admit she was in love with me. But when she left and took a part of me with her, I’d never expected to get that chance back.

  “What’re you thinking?” she asked, hooking her thumbs into the belt loops of my jeans.

  “Just thinking about how happy you’ve made me.”

  “Right back atcha, boss man.” She sighed. “Speaking of which, I better get to bed. Wouldn’t want to get fired for sleeping in. My boss is a real tyrant.”

  I smacked her behind when she turned toward the door, making her yelp before she smacked my chest. “Thanks again for watching the girls tonight, babe. You really came through for me.”

  “My pleasure. I’m just glad Doreen’s okay. We were supposed to have a lesson tomorrow night, but tell her not to worry about that. She needs her rest.”

  I chuckled. “We won’t be able to keep my mother down with restraints. If she said she’ll be there, she’ll be there, even if my father has to drive her to your house and pick her up.” After a languorous good-night kiss, I asked, “How about lunch tomorrow?”

  She groaned before dropping her head on my chest. “I’d love to, but the Patterson job is really kicking my butt. I expect to be on site all day tomorrow.”

  “What’s the problem?”

  Catia patted my cheek. “Nothing I can’t handle. Rain check on lunch?”

  “Count on it.” I turned on the porch light and stepped outside. “I’ll watch you until you get inside. Flash the light when you lock the door, okay?”

  She rolled her eyes. “You worry too much.”

  “Just indulge me.”

  “Don’t I always?”

  ***

  I swore softly when I hung up the phone, only to look up and find Catia peeking her head in the half-open door. Seeing her beautiful face made my bad day a hell of a lot better. “Hey, hon, what’s up? I thought you weren’t gonna be around today.”

  “I just came back to get something.” She held up a brown paper bag. “I grabbed a sandwich for myself at the deli downstairs and thought you might like one too? Pastrami on rye.”

  “My angel,” I said, grinning. “Get in here.”

  “I’m not keeping you from anything, am I?”

  “Nothing that can’t wait.” I watched her extract her sandwich before handing me the bag. “I just made a fresh pot of coffee. Help yourself.”

  She looked longingly at the brew before she shook her head. “I just had one a little while ago, thanks.”

  “I’ve never known you to turn down coffee.” I bit into my sandwich. “First last night, now today. What’s up? You’re not trying to kick the habit, are you?”

  “Never.” She bit into her roast beef sandwich before nodding at my phone. “What was that call about? You sounded pretty upset.”

  “Yeah, I have to go out of town this weekend to deal with a supplier issue. The company president is on vacation next week, and I need to see him before he goes.”

  “Is your mom well enough to care for the girls?” she asked, frowning.

  “My dad is still picking them up from school, but I couldn’t ask her to take them all weekend. It’s too much with her being down and out. I’ll just have to take them with me. Stay somewhere with a daycare service so they can watch them for a few hours while I’m in meetings.”

  “What about their dance lessons?”

  I was touched that she seemed to commit every little detail to memory. “They can afford to miss it, I guess. What choice do I have, right?”

  “Well, if you think they’d agree, I could take them to the Hamptons with me.”

  My jaw dropped, and I set my sandwich back in its wrapper. “You can’t be serious.”

  She laughed. “What? You said they get along great with my family, and I know they can’t wait to meet Lovenia.”

  “True, but that’s way too much to ask, Cat.”

  “You didn’t ask; I offered,”
she said, shrugging. “Besides, it would give us a chance to get to know each other better. To keep building our friendship.”

  I loved her even more for offering a solution to my problem while making it sound as if I was doing her a favor. “If you’re sure you want to do this, I can talk to them about it tonight.”

  “I’m sure.”

  I beckoned her with my finger. “Get over here so I can thank you properly.”

  She laughed as she stood and rounded my desk. “You don’t have to thank me. It’s my pleasure.”

  I pulled her into my lap, wrapping my arms around her as I buried my face in her sweet-smelling neck. “Are you sure about that?” I asked as my hand drifted up her denim-clad thigh. “Because I can think of at least half a dozen ways I’d love to thank you.”

  She moaned, tossing her head back when I kissed her neck. “Then by all means, show your gratitude.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  Catia

  My family was stunned when I told them I was bringing Chase’s girls along for the weekend, but given how well they’d gotten to know them in my absence, they already considered them part of the family. Apparently I was the one lagging behind.

  The girls and I had made more progress on the drive from the city. Since I’d talked their dad into getting them a puppy, I was their new favorite person, at least for now. I had no idea how they’d feel when they found out I was going to give them a new brother or sister. That was part of the reason I hadn’t told Chase yet. I wanted to enjoy my newfound truce with the girls just a little longer before I upended their world yet again.

  “Here we are,” I said when I pulled into my parents’ long and winding driveway.

  “Are Misser and Missus Starkis here?” Elsie asked.

  “I think they’re flying in tonight.” Once we’d parked, I took my keys out of my purse so I could unlock the door. “But you girls make yourselves at home. I’ll show you to your rooms.”