He regretted his behavior and needed her to know she had nothing to fear from him. Not even when he saw her share a moment of exhilaration with another man or when she frustrated him or when he behaved like an ass.
When she stood up for herself, the way she had today, it was up to him to shut up and listen.
"Harry," she began, "I've got an idea I want to run by you."
His uncle's dour expression softened, as Kate settled beside him on the sofa.
"I figured you were about due for one." Harry winked at him. "She gets a new idea for the lot every coupla years. So far, they've all worked out."
Jace grunted. "Have you ever refused her?"
Harry rubbed his hand across his stubbly jaw. "Only until she goes ahead with it in spite of me." This time, his wink was for Kate.
She flushed and gazed back at him lovingly for a long moment. Harry snorted and looked away, pretending not to have seen the adoration in her face. A stab of jealousy rivaled the one Jace had felt for that damn womanizer, McElroy.
He looked at his hands to see signs of Neanderthal hair, but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Still, he must be sick to react to this easy affection between his uncle and Kate.
Once Kate had set a personal claim, a man wouldn't stand a chance. She was that kind of woman. Harry must have melted at the sight of her at eighteen looking for work, alone in the world. Her sassy smile and youthful bravado must have won the old geezer over immediately. It hadn't taken much longer than that for her to get to Jace. He leaned against the door frame to keep from moving into the room to stand next to her.
He’d crowded her in the office earlier and didn’t want to make that mistake again.
Kate cleared her throat. Her eyes glowed with excitement. Her expression pulled at him.
"I want this to fly, Harry." She clenched her delicate hands into fists. "It'll be great for business and put us ahead of the competition throughout the state." Her breath came in shallow gasps. "Maybe even the country."
He recognized the signs. Enthusiastic abandon. Kate had gone far beyond practicality with this idea. She was reaching for the stars.
Harry glanced at him, a twinkle in his eye. His uncle had evidently seen her like this before. Lucky man. Harry nodded but said nothing, allowing her to continue unabated. He wasn't only lucky, he was smart, Jace thought.
Harry had figured out long ago what Jace had recently learned: when Kate stood up for herself, a smart man listened.
"We'll advertise, of course. And later, after we have some results"—her voice brightened—"we'll use testimonials in our ads." Her gaze flashed from Jace to Harry and back again. "Can't you see it?" she demanded, too far gone to realize she hadn't explained her idea yet.
"Testimonials?" Harry asked. "Slow down, Katie, you're getting carried away again." He shook his head, lifted a hand to his breast pocket, found it empty of cigars and scowled at Jace.
"Okay, okay." Kate hardly missed a beat. "I'd better start at the beginning." She took a deep breath and blinked her wide brown eyes. "Harry's Used Cars should offer buyer automotive maintenance seminars. We'll target our female customers, but anyone who buys a car from us will be entitled to one." She tilted her head as if considering an idea. "Or maybe two, depending on what Tom can cover in a session." The last she said more to herself than to Jace and Harry.
Harry fumbled at his breast pocket again, swore under his breath and glared at Jace as if it were his fault for not providing cigars.
"I need a drink," the old reprobate muttered, looking hopefully at Jace.
“Juice?” He offered with a grin. Harry grunted in disgust.
"I understand that this sounds unusual, Harry," she explained without noticing the men’s byplay, "but new ideas generally do."
Harry nodded. “Yeah, yeah, so I’ve heard from you before.”
Jace felt as if he'd been tied to a railroad track. Kate was like a freight train when she got rolling. If she could get this passionate about a business idea, what would she be like between the sheets with a man who wanted to love and please her in every way? He swallowed, trying to dismiss the image. A banker should never let his mind wander during a business discussion. Clear thinking was the foundation of good decision making.
"How are we supposed to pay for this?" Jace said, trying to sound cool but interested.
Kate looked at him, the expression in her wide eyes suddenly wary.
"We?" she asked, with a deadly calm that threatened to break into a storm of temper.
"Yes, we," he replied. Had he sounded proprietary? Judging from the fire in Kate's eyes, she didn't want him involved. Too bad.
Harry looked from one to the other of them as if he'd just now noticed the antagonism between his nephew and Katie. Which, of course, was bullshit. His uncle belonged on the stage.
"Hmm. You two working together may not have been such a good idea," Harry said. "Maybe I should haul my butt down there and see what a mess you're both making of my business."
"No." Jace and Katie blurted simultaneously.
Katie glared at Jace, the source of all her personal and professional anxiety. "That won't be necessary, Harry. The lot's fine, honest. We don't—that is—we don't fight there like this. It's unprofessional," she finished in a rush, wishing it was true that they could contain themselves to arguing in their off hours.
"Kate's right. Besides, I only wanted to point out that Johnson's needs to be brought into this millennium. Kate's talents are being wasted. She should be selling, not shuffling paper. The whole place needs to be overhauled: computers, a website, social networks."
A rush of gratitude warmed her. Jace had seen her talent for sales and their need to update the business.
For a long time she’d believed access to a network of dealers would work. If they didn’t have what a customer wanted, they could check the competition and arrange transfers of stock. But for Harry the idea of cooperating with the competition would bring on a second heart attack, so she clamped her mouth shut. One thing at a time was the best way to deal with Harry Johnson.
When she saw that Jace had changed the subject, she narrowed her gaze. "But if we bring in a new system there won't be any money for my seminars."
"Technology is an asset, Kate. While your idea might make a few customers happy, it would definitely cut into cash flow."
"I see. That would make the lot harder to sell, right? Harry, can't you see what he's up to? He wants you in retirement home and me out on the street."
Harry's face changed to a deep, burning red as he glared at her.
"What the hell do you think has happened to me? I'm not about to roll over for Jace or anyone—including you. When I decide what to do with my own business, I'll let you know. Now, get the hell out of here and leave me in peace. How am supposed to get better if you two won't let me be."
Immediately contrite, Katie moved toward Harry, but Jace clasped her by the elbow and quick-marched her out of the room before she could reach him.
"Ow. Let me go," she groused, tugging free of him when they got outside to the front veranda.
"You heard the man." He stepped down onto the lawn and looked back up at her. His eyes were filled with laughter. "Do you see what just happened?"
There was absolutely nothing to laugh about. "No, what?" He was as crazy as his uncle.
"A convalescing heart attack victim just kicked us out of his room." He laughed again. "Oh man, I've been a jerk."
"What was your first clue?" She crossed her arms and watched him for more signs of mirth.
"I don't need any clues when I've got you around to remind me. Let's go for a walk and talk this idea of yours through." Jace grinned and offer her his hand. He waited, with his most reasonable expression plastered to his face and his hand out to her.
She should refuse to go with him. A walk? And a conversation? She hesitated and looked over her shoulder toward the front door.
"There's nothing but Harry in there," he reminded her.
"Ri
ght." She turned back to him, took his hand and descended the three steps to his side.
Katie didn't want to go for a walk, but she allowed him to lead her toward the sidewalk. "I didn't mean to upset him," she said softly. Harry had, indeed, kicked them out of his sick room. “I should have held onto my temper.”
"Don't beat yourself up. We're both guilty." He tugged her hand closer and locked her fingers with his. "We’ve been treating him as if he were incapable. He's probably been laughing all along. It was a mild heart attack. He’s nowhere near incapable."
She won the battle over her guilt and smiled in amused indulgence. She cast him a sidelong glance. "You had no idea you were disturbing a hornets' nest."
"When?" He cocked a sexy eyebrow at her.
"Harry hates computers, won't let me bring the subject up anymore. I offered to buy one myself, but he won't hear of it.” She hadn’t mentioned a network or the internet. “He says if we get used to one, we'll never function without it."
"Why would you need to?" Jace’s expression made her chuckle and shrug.
"I've said it all. Explained it all. Harry's a stubborn, pigheaded man sometimes." She enjoyed the ease of a wider grin, as she released the last of her guilt at upsetting Harry. "You were right; we were trying to do his thinking for him."
"But?"
"But I still want to talk to him about my seminars."
"And Johnson's Used Cars still needs to upgrade from the Stone Age."
She nodded in agreement. "I lost that battle a long time ago. Maybe you can come up with something I couldn't."
They walked along in silence for a few moments. The cooling dusk brought out the scent of blossoms. The exhaust fumes that predominated in the busier part of the day had been blown away by the evening breeze. Although Bellingham was a far cry from a large city, it was growing daily. The downtown area was in the midst of a revitalization plan and Harry's neighborhood had suddenly become popular.
She gave Jace a sidelong glance.
His clean, angular profile didn't give any hints to his thoughts. "I suppose I should have worn other clothes," she said aloud, mildly surprised she hadn’t thought of it sooner.
"Excuse me?" Jace stopped on the sidewalk and looked at her, one eyebrow cocked. He let his gaze travel from her shoulders to her knees. She couldn't help but see the way his eyes lit as he enjoyed the view.
"It was dumb," she blurted, "to rattle on like that at Harry and I decided I—"
"Should have worn other clothes?" he finished, his voice full of doubt.
"Sure, business clothes make me feel businesslike." She looked down at her cutoff jeans and T-shirt and grinned. "These old things make me feel like a kid." He took advantage of her inadvertent invitation and looked her over from head to foot and back again, sending another shiver of awareness skittering along her spine. He didn't seem to see her as a kid at all.
Nor did he see her as a businesswoman. She dropped his hand and then set off at a brisker pace, heading away from Harry's house toward the playground at the corner of the street.
"How did you come up with this seminar idea, Kate?" he asked, easily matching her stride.
"There are lots of women who have never learned to maintain their vehicles." She tried not to sound defensive, but it was difficult. This idea had become a fixation with her.
"You mean oil changes? Tune-ups?" Jace asked calmly, as if he needed more information on which to base a decision. Like the banker he was, she thought.
So be it. She slowed down again. She'd be rational, practical and calm. Businesslike in spite of her clothes. She'd present this idea as if she were applying for a loan. If she could keep her enthusiasm in check, she might actually have a chance of convincing him. She'd seen the patronizing glint in Harry's eyes when her excitement had crowded out her quiet, sensible explanation. She mustn't let it happen again.
"Exactly. Tune-ups and oil changes," she replied. "Even explaining a vague noise can be difficult for a person who's never learned to distinguish between a click and a clunk."
The look Jace slanted her said she was losing him.
"You've never had a mechanic stare at your chest and tell you to have your husband call back with an understandable explanation of the problem," she snapped.
"Are you serious?" he asked. "You say we're responsible for the mechanical safety of cars we sell long after we sell them?" He walked back to her and held her lightly by the elbows. His expression was not amused, exactly, but something close to it. Incredulous.
She had to calm down. Make him understand.
"There is a real need, Jace." She touched his upper arms briefly, his muscles hard and smooth under her fingertips. "People die in preventable accidents every year because they don't maintain their vehicles. No one taught them simple maintenance."
His expression softened somewhat. "And you think it's up to us to provide that education?" he asked.
She closed her eyes in relief and nodded. His lips brushed hers lightly. She opened her eyes. He was nodding at her and she was so happy to see it, she forgot to chastise him for the easy way he'd kissed her. Besides, it was done now, no sense talking about the pleasant feel of his lips on hers. Easy, casual kisses meant nothing.
"But most community colleges offer short night courses on auto mechanics if people are interested. I understand they're popular." He reached for her hand and she allowed him to hold it. His fingers were warm and strong and gripped hers firmly. This, too, was easy and casual.
They strolled again. "You're right. And for some people those courses are great. But they're usually people with some interest or mechanical inclination anyway. I'm talking about a couple of classes that are so convenient it would be foolhardy not to take them."
"You can't babysit customers, Kate. Look, if a woman gets a hard time from a mechanic, shouldn't that be enough to get her into a night class?"
"Someone like me, yes. I don't take nonsense from anyone. And I’d be so furious at being patronized I’d do whatever it took to never have that happen again."
Jace smiled at her vehement comment and warmth glowed within her.
"I can't promise to give you what you want, but I'll take a look at the books with your idea in mind. But from what I saw tonight, you'll have to work on Harry a lot harder."
"Oh," she sighed. "That's nothing. I'm used to it."
"Maybe if you started on a trial basis," he suggested.
"Thanks, Jace," she said with a smile. "I owe you one." There was no point telling him a trial period was her ace in the hole to convince them. It would be "them" in spite of Harry's outburst. Jace was an influence on his uncle and even Harry couldn't deny it completely.
They stopped and admired renovations being done to a tall narrow Victorian home. The front porch had new steps and the gingerbread trim had been stripped bare. The windows and shutters had been replaced with replicas of the originals.
"One day, I'll have a house of my own," she said clearly, as if saying it out loud would make the dream come true.
Jace nodded. "This place used to be a dump. Falling shingles, a dirt yard. I remember walking by once and seeing a toddler in a playpen outside. Poor kid didn't have a T-shirt on and it was cooler than this. The front door was open and people were inside lounging around drinking beer and watching television."
Katie started walking again, briskly. She was so not listening to this.
Jace caught up to her and went on, "Kid was cute. Curly hair and big blue eyes. He stopped crying when he saw me looking at him. But when I went to walk on by he started again.
"I remember feeling weird, wondering why no one in the house noticed this kid. His diaper was drooping down his legs, his face was dirty, streaked with tears. The farther away I walked the louder he got. After way too long, I sprinted back and went up to the porch and hollered in that the baby was crying outside. The room was full of guys and beer bottles. Somebody yelled into the kitchen and a girl came out. She was only about ten, but had eyes as old as dirt.�
�
She wanted him to stop, but he was in full remembrance mode and wouldn’t hear her. Some memories had to be released sometimes, and this was one of those for Jace.
He went on, “She scooted around the men and shoved past me. When she picked the baby up she smacked his legs and told him to shut up or she'd really give him something to cry about."
She couldn’t hear any more. "Why are you telling me this?" Katie cried.
He stopped and looked at her as if he'd forgotten she was there. "I haven't thought about it in a long time. Guess I sort of denied the whole ugly mess. Poor kid, wonder what happened to him?"
"Life," she said. "You either make it or you don't." They'd walked as far as the corner playground. "Race you to the swings," she challenged and took off running.
Jace wasn't sure if she was running toward something or away from something else.
Chapter 6
Jace caught up to Kate easily, nudging her shoulder with his own as he cruised by her. She jumped on to a swing, half out of breath from laughing and screeching during the race. She pushed off, pumping her legs to go higher and higher.
The freedom of the wind in her hair, the belly drop as she peaked and swung back down, the ground rushing by as she hung at arms’ length all combined to lighten her mood.
Jace watched from the side with a grin splitting his face until he took the swing next to hers. "I used to love the park when I was a kid," he told her. "My father took me and let me hang out for hours." He easily climbed as high as she was.
"That's nice," she responded vaguely, wanting to shut him out to enjoy the childlike freedom for a moment longer.
But he didn’t take the hint and pressed on. "At least it seemed like hours to me, but it was probably no more than a few minutes."
"Probably." Katie didn't want to think about Jace and his father. Fathers and sons. Mothers and daughters. None of that stuff was part of her life and never would be. She pumped harder, a part of her wanting the chains to free themselves so she could soar high as the birds. A familiar dream when she was a kid.
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