Obsession (Southern Comfort) (22 page)

Kathleen sat, too tired to object to being herded.

Shoving some books and stray papers aside, Anthony sat on the coffee table facing her.  “Are you okay?”

“Yes.” She shook her head.  “No.  I don’t know.  Who told you?”

“I still have friends on the force,” he said, referring to his former job with the Mount Pleasant police department.  “I bumped into one of them, who brought up the incident of road rage, figuring I knew all about it.  But since you hadn’t mentioned it yourself, I gave Mac a call.  He filled me in on the rest.”

Of course he had.  Mac, despite being a good friend and a hell of a partner, was also a champion meddler.

“I’m sorry,” Kathleen said, because any excuse she came out with was going to sound either insincere or inadequate.  She was just no good at this relationship shit.

“Kathleen.” He didn’t touch her, didn’t grab her chin or anything and force her to look at him.  He just waited.  Patient.

Resigned, Kathleen met his steady gaze.  “Do you remember the day we met?”

Wary now, Kathleen waited a beat.  “Of course.”

“I got that
zing
the first time I saw you.  After I found out you were a cop, intellectually I thought
no, no.  Bad idea. 
But my penis said
Who cares? 
And we all know that in the battle between the intellect and the penis, the latter inevitably wins out.”

Smiling a little, Kathleen sipped her coffee.  It was so strong it nearly stripped the skin from her tongue.  “Inevitably.”

“And then almost immediately, we were involved in a case together.  For you, that was a very emotional case as it involved your brother and your best friend.  And then there was the accident.”

Guilt weighed even more heavily than it had a moment ago.

“Anthony –”

He merely held up a hand.  “Let me finish.  The accident added, oh, I guess you could say that the accident added
weight
to our previous physical attraction.  We’d faced a life-threatening situation together.”

“A life-threatening situation for you.  You turned the car, remember? So that the driver’s side took the brunt of the crash.” Because he’d been protecting Kathleen. The woman in which he was interested. And he’d lost his career due to that one foolishly chivalrous action.

He drank his coffee.  “Do you think I’d have reacted differently if it had been a different cop in the seat next to me?”

“No.” Kathleen hunched her shoulders at his steady gaze.  “Maybe.”

Anthony cast his eyes to the ceiling.  “Kathleen,” he said, with just a touch of frustration.  Or maybe amusement.  “Honey, I would have done just exactly what I did, regardless of the gender, race, age or nationality of my passenger.  I’m an equal opportunity good guy.”

Because that was definitely amusement in his tone, Kathleen straightened her spine.  “Yeah, well being an
equal opportunity good guy
cost you your career.”

“Actually, it merely altered my career.  Sure it was… disappointing,
and even depressing at first.  Change is never easy.  And I could do without the lingering headaches.  But let me tell you, I do not miss the police department.  Private investigative work has it all over wading through bureaucratic red tape at every turn.”      

The burden Kathlee
n had been feeling for the past several months eased just a little.  She knew he was glad to be rid of the bureaucracy – he’d indicated as much before – but they’d never really discussed the accident, and her perceived role in his change of career. 

However,
as relieved as she was that they’d had this discussion, Kathleen realized that there was more left to say.

“
I’m glad.  Truly.  You deserve to be happy.”  And because he deserved to be happy, Kathleen squared her shoulders.  “There’s something I have to tell you.”

Brow lifting, he leaned back, casually sipped his coffee.  “Oh?”

Why did she feel like a naughty child who had to confess to raiding the cookie jar?  “We’ve always been straightforward with each other.  About what we wanted.  From this relationship, I mean.”

“We have
,” he agreed.  “It’s one of the things I’ve enjoyed most about you.  You’re a sensible, straightforward female.  That’s difficult to find, particularly in such a sexually appealing package.”

Because talking about sex right now inexplicably made her want to hunch her shoulders again, Kathleen plowed forward.

“I kissed Justin.”  Actually, Justin had kissed her, but she’d been a more than willing participant.

Something passed behind his eyes, an emotion so fleeting that Kathleen couldn’t identify it, but then his mouth quirked on one side.  “Well.  That took longer than I expected.”

Kathleen slumped back against the sofa.  “People keep
saying
that.”  She felt like the slow kid in the classroom, and it made her temper spike.  “I mean shit.  Was there some kind of neon sign flashing over our heads or something?  And if there was, why the hell did you continue to date me?”

“For a detective.” He took another drink of coffee.  “You can be remarkably blind to certain things that are right in front of your face.”

Sadie and Declan had both said something remarkably similar, but coming from Anthony she found it irksome.  Perhaps because he was himself a detective.  Perhaps because she was already stressed and, yes, feeling both guilty and decidedly awkward.  Perhaps because he’d realized something that she herself was just beginning to figure out, but had continued to have sex with her anyway.

Seeming to correctly inter
pret her line of thought, he raised a sardonic eyebrow.  “I’m a
guy. 
Penis, remember?  Beats the intellect every time?”

Smiling, and it felt good to smile, Kathleen shook her head.  “I feel like I should be apologizing.”

“My penis disagrees with you.”

“Oh, will you shut up.”  But she said it without heat.

“Kathleen.” And this time he did touch her.  Just to take her hand.  “It’s been a good year.  So don’t beat yourself up.”

He hesitated, then leaned forward to kiss her cheek.  As he stood, he slipped the key to her front door from his ring. 

“Anthony?”  What exactly did one say in this situation?  It’s been nice knowing you?  “Thanks for the coffee.”

Which okay, was totally lame.  But he smiled, understanding.

“No problem.”

Before he reached the door, he looked at her over his shoulder.  “If you need anything, call me.  I mean that.”

“Thanks,” Kathleen managed past the lump that had formed in her throat.  “Same goes.”

He left the key on the hall table before he let himself out the door.

JUSTIN
heard his name being called, and braced himself for yet another confrontation of the irate female variety.  Mandy’s compatriots had been giving him alternately the cold shoulder or heated glares throughout most of the day.  Apparently Mandy had spread the word about her encounter with the police, carefully edited to make Justin out to be the bad guy.

But when he turned, the wary frown on his face gave way to a genuine smile.

He opened his arms, which were quickly filled with a laughing Samantha Harding.

“You’re slipperier than a greased pig,” she said, patting him on the back before disengaging.  “I spotted you about ten minutes ago, but you kept disappearing around corner
s before I could catch your attention.”

Justin scratched behind his ear.  “I may have been avoiding
being caught.  I’m not the most popular guy with some of the nurses at the moment.”

“Well, then they’re just stupid,” Sam said, leaping immediately to his defense.  But she didn’t ask him to expound, for which he was grateful.

“No Molly today?” he asked, as it was rare to see her now without her infant daughter.

“She’s with Josh’s mom.  I worked
at the center this morning, and then just popped in to see Maureen and the baby. And oh. Sorry.” Fanning her hands at her face, she blinked hard against the sheen of tears in her hazel eyes.  “I still haven’t gotten rid of all the pregnancy hormones, I guess.  But the baby is so tiny, and I know that Molly is just going to look
huge
now when I see her.  Time goes so fast.”

“Indeed it does.”

Because her casual mention of the rehab center brought the issue of addiction to the front of his mind, Justin looked around the corridor.  They were close to the chapel, so he gestured with his hand. 

“Do you have a few minutes to spare?  I’d like to talk to you.  Privately.”

“Sure,” Sam said, preceding him into the shadowy, hushed space.  After determining that they were alone, she sat down on the nearest cushioned pew.  “What’s up?”

Justin wasn’t sure how to bring this up without violating either or both of their oaths to maintain patient confidentiality.  “I believe that we share an acquaintance.  Shelley Kinson?”

“Oh.  Shelley.” Sam grinned.  “She has an enormous crush on you.  Don’t tell me you brought me in here to pump me for information.”  But when the look on his face registered, Sam’s smile slipped several notches. “What?”

“Ah, last evening she brought her roommate in. OD.”

“Oh my God, is she okay?”

“She will be.  I don’t want to go into too many details, as I’m stepping on some boggy ground here with regards to privacy, but… there seems to be some question as to how the roommate came by the drugs
she ingested.  I’m not accusing Shelley of anything, and this really isn’t my business, but I seem to have been drawn into the situation.  And the fact is, I feel an odd sense of… obligation to these women.  More so than usual.  The way this came about was out of the ordinary, almost a combat scenario, and I think it left an impression, psychologically.  I just want to make sure they’re okay.  Both of them.”

Well, all three of them, considering Natasha’s sister was also deeply involved. But she wasn’t his primary concern. 

“I’ll talk to her,” Sam said after a moment.  “Shelley is very good about attending her counseling sessions, and I don’t think that she would find it odd for me
to check in.  I’ve done it before.  But I have to say, if Shelley is using again, I’ll be deeply surprised.  It’s not impossible, of course, but… after a while, you develop an instinct for which people are going to make it.  I’m sure you know what I mean.”

“I do.  And thanks, Sam.  I hope I’m not overstepping, but I just felt like I should say something.”

“That’s because you’re a sweetie.” She leaned in and kissed his cheek.  “Okay, I’ve gotta run and pick up my baby girl.  You take care.  Stay away from mean nurses.”

“Believe me,” Justin muttered, then waved her out the door.

After she’d gone, Justin sat for a minute, simply absorbing the stillness of the room.  He wasn’t particularly a religious man, though he did appreciate the sense of… divinity, he guessed you could call it, that was often most evident in the miraculously designed human body, in nature, and in moments of perfect silence.

Perfect silence, that was, until his cell phone vibrated in his pocket.

It was a text from his brother.

Found something you need to see.

Justin frowned.  James, who was working on the back porch, was being cryptic.  Maybe he’d discovered termites.  Or dry rot.  Or something equally unpleasant.

Emergency?
Justin typed back.

I don’t think so.

Okay then. 
I’ll be home in a couple of hours.

James didn’t respond, so Justin figured whatever it was wasn’t earth-shattering.  Which was a relief.  He’d had enough drama lately.

Guessing that his minute of divine stillness was over, Justin hauled himself to his feet.  His back was stiff.  Likely from sleeping on the waiting room sofa last night.

He’d almost texted Kathleen a number of times today, but he supposed that if she had any news she felt he needed to know – or that she needed to share – he’d hear from her.  He’
d nudged her, just a little, outside her comfort zone by digging in the way he had last night.  He could keep nudging, until she was all the way out of that zone and into the new one they were creating, but given the outside stress she was dealing with right now, he figured she needed his friendship more than she needed him to be her lover.

But he was damn well going to be her lover.  And as he’d warned her, that was damn well going to be happening soon.

After he’d done his final rounds, showered and changed, Justin decided to swing by Murphy’s, pick up some dinner to take home for himself and James.

And if Kathleen happened to stop in, or he happened to see her as she was coming in or out of her loft – coincidentally located at the end of the block opposite the bar – well then, he’d just… nudge her a little more.   

And good grief, but he was pathetic.

Justin left the hospital, pulled his jacket a little closer against the snapping wind.  Walked around the corner.