Home To You (29 page)

“Why what?”

“Why is David calling you?”

She waved away the question as if it were an annoying gnat. “Apparently the job in San Francisco didn’t work out. He’s back in Boston, in our old apartment, no less, and he wants his furniture back.”

She wasn’t going to tell her best friend and her mother that David wanted her back too.

Addie sipped her water and grinned. “Did you tell him you sold it?”

“The furniture? I sure did. I even gave him the address of the consignment shop. If he wants it, he’s going
to have to buy it back.” She couldn’t tamp down the smile. That would be just fine with her, since she’d get sixty percent of the take. And since the money left in her savings account was a whole lot less than half of what she remembered it should be, she didn’t have a problem with it. After all, he’d said the furniture was hers.

Kendall looked over her menu. “Do you want to order? I’m starved. All I had today was an apple.” She wasn’t used to dealing with both her mother and Addie at the same time. If waterboarding were a sport, they’d tag team it. Now that she was sitting across from them, she wondered if
let’s do lunch
was code for
time to spill
.

Kendall caught Addie’s glance before she could hide her angst. Kendall set her menu down. Addie seemed off—almost uncomfortable.

Grace took Addie’s hand and gave it a quick squeeze, and then raised a subtle brow at Kendall. “I’m going to the ladies’ room. Go ahead and order for me when the waitress comes by. I’ll have the Cobb salad, with blue cheese dressing on the side.”

Kendall watched her mother disappear and then looked back at Addie. “Well, that was subtle—not. Sorry.”

Addie looked mortified and even more pallid than usual. Khaki wasn’t Addie’s best color on a good day. Today was not a good day.

“Okay, Addie, what’s wrong? What did I do?”

Addie had gone from fanning her napkin to origami—bad origami.

“Listen, whatever it is, you’d better tell me before my mom gets back, or I won’t be responsible for the fallout.”

Addie’s cheeks faded to a sallow cream. She was probably remembering when Kendall’s mother sat them both
down and told them the facts of life. She could tell by the twitch of Addie’s eye that, yeah, she’d gone there.

“Is Jaime your new rebound guy?” Addie asked it so softly, Kendall barely heard her.

“Did you just ask if Jaime was my rebound guy? Seriously?” Kendall wasn’t ready for that one. “Jaime? Why would Jaime be my rebound guy? He’s my mover, my painter, and my human garbage can—that boy cleans out my refrigerator at least once a week. Jaime Rouchard is a lot of things, but definitely not my rebound guy. I use him—with his permission, of course.”

“But I saw him leaving your apartment really late Saturday night.”

“That’s because we watched a double feature—
Some Like It Hot
and
When
Harry Met Sally . .
. I made popcorn.”

“So, you two are an item?”

“What are you talking about?”

“If Jaime Rouchard is at your house on a Saturday night, watching chick flicks, it’s got to be love.”

Kendall felt the blood drain from her face. She wasn’t sure if it was low blood sugar or shock. Where was the waitress? Where was her mother?

Addie slowly choked the origami swan. It looked painful.

Kendall put her hand on the mangled napkin. “Addie, Jaime and I are just friends. We are not an item. We have never been an item. We will never be an item. I consider him a BFF with benefits.”

“You’re using him?”

“Hell, yeah. Who else is going to loan me his truck whenever I need it and haul my furniture up a flight of
stairs? I pay him back with food. A lot of food. It’s a win-win.”

“You mean you’re
not
sleeping with him?”

“Eew, no!” Kendall shivered—and not in a good way. “At least not together. He slept on my couch once. It did not end well. He fell off and twisted his back. We were supposed to paint my office. It cost me a whole weekend and an entire bottle of Midol.”

Addie stared at her with the look of the damned.

“It’s a muscle relaxer. Duh.” Then Kendall felt her cheeks tighten. Oh my God. Had she misinterpreted Jaime’s friendship? She sat back. No. Jaime thought of her as an annoying little sister. “Oh, wait a minute!” Kendall drummed her fingers against her lips. It was all coming together now. “You’re the one he keeps grumbling about. I should have known.”

Addie flinched. “What?”

“He said something about angels, green apple shampoo, and tempera paint. . . . Oh, my God! You stayed over at his place. On a school day, no less.”

Addie’s eyes widened and she started to sweat.

“Addie, you little hussy, you. You totally did!” Then Kendall thought about it some more. “What did you do? Break his heart? Why else would he make me watch
You’ve Got Mail
? Twice. And, believe me, that’s not my favorite movie.”

Addison groaned and slumped in her chair. The swan was decapitated.

It definitely added up. “Jaime eats more ice cream lately than even I do. If you keep this up, Ben and Jerry’s is going to have to open a new plant. Jaime’s got it bad.” Kendall sat back and couldn’t keep the grin off her face. “Hey, I just thought of something: Jaime’s not over at my
place to help me out at all. He’s there to hide. He doesn’t want to go out, and he doesn’t want to stay home alone. And all this time I thought I was using him, but, no, he was the one using me.”

Addie looked like she was going to be sick. She took a slug of water, and it sloshed over her shaking hand.

“You do know what this means, don’t you?”

Addie shook her head. “Oh no.”

“It means it’s time for another makeover. Once Jaime sees you, he’ll go even crazier than he already is.”

Grace strolled up to the table. “I’m back. Have you ordered?”

Addie held up a shaking hand. “Can we get some service please?”

*

Jaime sat in the cab of his truck in the cell-phone lot at Logan International Airport, grumbling. It was ten in the morning and he’d already driven 111 miles. Jax’s plane was late. Kendall had left one of her damn hair clips on his truck’s seat, and he sat on it. That woman was a real pain in his ass—literally. The thing looked like it could be used as a torture device, and he wondered if she had it out for his junk. She’d almost maimed him—twice—and to top it off, he hadn’t caught a glimpse of Addison in weeks. He was going through Addie withdrawal, and he was living on a diet of Kendall’s leftovers, ice cream, tequila, and beer. When Kendall finally finished painting and decorating her place and using him as her reach-it, haul-it, and paint-it boy and giving him a hell of a workout, he might actually have to go on a diet.

His phone dinged, announcing a text. It was about time. He started the engine, headed for arrivals, and
pulled up beside Jax. He looked good—Jaime couldn’t help but resent it at least a little bit. The dude looked like a freakin’ movie star. Jaime scanned the sidewalk and counted six women and two guys checking Jax out. Personally, Jaime could do without the male appreciation, but it would be nice to have the one woman he wanted not hide from him or fear him.

Jax tossed his bag in the back and jumped in.

“Took you long enough.”

“What crawled up your ass this morning?”

Jaime grabbed Kendall’s hair doohickey and tossed it in Jax’s lap. “That. And, let me tell you, it hurt. I swear that woman is trying to turn me into a freakin’ eunuch.”

“Sounds like a personal problem.”

“It’s a Kendall problem.”

“My Kendall?”

“I don’t know if she’s yours, man. All I know is some dude’s been calling her all hours of the day and night.”

“And how do you know that?”

He shrugged. “I crashed on her couch after a double feature and one too many Chunky Monkey mudslides.” He held up his hand. “Don’t even ask. It’s a hangover disguised as a milk shake. That girl’s dangerous when she starts inventing cocktails. Anyway, the phone rang at, like, two in the freakin’ morning. I thought it was you she was talking to, but when I asked, she said she’d hadn’t heard a word from you.”

“Who in the hell was it?”

“No clue, and it’s not as if I can ask her. I mean, we’re friends, but she doesn’t talk to me like she does Addie or Erin.”

“Erin?”

“Her best friend in Boston. Erin’s engaged to a firefighter—
he and his two brothers moved Kendall’s stuff to Harmony. I guess it could be one of them.”

“So, she’s dating?”

Jaime shrugged. “Did you think she was sitting around waiting for you to get your head screwed on straight?”

From the look on Jax’s face, that was exactly what he’d thought.

“And I suppose you’ve been living like a monk.”

Man, if Jax had laser vision, Jaime would be vaporized. “Wow, three months without sex? That’s gotta be some kind of personal record for you.”

“What aren’t you telling me?”

“Nothin’, man. Like I said, she doesn’t tell me shit like that. I don’t have the right equipment to be a best girlfriend. The only things I have going for me in her eyes are a full-size pickup truck, my ability to haul all the furniture she buys up to her apartment, and the fact that I can eat leftovers like nobody’s business. She has a thing about wasting food. It’s been great. I haven’t had to cook a dinner in ages. She even sends stuff home with me. It makes up for the back problems.

“So where are you going—the lake house or the cabin? Have you told Grace and Teddy you’re on your way? Have you given Kendall a heads-up?”

“Shit. I should have thought this out a little more. I mean, Anne just gave me one of her lectures about her son Charlie outgrowing his clothes, and the next thing I know, I’m standing at O’Hare, waiting to board a plane to Boston. Can you call Addie and ask her if Kendall’s seeing someone else?”

“What do you think this is—middle school? Sure, I’ll pass her a note in study hall. Besides, I haven’t seen her in weeks. I think she’s hiding from me, and when she’s
not hiding, we just snipe at each other. And after you’ve been gone so long without even a word, I doubt Addison is going to be any happier to see you than she is me.”

“What happened?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got an hour and a half drive. Besides, hearing about your problems helps me not think about mine.”

J
ax conned Jaime into stopping to pick up the shingles and flashing he’d ordered at the Home Depot in Concord. He knew he’d have to show himself soon, but having to hump cases of shingles up to the roof would give him the time he needed to figure out how to handle it.

Jaime backed up the truck close to the cabin. “Are you going to open the place up, or are you going to stay at the lake house?”

He stared at the cabin door. “I’ll probably stay at the lake house. I don’t know how long I’m going to be here, and I don’t want make more work for Teddy.” He got out of the truck and was almost afraid to go inside. He didn’t want to see the place without Kendall there. If he didn’t go in, he could still imagine her there. When he thought of her, she was always there in the cabin.

Jaime rounded the truck and stepped onto the porch. “Are you cleared to drive?”

“Yeah, but I haven’t. I left my car here at the lake house.”

“Just take the truck, and I’ll have one of my guys pick it up tomorrow. There are cables in the box if your car
needs a jump. It’s been sitting for five months. If I’d known, I would have pulled the battery out for you.”

Jax shrugged. “I hadn’t even thought about it. Listen, thanks for the lift and the information. I appreciate it.”

“When are you planning to see Kendall?”

“I’m just not sure. I need to figure out how to approach her.”

“You’d better figure it out soon. Oh, and just so you know, if you hurt her, you’ll answer to me. I’ve already offered to fly out to Chicago and beat the shit out of you. She took a rain check. At least if I have to beat you up, I won’t have to fly to get there.”

If he hurt her, he’d deserve a beating. “Glad I could save you the trip. I don’t want to hurt Kendall. I love her—probably more now than I did when I left. I just don’t know how to say it so she’ll hear me. Hell, I don’t know if she wants anything to do with me.”

Jaime crossed his arms and leaned on the porch rail. “Keep it simple, stupid. You brainiacs overthink everything. The less you say, the less chance you have of sticking your foot in your mouth and pissing her off.”

“Probably not bad advice.” He should have thought to ask Anne what to do. She seemed to know everything. “Jaim, how many women have you told that you love them?”

“None.”

“Then what do you know?”

“I’m no expert, but I’ve been hanging with Kendall for the last three months. I’m the guy who strong-armed her into reading your letter, and I’ve been watching a lot of chick flicks and I’ve taken notes. I know Kendall better than most, and my advice stands. She just needs to
see the real you. The guy I grew up with is the man she fell in love with.”

“She loves me?”

“I think she did. Whether or not she still does is the question. Three months is a long time to be ignored.”

“I wasn’t ignoring her—I was giving her space.”

“Without asking her if she needed space or finding out exactly how much space she needed. The problem as I see it is that you have no fucking clue when, in Kendall’s mind, being given space might have turned into being forgotten.”

“Shit. That never occurred to me.”

“Yeah, I figure if you haven’t already crossed that line, you’re heading that way at lightning speed.” Jaime turned and headed toward his cabin. “Oh, and I’m not going to come out and tell Kendall you’re here, but I won’t lie to her either. If she asks, I’ll tell her. But for your sake, I’ll do my best to avoid her. Still, you’d better hurry the hell up and decide what you’re going to do.”

“I’m going to hump the shingles up to the roof, go back to the house, and shower, and then I’ll go see Kendall.”

“Okay. She has appointments until six tonight. She lives above her office, right across from Maizie’s, and, as far as I know, she doesn’t have plans tonight. She said something about a hot date with a bottle of wine and a bubble bath.”

Jax laughed. “Yeah, and you think she doesn’t talk to you like she would Addie. You’re in danger of having your Man Card pulled.”

*

Kendall walked her client out and held her two-month-old baby while she set the car seat on the chair and stuffed the burp rag, bottle, and pacifier in the baby bag.

Sandra Buxton had three children under the age of seven, suffered from postpartum depression, and had a husband who was emotionally and physically unavailable to her—not a good combination. At least the medication her psychiatrist prescribed was having a positive effect. “Do you need help out to the car?”

Sandra laughed, “No, but thanks for the offer. One kid at a time is a piece of cake. It’s when I have all three that things gets crazy.”

Little Stryker was so sweet, and Kendall cuddled him close, drinking in that baby scent she loved. She tried to ignore her biological clock and kissed his peach-fuzz-covered head before setting him in the seat and strapping him in. “There you go, little man. You be good for your mama.” She tucked the blanket around him. “I’ll see you next Tuesday. If you need anything, just give me a call.”

“Thanks for letting me bring Stryker. My mom can’t handle all three by herself.”

“It’s not a problem, really. Feel free to bring him anytime. It gives me a chance to get a baby fix.” She opened the door to the world’s smallest lobby, then held the outer door and watched until Sandra got the car seat settled and her car started.

Kendall went through her evening routine, gathering her notes, shutting down and packing up her laptop, and turning off the lights, while she did the math in her head. She was twenty-six, so if she met the right guy right this moment, she probably wouldn’t marry for a few years; then it would be smart to wait for a few more years to
have some good couple time before even trying to have a baby. She’d probably be in her early thirties by then. Suddenly the ticking clock’s volume increased. She’d always wanted at least three kids. She stepped back into the waiting room. “Well, best-laid plans and all that, Kendall.”

“You’re talking to yourself now?”

Kendall jumped and spun around, “David?” Her hand went to her throat, and her heart seemed to stutter before flatlining. He stood between her and the door. For the first time since starting her practice, she realized how vulnerable she was. She should have locked up before she went into her office to shut down. But this was David. He might be a narcissistic asshole, but he’d never done anything to make her fear him. “God, you scared me. What are you doing here?”

“I came to see what you left me for.”

“Left you?” Was he delusional? “Look, I just set the alarm. I have to lock up the place, or the service will call the police. I have less than a minute before the alarm goes off. Why don’t we run over to the diner, if you want to talk?” She walked past him and held the door.

David took a long look around and then stepped out behind her. Standing way too close for her peace of mind.

“I’m expected at my parents’ house for a late dinner. If you had called, I would have told you I really don’t have time to talk tonight.” The hair on the back of her neck stood on end. She locked the door, stepped outside, and locked the outer door too, holding her briefcase between them, and headed down the street to the diner.

David took her arm, and she shot him a don’t-touch-me look he didn’t seem to notice.

Kendall didn’t say anything. She didn’t know why, but
something seemed off with David. Maybe it was the way he looked. He’d always been so starched and perfectly groomed—a metrosexual to the nth degree. Even Erin, who always saw the best in people, referred to him as a stuck-up pretty boy. David was always so fastidious; he kept an electric razor in his car for touch-ups between appointments because he hated razor stubble. Yet it didn’t seem as if he’d shaved today, and his hair looked like it was a few weeks overdue for a cut.

Kendall let out a sigh of relief when she pushed through the door to Old Town Diner. She waved at Candy. “Two coffees and the check, please?” Kendall sat in a booth by the window and cringed when David sat beside her. Sure, they used to sit like that when they were kids, but that was a long, long time ago. “David, if you want to have a conversation, it would be better if we faced each other.”

He put his arm around her like the past three and a half months had never happened. Not that he would have stepped foot into a diner back then. No, diners were too lowbrow for the likes of him.

“David, excuse me. I need to wash my hands and freshen up. I was holding a baby and, well, I think his diaper might have leaked.”

That got David moving. Any mention of bodily fluids was enough to gross him out. She grabbed her briefcase and hightailed it into the ladies’ room. Shit, shit, shit. How was she going to get rid of him? She could call her father, but the last thing she wanted to hear was another lecture about how he and her mother had always known David wasn’t the man for her. So no Dad. That left the only other man she could count on. She grabbed her phone and texted Jaime.

David showed up at my office. Told him I had to go to my parents for dinner, but something’s not right. I’m at Old Town Diner & need a henchman. Are you around?

He responded immediately:

On my way. DO NOT LEAVE THE DINER.

Okay, thx.

Kendall let out a breath, washed her hands, and tucked her phone into her pocket. If Jaime was home, it would take him fifteen minutes to get there. She could deal with David for fifteen minutes—hell, she’d dealt with him for twelve years. Fifteen minutes should be a piece of cake.

*

Jax drove into town and parked in front of Maizie’s Tea Room. The light in Kendall’s office was on, and he watched her through the window, holding a baby, kissing its head. The look of longing on her face as she set it gently into a car seat made him wonder what their kids would look like.

He’d never thought of having a family, but he could see building a family with Kendall. Giving Grace and Teddy grandkids to spoil, and Rocki’s new daughter, Nicki, a bunch of cousins. He could imagine them all together at the lake house, and envisioned it filled with love and laughter and Legos.

Kendall walked her client out and waited under the
light while the woman settled the baby in the car and took off. Kendall wore a blue sweater and pants that made her legs look even longer than they normally did. He couldn’t help but stare, since she looked even more beautiful than he’d remembered. And he’d remembered a lot.

He still hadn’t come up with a plan as to what to say to her, but he supposed it was dependent on her reaction to seeing him. When she went back inside, he knew he couldn’t stall any longer. He got out of the car and was just about to cross the street when he saw a man opening the door to her office and walking in. Shit. Maybe Jaime was wrong; maybe Kendall had a date with more than a bottle of wine and a bubble bath.

Maybe she was seeing someone and keeping it to herself. The guy rocked back on his heels and did a full turn, taking in the small waiting room as if he’d never been there before.

When Kendall stepped back into the waiting room, there was no hug, no kiss, and the way her hand flew up to her neck looked as if she’d been startled. Jax bit back a curse and leaned against his car, trying to ignore the urge to grab the guy and toss him out on his ass. Instead he watched the woman he loved with another man, feeling way too much like a stalker.

Kendall stepped out and held the door for the guy to follow before she locked the office without turning off the lights. Leaving the lights on was a pet peeve of hers. She was downright miserly when it came to wasting electricity. It was odd for her to leave all the lights on in the office like she’d be returning, yet carry her briefcase. And why would she bring her briefcase and not her purse?
Why would she bring her briefcase on a date? She held it between them awkwardly, like a shield.

His adrenaline kicked up, the muscles of his neck and back tightened, his legs stiffened, and no matter how many times he told himself it was his imagination, that he was only seeing what he wanted to see—Kendall wasn’t interested in another man—he didn’t believe it. He’d admit he was jealous as hell. Seeing her with someone else made him crazy, but that didn’t change the fact that she looked nervous. It was in the set of her shoulders, the tilt of her head; her whole posture was off. If it was a first date, he’d bet his ’69 Ferrari there wouldn’t be another. Then she took off toward downtown at a pretty good clip. If she was on a date, why wasn’t she wearing a coat or even a jacket? It had gotten up to fifty degrees that afternoon, but the temps were dropping with the sun, and they had only another hour and a half or so of daylight. It would be dark by seven thirty. Even he had grabbed his leather jacket before leaving the lake house.

The guy wore a jacket, and you’d think he’d offer it to her. Any decent man would see she was cold. Instead he took her arm. Jax swallowed back a growl. It was one thing for him to stand beside Kendall, but another thing for some dude to touch her. Damn. He found himself following behind, both of them oblivious to his presence. He couldn’t see Kendall’s eyes, but he knew that tilt of her head. She was giving the guy her death glare—it looked as if she didn’t like him touching her any more than Jax did. Still, she didn’t pull away.