“So you spent the night here? He didn’t ask where you were that night?”
She shook her head, letting go of the blanket at her shoulders and instead tucking it around her legs. “I didn’t tell him.”
“Anything else?”
“I was going to tell you,” Kay said to Van. “Tonight I was going to tell you about what happened New Year’s Eve. Tamara, from work, came with me to this big party he has every year. I thought maybe they would hit it off and that would take some pressure off me. But when it struck midnight Thomas snuck up on me and cornered me. He … he kissed me and he wouldn’t let me go. I had to fight to get away and he was really pissed off about it.”
Van gritted his teeth, willing his anger in check. He wasn’t normally a jealous man, but the idea of that man putting his hands on Kay made him want to ram his fist into something. She was looking at him, apology clearly in her gaze, and he smiled a little and nodded his head. “It’s okay, darlin’.”
She licked her lips and focused on Rick again. “I’ve been staying with Tamara since then. I thought I’d let him cool off, and then when Van got back, I could talk to him about what to do. I’ve already started looking for other apartments.”
Rick chewed his lip and considered his notes. “All right. Are you fairly certain it was him who drove past with his brights on?”
“No, I’m not. All I could see were the lights. I might just be paranoid.”
“Those texts are not paranoia,” Van interjected, his tone firmer than he intended.
Rick stood. “No, they’re not. We’ll go talk to him, try to scare him off. Might not work since he’s as rich as Croesus and will think money can buy him out of any legal problem. I can post an officer here at the house tonight, but we don’t have the budget to make it a long-term thing.”
“Maybe you should go see your family again. Get away until they get this straightened out with him.”
Van watched her consider that, and he could see there was something else she needed to tell him but for whatever reason wasn’t ready at that moment. “No, I can’t go home. My family doesn’t need this right now.”
“Alrighty.” Rick started for the door. “You two just discuss your options and let me know. I see the black and white pulling up now so I’ll be leaving. Van, come on out, and I’ll introduce you and then you guys can get on with your evening a little safer.”
When he came back into the house, he found Kay in the kitchen, putting together plates of chicken and salad. She smiled when he approached, but it was forced, the light in her eyes dampened. “There’s certainly plenty here.”
“Well, when I told Mom I was bringing it home for you, she went all out.”
Kay laughed and sat down at the bar, holding up the bottle of beer she was drinking. “Probably isn’t quite the same as what you imagined, but I just didn’t feel like wine now.”
“I never complain about beer.” He retrieved one for himself and took the stool next to her. “Hey…”
Her knife and fork make a little clattering sound when she put them back on her plate and focused her eyes on him.
“It’ll be okay.”
“You know, until this it was actually a really good day. The telephone conference with Mrs. Faucett and seeing you. Oh…”
“Oh?”
She rested a hand on his knee and used it for leverage as she leaned in to kiss him. Her lips were soft, tentative, and the movements she made against his mouth were sensually intoxicating.
“I intended to kiss you as soon as I walked in the door tonight. The best laid plans.”
“I think so far our plans have turned out pretty well when we didn’t follow them,” he replied, pecking her lips one last time and then letting her slip back into her seat. “What’s going on with your family? Why are you afraid to tell them about this?”
She chewed her food and her words. “I’m not afraid to tell them. But they’ve got their own issues and focusing attention on them could hurt them.”
That answer was so vague she might have just said no. He grunted and then took a long pull on his beer.
“I’m not trying to be difficult, Van. And I can’t tell you because it could get you into trouble too if you knew.” She laughed. “Or I could just hire you to represent them and then you’d have attorney client privilege to protect you.”
He breathed a sigh, accepting her answer.
“Geez, Van, this chicken is so good. Tell your mom that I would love to have the recipe, but I don’t cook.” She giggled, and he could tell she was probably a bit punch-drunk with anxiety.
“Would you like to meet her?” he asked, taking a big bite while he waited for her answer.
Kay drew back and watched him a moment. “You want me to meet your mom?”
“I do want you to meet my mom. We can leave in the morning.”
When she started choking, he slapped her on the back until she could breathe correctly again. She swallowed down some beer, then narrowed her eyes at him. “That’s a little sudden, don’t you think?”
“He followed you here, Kay. He knows where you live. You won’t go to your family. I don’t want anything to happen to you. At least there won’t be any direct connection to you there.”
She didn’t answer right away, pushing her food around on her plate. His heart was thudding in his chest, and he wasn’t entirely sure what it meant. He’d known this woman for a few years, as a student and now as an employee. He’d dreamed of being intimate with her and finally having her in his bed had been everything he could have imagined. The “L” word seemed out of the question considering the infancy of their new relationship. But the very thought of something happening to her made his chest burn and his hands go clammy.
His cell phone rang, and he slipped it out of his pocket while Kay took a bite and avoided looking at him. “Yeah.”
“Hey, it’s Rick. I’m at her apartment complex. Jesus, man. This guy’s crazy. He’s totally ransacked it, painted profanities on the walls. Took all of her lingerie and cut it up, put it in a big pile and then pissed on it.”
“Do you have him?”
“Hell no, man. He’s nowhere to be found at the moment.”
“It’s beautiful here,” Kay said, leaning forward, elbows against knees to look at the scenery as Van took his truck off the highway and onto a farm-to-market road. The trees overhung the street. The sun bled a golden glow over everything and made the place seem untouched and magical.
“I enjoy my work, and Dallas is the best place to build the career I always wanted, but coming back here to touch base with my roots is important. I’ll come back here for good eventually. I own about five acres adjacent to my parents’ property, and one day I’ll build a house there.”
They crossed a bridge over the Neches River and a sign announced they were entering Smith County. “You said your mom’s house is pretty big. Won’t you inherit that one day?”
“Yes, but in my mind mom’s going to live forever so I don’t really think about that.”
Kay smiled and glanced over at him, reaching a hand out and rubbing it along his arm. Van took her fingers in his and brought them to his lips. He pulled off the road and onto a long gravel drive. The house ahead looked massive. Certainly nothing compared to Arrington Manor, but huge by most standards.
Cone-heavy pines and barren oak trees dotted the expanse of grounds surrounding the home. There was a garage just a few yards from the house and a large storage building off a ways behind that. No sooner had Van gotten out of the truck then a caramel and white beagle bounded across the yard and nearly knocked him to the ground.
“Hey, Ralphie. I’m glad to see you too, boy.”
The dog cried and whined his enthusiasm. When Kay hopped down to the ground and shut her door, he finally took notice of her. His tail began to wag so hard that his entire backside moved with the force. He started to run to her, but slowed down when Van issued a warning for him to be nice.
“Hey there,” she murmured, p
utting out her hand for him to sniff her. After a time, she leaned over, rubbing his ears and down his back to the spot right around his tail. Ralph began to twitch and groan, then stuck his head up to her and licked her cheek.
“You’ve made a friend for life with that one.” A woman spoke, and when Kay looked up, she saw a slender woman in her mid-to-late sixties standing on the porch. She was wearing sweatshirt that said, “In Tyler We Stop and Smell the Roses.”
“Hi.” Kay extended her hand and approached. “I’m Kay Rawley.”
“Yes, you are.” The woman grinned, then stepped one foot down so that she could take Kay by the elbow. “Now let’s get you inside. Cold front is making its way through, and that wind’s a biting one. Don’t you have a coat?” Ginny Sue eyed her son. “As long as he isn’t toxic, Ralph can come in, too.”
A giggle she couldn’t suppress popped out of Kay’s mouth when she saw Van roll his eyes at his mother before leaning down to give the beagle a sniff. He’d told her the story of giving his dog a bath over Christmas because his mother wouldn’t allow him indoors.
They all stepped inside, and she was immediately assaulted by the scent of cookies. “Mmmm … are you and the hens baking?”
Ginny Sue glared at Van a moment, and then her face broke into a huge smile. “You really do like this girl. You’ve told her about us.”
Remarkably quiet for the moment, Van gave Kay a wink and then stepped into a room just off the foyer with their bags.
His mother began to guide her in the direction of the heavenly scent of cinnamon and sugar. “Now, dear, will your parents mind at all if you and Van sleep in the same room? I understand people your age do things differently than we did in my time, but I don’t want anything inappropriate going on.”
Careful not to laugh, Kay nodded very seriously at her. “No, ma’am, I think under the circumstances my father won’t mind at all. My mother passed away almost two years ago.” She almost said that her mother would have been the one to object to any such sleeping arrangements, but she was afraid that even the mere suggestion would have Ginny Sue setting up a separate room for her.
“Oh, I’m so sorry to hear that. How did it happen?”
“Cancer.”
Ginny Sue nodded sympathetically, wringing her hands with her head bowed as if saying a prayer. “The ugly ‘C’ word. Would you like to help me with the cookies?”
“Ohhhhh.” Kay drew the words out almost in a whine. “I’m absolutely no good in the kitchen, Mrs. Van Buren.”
“Now, young lady, if you don’t agree to call me Ginny Sue we might have real problems here.”
“Ginny Sue, I’d be afraid I’d really mess things up here if I get involved. Aren’t Van’s aunts around?”
“First, you can’t mess things up. I’m an excellent teacher, and I’ll show you everything you need to know. Second, the baking is done. We’re going to decorate and box, and just about anyone can handle that. And third, the hens only invade my kitchen for holidays and special events.” She leaned in close as if it were a secret. “They don’t actually live here, dear. I know the house is big enough for them, but everyone needs their own space, right?”
“Yes, I couldn’t agree more. I grew up on a huge estate, and I was pretty possessive of my private space.”
Ginny Sue was in the process of laying out boxes on the island in her kitchen when she stopped and clapped her hands, then covered her mouth with them. “Van told me that you’re royalty!”
Kay rolled her eyes. “Well, Van is given to exaggeration. I’m not royalty.”
“Don’t ruin this for me, dear. We don’t get much royalty here in East Texas.”
“Well, what’s going on in here, ladies?” Van grinned, entering the room and looking over several pans of sugar cookies.
“Touch those and you’ll lose a hand, son. Now either leave the room or sit back at the counter and watch. You know the rules.”
The woman handed Kay a container of sprinkles and then picked up a pastry bag. Quicker than she could even register, Ginny Sue began putting little snowflakes on the cookies with blue icing, “Just sprinkle that on them as we go along, dear.”
Kay nodded her head and did as she was told. “What are they all for? Are you having a party?”
“Didn’t my son tell you? I have a business. Aunt Ginny’s Delights. I’m working towards retiring. Gets in the way of the Red Hats. But I still have some regular clients. These are for the newcomers group in Tyler.”
“Red Hats?”
“Oh, missed one, dear.” She pointed to one of the iced cookies, and Kay quickly backtracked and sprinkled the top of it. “Yes, would you like to see my collection of hats? I have some really lovely ones. Speaking of, I really need to go into town to get a new purple shirt for my luncheon tomorrow. Van, do you think we could run to the mall? And Kay could get herself a suitable coat for this cold snap.”
She looked up at Van, standing at the bar with his arms spread wide and his palms on the counter. His eyes sparkled with mirth and tender affection for his mother. Kay’s chest constricted and for a moment she forgot to breathe. Her relationship with this man was growing from moment to moment.
“Of course, Mom. Whenever you’re ready, we’ll go.” He cut his gaze to Kay. “Okay with you?”
“Sure. I could definitely get a few things. Living out of that duffel bag hasn’t been ideal.”
“Oh!” Ginny huffed. “It’s just horrific what that man is putting you through. Absolutely terrible. I hope they catch him and Van nails his ass to the wall!”
Kay burst out laughing before she could help herself. The forceful exclamation from this sweet woman’s lips seemed so foreign that for a moment she thought someone else must have entered the room.
“Mom, I’m not a prosecutor. He’ll meet justice, but it won’t be at my hands.”
The woman lifted her almost empty pastry bag and wagged it at Van. “Arguing with your mother in front of company isn’t proper, son. Honestly, I thought I raised you better than this.”
Van dropped them at the JC Penney’s entrance of the mall in Tyler, and Kay rushed to keep up with Ginny Sue. The woman might be in her sixties, but it seemed clear she could give Kay a run for her money.
“You see, I need to find something new to wear to the luncheon. Matilda Brown had some work done – at fifty-eight if you can imagine! – and she’s been just showing off like she’s the queen of Sheba. Even with her tucks and lifts, I still have a better figure than her, and I haven’t had to pay for it. What do you think of this?” She held a bright purple sequined top against her chest and modeled it.
“Hmm.” Kay bit her lip and considered it. “A bit too flashy I think. You’re right, you’re a very lovely woman, Ginny Sue. I think you need something to just enhance that.”
Ginny Sue blushed and preened with the compliment. Kay browsed racks, following along as Van’s mother searched for just the right ensemble. Her nerves were a little frayed, and she found herself glancing in all directions. The feeling that someone was following her pervaded even Ginny Sue’s bubbly laughter.
Are you parked? She texted the messaged to Van, for some reason needing to make contact.
Yes, near the food court. Gonna grab a drink and give you ladies some time to shop.
She tapped out a simple “okay” and then worked to force herself to relax.
Are you all right? Is something wrong?
Reading his worried response made her feel silly, but the sensation of being watched wouldn’t seem to shake free. She saw that Ginny Sue had moved several rows away, and Kay practically ran to catch up.
“Are you feeling well, dear? You look peaked.”
Waving her hand in dismissal, Kay smiled, “Oh, I’m good. What do you have there?”
Van’s mother lifted lovely purple top with flowing batwing style sleeves. There were delicate frills along the hem. Her eyes were wide with expectation as she waited for Kay to give her opinion.
“Now that is perfec
t.”
Ginny Sue fingered it a moment and then looked at the tag inside the collar. “It’s a size smaller than I normally wear.”
“Try it on.” She pointed to the dressing room.
Leaning against the outside mirror, Kay waited. She had her phone in hand and pondered what response to give Van. The truth was, she wished he would just come and follow them around, but that wasn’t fair to him. Still, her hackles were raised.
Kay?
Just as she glanced down at that text, a motion caught her attention from the corner of her eye.
“You’re mine now!”
Kay stumbled back towards the wall and gasped in alarm. Her “attacker” was a boy of about seven.
“The dragons will be mine!” he cried, his voice an exaggerated snarl, as he jumped from behind a rack with a toy sword in his chubby hand.
“Holy crap! You scared me to death,” she told the kid just as a woman, presumably his mother, rushed over to grab his arm.
“Johnny, what have I told you?” she fussed, then gazed apologetically at Kay. “Please accept my apology. He has a very overactive imagination.”
He pointed at her red-pebbled Kate Spade purse. “It looks like dragon skin, Mom.”
Mentally kicking herself for overreacting, Kay exchanged pleasantries with the woman, and when she and her little boy were gone, she grabbed her phone.
Enjoy the food court. Nothing wrong. Mom and I will see you soon.
~oOo~
Van grinned when he read Kay’s last text, then set the phone aside and picked up his Styrofoam cup. For some reason his mind put significance in the fact that she said “Mom” and not “your mom.”
What you gonna do, ask her to marry you? His mind muttered, and he shoved the thoughts away to focus on the mall crowd. Even though it was a weekday, there was still a lot of foot traffic around. For a moment, he wondered if bringing her out was a good idea, but he quickly set that concern aside. Chances were pretty slim that Thomas would find them here.
He grabbed his phone again and dialed Rick’s number. “Hey, any news?”
Justice for All Page 11
