Her last chance

by Danielle Lee

  Gail turned her head now to look at her husband. “Porch light? The motion detector?”

  “I’ll be dammed if I wanted to get a closer look, and I forgot about the damn sensor…Rookie mistake.”

  “Aunt Tilly would be embarrassed.” Gail shook with laughter.

  “Come here, Gail,” Bill growled. “I’ll show you…”

  Gail laughed as Bill brought her to the bed.

  CHAPTER FOUR

  Warren had been up for what seemed like hours when his bedside alarm went off. He pushed the button and stood up just as the phone on the stand rang.

  “Hello, this is Warren.”

  “Warren, my boy,” a man’s voice sounded on the other end.

  Warren smiled and inhaled. “Bill.”

  “Any plans for today, son?” Bill Daniels’ voice rang out.

  “Uh, actually, I have a few things that I wanted to get done today. Other than that, nothing. You know I’m on vacation this week. Whatcha need?”

  “Oh, nothing…Well, I just thought I would call to see if you would help Katherine out. She was talking about you all last night, you know?”

  Somehow Warren knew that Bill was exaggerating, as usual. After seeing Katherine’s face turn that shade of pink, he figured she had gone straight to bed. “Really?” he said sarcastically.

  “Yeah, you must have impressed her with that creative writing class. She chatted until the cows came home,” Bill said loudly, playing it up as he playfully nudged Gail with his elbow. She rolled her eyes at his excited grin.

  “She did, huh? I didn’t…we didn’t…well she,” he stammered. When he got around this family, his mind seemed to get the case of the nerves.

  Mr. Daniels chuckled, then started in again. “Don’t worry, Doc. It was all good. She’s in the living room right now with her sister. Why don’t you come on over. You know you want to.”

  Warren’s face tinged with red. Bill Daniels knew exactly how to get him.

  The fact that Bill was playing matchmaker with his own daughter made Warren feel special for some reason. He'd been through a lot lately, and Bill knew that.

  “I’ll be over in a few minutes.”

  “I knew you would come to your senses. Now, the story is, she needs a ride to the post office.”

  “The post office? Really, Bill? Come on, it’s only a block from the house.” Warren chuckled as he moved around his bedroom getting dressed. “Hey, you know the solution, don’t you? Think of a better lie. Now, don’t let her know I called you, okay?”

  “All right, Bill. I’m hanging up now.” Warren hung up the phone and shook his head. That sly old man was something else.

  A few minutes after he hung up, Warren was driving down to Katherine’s. It wasn’t exactly what he had come up with last night, but hey, it did get him here. He was sure he could come up with something better than the post office. He tapped lightly on the door as he saw her walk past the refrigerator through the side window.

  She peeked through, feeling slightly nervous; she quickly turned around, brushed her hair back behind her ears with her fingers, and pushed down the front of her blouse, making sure all the buttons were intact. “Coming,” she said, and opened up the door.

  “Good morning, Katherine.”

  “Good morning, Warren. My dad isn’t here; he just left, but if you want you can come in.” She smiled as she stepped to the side and let him through.

  Great, now what? He was definitely going to have to use the stupid post office excuse.

  “Your father called—he asked if I could drop you off at the post office. He said you also needed a few things in town as well.” Bill wouldn’t be pleased about this. Hey, if he was going down, he was sure as hell going to drag him down with him.

  He did, did he? Sly old man. “I don’t want to put you out, Warren. My father can sometimes be a bit pushy when it comes to his daughters.” She smiled at the last of her words. “I am sure that you have to be at work—you know, saving lives and all.”

  “Actually, as luck would have it, I’m on vacation now. I was supposed to go fishing with your dad this week. Today, actually—I’m surprised he isn’t here.” He hated to lie, but didn’t have much of a choice. He wanted to be there.

  “Really? Aren’t you his heart doctor? He told me he was having heart problems…What’s going on here?”

  Uh, oh. “Hey, I can’t say anything to you about your dad’s health…privacy laws…"

  “You can’t tell me anything?"

  Warren shook his head no.

  “Okay, well, I guess I will take you up on the post office.” Figuring there was no need to argue, she asked, “Would you like something to drink?”

  “Yes, that would be nice.” He followed Katherine into the kitchen. He wondered if he should mention anything about the night before, but decided against it.

  “So, about last night,” Katherine said quickly, “I’m not sure we should have…”

  “You regret it?” Warren said quietly.

  “No,” she said softly, and Warren exhaled. She looked at him. “It’s just that…I don’t think it should happen again. I mean, I’m going back to my life in New York; you live here, and besides, you’re a family friend. It might not work out, and then you will have lost your friendship with my father. I wouldn’t want that to happen.” She said the last bit quite fast, and Warren was still processing what she was saying.

  “Oh, well…I guess there’s not much to say to that.” He scoffed. “I’m not sorry it happened.”

  “You’re not?” she asked, surprised.

  Warren looked at her as if she were crazy. “Hell no. I was up all night thinking of a way to ask you out, but I can see that that was pretty much for nothing.”

  She smiled, and her eyes sparkled. Damn, they were beautiful. “What?” he asked, noting the humor in her eyes.

  “Nothing, I…I needed that.” She smiled. “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome.” He hesitated. He didn’t know if she wanted him to ask her out or to kiss her again, or what. So he led the way into the living room and sat down with his glass of water. “Thanks for the drink. I didn’t know where you wanted to go for shopping, but I thought maybe the…” At that moment, two things happened. Kat walked around the couch to sit down, tripped over Warren’s legs, and fell right into his lap. His water went everywhere; she flinched and looked up with horror on her face. “Hey, you,” Warren whispered.

  “I...I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be,” he said softly, looking down at her lips. He watched them part slightly, then he tipped her chin up and met her for a kiss. Her eyes closed as he kissed her. Her body felt like it would give out; his hands now went to her waist as he brought her into him. Her arms moved up and her hands twined around his neck. He brought his lips to her neck, sending little nibbles down her flesh. She moaned softly, and the sound of it sent trembles down his body.

  She slowly moved her hands down his chest and pushed him down on the sofa. He was on his back when the doorbell rang. They both quickly sat up, knocking them out of their trance.

  “Oh, my God,” Katherine said.

  “Wow,” Warren exhaled.

  “Door,” she said.

  “Right.”

  “Can you get it?” she asked, flushed.

  “Not, exactly,” he replied. His face was flushed, and she noticed him place one of the throw pillows on his lap.

  “Oh.” She giggled. “Right, I’ll get it.”

  Warren nodded. Kat took a deep breath, straightened her clothes, and then braced herself for the door.

  “Oh, God,” she muttered. “Tommy, hi, how are you doing? Elliot isn’t here,” she quickly ventured.

  Tommy’s eyes found hers, and then looked down once for good measure and back up again. A wide grin formed on his face, then he glanced over to the living room where he saw Warren on the couch.

  Warren saw the exchange and vowed silently to himself to get him back one way or the other.

 
Tommy laughed. “Warren, hi, how ya doing?” Tommy joked.

  Warren glared up at him, “Doing well, Tommy, you?” He wondered if Tommy ever got rid of that mysterious rash. Now would be a perfect time to bring it up, but deciding it was unethical to mention, he kept it to himself.

  “Just fine, just fine,” he muttered. “Katherine, I wasn’t looking for Elliot, I thought you might need a ride around town.”

  Kat laughed. "Well, I know my dad didn’t call you."

  Warren laughed aloud.

  Tommy looked confused. “What are you talking about?” He noticed her red face and swollen lips, and a sly smile spread across his face. He looked back at Warren, who was still on the couch. The TV was off, and he saw the strategic placement of the blue turquoise throw pillow. He laughed.

  “Katherine Elizabeth Daniels, am I interrupting something?” Tommy asked in his best Gail-voice.

  Katherine noticed how bad the situation might look, then went over to the couch and grabbed the pillow off Warren’s lap and tossed it at Tommy’s head. “Get out of here, Tommy. I didn’t want it back then, and I still don’t want it now!”

  He infuriated her. He got under her skin like a tick. Tommy laughed the entire way out the door. Katherine turned and walked toward Warren.

  “Warren, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to jump you back there, and it’s not like me to be…”

  He smiled, then motioned her toward the couch. “You keep apologizing.”

  “I know,” she whispered.

  “Don’t.”

  She smiled as he reached out and grabbed her hand. “I feel like a kid making out on my parents’ sofa. Not that it wasn’t great, it’s just…We’re adults, for God’s sake.” She started to laugh, thinking of her brothers and how they always made sure they bought their dates dinner first—an incentive for making out. Made sense.

  “What’s so funny?” he asked curiously.

  “Oh, uh nothing, I was just thinking to myself.”

  “Oh? What were you thinking?”

  “Well, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. First last night, then the couch, and oh, my God, Tommy is going to tell everyone. Listen to me, like I’m worried what that idiot’s going to say. I just know I can’t do this at my parents’ house.”

  “Wanna go to my house?”

  Kat looked at his face. He was teasing her…What the hell? “Yes.”

  He looked taken aback. “Well, then…my kind of girl.” He laughed as he pulled them both to their feet and dragged her through the doorway out to his car.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  Minutes later, they arrived at a large home on the corner of Fifth and Rosedale. She loved the area. It wasn’t quite in the city, but not in the boondocks either. The street was familiar. She remembered it from when she lived back home. Her friend Keri Smith lived at the house across the street from Warren’s. She wondered if Keri’s parents still lived there.

  His house was a Tudor-style home with a beautifully landscaped lawn and a cute lamppost at the end of the drive that welcomed people as they pulled in. She couldn’t believe only one person lived there.

  “I used to ride my bike here all the time. Well, to the house across the street.”

  “Really? When you were a kid?”

  “No, last week…” Kat laughed and elbowed him. “Of course when I was a kid.”

  “I see how you are. You say you aren’t like Bill, huh? Well, I got news for you,” he joked back as he opened the door to his house.

  It was nice. It looked lived in, not scary like her New York apartment. You could most certainly tell he had a good job. Artwork lined the walls in the kitchen, and he had a beautiful pot-and-pan rack hanging over the large island in the middle. The same Van Gogh print that she had in her apartment hung in the dining room above a nice cherry buffet.

  He placed his house keys on a hook beside the refrigerator, then looked up at her. “Would you like something to drink?”

  “No thank you. I’m…I don’t know…I don’t know what I’m doing here! I just met you yesterday. I usually don’t do things like this,” she said nervously, pacing the kitchen.

  “It’s fine. You don’t have to be nervous about anything, Katherine,” Warren said, walking over to her, touching her shoulders.

  She could feel his warm hands brand her skin. She glanced up to his face, and she knew he meant it.

  “Now, let’s get to know one another,” he said, smiling. He grabbed her hand and led her to the living room. “What would you like to know? That seems like a bit too much for now—how about four questions?” He smiled as she scrunched up her nose in thought. Everything about her was so damn cute.

  “Four questions, huh?” She smiled jokingly. “Okay, question number one. Are you operating on my father this week? This all seems like a setup to me, an ambush. I came here because my mother couldn’t get off at the restaurant for it.”

  Warren narrowed his eyebrows in thought. Surgery? Bill had been a little run down lately, but nothing serious like she was letting on. He wondered if there was something Bill wasn’t telling him. He wondered if there was something else wrong medically that didn’t have to do with his heart. When he didn’t speak quickly, Kat rolled her eyes.

  “Aha, I knew it! You’re in on this, too, aren’t you? He isn’t even sick! What kind of scheme are you both trying to pull?” Her hands were on her waist, much like a mother would do before she scolded a child. She was furious.

  “Whoa, wait a minute. I’m not in on any kind of scheme, or games. I’m not into games. Whatever Bill told you is his business, and like I said before, I can’t divulge any health information; I could lose my license. I can tell you that your father’s health would be a hell of a lot better if he would start following his diet a lot more. You know how your father is—stubborn.”

  Well, that much was true. Bill Daniels never liked to be told what to eat and what not to. “You’re sure about this?” she asked, being skeptical.

  “Positively.”

  “Okay, sorry. I guess I’m just overly paranoid right now.” She shook her head and faced him again, getting ready for question number two.

  “So, does any of this paranoia stem from the Kelsey incident?” He hated to even mention that creep, but he didn’t want to be compared to scum.

  She took a deep breath, then shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose so. You have no idea what I’ve been through. I had a thing for him for eight years. I’m…I’ll be honest, embarrassed. And I’m not looking for a relationship, that’s for sure.” After she said it aloud, she realized that she didn’t really mean it.

  Warren winced. “You know, not all men are like him.” His temper rose as he spoke to her. His eyes darkened to a darker blue as he spoke. “I don’t like him one bit.”

  “Well, as it happens, you’re not alone in that department. I—” She almost let the cat out of the bag. She quit. She definitely wasn’t ready for her parents to find out about that yet. “I don’t like him much either.”

  “Well, you know your parents are glad to have you here. They talk about you all the time.”

  “Yeah, I suppose so. I miss them too.” Not enough to move home, though.

  That’s all she needed: everyone to find out what kind of failure she was, with no job and all.

  “You could make more time for them. Give them some credit, Katherine. You haven’t been here since last Christmas.” Even as he was saying it, he knew he didn’t have a right.

  “What? Are you kidding me? I talk to them all the time on the phone. I live in New York. You know, the roads run both ways, and furthermore, how is that any of your business?” she said heatedly, then got up and walked toward the kitchen.

  “Katherine, wait. I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” He lowered his gaze, then reached out for her arm.

  “Let go of me. I don’t need someone telling me that I haven’t spent enough time here. I lived here almost my whole life. I needed air, and I needed space. I never got that when I liv
ed here. As much as I love my parents, I…You know what? Forget it.”

  “Katherine, please don’t go. Katherine,” Warren pleaded as she walked out the door. Ran was more like it. He went to follow her, but figured it was best that he just stay away for now. After all, her parents’ home was only a mile away—not very long for a woman who was used to walking everywhere. What the hell was he thinking yelling at her? She didn’t even…He couldn’t even finish the thought.

  He’d been thinking of Katherine Daniels for some time now. Her father brought in pictures to the office, talked about her as if Warren had known her for years. He felt like they were dating, for Christ’s sake. He knew practically everything there was to know about her—her favorite color, flower, and perfume. Just the smell of her was toxic to his already tightened nerves. He couldn’t stand in the same room with her without thinking of touching her.

  When he finally saw her at the airport, his whole world seemed complete. But she still didn’t know him. He’d wanted to tell her tonight. The perfect moment would have happened tonight—he’d hoped while she asked about him, that he would find the courage to tell her. She didn’t even know about his wife. How in the hell was he going to explain that one? “By the way, Katherine, I have a wife, her name’s Sarah,” he scoffed. How in the hell do you tell someone that you think you’re falling in love with them, then tell her you have a wife at the same time? Life is a son of a bitch. He didn’t know who ever said that, but they were right. He’d been too chicken to tell her the details on that relationship, and now he’d lectured her on that stupid ass that wrote an article on her—not to mention the fact that she was a lousy daughter? He knew that she was far from that. He knew she talked to Bill and Gail every day; Bill constantly bragged about it. He knew about the letters she sent to them, and the plane tickets she sent a few different times, even though the drive to New York was shorter than the plane ride and the hassle at the airport.

  Irritated with himself, he shook his head and grabbed his coat; he had to apologize to her, and calling her wouldn’t do much. She probably wouldn’t pick up the phone.