Back to Square One (Brandon Bay Babes) (29 page)

“It seems you’ve been busy” he stated, indicating her art on the walls around them.

“Yeah, really busy” She put on a bright smile.
 
“So you’ve been busy too?”

“Pretty busy” he said quietly.

Great.
 
They’d both been busy.
 
Kit grasped for something more to say.
 
“Saw you in the newspaper not long ago.
 
I must say, you and Isabella make a perfect couple” Good grief, she couldn’t come up with a better topic than
that?
Talk about sado-masochistic.

He squinted at her. “Me and Isabella?
 
A
couple
?”

“Yes” she replied, going for nonchalant, but sure she wasn’t fooling anyone; least of all J.J.
 

“Did you
read
the article?”

“No. But a picture paints a thousand words” she said flatly.
 
Oh wonderful; she sounded jealous.
 
“Is she here?
 
I’d love to meet her” she ground out with a forced smile.
 
There.
 
That’s better.
 
Certainly couldn’t call her jealous now.

“You do
know
she’s my cousin don’t you?” he smirked knowingly.

Kits face fell, “
Cousin?
”

“Yes, she’s Charles’ daughter from his first, but very brief, marriage. She lives in Europe for the most part.”

She pondered the caption under the photo, “But isn’t her last name Ryan?”

“Her
professional
last name is” J.J. took a step closer, “Listen Kit –”
 

Talk about feeling foolish.
 
Kit swallowed hard and tried to pretend that the last five minutes never happened.
 
For God’s sake floor, open up and swallow me now, she wishfully thought.
 
Placing a grin on her face, she cut in. “You’ll have to excuse me J.J.; Charles has me on short leash tonight –no dog pun intended.
 
There are so many people he thinks I should meet”

“Well, it’s your night.
 
Enjoy it” he replied, seemingly unopposed to her leaving his side.

“I’ll see you …”

“When you see me?” he finished with a hopeful look.

“Later J.J.” she said, sailing away from him like it didn’t bother her in the least. What a crock!

*****

Throughout the night, Kit and J.J. intermittently exchanged glances, waves and small smiles, but Kit focused on what she was really there to do; to display her work, meet other artists and schmooze the collectors and all the terrifyingly judgemental critics.

She tried her best to charm them all, and wasn’t quite certain if she succeeded.
 
Well it was just too bad if they didn’t all like her
or
her art, she thought smugly, because someone liked two of her paintings enough to buy them without delay.
 

Trying hard not to ponder the notion that Isabella Ryan was no longer competition; she decided to flatly refuse to let herself go there.
 
Although she and J.J. had shared some rather longing looks across the crowded room; that was no indication that the evening would turn, like the song, into an enchanted one!

By ten o’clock the crowd had somewhat dissipated, so Kit decided to take a break and get herself a glass of something ice-cold and refreshing.
 
She was tired, but it was a good sort of tired.
 
One that came from accomplishing a goal that meant a lot to her.

Placing an order at the open bar, she felt a presence beside her and knew who it was before she turned to face him.

“Hope you’re not thinking of going to Eastern Europe tonight?”

Kit smiled warmly at J.J. as the bartender placed her drink on the bar, “
Nyet
, strictly USA; just a coke.
 
I thought I’d better keep my head about me this evening.”
 
She saluted him with her glass and took a big swig.

“Good idea” he said watching her swallow.
 
“I’m really proud of you Kit Kat”

“Me too” she said simply.

“I’ve been meaning to call you” he said unsurely.

“
Really
?” she frowned, wanting to add,
then why didn’t you;
but holding her tongue.

“To thank you” he replied quickly, “A revamped version of
America Now
hits the stands next month” he smiled.

“Oh, that’s wonderful J.J.” she grinned warmly, touching his arm in congratulations. “So tell me,
who’s
on the cover?”

Looking both ways, careful not to be overheard, he replied quietly, “
Angelina and Brad
”

She widened her eyes, “Wow, that’s quite the coup”

“Cross fingers it works”

“It’ll work.
 
I have faith in you.”

J.J. licked his lips, “You really do, don’t you?”

Kit beamed and nodded.

Jeff leaned in close and whispered shakily in her ear.
 
“You look beautiful tonight; do you know that? It’s taken all my control to stop from monopolizing you all evening.”

“Has it?” she asked carefully, as he pulled back to look in her eyes.
 
Kit kept her cool.
 
Like Jasmine told her, if it was meant to be, it was meant to be.
 
Don’t force it.
 
Just because Isabella was his cousin didn’t mean that he still had feelings for her.
 
But, man, she hoped he still felt it; because she did –big time.

“You’ve changed Kit?”

“What do you mean?” she said with a befuddled face.

“You seem so
together
and not as nervous as you used to be”

 
Kit thought about that.
 
He obviously hadn’t realised that her previous laughing fit with Charles was nerves.
 
Had
she changed?
 
Well, maybe she had a little at that.
 
She still had a long way to go, but she didn’t care quite so much anymore what others thought, and she certainly knew what she wanted in life.
 
The only question left was whether what
she
wanted, wanted
her.

But then again, if it didn’t work out, she knew she’d be okay.
 
It would hurt like hell and would take some time, but there was one thing she’d discovered in the last two months; and that was that time had a habit of changing everything;
 
People, feelings, surroundings; even a mousy little cubicle dweller into a desirable and somewhat successful woman.
 

“I don’t seem to have the power to make you nervous at all, do I?” he added, biting his lip.

“Not much” she replied with a small smile.
 
And it was true; she’d never really had a complete meltdown in Jeff’s company.
 
She’d been nervous seeing him again, but all in all, he made her feel like she could be herself.
   

“I guess I was hoping that maybe I did” he said seriously.
 
“Get a load of me though; my hands are shaking like leaves” He held his hands out and they were indeed shaking.

Kit eyed him apprehensively, “What’s got you all shaky?” she asked hopefully.

“
You
” he replied simply, holding her gaze.

“Hey Kit” Barnaby stuck his head in between them.

“
Go away
” they both turned and said in unison.
 

Barnaby staggered back.
 
“What do you mean, go away?” he said in annoyance.

Kit took the reins. “I’ll handle this” she said to J.J., “Barnaby at this moment, your presence is
not
welcome.
 
So please,
for the love of God
, go away and give us a minute here!” she yelled.
 
When he didn’t immediately move, Kit started making shooing motions with her hands, and he finally got the message.

“Finally” Jeff said with relief, his confidence seeming to increase and his nerves subsiding with Kit’s dismissal of Barnaby.
 
“The coast is clear.
 
No Jeremy, no Barnaby, no …”

“
Trucker Joe?
” Kit finished haughtily.

J.J. looked sheepish.
 
“
Hmm.
 
Hoped you’d forgotten about that comment”

“I must be part elephant, because I have very good memory” she remarked with a smile.
 

Obviously her smile encouraged him, and he asked with a hopeful grin, “So from what I can tell, I guess I’m the last man standing.
 
To the victor go the spoils?”

Kit raised her eyebrows, not willing to let him get off so easily.
 
“Am I the
spoils
in this scenario?”

“Am I the
really
the victor? Or is there anyone else from high school I should know about?” he questioned with a smirk.

“You know what J.J.?
 
-
Bite me
” she said, getting off the barstool and walking off.

“Oh that’s mature” he said rolling his eyes.
 

Kit headed for the door, and he got up and followed her.

“Are you following me?” Kit threw over her shoulder as she stomped towards the elevator.

“Yes I am” he stated matter-of-factly.
 

“Why, do I have toilet paper stuck to my shoe?” she said angrily pushing the down button repeatedly.

“Don’t be ridiculous.
 
That’s not it, and you know it” he shot back.

Kit turned on him.
 
“
Do I?
 
Then
why?
 
Why the sudden interest J.J.?
 
I haven’t seen you in a month.
 
If you weren’t here tonight, I doubt if we would ever have crossed paths again.”

The elevator arrived and Kit got in, and J.J. followed.
 
Kit pressed the button for the garage.
 
She didn’t know where the hell she was off to, but the need to flee was paramount.
 
She gave him the evil eye from her corner of the box.

“I didn’t know” he said uneasily, not looking at her.