Questing (Cosmis Connections, Book One)

by Huffert, Barbara

  “I bet he’s already watching him. You know how he looks out for his people. Thank goodness I passed his test or I’d be even more pathetic.”

  Brett laughed. “It’s only two days, pal. You’ll both be back Monday. And who knows? Now that you reached the cheek kissing stage can no-holds-barred, hot gorilla sex be far behind?”

  Jordan pretended to scowl. “To think I actually defended you when Sadie called you a gigolo the other day.”

  “Gigolo! She didn’t,” Brett feigned offense.

  “She did but I got her to amend it to playboy,” Jordan stated.

  “Playboy, hmm, we’ll just see about that. Maybe I’ll see if she’s free for dinner. I’ll show her who’s a playboy.”

  “I knew that would throw you off track.” Jordan nodded when Malcolm glanced his way. “I really don’t like that man. He gives me a bad feeling.”

  “You already said that and you already decided Henry was keeping an eye on him. Jordan, you’ve seen him toss guys out for being disrespectful. He isn’t going to take any crap from him either,” Brett tried to reassure his friend.

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right. It’s not up to him to dictate a woman’s choice of companions.” Jordan decided he’d ask Dee more about the man and his habits since she always seemed aware of everything going on around her. And he did know it wasn’t up to him to protect every female in sight. Also, he’d met plenty who would gladly exchange a chunk of their savings for some masculine attention. Maybe even Melvin Wilson, or Malcolm Winslow as he was calling himself these days, had a niche.

  Jordan and Brett were finished as Malcolm was served. When Jordan paused to have a word with Dee, Brett used the opportunity to speak to Kiley. “Honey, please, call the lug tonight, tomorrow, Sunday, all three if you can. He’s miserable at the thought of not seeing you until Monday,” he confided pathetically. “I have a date tomorrow night and I’d hate to cancel it because I had to go cheer up my buddy.”

  “As if you would,” Kiley teased.

  Brett suddenly became very serious. “I would if he needed me to. Jordan’s been my best friend forever. If you don’t call him or I don’t pester him, he’ll end up working nonstop until Monday when he takes a break to come see you for an hour.”

  “He wouldn’t really… I mean, he does…” Kiley clearly hadn’t expected the perpetual clown to say something like that.

  “Yeah, he would. Before you, Jordan was only interested in his work and the challenges he set for himself. See, he’s always needed to prove himself, mostly to himself since he’s his worst critic but also to his family, well, I should say mainly to his brother and to the assholes he used to work for. He’s very good at what he does. He’s very dedicated and concerned for his clients. You’d expect a financial planner or counselor or advisor or whatever the hell the appropriate term for wizard is, would have a glamorous life, especially when he’s so in demand, wouldn’t you? Kiley, I used to be able to get Jordan to go out now and then even though no one ever held his interest. I always felt he went to humor me. Then, after we came here that first day, everything shifted. Now he’s more interested in you than he is in work and that’s saying a lot.

  “As I said, the guy is my best friend, the brother I never had. He’d do anything for me and I’d do the same for him. Jordan has many acquaintances. He can go anywhere and fit in with ease. But in all honesty, there are few people he counts as true friends. He’s extremely interested in a serious relationship with you. This week you started to show a little mutual interest. Please, Kiley, if you’re just playing, make it clear now. Don’t toy with his feelings and don’t let him continue his pursuit unless it’s truly welcomed. He’s the best there is. If you give him a chance, he’ll show you that a million times over so I’m asking you, no begging you, don’t break his heart. That’s the one area where he’s not nearly as cool and confident as he seems. In every other aspect, he’s more so but you could hurt him so easily. If you did, I’d have to hate you even though he wouldn’t want me to and I don’t want to do that.”

  Kiley stared when Brett stopped talking because Jordan was approaching. “Have a good weekend, Kiley. I’m sure I’ll see you Monday.” He smiled sweetly as if he hadn’t just finished speaking so seriously.

  “Sure, Brett, you too. Try to behave yourself,” she teased as she nodded behind Jordan’s back.

  “I’ll give you a call over the weekend, Jordan, to let you know how dinner with Sadie goes. I’ve got to run.” He took off before Jordan could reply.

  “So, any big plans for this weekend?” Kiley asked before his full attention could fluster her.

  “No, not really. I just asked Dee if I could stop by Sunday afternoon. There’s some details I need to discuss with her and Will. How about you?” Jordan was standing too close for Kiley to concentrate. And he was talking softly, just to her.

  “Ah, um, me? Nothing much, just stuff, you know,” Kiley mumbled.

  “Okay then, I guess I’ll see you Monday.” Jordan hesitated as if he wanted to say more.

  “Yeah, okay, good.” She blushed.

  “Kiley sweet, I’ll be thinking about you.” He kissed her cheek and left her standing there, kicking herself for her inability to say what she wanted to once again.

  Malcolm watched the entire exchange. So it was more than he thought. The idiot actually had feelings for her. And the twit was playing him perfectly with the way she pretended to go all shy when he tried to talk to her. Maybe he’d do something about it, something to blow a hole in their plans. Yes, Malcolm decided, he’d have to give this situation some serious consideration. Maybe, just maybe he could upset the applecart for both of them. Just as soon as he maneuvered the horny, drunken bitch in front of him to do as he desired, that is.

  Chapter Five

  Kiley spent the afternoon mulling over everything Brett had said. Happy-go-lucky, ever cheerful Brett had a serious side after all. Dee insisted he was very different when he was helping Will with his website but she’d never seen him be anything other than lighthearted. Today, he’d been extremely somber while cautioning her not to hurt his friend. Obviously, he’d held back, waiting to see what developed, not commenting until she appeared receptive to Jordan’s overtures. His words added even more to consider regarding the situation.

  Could Jordan really be as serious about her as Brett implied he was? Or was Brett simply being overprotective of his friend? Was she interested in him in more than just a physical way? And if she did want to have a real relationship, how could she go about letting him know? She’d been slightly less of a ninny since they’d spoken on the phone, slightly being the key word. At this rate, she’d be old and gray and he’d have grandchildren with someone else by the time she managed an entire conversation with ease.

  After her customary evening routine, Kiley went about paying her bills. What a way to spend a Friday night! Again, Brett’s sentiments danced through her head. Was Jordan really still working? Her chores were finished and she was ready to relax. Maybe she would call him. They could chat for a moment and then she’d let him get on with his evening. He probably wasn’t even home anyway. Surely Brett exaggerated. More than likely Jordan was out, using that voice of his to seduce some lucky female. She’d overheard the comments women made about him at the restaurant. Not all were limited to the sexy way he sounded either. From them, Kiley got the impression that the female patrons of Mr. Paul’s were in undisputed agreement that Jordan McKade was hot in every way. And that all he’d need to do was wiggle his little finger to have any number of women at his disposal. He just hadn’t taken advantage of any of the countless opportunities while she was around yet. Brett must still be laughing at his personal joke at her expense, that she was stupid enough to believe Jordan was actually home alone, working on a Friday night. Oh right, he might really be home but he certainly wouldn’t be alone.

  Without thinking, Kiley dialed the number she’d committed to memory. She’d simply hang up when she got his machine without leaving a
message. He’d said he’d be thinking about her. Hopefully he had caller ID that would show she had called. Then she’d see just how charming he could be after he realized she knew he’d been out on the town instead of at home, pining away for her as Brett claimed he would be.

  “McKade,” Jordan answered, not looking at the display since he’d been expecting Brett to call with some scheme in mind.

  Kiley was stunned when he picked up before the second ring. He was home. And he couldn’t be entertaining too intimately or he wouldn’t have bothered with the phone. Her cheeks burned as the unreasonable anger her imagination generated evaporated. Was she jealous?

  “Hello?” Jordan repeated.

  “Uh, Jordan, hi. It’s me, um, Kiley,” she finally sputtered.

  “Wow, Kiley! What a nice surprise.” She could almost hear him smiling.

  “You don’t mind? You did say I should call you again sometime. If you’re busy?”

  “Kiley, I’m never too busy for you. And why would I ever mind if you called when I suggested it? I’m very happy to hear from you.”

  “Oh, okay,” she paused, wondering what she thought she was doing. “I’m just surprised you’re home.”

  “Why?”

  “Well it is Friday night. I thought you’d be out.”

  “Where are you?” he asked softly.

  “Home,” she responded.

  “Why?” he echoed her question.

  “Oh, yeah, okay.” She felt so confused.

  “Sorry sweetest, I didn’t mean to put you on the spot like that. Actually, I’ve been working…”

  She gasped. “I don’t want to interrupt…”

  “As I was saying, I’ve been working but I just wrapped everything up. If you want the truth, I was just thinking about you and wondering what you were doing.”

  “Well, I sorted my mail, took a shower and…”

  “Wait.” Jordan took a deep breath, “Let me picture that.”

  “What? Me in the shower?” she giggled.

  “I was going for you and your mail but if you’d rather I tried for you in the shower, I’ll give it a shot.”

  “Jordan!”

  “Hey, you can’t blame a guy when you say something like that. What else did you do?”

  “Paid my bills.”

  “Now there’s an image for me. Do you chew on your pen? Bite your bottom lip? Stick the tip of your tongue out when you concentrate?”

  “Stop.” She was laughing comfortably. “None of the above if you must know. I did lick the envelopes though but the stamps were self-stick ones.” Kiley groaned. Why had she said that?

  “Wait, I’m imaging myself as the envelope.”

  “Hmm, how long have you wanted to have a stamp stuck on you?”

  “Oh about four months now.” Jordan wondered if she knew how much she was killing him.

  “I’m sorry that I was still a jerk this week.”

  “I told you before. You are not a jerk. I think we made great progress. Thursday you completed two whole sentences before I scared you off.”

  “Jordan McKade, you are an honestly nice man,” she sighed. “I’m not scared of you. I never was. It’s just that around you, I, um…”

  “I bet you’re blushing.” He couldn’t stop himself. “Sorry ’bout that. After we hung up Monday, I promised myself that I wouldn’t say anything to intimidate you if you ever called me again.” When she didn’t answer, he continued, “I was thrilled the other day when you said you liked me too.”

  “Oh, well…” She sounded frustrated. “Why can’t I think with you? When you’re not around I come up with all sorts of things I’d like to say. But then, as soon as I hear your voice, every one of them flies right out of my head,” she said, gasping. “Jeez, there I go again.”

  “Do you have any clue how you make me feel when you say something honest like that?”

  “Like you wish you’d never come into Mr. Paul’s?”

  “You can’t really believe that’s a possibility.” He sounded unsure.

  “I guess not.” She was remembering Brett’s words.

  “Kiley, listen to me. First, I promise I will always be honest with you.”

  “All right.”

  “Good. Second, walking into Mr. Paul’s that first day may have been the best thing in my life so far.”

  “Jordan, stop exaggerating. You just said you’d be honest.”

  “I am being honest. You may not realize it yet but meeting you has had a tremendous impact on me.”

  “What? No…”

  “Yes, Kiley. You are one very special woman…”

  “But you don’t know me.”

  “Hmm. Okay so tell me everything you think I should know.”

  She remained silent for a bit. “Like what?”

  “Anything at all. Let’s see, start with something easy. How did you wind up at Mr. Paul’s?”

  “I was a dishwasher the first day. My mom wasn’t well and I needed a job. It was a month after graduation and that was the first job I tried for.”

  “Your mom wasn’t well?”

  “No, she’d just had an aneurysm. They did surgery but it wrecked part of her mind. I couldn’t give her the kind of care she needed and I didn’t want her stuck in one of those county homes so I sold the house to pay for the Villa. I found the cheapest apartment I could but there wasn’t anything left after her expenses.”

  “Kiley,” he said gently.

  “I’m okay, Jordan. It still hurts and I miss her terribly but I don’t mind talking about her. I mean, if you really want to hear this.”

  “Absolutely. I’ll listen to everything you’re willing to tell me.” He wished he were with her. He could hear the emotion in her voice. If it were up to him, he’d prefer to have this conversation with her folded in his arms. Instead, he’d have to do his best to offer support over the phone. “Please continue.”

  “Okay. I was hired as the evening dishwasher and it was a total disaster. Mom’s surgery wiped out her recent memory. She was stuck in the year I was thirteen. I’d been in the habit of visiting her around the time school would have been done. That first night, I was so worried that she’d think something bad happened, that I was lost or hurt that I was a wreck. I dropped a stack of plates and knocked a tray of glasses off the counter. Henry called me into his office and I really expected to be fired after he said I had to pay for what I broke. Instead he got me to tell him why I was so jumpy when I hadn’t been during my interview.

  “When I finished, he said he wished I’d told him about her up front. He explained that he was looking for a lunchtime hostess. He guessed that I could probably use some extra money so he asked if I’d come in early and help set up every day. Since the job was weekdays only and it paid almost twice as much as the dishwasher job did, I took it.

  “I was so scared. I’d never tried to make idle conversation with complete strangers before. It turned out that Henry explained my situation to Dee and asked her to keep an eye on me when he was busy. He was so nice to me and patient. And he even encouraged me to call and check on my mom every day.

  “For two years, she thought I was visiting her on my way home from school. I took a change of clothes to work with me so I’d look how I did in middle school. She got progressively worse and eventually gave up and died.”

  “I’m sorry, Kiley. I wish I could give you a hug.”

  “I do too,” she sniffled. “Anyway, Henry let me keep my hours even though I didn’t need them to stay the same. I help out at night and on weekends during vacations but usually I only work on weekdays.”

  “Thank you for telling me about your mom. It means a lot to have you trust me with something so personal. Do you have any other family, other than your cousin?”

  “Just Lyssa’s parents but they’re in South Carolina at the moment. My uncle is in the Marines and that’s where he’s stationed now.”

  “What about your dad?” Jordan had purposely asked Dee not to tell him about Kiley’s parent
s.

  “He’s gone too. He was a Marine like my uncle. He was in Kuwait during Desert Storm and went into a minefield in the desert to rescue a little girl.”

  “God, Kiley.” Jordan didn’t know what to say to show how much he hated initiating such a painful conversation over the phone.

  “Not what you expected is it?”

  “Not at all. With your consistently upbeat nature, I’d never have guessed that you’ve endured so much sadness.”

  “I think it’s what makes me care so much about everyone who walks into Mr. Paul’s even though I don’t really know anything about them. I feel like I want to protect all of them.”

  “Including me?”

  “Especially you. Now as I saying, my dad went into the minefield. He carried the girl until he was close enough to swing her to one of the other guys. He hit the mine on his next step. I think he knew somehow that it was going to happen and that’s why he threw the girl.”

  “Sounds like he was a good man.”

  “He was. Before he died, I had a great life. Everyone’s always saying what a bad childhood they had but mine was truly wonderful. My parents were the best. I have so many good memories.”

  “Then you’re very fortunate. Did your mom know what happened?”

  “No. Her memory ended when he was sent to Kuwait. I used to make up letters from him to read to her. That probably sounds bad but it actually helped me. I wrote things that I could imagine him telling us. I think it brought him back to me for just a little bit. In an odd way it gave me the chance to say goodbye.”

  “I can’t begin to imagine how painful this must have been for you.”

  “It was awful at the time. I admit I still cry sometimes but not like I used to. At the beginning, when Mom would ask if we’d had a letter from him, I’d go home and fall to pieces.”

  “And now I brought it all up again. I’m so sorry, sweet.”

  “I’m glad I told you about them. It seems right somehow. I think they both would have appr—ah—liked you.”

  Had she almost said approved of him? Jordan felt as if his heart were going to burst. “I’m glad you told me too. You’re a very strong woman.”