Family Merger

by Leigh Greenwood

“I’m on my way.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Bill doesn’t need a Jaguar,” Kathryn told her sister. “Construction workers need a good truck.”

  “It’s for his image,” Elizabeth said.

  “I wouldn’t hire a builder who rode around in a Jaguar. I’d figure he was so afraid to get dirty he wouldn’t know what was going on with my house.”

  “Not everybody is as persnickety as you.”

  “Besides, you’ll use it as much as he does, and a Jaguar is not a family car.”

  “No, but a Lincoln Navigator would be,” her sister snapped back, “but we can’t afford that, either.”

  “Pardon me for overhearing,” Ron said, entering the room, “but if you want your conversations to be confidential, you ought to keep the doors closed.”

  “Who are you?” Elizabeth asked. “Don’t tell me. I’ll bet you’re the father of one of Kathryn’s girls.”

  Her tone so condescending Kathryn felt mortified.

  “Is that your van in the driveway?” Ron said, ignoring her comment.

  “What concern is that of yours?”

  “Seems like the perfect family car to me.”

  “When did you start letting men have the run of your house?” Elizabeth asked her sister.

  “I haven’t, but you never know when I might consider it,” Kathryn snapped.

  “Are you still grilling them with your list of questions before you’ll date them?”

  Kathryn knew her sister had never been any good at holding her tongue within the family, but she’d never had occasion to see that she didn’t bother in front of strangers, either.

  “Those questions were a breeze.” Ron winked at Kathryn. “I passed them just like that,” he said, snapping his fingers.

  Elizabeth looked from her sister to Ron then back to her sister, her expression incredulous. “You’re dating the father of one of your girls?”

  Kathryn had always made allowances for her sister. Elizabeth had been hyperactive from birth, she had an attention deficit disorder, and she was saddled with a husband whose ambitions and income were far less than what Elizabeth thought she deserved, but she didn’t have to insult people she didn’t even know.

  “I know I’m only a professional negotiator, not a family counselor,” Ron said, “but it would seem to me that if you’re asking your sister to give you something, you would probably have a better chance if you adopted a more conciliatory attitude.”

  “Butt out, mister. This is between Kitty and me.”

  Elizabeth knew Kathryn hated being called Kitty. She did it to make her feel guilty because that’s what Aunt Mary had called her.

  “I’ve heard about you,” Ron said to Elizabeth, “but your press doesn’t do you justice.”

  “What have you been saying about me?” Elizabeth demanded of her sister.

  “She didn’t say anything,” Ron said. “My daughter was telling me about you.”

  “I’m not interested in what one of these brats has to say.”

  “I guess that’s why your parents didn’t pay much attention to what you said when you did the same thing,” Ron replied.

  “You have been talking!” Elizabeth yelled at her sister.

  “You really need to learn to be more discreet,” Ron said. “It’s not advisable to yell when you are putting the squeeze on Kathryn for money, at least not when there are young girls around who look upon her as their guardian angel. They tend to resent it.”

  “I don’t care what they think.”

  “And talk about it.”

  “I don’t care—”

  “It’s never wise to ignore people you don’t know. You never know when one of them might have the power to help you. Or hurt you.”

  “Who the hell are you?”

  “He’s Ron Egan,” Kathryn said. “Maybe you remember the article in The Charlotte Observer a few months ago about a Charlotte man who was making a name for himself in managing international mergers and takeovers. Ron, let me introduce you to my sister, Elizabeth Rush.”

  Elizabeth directed a sharp, calculating gaze at him. “I take it you’re rich.”

  “Elizabeth!” Kathryn exclaimed.

  “Yes, I guess you could say that.”

  “Then you can afford to give me a car, “she said, turning back to Kathryn. “He can buy you anything you want.”

  “Mr. Egan is the father of one of my girls,” Kathryn said, so angry she could hardly control her voice. “I’m not his mistress nor anything else that would make it acceptable for him to buy me a car.”

  “Don’t be so stuffy.”

  “You’d better go. I’ll think about the car.”

  “I need to know now.”

  “If you’d take the advice of a disinterested stranger, let me suggest that you’ve made your case. Now leave before you blow it.”

  Elizabeth looked as though she was going to ignore Ron’s advice, but she looked at her sister then changed her mind. “Bill likes white, but I want something red. I’m tired of looking like the typical suburban housewife with the typical two point five kids.”

  She picked up her purse and left without saying a word to Ron.

  “So that’s your sister, the one you feel guilty about.”

  “Today wasn’t a good day for Elizabeth. One of the boys is sick enough to be at home but not sick enough to stay in bed. Then her nine-year-old got into trouble in school.”

  “If he takes after his mother, I’m surprised he isn’t in jail.”

  Kathryn knew her sister didn’t make a good impression, but she never allowed anyone to criticize her.

  “You have no right to make a remark like that. You don’t know Elizabeth or what she’s had to go through.”

  “You’re right, and I don’t want to get to know her, not when she treats people she thinks beneath her like trash. Nor do I see any excuse for her to treat you like you were her own personal lackey.”

  “She doesn’t. She—”

  “I heard the woman order you to buy her a car. No, two cars.”

  “She knows I don’t have that kind of money.”

  “No, she thinks I do.”

  “She didn’t mean that.”

  “I’m certain she did, as well as think the money you spend on this shelter would be better spent on her.”

  “You can’t know that. You’ve only seen her for five minutes when she wasn’t her best.”

  “Kathryn, it’s my business to sum up people in five minutes. I can do it with men from Scandinavia to the Orient. Your sister wears her colors like a red flag. It’s obvious she’s made a habit of bullying people into doing what she wants them to do. Unfortunately it seems you’ve knuckled under. You bought her that van outside, didn’t you?”

  “My aunt left all her money to me, but Elizabeth is the one with three kids.”

  “And she reminds you of it all the time.”

  “They’re my nephews and niece.”

  “Did your nephews and niece thank you for the nice van?”

  “I gave it to their mother, not them.”

  “Did your sister thank you for it? Did her husband?”

  “This is none of your business, Ron. You don’t know anything about my family. You don’t understand the pressures my sister lives under.”

  “And I bet she reminds you of them, too, every time she comes to ask for money.”

  “All three kids have A.D.D.”

  “They probably just need discipline.”

  “They’re hyperactive.”

  “Too much sugar and junk food.”

  “Her husband has a difficult time making enough money for them to live on.”

  “Probably just doesn’t make as much money as your sister wants to live on.”

  “Why are you so down on her?”

  “Because she was so nasty to you. I won’t allow anybody to treat you like that.”

  Kathryn didn’t know quite why she was so angry at Ron. Maybe it was because he’d broken in on them.
It was rude and he knew it. She suspected he’d done it intentionally. Maybe because she was angry at Elizabeth and was projecting that anger on Ron. Maybe she was feeling guilty—and stupid—because she suspected Ron was right, that Elizabeth was trying to make her feel guilty so she could get what she wanted.

  But Kathryn didn’t need Elizabeth to make her feel guilty. That was part of the reason she’d decided to open the shelter. Pressure from Elizabeth was also part of the reason her relationship with her parents was so strained. Elizabeth had forced her to make clear to her parents where her loyalties lay.

  She truly did feel Elizabeth had been treated unfairly, but she resented the pressure Elizabeth kept applying every time she came to visit. And Kathryn had finally begun to accept the fact that Elizabeth only came to see her when she wanted something. That hurt, and made her want to strike out. But Ron was here, where he wasn’t supposed to be, the perfect target.

  “I won’t allow you to talk about my sister like that,” Kathryn said. “You don’t know anything about her.”

  “I don’t need a detailed life history to recognize a selfish, tyrannical woman when I see one. By giving her money, you’re enabling her dysfunctional lifestyle. Let her stand on her own two feet.”

  “Stop it! I forbid you to talk about Elizabeth like that.”

  “Forbid me!” Ron looked amazed. “What makes you think you can stop me from speaking my mind?”

  “You have no business giving advice. You’ve failed just as badly with your own daughter.”

  “That’s beside the point.”

  “That is the point. You have no right to criticize her. If you can’t stop, you can leave.”

  “This isn’t like you. You’re not one to deny an obvious truth. You didn’t hesitate to pin my ears back when you thought I was wrong.”

  “This has nothing to do with being right or wrong. It has to do with the fact I have the greater resources and she has the greater needs.”

  “Her greater needs have nothing to do with money. If she were half the woman you are, she wouldn’t dream of doing what she just did. And unless I’m badly mistaken, she keeps poisoning your mind about your parents, keeps reminding you that you owe her because they liked you better—or treated you better—than they did her.”

  Kathryn couldn’t take any more. She marched over to the door. “You were right. I should never leave a door open when I don’t want someone to come in. I’m going to close my door. I want you on the other side of it.”

  “Are you throwing me out?”

  “I think it’s rather a case of me putting you back where you belong. You had no right to listen to my conversation with my sister, and you had no right to interrupt it.”

  “When did a man cease to have the right to protect the woman he loves?”

  His words nearly knocked Kathryn off her feet, but she managed to hold on. Men didn’t mean the same thing as women when they spoke of being in love. Most of the time they meant they were in lust. That might even mean they were in temporary love—the length of time corresponding roughly to the length of time it was convenient—but they didn’t mean the long-term commitment every woman meant when she said she was in love.

  Kathryn knew she had been falling in love with Ron, but even she wasn’t ready to use the commitment word. There were so many things they hadn’t talked about, Elizabeth for one. If he loved her, he would have to accept her sister.

  “You never said anything about love,” she said.

  “I didn’t know until I heard your sister berating you. My immediate reaction was to protect you. I figure that’s a really good sign I’m in love.”

  “More likely the universal male drive to protect. But I don’t need protecting, so you don’t have to feel like you’re in love.”

  “Do you always talk like this after your sister visits you?”

  “Like what?”

  “Like you’ve suddenly lost your ability to think. That woman has got you so screwed up you can’t think straight.”

  “That’s enough,” Kathryn said, pointing to the door. “Say good-night to your daughter. She needs to be in bed.”

  “You don’t believe I love you, do you?”

  “I haven’t had time to think about it.”

  “It’s not something you think about. Either you believe me or you don’t.”

  “I admit the attraction between us is very strong, but we haven’t known each other very long. You’ve been under a lot of stress, both here and in Geneva. You probably see me as a relief from Geneva and as way to help you solve your problems with Cynthia.”

  “I’m glad you hire professional psychologists,” Ron said. “That’s some of the worst nonsense I’ve ever heard come out of an intelligent woman’s mouth.”

  “Then I’m surprised you think I’m so intelligent.”

  “I’ve attacked the one thing in your world you can’t deal with rationally, your sister. And because you can’t deal with it, you strike out at anyone who threatens this unbalanced, symbiotic relationship.”

  “Why do you say unbalanced?” She was so coldly furious with him she didn’t know why she asked.

  “You do all the giving, she does all the taking.”

  “I’ve told you—”

  “You don’t realize it, but your sister has ruined more than your relationship with your parents. She’s made it impossible for you to deal with any man on a normal basis. If it’s a male, he’s either inadequate like her husband, wild like her kids, or a villain like your father. You can’t look at any of us without filtering what you see through the mirror of your sister’s narcissism.”

  “I’m apparently not the only armchair psychologist.”

  “I’m trained to study people. To do my job well, I have to be objective. I need to know what they think and why they think it, not what I want them to think. You’ve painted us all black and challenged us to prove otherwise.”

  “So far no man has managed to meet the challenge.”

  She didn’t mean that, but he’d made her so angry she couldn’t control her tongue. He couldn’t expect her to calmly accept his calling her a mindless sycophant—well, not that exactly, but he certainly thought she wasn’t capable of making up her mind without Elizabeth’s help—yet accept his word on people he knew nothing about.

  “Would you admit it if he did?” Ron asked.

  “Why wouldn’t I?”

  “Because it would challenge too many of your fears. As long are men as unreliable, you don’t have to trust one of us.”

  “Why wouldn’t I trust the right man if he came along?”

  “Maybe because you think your mother got a raw deal. I know you think your sister did. Maybe you’re attracted to the very kind of man you fear. I don’t know. I thought I knew you until I saw you with your sister.”

  “And I thought I knew you. It looks like the physical attraction made us think we had more in common than we do. My father always said a woman should never let the chemistry between herself and a man blind her to reality.”

  “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard you quote your father.”

  “You probably both think the same way.” Suddenly she felt as though her body weighed an extra hundred pounds. She had to sit down, she had to rest, she had to be alone. “Now you’d better go.”

  “I came to tell you about a plan I thought of this afternoon.”

  “It’s probably not a good idea. I would have to consult my sister before I could tell you what I thought. And you know you don’t like my sister.”

  “If you were my wife, I’d ban her from the house until she learned to behave toward you with respect and courtesy.”

  “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’ll never be your wife.” She hadn’t meant to say that, either. But it was true. Even if he really did love her and want to marry her, she could never be his wife. She had refused to let her parents come between her and her sister. She couldn’t let Ron do it. “Now please go. I’m really very tired.”

 
“When can I see you tomorrow?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe you shouldn’t—”

  “I’ll call.”

  “I have got a lot to do tomorrow.”

  “I’ll call.”

  She wasn’t prepared for him to take her in his arms and kiss her ruthlessly. She tried to resist, but it was impossible. She melted into his arms and returned his kiss.

  “I’ll call,” he said when he broke the kiss. Then he was gone.

  Kathryn closed the door and leaned against it before the sobs that had been building up erupted. She should have known not to let herself get involved with Ron. She also knew the old saying that a tiger can’t change his strips. If ever a man was a tiger, Ron Egan was it. He went after life, got it in a throat latch, and shook it hard.

  It was time she realized she’d allowed herself to get caught up in a dream that was impossible. It had been stupid, she knew it, but she’d done it anyway. Maybe this would help her remember next time.

  She wasn’t sure there would ever be a next time. You can’t break a heart that’s already broken.

  “Are you sure you want to go home?” Kathryn asked Cynthia. “I’m not trying to keep you here, understand, but I know your father can be very persuasive.”

  It was three days later, and Kathryn had come upstairs to Cynthia’s bedroom when Julia informed her Cynthia was packing to go home. In the short time she’d been there, Cynthia’s room had become where the girls gathered when they wanted to talk.

  “Daddy didn’t talk me into it. I want to go home. I made a lot of mistakes, one of which was running away from everybody—Daddy, Arthur, Leigh and all my friends. I thought people only liked me because Daddy was famous.”

  “I told you from the beginning you were a very likable girl. Everybody here liked you immediately.”

  Cynthia hung her head. “I was acting like a baby. I wanted something I didn’t get so I threw a tantrum. Only I threw the kind of tantrum you can’t fix.”

  “You’ll fix it. It’ll just be hard. Who’s going to help you move?”

  “Daddy and Arthur.”

  “They’re coming at the same time?”

  “Daddy said they’re going to see a lot of each other in the future, so they might as well start now. I think they actually like each other.”