Impulsive (16 page)

“I don't see it.” That was the truth. No matter how many times Eric turned it over, and despite all the evidence against her, he couldn't make it fit together the way Kevin thought it did.

“The timing isn't good for her innocence.”

“I know.”

“Look, I'm all for you moving on and finding someone new.”

Not again. Eric could not keep going down this road. In his head, his ex finally was history. But convincing everyone else was turning out to be a near impossible task. “This is not about Deana.”

“You're thinking with your dick.”

“Don't go there.”

“I saw Katie. I totally get it. She's smoking. But don't let those legs and whatever she can do with them block out the work in your brain.” Seth raised his hands in what looked like defeat. “Hell, it's not as if Kevin is making a huge leap here. The connection between Katie and the video is an easy one.”

“Coincidence.”

“We're in the business of proving things don't just happen. She walks in after hours, looking like that in the coat, and now there's a video.” Seth shot Eric a get-serious look and used a matching tone.

Eric wasn't in the mood for another lecture. “We deal in proof and we don't have any against her.”

“You're reaching.”

The fact no one trusted his judgment pissed Eric off. “I know everything I need to know about Katie.”

“You're saying you looked into her past?”

“Yes.”

Seth's mouth dropped open twice before he spit out any words. “Sounds like you've thought this through.”

“There's a piece you don't know.” Eric rocked his chair back and forth, pushing it with his foot. “Someone close to me is having me followed.”

“What the hell?”

“I just found out.” Eric worried what else lurked out there ready to bite him in the ass.

“How?”

Answering that one would only incriminate Katie more, so Eric skipped it. “Not important but supposedly a donor. Someone with an odd sense of what it means to look out for my interests. I can't help thinking this video is related somehow. Maybe an investigator gone rogue.”

Seth's eyes widened as he blew out a loud breath. “Does Kevin know about this angle?”

“You're the only one I've told. Until I figure out the who and why, I'd like to keep it between us.”

“Of course.” Seth's glance bounced off the photo again. “What are you going to do?”

“Talk with Katie and see if there's a way to limit this story. If not, I make a statement of some kind.” Another reality crashed against him. “Probably have to visit my parents and warn them.”

Seth went pale. “That should be fun.”

“The exact opposite of it, actually.”

“Kevin is going to have a heart attack if you come out and admit that you and your girlfriend were rolling around on your desk.”

“Wait to see how angry he gets when I tell him you're the one who let Katie into the building.”

“Shit.”

“Exactly.”

K
atie didn't like the look in Eric's eyes when he showed up at the catering kitchen before noon the next day. When she unlocked the door, he slid just inside and stopped.

The kiss didn't exactly melt her muscles, either. It felt obligatory and fast. That was one place Eric had always excelled and the fact he was only going through the motions scared her.

“I didn't know you were coming this afternoon.” She took his hand and dragged him over to the sink. She'd left the water running when she heard the knock. It was either turn it off now or clean up a flood.

“Change of plans.”

“That doesn't sound good.” She'd grown so accustomed to his joking and the sexy little smile he wore as he teased. Today, his manner was flat. Monotone voice, blank expression. The last time she saw him like this was when he watched his former love marry someone else.

“It's not.”

Cara came out of the stockroom, wiping her hands on the towel tucked into her waistband. “What's going on?”

“I have to talk with Katie.”

Cara's steps faltered. “I can leave for a few minutes but not much more. I have a bridal shower to prepare for.”

Katie assumed her sister had picked up on the tension. It slammed into Katie like a wall. “You have work to do. We can go outside.”

“Let's not do this.” Exhaustion poured off him. He stayed on his feet but looked ready to drop. “Everyone can stay.”

“Are you sure?” Cara asked.

“You're going to hear all about it sooner or later. May as well hear it from me.”

Yeah, this was really bad. Katie didn't need a college degree to come to that conclusion. “You're kind of scaring me now.”

Eric didn't even smile. He folded his arms across his chest and moved his legs, but his body stayed in the same two feet of space. Head down and muscles tight, he closed himself off to the room. “There's a video.”

“Of what?” Cara asked.

He wasn't talking about a movie. Katie picked up that much but little else. “I don't understand.”

“Us.” He looked up, pinning her with a dark-eyed scowl that hinted at the storm inside of him. “Together, last night.”

“Going into your condo?” It had finally happened. Someone had tracked them down in public. Not a surprise since they'd been seen at the temple and the diner. It was inevitable people would talk. What she didn't get was why he was surprised. Worse, why he was so angry.

“No.”

“Eric, I don't—”

“It's footage inside my office.”

The phrase didn't make any sense. From Cara's confused frown, it looked as if she wasn't getting it either.

“What?” Katie asked.

“I haven't seen it. Sounds like someone shot it from another building. Possibly from the ground. Doesn't matter really because the content is the issue. It's of the two of us in my office. You came in and the camera picked it all up.” He hesitated. “All.”

No, no, no.
That sounded like…but it couldn't be. “What's on the video?”

His stare grew even colder. “Exactly what you think.”

Katie covered her mouth and forced the scream back down her throat. People would come running, and right now they had enough attention without inviting more. “Oh my God.”

“What are you talking about?” Cara stepped forward with a hand on her sister's back. The palm rubbed up and down. “Katie, are you okay?”

Her voice came booming back. “Of us on your chair?”

Cara's hands dropped to her sides. “Katie!”

Then the gravity of his words hit her. He'd wavered on whether she'd set him up and now this. If he'd made a list of people likely to betray him, she would have to be near the top. And last night she'd gone to him. She'd walked into that office wearing nothing but a coat, and someone had caught it all.

What were the odds? She knew they were slanted against her. She also knew she was innocent. This time. The question was where Eric's mind had gone. The flat line of his lips and drawn cheeks told her the answer, one she hated.

“You don't think I did this.” She didn't phrase it as a question because she knew he'd already jumped to that conclusion.

“Are you making an admission?”

“I'm asking your opinion.” She stepped in front of him, forcing him to stop his shifting. “Right now, standing in the middle of this room, do you believe I walked into your office so I could catch you in a compromising position?”

“Did you?”

This was too important for his lawyer bullshit. “Eric.”

Slowly, his arms slid apart and landed at his sides. “I don't know.”

It was an honest answer but it still hurt. Cut right through her, exposing jagged edges of bone. “You feel something. You either sense that I did this or not.”

“Tell me you didn't and I'll believe you.”

Cara shoved Katie out of the way and took up the position right under Eric's nose. “How dare you suggest such a thing? You think she had sex with you as part of a setup? What is wrong with you?”

The outburst didn't faze him one bit. He glanced over Cara's head in Katie's direction. “I'm waiting.”

She expected judging and fury. She got calm. Once again, in the face of terrible information about her, he chose to take a wait-and-see approach. He didn't jump to the negative conclusion. He tried to stay positive and believe in her.

She knew she should rejoice at having a man—anyone—trust her to that degree. She didn't deserve it. Certainly hadn't earned it. But it didn't sit right in her stomach. Instead of relief, she felt an ice-cold chill.

“I don't know anything about the video. Had nothing to do with it.” Her tone matched the numbness that moved into her extremities.

“Of course you didn't. I can't believe Eric would…” Cara gave up her battle stance to glance at Katie. “What is it?”

“He has every reason to question me and my motives.” Part of her wanted Eric's anger. She could fight that, defend her actions and explain. His vacant stare was a weapon she couldn't counter. “I'm trying to figure out why you're not assuming it was me, that this was part of the con.”

Cara looked from Eric to Katie, her head whipping from side to side as her skin went pale. “What con?”

“Give us a second.” Katie wanted to soothe her sister's jumping nerves but she had a bigger problem. “I'll explain later. I promise.”

Cara looked as if she wanted to say something. Instead, she backed up, staying well within listening range but far enough away to give the appearance of privacy.

Eric took the opportunity to become even more remote. He clasped his hands together behind his back. It was a harsh do-not-come-closer sign that contrasted with the emptiness of his eyes. “You're upset that I believe you?”

“Grateful but confused.”

“You set me up once and came clean about it without being confronted. That says something about you.”

The words should have given her hope but the emotionless delivery scared Katie more than any shout ever could. She had to get through to him. Grabbing his hand and entwining her fingers in his, she willed him to really listen.

“Please believe me.” His gaze wandered over her face but the lines stretching across his forehead didn't fade until she pressed the back of her other hand against his cheek. “Eric, I didn't do this.”

“Okay.”

“I had nothing to do with the video.”

“I said, okay.”

It was the way he said it that bugged her. “That's all you have?”

“I told you I would believe you if you told me you weren't involved. We should just let this go.” Some of the pained formality left his voice.

Dread continued to churn in her stomach. “Men say that sort of thing all the time but they never mean it.”

“I do.”

But she still didn't understand why. If the positions were reversed, she'd make him beg for forgiveness. The hurt would wound her. Standing and walking—hell, breathing—would be impossible. For him it was a matter easily fixed. She couldn't figure out if that indicated the shallowness of his feelings for her or his inability to feel anything at all.

“What do we do now?” she asked.

He kissed her forehead. “I've got to go.”

When he tried to break away from her, she tightened her grip on his hand. No way was he treating her like a sick child, then running out. “Now?”

For the first time since he'd walked in the door, his mouth curled up at one edge in a half smile. “I'm going to be busy today.”

That sounded like an understatement to her. “Makes sense.”

“I need to come up with a plan to take the sting out of this before it hits the news.”

The comment zapped her right back into reality. The state of their relationship stayed at the front of her mind, but so much more was at stake for him. “Eric, I'm so sorry.”

“It will be fine.”

“This could kill your career.”

He shrugged. “At least people will stop thinking I'm sleeping with Deana.”

He just never stopped. She wanted him to share his feelings and he decided to be flip. “This isn't funny.”

“Trust me. I haven't laughed all day.” His tough demeanor slipped for a second, the muscle in his cheek twitching as he regained his unflustered look. “But it's fine.”

“How is that possible?”

“I'm going to see if I can kill the story.”

“How in the world will you do that?” Cara's question made them both jump.

“I can be very persuasive.” Neither woman rushed to agree with him. “If I can't, I'll come up with a statement. I'll call you first so we can go over it.”

Being included stunned Katie. “Me?”

“We're dating. This video involves you, too.” He squeezed her hand before dropping it and reaching into his pockets to pull out his keys. “And since I'll have to talk to my parents if I can't end this, I'm going to need some moral support before I get to the next step.”

“Tomorrow is going to suck.”

He nodded. “Pretty much.”

I
t took Katie another half hour after Eric was gone to explain the situation to Cara. As her sister's mouth drew smaller and smaller, Katie told her about the wedding and why she'd wanted to work it so badly. By the time she was done, Katie felt sick. Having it all spelled out like that sounded horrible. All her justifications rang hollow.

She waited for Cara to unload. The lecture about responsibility and professionalism hovered on her tongue. Katie could sense it.

“How could you do that?” Cara asked with searing heat in her tone.

Katie's stomach rocked and the hammers inside her head banged hard enough to throw off her balance. “I didn't mean to threaten your job. The plan was to work the wedding and watch Eric. Touching him was the last thing on my mind.”

“I'm not talking about the catering.”

“What?”

“I'm talking about Eric. How could you agree to spy on the man?” Cara's outrage on Eric's behalf had her sputtering.

Katie wasn't sure when her sister's loyalty switched to Eric, but it had. “I didn't know him then.”

“He was still a human being. He had a life and a reputation and a family. You walked in there, willing to ruin all that. Explain that to me.”

Cara was saying all the words running through Katie's head. “My role seemed innocent at the time. It sounded like someone close to Eric was watching over him. I don't know anything about politics.”

“That's not an excuse.”

“If I had known Eric or how I would feel about him.” She shook her head. “I never expected him. He hit me out of nowhere.”

Cara's rage deflated like a balloon. “You met him and everything changed.”

“Yes.”

Cara leaned over with her elbows on the counter. “I know what it's like to have a man turn your life upside down.”

“I never expected it.”

“It's exhilarating and scary as hell. When it goes wrong, damn, it's a mess.”

Katie felt the need to defend Eric. “He's not Bill.”

“Not even a little bit. Can you imagine what Bill would have done if I'd had something to do with endangering his reputation?” Cara dragged a tray of butterball cookies toward her and popped one into her mouth. “Awful.”

“That is the right word for Bill.”

Cara's face squished up. “Stop fixating on him. He's out of our lives.”

“Good riddance.”

“I just find Eric's reaction interesting. It's refreshing to see a man control his emotions. No yelling or hitting.”

Not for the first time, Katie wondered about her sister's marriage. Cara insisted abuse was not an issue. When she moved back to Oahu, Katie didn't see any physical scars but Cara's skittishness was tough to miss. It took months, a new daughter and a divorce to rebuild her confidence. Even now, Cara isolated herself, not letting any man close enough to hurt her.

Katie reached out and covered her sister's hand with her own. “I'm sorry.”

Cara stopped chewing. “For what?”

“Not coming back sooner. For abandoning you in the first place.”

“You were eighteen. Your job was to figure out who you were, not rescue me.”

Katie wasn't sure she agreed.

“You must be doing something right. You found a guy who doesn't ruffle. He takes the rough stuff and handles it.” Cara shoved the plate away from her but not before stealing one last cookie.

All those doubts came bubbling to the surface. “I guess.”

Cara's hand stopped halfway to her mouth. “Being dependable is a good thing.”

“Is it?”

“What's wrong with you?”

Katie started to jump up and sit on the counter but Cara's evil eye stopped her. She settled for leaning against it. “Don't you think he was a little too calm?”

“You've got to be kidding.”

“No.”

“You'd rather he stomp around and call you names?”

“Of course not, but you have to wonder if anything can get to him.” That's what it boiled down to. She wanted him to feel enough passion for her that he'd be furious if he thought he was losing her or being betrayed by her. Staying even all the time led to the inevitable conclusion that he didn't care that much.

That thought stabbed at her. In a short time, she'd come to think of Eric as hers. She'd started spinning a vision of a future together. It was silly and too soon, but she was falling for him at a rate that almost promised heartache.

“Do not do this,” Cara said.

“What?”

“You are finally finding your footing. You're focused and here for me and Ashleigh. I know I can count on you. That's a huge change from where we were just a few years ago.”

The comment stopped Katie's heart. Usually, Cara judged and got frustrated. She didn't give credit. Here, with a few throwaway words, she'd said exactly what Katie needed to hear. Through all the struggles and wrong turns, Katie had learned something and found her way back home. “You're family. I'd do anything for you.”

“I know.” Cara handed Katie a cookie. “And Eric could be something to you, too, but you're thinking about pushing him away.”

“You think I want to lose him?

“Then don't blow it.”

Katie bit back the comment she wanted to say. With her background and baggage, Cara believed Katie should be grateful a man like Eric would even look her way for more than sex. She never said it but didn't have to. The thought bounced around in Katie's head, too.

“I'm trying not to, but I also want to be realistic.”

“There's a term for it: self-destructive.” Cara pressed a cookie between her fingers. “You think you're not good enough for him and that's not true.”

The surprises just kept coming. Just when Katie thought she knew what Cara was trying to say, how she felt about the situation, she said something different. “Thank you.”

“It's time you cut yourself a break.”

Katie knew she had to atone first. “I'm not sure I've earned it yet.”

“Admittedly, the wedding fiasco wasn't a great start to your relationship with Eric.”

“Which is why I'm confused. I don't understand why he's so cool with this.”

“My guess? He's not. He's trying to solve a problem.”

“He should be furious. He should be questioning me. Hell, he should still be angry about the last admission I made. But he's over all of it.” Her list of sins sounded so long when she spelled them out.

“That makes him a good man.”

“I'm not debating that.”

Cara stood up, her exasperation showing in every line of her body. “You are looking for trouble where none exists.”

Katie gave up because she knew Cara would never understand. “You're probably right.”

“Listen to your big sister. Grab on to that guy and don't let go. He's a keeper.”

But could he ever love her? That was Katie's real question.