Unbreak My Heart (Childhood Sweethearts Reunited)

by Helen Scott Taylor

  The owner, Marcella, greeted them, a short, plumpish woman with big hair, which seemed strangely out of fashion for someone in the business. Andre introduced Kate, and Marcella led her to a chair. As Kate parked the stroller next to her seat, Keiko woke and started to whimper. Kate motioned Andre closer. "Will you hold her for a while? The strange smells and the noise must be disturbing her."

  Marcella fussed over Keiko for a moment, then glanced up at Andre. "That is a good idea. Let Papa comfort her." Kate's gaze flew to Andre's face, expecting him to deny Marcella's assumption. But instead he bent and stroked a quieting hand over Keiko's head. "Shh, sweetheart, shh," was all he said.

  Grasping Kate's shoulders, Marcella propelled her into the chair. Kate glanced curiously over her shoulder at Andre, wondering at his lack of reaction. "Let Mr. Le Court see to the baby," Marcella said. "We must get started. It will take time to unravel these plaits."

  Kate watched Andre's reflection in the mirror. He met her gaze and nodded. Crouching, he unfastened the stroller straps and lifted Keiko into his arms, supporting her neck as he'd been told. He walked to and fro, Keiko's head rested on his shoulder, stroking her back until she stopped crying. Andre's lips moved, and Kate strained her ears to pick up his words, but the music was too loud.

  Busy watching Andre and Keiko, the time raced past. Kate hardly noticed Marcella unravel her plaits. While her hair was washed, Andre sat down. He cradled Keiko in one arm like a pro and waggled a green and red teddy bear in front of her face. "She's following this with her eyes, Kat," he said, raising his voice above the noise.

  Marcella leaned closer with a smile. "He is the proud Papa, non?" The denial was on Kate's lips, but then the moment passed and she stared in the mirror at Andre cuddling Keiko. If Andre's father hadn't sent him away to school, this fiction might be the truth. When Andre inherited the hotels from his grandfather, she would have been at his side. They'd have adapted to the new responsibility together, grown and changed together.

  When he gave her the tiger's eye ring, he promised he would never let his father split them up. He'd lied. As soon as he went to his posh English boarding school, he made new friends and Kate was history. The memory slammed back like a smack across the face. She must stop dwelling on sentimental memories and ‘if onlys.’ She and Andre had never stood a chance. Andre had only been her friend because he lived a sheltered life on Jersey and didn't know better. That's what Robert Le Court told her and, although she knew Andre's father had his own agenda, she had come to believe he was right.

  Andre settled a sleepy Keiko in her stroller and came to stand beside Kate's chair. Marcella finished by applying styling moose on Kate's hair to keep it sleek and blow dried it in fashionable curve around her face. Kate stared at the mirror, hardly recognizing herself. Her hair had always been plaited or decorated. Her mother had fashioned Kate's hair in many imaginative ways, when she was a child, and Kate had adopted the habit.

  "Very elegant," Andre said with a nod of approval. "You definitely look like fiancée material now. Next we tackle the clothes."

  Kate averted her gaze and ran a hand over her smooth head. She didn't mind changing her hair, after all she could easily have it re-braided, but the fact Andre preferred her like this left her feeling hollow.

  ***

  Fifteen minutes later, Kate maneuvered the stroller past Andre as he held open the door to an upscale boutique. Vanilla and linen fragranced the air while the interior was all limed oak, silver, and leather with potted palms in recessed nooks beside the mirrors, and fresh flowers at the checkout points. In comparison, Kate felt like a wilted daisy.

  A slender sales assistant in a cream suit and five-inch heels came to greet them. "Good afternoon, my name is Melissa and I will be your fashion advisor today." She gave Kate a cursory glance and obviously decided she wouldn't be paying the bill. She turned her smile on Andre. "How may I help you, sir?"

  Leaving Andre to deal with the fashion advisor, Kate parked the stroller and wandered along the racks of clothes. Few outfits were to her taste and everything was bound to cost a fortune. She touched her sleek hair and stifled a sigh. Her mum and dad had always been unusual; they'd lived in a commune in India before she was born. Kate had adopted her mother's fashion sense and that hadn't made life easy. When she started school, she realized how different she was from other children. Her mum said people got too hung up on unimportant stuff like clothes and hairstyles; what mattered was the person inside.

  Back then, Andre hadn't cared how Kate dressed, but life happened, people changed. She shouldn't judge him on his opinions when he'd had so much responsibility dumped on him so young. But she couldn't help being disappointed.

  Kate dipped her hand in her skirt pocket and found a sherbet lemon. A sugar infusion was just what she needed to make her feel better. She popped the sweet in her mouth and looked up to find Andre frowning at her over the fashion advisor's head. Feeling rebellious, she pulled a face that used to make him laugh. He gave her one of his looks, but she could see a glint of amusement in his eyes.

  Kate searched the rack of clothes and found an emerald dress she might just consider wearing. She turned the label over to check the price and the candy nearly dropped out of her mouth.

  Andre came up behind her, placed his hand on her back, and whispered, "What on earth are you doing? You shouldn't eat in here. They'll throw us out if they catch you."

  "Nobody saw me."

  "I saw you."

  "Are you going to tell on me?"

  "Don't be daft."

  "Well, stop making a fuss. Look at the price of this." Kate turned over the tag on the green dress. "The stock in this shop's probably worth more than the Caspian."

  "I am au fait with the prices," he said irritably. "Just hurry up and find something to wear to the Delacroix's party so we can get out of here. Shopping gives me a headache."

  "What happened to the fashion advisor?"

  "I told her you'd rather choose your own dress."

  "That's a relief. Thanks." At least Andre hadn't gone completely over to the dark side.

  He ran his hand along the garments and seemingly at random plucked out a strappy white dress with a hideous gold belt."What about this?"

  "I wouldn't be seen dead in that."

  "Fair enough. I don't like it much, anyway." He hung the garment up and sighed. "Any ideas?"

  "Give me a few minutes." Kate wandered along the racks, smiling to herself. Andre might want her to look the part of his fiancée, but he obviously hadn't a clue what she should wear to achieve that. The realization cheered her up. She found a brightly colored dress decorated with elephants and parrots and held it up triumphantly. "What do you think?"

  "That's beachwear, Kat. Look at the label. Even I know that's not suitable." He walked along the displays and grabbed six dresses. "Hold out your arms." She obeyed with a huff, and he dumped them in her hands. She felt as though she should object on principle and insist on choosing her own, but as she hadn't found anything yet she didn't make a fuss.

  "Pass me that one as well, will you?" She nodded at the green dress she'd seen earlier, and he added it to the heap.

  As she made her way toward the fitting rooms at the back of the store, Andre wheeled Keiko's stroller behind her and parked it near her room. "Come out when you're changed. I want to see how you look," he said.

  She cast him a rebellious glance. "Only if I find something I like."

  As Kate sorted through the dresses, the fashion advisor knocked on the door and handed her a selection of matching bras and panties. She smiled conspiratorially. "Mr. Le Court asked me to bring you these, madam."

  Kate blushed as she examined the small hangers the assistant pushed into her hands. The underwear was all silky and lacy in pretty pastel colors. She held one of the lingerie sets against herself. What would Andre do if she modeled this for him? Her stomach did a fluttery hop and a dive. If only she had the nerve.

  Kate discarded a white dress without bothering
to try it on. White clothes went a nondescript gray after a few washes. Although, no doubt, these dresses were dry-clean only. The women in Andre's circle of wealthy friends probably didn't stoop to laundering their own clothes. Or if they did, they employed a person like Kate to do the job for them.

  She wriggled into a navy dress and turned to look in the mirror. Someone she had never seen before stared back at her. With her sleek golden hair and the strappy form-fitting dress, she resembled the women Andre's father used to date. Andre said he didn't want a woman like that, but it seemed he did. She felt uncertain, out of her depth. She'd been happy to go along with his plan, but this wasn't going to work. The woman in the mirror wasn't her, and the moment she opened her mouth to speak everyone would know.

  Kate stared at herself for so long Andre came to the door and knocked. "Come on, Kat. Have you set up camp in there?"

  She didn't like this dress, couldn't wear it. "Hang on. I'm not ready." She dug the green dress out of the heap and slipped it over her head. This was the only one she would consider wearing to the Delacroix's party. With a fortifying breath, she unlatched the door and stepped out.

  Andre nodded slowly, his gaze cruising over her from head to toe. Her skin heated and tingled under his scrutiny. "It suits you. What do you think?" he said.

  "It's the best of the bunch."

  "We'll go for this, then."

  Kate glanced around to make sure nobody was listening. "I-I don't want the underwear."

  He gave her a knowing smile. "You need it, Kat. I saw your bra when you fed Keiko. You can't wear that underneath a designer dress."

  He'd seen her old bra! He wasn't much of a gentleman to mention it. Embarrassment changed to indignation. "It's an old maternity bra that's been washed hundreds of times. What do you expect? Anyway, how do you know I need new knickers? I hope you haven't been checking my drawers."

  He chuckled and it took a moment for her to realize what she'd said. She couldn't suppress a grin. "Andre Le Court. Stop it. You know what I mean."

  "I do," he said, with a teasing smile on his face. "I think it's a fairly safe bet all your underwear is in the same sorry state."

  Annoyingly, he was right. During her pregnancy, the elastic in her underwear had stretched and now she had to keep hitching them up.

  There was no point in arguing when he was right. "Fine, but I want to choose my own."

  He gestured in agreement. She tried on a few more dresses and chose a plain gold silk with a matching jacket. To assert her independence, she selected two sets of emerald green underwear as well as the pastel lingerie. Andre bought her the beach dress, a white bikini, and a selection of other clothes he had picked out while she changed. As they headed for the door, Kate allowed herself a sigh of relief. They had finished shopping, and it hadn't been as bad as she expected.

  ***

  Andre gathered up the bags and wedged the door open with his foot for Kate to wheel the stroller out. The fashion advisor had chosen most of the lingerie. Andre had enough trouble keeping his mind off Kate without selecting her underwear. Despite that, his imagination ran wild. As she negotiated the step, he leaned down and whispered, "Nice choice, the green satin lingerie. It's exactly the same color as your eyes."

  Kate glanced around in surprise and the stroller bumped over his foot. "Oops, sorry."

  He gave her a rueful smile. "That'll teach me to compliment you."

  "I didn't run you over on purpose."

  "I know, Kat. I know. Just remind me to keep out of the way if you ever get behind the wheel of a car." He motioned for her to continue. She always seemed so wound up and defensive. Even around him. "Don't stress so much about everything."

  "You'd be stressed as well if you were me," she countered.

  "Surely you can relax with me?"

  She just shrugged and pressed on toward the car. Andre followed with a sigh. What was he thinking? Of course she wouldn't relax when he was pressuring her to change herself.

  They reached the car and he unlocked it.

  "Darn, I wanted to get a few personal things," Kate said. "I'll only be ten minutes. Do you mind waiting?"

  "You go. I'll put Keiko in her car seat," he said. She hesitated as he unclipped the straps and lifted Keiko out of her stroller. He raised his eyebrows. "Go on. I won't drop her."

  "I know." She bit her lip. "Okay, be back in a minute." She dashed off, her sandals slapping the pavement and her long skirt flapping around her legs.

  He almost imagined she was still fourteen, as long as he ignored her new hairstyle. Her new sleek hair was beautiful in its simplicity, but it would take a while to get used to. He missed her braids. He even missed the clinking sound the glass beads made. He pushed his fingers in his jacket pocket and touched the braided lock of hair he rescued from the salon floor. He'd picked it up on a whim, but he was glad he had a reminder of his Kat before she changed.

  Andre settled Keiko in the car and packed the stroller in the trunk then climbed in to wait for Kate. She dashed back, hair and skirt flying. He turned in his seat as she tossed a bag and large pad of paper in the back and checked Keiko's straps.

  "It's not that I don't trust you to secure her properly," she said, a little out of breath. "I just have to make sure."

  He smiled gently and touched her hand. She took everything to do with her baby so seriously. "I understand. You're just being a good mum." He indicated over his shoulder toward her shopping. "More art supplies? I thought by personal things you meant cosmetics and toiletries."

  "You've got shampoo and shower gel I can borrow." She climbed in beside him and slammed the door.

  "Yes, but mine smells tough and manly," he said, putting on a gruff voice.

  She shrugged. "I like the smell of your shower stuff."

  "I have good quality toiletries in the hotel," he said. "I'll bring some to the cottage for you. Have you brought any makeup?"

  "No."

  "You'll need it for the party. I'm sure my secretary can lend you some." He reached out and touched the sleek strands of her hair. She confused him. When he was around her, it was easy to forget the man he was now. It was easy to forget his responsibilities and slip back to a time when he did what he wanted—spent all his time with Kat. "In some ways, you haven't changed since we were children. But in other ways…"

  He stared into her green eyes, and saw confusion there that mirrored his own. "It's strange," she whispered. "I think the same thing about you."

  Chapter Four

  Two days later, Andre carefully closed the gate that led to his cottage garden so he didn't wake Kate. She lay on her back under the shade of a large oak tree with Keiko asleep on her chest. The baby seemed precarious. Andre worried she might roll off, but he'd checked them three times since lunch and they hadn't moved.

  He squatted next to them and smoothed back strands of hair that had blown across Kate's face. Mother and baby looked so peaceful it seemed a shame to wake them, but he had no choice. He touched Kate's cheek to rouse her.

  Her eyelashes fluttered. "What?" she mumbled sleepily.

  Andre lifted the slumbering baby into his arms so Kate could sit. "We forgot to buy shoes to go with your dress for the party tonight. We'll shoot into St. Helier now and get some."

  Kate closed her eyes and flopped back onto the grass with a groan. "I haven't got the energy. Keiko kept me up half the night. Her routine's messed up. She's sleeping all day and awake all night. If I give you my size, can you buy a pair for me?"

  Andre had heard Keiko crying; she'd disturbed him as well. But at least he'd had a decent amount of sleep between the disturbances. "Don't you need to try the shoes on?"

  Shading her eyes, she gave him a pleading look. "Can't I borrow some from your secretary?"

  "I don't know what size she is, but I'm certain it's too large for your funny little feet."

  Kate's pink lips gathered in a pout. "I do not have funny little feet. Look." She raised one for his inspection. Her long skirt slid aside to reveal no
t only a pretty bare foot but a shapely calf and a tantalizing glimpse of thigh. He longed to touch her, to glide his palm over her pale skin. But she had come to him as a friend, for help. If there was ever to be more between them, he needed to explain what had gone wrong all those years ago to win back her trust.

  "Come on, lazybones, you need to eat something anyway. You slept through lunch." She raised a hand and he pulled her up. Kate swayed sleepily and leaned into him beside where he cradled her daughter in his arm. He hugged her close and rested his cheek against her hair. It felt natural to hold her—to hold them both. Her silky hair smelled of roses and honey. Mingled with the natural scent of Kate's hair, the fragrance did strange things to him.

  "I really don't want to go shoe shopping," she mumbled into his shirt.

  "If you want Keiko to sleep tonight, shouldn't you keep her awake now?" Andre asked, rather pleased with himself for thinking of that argument.

  Kate sighed. "I guess so. But I want some quiet alone time with her if I'm going to leave her with a sitter later."

  Andre realized he was fighting a losing battle. He would have to suck it up like a man and go shoe shopping alone. Kate yawned and nuzzled Keiko, rubbing her face on his chest in the process. Tingling streaks of pleasure radiated from her innocent touch. He'd been sixteen when he last held her, but nothing had changed. She did things to him no other woman had ever managed.

  He desperately wanted to show her he cared, that he was trustworthy, that he deserved a second chance. "If you need help in the night with Keiko, wake me. I don't mind."

  Andre half expected to be rebuffed; Kate was so possessive of Keiko. "Thank you," she said with a coy glance up at his face, and he tightened his arm around her protectively.

  Snuffling, Keiko gnawed her fist. "Time for Keiko's tea," he said softly. "I'd rather you took her inside to feed her. I don't want to leave the two of you outside if you're likely to fall asleep again. I won't be here to check on you if I'm shoe shopping."

  He turned her toward the cottage and ushered her inside. "I'll make you a sandwich." He handed Keiko into Kate's arms and she headed up the stairs. Andre prepared a sandwich and glass of water and followed her up. By the time he reached her bedroom, Kate had laid Keiko on the bed and was easing her tiny arms out of her lacy dress.