Katia's Promise (13 page)

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

I
T
WAS
POURING
rain as Katia stood with Sarah and Mrs. Beabots outside Austin’s front door, holding a huge umbrella above their heads. She couldn’t believe she was this nervous about a silly fund-raising meeting. She was coming to care a great deal about Mrs. Beabots, and she was nurturing a friendship with Sarah. However, Katia didn’t think Austin would agree to open his house to as many as three hundred people on a Sunday afternoon just so they could finally peer into his private abode.

Katia dropped her head. This was a bad move all around. Mrs. Beabots was going to be disheartened when they were turned down, and Sarah probably would keep trying to fix things, which would only frustrate Austin more.

Katia had been up most of the night thinking of pitches and a persuasive approach that would convince him to participate. That was the reason her new friends had come to her. They believed she was their closer.

Daisy answered the door with a strong-armed whoosh and an ear-to-ear smile. “Ladies! Welcome. Come get out of the weather. Not fit for man or beast.” Daisy gestured toward the living room. “Austin’s on the phone, but he won’t be long. I’ll see to that. I have a fire going in there, so come on in.”

Mrs. Beabots walked straight to the fireplace and held out her hands to warm them. “It’s so cozy in here. I do love a real fire, don’t you, Katia?”

“I do,” Katia replied, surprised that Austin hadn’t succumbed to the convenience of gas logs and electrical-switch starters. She knew it had taken thought and extra work to prepare the fire for them, and it hadn’t been Daisy’s doing. This was all Austin. When they were young, it had always been his job to build the fire before his father got home from work. This was a good sign, she concluded. Perhaps he would be open to this event after all.

Austin walked into the room wearing black pants, a navy cashmere sweater over a snow-white cotton shirt and a smile so charming he took Katia’s breath away. “Good evening, ladies,” he said, walking straight up to Mrs. Beabots and taking her hand in both of his. “It’s great to see you again, Mrs. Beabots. You’re looking marvelous, as always.”

“Austin.” She beamed and placed her other hand over his. “I’ve missed seeing you, now that Hanna has been gone so long. I’m hoping this is the beginning of a renewed friendship for us.”

He bent and kissed her cheek. “Thank you for thinking of my mother. I’d forgotten how involved she was in the community when she was alive. I guess the years have just gotten away from me.” Then he turned to Sarah. “You’re looking terrific, Sarah. Married life must agree with you.”

“It truly does,” Sarah replied with a smile. “Though, I had no idea taking care of two children could be so demanding.”

Austin nodded. “If you do it right, it should be demanding.”

Katia was standing next to Sarah, and she watched as Austin’s eyes surreptitiously tracked back to her while he was speaking with her friends. When he moved toward her, she wasn’t sure if he would be formal or if he would embrace her.

“Katia, I’m guessing they brought you along to persuade me.”

“They did,” she said as he moved back toward the fireplace. Oddly, she felt slighted. No handshake and no compliment. A tiny fissure of sadness crept through her, disturbing her just enough to make an impression. She didn’t need Austin’s approval for anything, yet she wanted it. Why?

“Please, ladies, have a seat. I’ve got a fine Madeira port if you’d like...”

“I’d love one,” Mrs. Beabots chimed in before Austin could finish.

He gave another charming smile and glanced at Sarah. “And you, as well?”

“Thank you,” Sarah replied, taking a seat in a blue-and-white club chair across from the bergère chairs.

Mrs. Beabots sat on the sofa next to Katia. Austin went to a drop-leaf table in the corner of the room and poured four small glasses of port from a crystal decanter. He offered a glass to each of them just as Daisy entered the room with an enormous wooden tray filled with fresh fruits, cheeses, crackers and petit fours. She placed the tray on the coffee table and passed out pink linen cocktail napkins.

“These were your mother’s,” Katia said, smoothing out her napkin. “They were one of the first things I learned to iron when I was a little girl.”

Mrs. Beabots reached over and patted Katia’s hand. “You remember her fondly, then.”

“Most of the time, yes,” Katia replied. She couldn’t help but recall that Hanna had often acted just as paranoid about Katia and Austin’s relationship as Stephania had been.

Austin sat in a large blue leather wing chair, and after retrieving a strawberry and popping it into his mouth, he studied each of his guests for a long moment before his gaze moved on to Katia and lingered there. He sipped his wine cautiously, but didn’t say a word.

Katia was as familiar with this move of his as she was with his backhand, though he had yet to set a real tennis date with her. He was waiting for her to start the discussion, and because he was letting her think he was going to be a hard sell, she knew he had something up his sleeve.

Austin had always liked to turn the tables on her, but she couldn’t figure out why he’d do it now. If he didn’t want to put his house on the tour, all he had to do was say no.

“Mrs. Beabots tells me you’re familiar with the Heritage Foundation and the Christmas Candlelight Tour, Austin,” Katia began.

“I am.” He grabbed a piece of cheese and a couple of wheat crackers. He took his time nibbling them.

Katia continued, “And Sarah tells me that, though you’ve been invited to join in the tour, you never have before. And yet you’ve agreed to this meeting. I have to say that I don’t believe for a minute that you were anxious to get our opinion about your port or to show off Daisy’s culinary expertise. I think you want to help the foundation this year. I think you’ve finally realized what an asset the McCreary mansion would be on the tour. Mrs. Beabots believes they can double their donations with your participation.”

* * *

A
USTIN
DIDN
’
T
TAKE
his eyes off Katia as she spoke. When she had finished her spiel, he considered his words for a moment before launching into his reply.

“I’m flattered that you think I’m so interesting that people have enough morbid curiosity, or simply nosiness to actually pay money to find out some secret I might have. Makes me feel like a celebrity. Frankly, though, that’s why I’ve shied away from this event in the past. This year is different.”

“It’s because of the museum, isn’t it?” Katia asked.

“Yes. It is. As you all know, I’m deeply devoted to my parents and my ancestors and their creativity, talent and inventiveness. Their—” he steepled his fingers and pressed his lips against them “—pioneer visions. They were all more ambitious than I am. I would have been content being a car mechanic.” He looked down at his loafers, not seeing them or even his small audience. “I’m still happiest under the hood.” He chuckled to himself. “There’s something about a boy’s first car that strikes that pioneer chord in a great many men. We get our first adrenaline rush when we see a machine that can take us places, especially away from home, from demanding parents. Cars, for many young men, are an initiation into adulthood.” He blinked, his guests coming into focus again. “I digress. The reason I’m thinking about the Candlelight Tour this year is because I’m building a shrine, in essence, to my male ancestors, but my mother is barely acknowledged in all this. My mother loved Christmas, and because of that, I think she would be quite proud to display this house on your tour.”

“Austin!” Mrs. Beabots clapped her hands together. “You darling boy! Thank you.”

“Yes,” Sarah said. “Everyone on the committee will be very grateful.”

* * *

K
ATIA
STARED
AT
A
USTIN
. She wasn’t fooled for a minute. He wasn’t done. There would be a proviso. There always was. Just like he wouldn’t sign a straight deal with her for the construction insurance policy, she knew he’d want to negotiate bit further.

“So tell us, Austin. What’s the stipulation?”

He tilted his head back and guffawed. “You know me too well, Katia. I do have two things I want, or the deal is off.”

“Off?” Sarah gulped, her eyes widening.

“On the brochure, I want a dedication to my mother, so that everyone understands I’m doing this in her honor.”

“Done,” Mrs. Beabots said emphatically.

Katia’s eyes narrowed as he took a breath. “And the second stipulation?”

Austin met her gaze, as confident as a gambler with a winning hand. “I want Katia to do the decorating.”

“Me? Why? I’m not part of the foundation. I was just helping Mrs. Beabots and Sarah—”

“So?” He shrugged. “It worked. You got me. I’ll open my house, but you know how my mother used to decorate everything. I want it to look like it would if she were alive. You can have all the helpers you need, and I’ll have Daisy at your beck and call. But you will spearhead the decoration. That’s my deal. Take it or leave it.”

Katia slung her gaze to Mrs. Beabots. “I don’t know if I have time to help with something like this. I still don’t have my office furnished.” Her hands flew to her cheeks. “I can think of dozens of things I have to accomplish before December.”

The turmoil in Katia’s head reminded her of frantic birds in a cage. Despite the mountain of work she needed to scale, the one thing that underscored her trepidation was the fact that Austin was setting this up so she would be forced to be in his house on a weekly basis from now until the first weekend of December. Katia knew exactly what Austin was expecting.

In the McCreary attic there were no less than fifty boxes and crates of ornaments, garlands, Christmas linens, dishes, glassware and silk florals. Katia remembered her mother talking about the standing orders for wreaths on every single window and the yards and yards of spruce and cedar garland she ordered from the tree farm. Austin would expect all of it to be an exact replica of Hanna’s extravagant Christmas decor. She wouldn’t put it past him to hire a photographer and put the pictures in his museum.

Katia knew Austin was tossing her a challenge, which was just fine with her. She was up to it.

But in a few short days, both Jack and his ironclad rules about client-agent relationships would be moving to Indian Lake.

Austin clearly had romance on his mind. If he didn’t, then what was he doing with her?

There was the possibility that he was masking some kind of revenge scheme, and that he was trying to romance her only to dump her later, just as she’d done to him. She didn’t think he was that devious; perhaps she’d underestimated his anger. Then again, what if his intentions were pure? What if he did still have feelings for her?

At the thought of romance with Austin, a zing went through Katia’s heart. This wasn’t an attack. It was an awakening. Could she trust those emotions? What if she lost him again and she had to relive that horrible heartache?

The worst thing for Katia at this point in her career and her life was to allow herself to fall back in love with Austin.

Handling Jack was going to be another matter. As far as her boss knew, Austin McCreary was nothing more to her than a client. She could never tell Jack the whole truth about her past with Austin, but there was the real possibility that he would hear it from just about anyone in town. It was too easy for Jack to become suspicious, especially if he ever saw the way Austin looked longingly at her, like he was doing now.

And if she spent too much time with Austin playing Christmas carols and decorating a tree, Jack could very well fire her with no questions asked.

Because she’d been so determined to land Austin’s business over the past few weeks, she hadn’t thought or planned much beyond getting him to sign the contract.

Suddenly, what had seemed like an innocent Christmas charity fund-raiser was now a threat to her career. Katia had unwittingly treaded onto a minefield of her own making.

She pressed her hand against her temple to hold her jumbled thoughts inside. She took a deep breath and smiled at Austin.

“I’ll be happy to decorate the house for you.”

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

J
ACK
C
ARTER
’
S
ARRIVAL
in Indian Lake was a comedy of errors. Driving into town in his turbo-charged BMW, he got a speeding ticket for doing thirty-five in a twenty-five zone. The moving van he’d hired got lost on the interstate and took the wrong exit for Indian Lake, and Jack ended up spending more time relaying navigation instructions on his Bluetooth than talking with his client, whom he kept putting on hold. This caused Jack a great deal of frustration, which he carried with him right through the door of his new offices.

Katia was waiting by the entrance as he trudged up the stairs with a large cardboard box, grumbling incoherently.

“Welcome to your new home, Jack,” Katia said brightly, her arms spread wide. She was proud to have gotten the office so ready for him, and couldn’t wait to show off what she’d accomplished.

“Hi,” he muttered, walking past her.

Luke Bosworth was in the last stages of hanging Jack’s office door.

“Oh, Luke,” Katia said, following her boss into the loft. “This is Jack Carter. The owner of Carter and Associates.”

Luke swung the door closed, glanced at the shiny new brass hinges with satisfaction and turned to extend his hand to Jack. “Nice to finally meet you. I’ve heard a lot of good things about you from Katia.”

Jack exhaled and returned Luke’s smile. “Thanks for helping out so much. Katia says you’re quite talented, and it looks as though she was dead on. I love the door.”

“The design was all Katia. I just hung the thing.”

“And put up the walls,” Katia interjected. “Jack, the carpet installers should be here in half an hour, and then we can start moving your furniture in this afternoon.”

“Terrific,” he said, putting the box on the floor and taking in the walls filled with Isabelle’s art work, the antique desks and chairs. He walked over to the coffee table, where Katia had made an arrangement of tiny hay bales and gourds. On the floor near the windows she’d arranged an assortment of pumpkins. “I like this,” he said with a wide grin.

“Thanks,” Katia replied. “I would have brought up some cornstalks, but I thought that might be overkill.”

“Oh, I don’t know,” Jack said. “The kid in me would have liked it, but I’m not sure our clients would.”

Luke chuckled. “This is Indian Lake. They’d love it—believe me.” He turned to Katia. “Well, I guess that’s it for today. The door is up and once your carpet is in, you should be good to go. Give me a shout if you need anything else.” Luke walked over to Jack and shook his hand again. “Listen, I know this is only your first few minutes in town, but I’d like to extend an invitation from my wife, Sarah, and me for dinner over the weekend. Sarah and Mrs. Beabots have turned Sunday dinner into an occasion.” Luke glanced over at Katia. “They’ve even roped Katia into cooking. She makes a mean chicken potpie.”

“I know Katia is a very good cook. I would appreciate that very much, Luke. I’ll look forward to it.”

“Five o’clock Sunday, then,” Luke said, going back to his toolbox and putting the last of his tools away. “We live next door to Katia, so we’re not hard to find. I hope you like kids and big dogs.”

“Guard dog or hunting dog?”

“Terminally friendly dog. Golden retriever. I haven’t taken him hunting. He’s too exhausting just playing with my kids.”

“Sounds great. What can I bring? I have an incredible cabernet. Actually, it’s from the vineyard here.”

“Crenshaw’s?”

“The same,” Jack replied. “I guess everyone knows about their wine, huh?”

“If they don’t, they should,” Luke said as he went to the door. “See you both later.” He waved and left.

“Nice guy.” Jack said. He walked over to his office and inspected the work more closely. “And very, very good at his trade.”

“I think so,” Katia said. “Where are the movers?”

“Oh!” Jack slapped his forehead and yanked his cell phone from his pants’ pocket. “They’ve gotten lost twice. They were great in the city whenever I needed them, but among the cornfields they’re as fish-out-of-water as I am.”

Jack gave the driver more explicit instructions and ended the call. “Ten minutes, max.”

“Good. Want some coffee? I just started a pot. Come. I’ll show you the break room.”

Katia poured Jack a tall mug of coffee and offered him one of Maddie Strong’s coconut-and-pineapple cupcakes. From the way he rolled his eyes, devoured the cupcake and then went after a second, she knew she’d made good choices for initiating him to Indian Lake. She could kiss Luke for his spur-of-the-moment dinner invitation. That couldn’t have been more perfect if she’d planned it.

Before Jack had finished his coffee, his cell phone rang, and the movers announced their arrival.

For the next two hours, they unloaded all the office furniture, cartons of computer equipment, the phone system and nearly a hundred boxes of client files.

“I had no idea we had this much!” Katia moaned as she realized they would need to buy a second bank of filing cabinets.

“Frankly, neither did I. Barry and I agreed that all the physical paper should be in one location and not split between his house and this office. If he needs anything, we can fax it.”

“By the way, where is the fax machine?”

“It was the first thing they loaded. It’ll be the last off. Let’s sit and strategize while the movers finish up. Did you hire the receptionist?”

“Melanie starts tomorrow. I thought you and I should try to get things relatively under control before she starts. The phone company will be here later today to get our phones and internet hooked up.”

“Excellent. As soon as the guys finish here, we’ll head out to the lake to unload my stuff into my condo.”

“Oh, I forgot to ask, have you seen it yet?”

“No. I came straight here. But I got a text from Cate Sullivan that she’s going to meet me there...” He checked his watch. “In twenty minutes.”

Just then, they heard a voice in the doorway. “Hello, there,” Austin called across the loft.

Katia whirled around. “Austin?”

“Can I come in? Are you open for business?” He walked toward her with the sleek gait that had always been part of his allure. Half was due to his athleticism and prowess on the tennis court, and the other half was confidence.

Jack rose from his chair. “Who’s this?” he whispered to Katia.

“Our first client.” She rose and smiled softly at Austin, but before she could introduce the two men, Jack held out his hand. “I’m Jack Carter, and you must be Austin McCreary.”

“I am,” Austin replied, shaking Jack’s hand. He peeked around Jack’s shoulder to lock eyes with Katia. “I had no idea I’d be interrupting all this activity. I came by to give you my check.”

“Of course!” Katia said. “Austin, you didn’t need to do that. I could have stopped by the house.”

“I had some banking down the block.” He looked around at the piles of moving boxes. “I was going to ask if you’d like to go to lunch, but clearly you have your work cut out for you today. I should have called first.”

Katia walked up to the men and stood next to Jack. “You can say that again. I had no idea Jack was moving this much stuff. We’ll be unpacking through Sunday.”

“We’d better not be. I just got my first Sunday-dinner invitation,” Jack said.

Katia turned to Austin. “That’s right. Jack’s only been here ten minutes, and he’s going to dinner at Sarah and Luke’s on Sunday. I’m sure Mrs. Beabots will bake her sugar pie. I’ll make bruschetta.”

Austin chuckled. “Well, I can’t think of better people to introduce you to the town than Sarah and Mrs. Beabots. She’s the town icon, you know.”

“Didn’t know that,” Jack replied, shoving his hands into his jeans’ pockets.

“Mrs. B is the best cook in town. I envy you that dinner,” Austin said with a faint note of sadness that Katia thought only she could detect.

Jack smiled broadly. “I should be the one taking you out to dinner as thanks for your business, Austin. And I mean that. As soon as I get settled, with a bed to sleep in, how about I give you call and we do just that?”

“Great,” Austin replied.

“Austin, do you want a receipt for the check? I have a receipt book around here somewhere...” Katia began, heading over to her cluttered desk.

“Don’t bother. I’ll have the cancelled check. I’m fine. Pleased, in fact.” Austin met Katia’s gaze, his eyes filled with more than just gratitude.

Jack stepped closer to Katia and laid a hand on her shoulder. “You couldn’t have done any better than to do business with Katia, Austin. She’s one of our finest agents. I went over her paperwork and the proposal, and I thought it was flawless.”

Jack did not remove his hand instantly, as he usually did, and Katia saw a cloud descend over Austin’s clear blue eyes. Something was wrong.

“I worked very hard to put together a comprehensive package for Austin,” she said to Jack. When she turned back to Austin, his face had gone blank.

“You sure did,” Jack said, smiling broadly. “Frankly, Austin, I don’t know what I’d do without Katia. She’s practically my right hand. Without her help, my move here would have been a disaster. I guess that comes from working together so well over the years.”

Katia smiled up at Jack, feeling the glow of appreciation. Her eyes slid back to Austin, and there was no mistaking the flash of jealousy in his eyes and the tight set of his mouth.

Finally, Jack dropped his arm. “As for your policy, Austin, I doubt I could have done better myself.”

Austin tore his eyes from Katia and gave Jack a perfunctory smile as he extended his hand. “Again, nice to meet you, Jack. I’m sure I’ll be seeing you around town as well as doing business with you.” He looked at Katia again. “I have to get back to the plant. You two apparently need your time together. Have a good day.” Without a smile or another word, he turned and headed down the stairs.

Katia sensed that Austin had gotten the wrong impression about her and Jack, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it right now. If she ran after him to explain things, Austin might believe that she was feeling guilty and trying to cover up something romantic between her and Jack. And what if Austin wasn’t jealous at all? What if she’d read him wrong?

Then there was the matter of Jack. She didn’t want him to think there was anything other than a business deal between her and Austin. She was only just beginning to understand the emotions that were resurfacing in her. As much as she wanted to trap them in a net and reel them in, she couldn’t. She feared that one of these days, they would escape, and she would lose everything. She’d lose the respect she had earned from Jack and possibly the tenuous relationship she was building with Austin, which she wanted more than she’d realized. She felt as if she was walking a tightrope.

Jack watched Austin leave, then he turned to Katia. “I like him.”

“Sure you do.” She tilted her chin up. “He just agreed to a nearly six-figure deal with us.”

Jack walked over to the window and surveyed the town. Katia followed him.

There were still golden leaves clinging to the trees, but a good rainstorm would wash the last holdouts away. The planters were overflowing with potato vines, black-eyed Susans, pink petunias and African grasses. No killing frost had yet come to blight their beauty. Down on the sidewalk a group of office workers dressed in Halloween costumes was crossing the street on their way to an early lunch. The courthouse windows were decorated with paper leaves and witches flying across a harvest moon. It was a cool day, but two convertibles pulled up to the stoplight with their tops down, the drivers dressed in warm jackets and enjoying the sunshine.

Jack turned to Katia with a grin. “This is so charming. I wasn’t expecting that. It kind of reminds me of my childhood. Do the kids still trick-or-treat here?”

“Like you wouldn’t believe. Mrs. Beabots says she expects over a thousand tonight. I told her I would help with passing out the candy. She made gingersnap cookies for us to munch on between ghosts and goblins.”

“Wow, I want to come!”

She frowned. “You’ll be unpacking your condo. Which—” She looked at her watch. “Your movers should be about ready to drive over there.”

“Right! Cate Sullivan is going to meet me there with the keys,” Jack replied brightly. “Let me see if there’s anything left to bring up here. Once I get everything set up there, I can come back and help you in the office.”

“Jack, just take care of the condo. We’ll deal with this tomorrow. I’ll get as much done as I can. See you in the morning.”

“Great!” Jack said, slipping out the door.

Katia watched as Jack spoke to the movers. They climbed into their truck and he got into his car. They pulled away from the curb and headed north toward the lake.

As soon as Jack was out of sight, she picked up her cell phone and punched out Austin’s cell number, which she’d gleaned from his insurance paperwork. He didn’t pick up.

She left a message for him to call her back when he had time. She purposefully kept her tone light, reminding him that they needed to plan the decorations for the Candlelight Tour.

Katia didn’t understand why Austin had reacted the way he did, but she knew one thing for certain. What she’d seen in Austin’s eyes was jealousy.