Slow Burn (5 page)

Chapter Six

Kate was frantic. She held the letter from the banker and copies of the loan papers her mother had signed as she paced around the kitchen. She’d read and reread the documents at least five times now, and still she couldn’t believe what her mother had done.

If the papers were in order—and of course they were; there was no reason to believe they weren’t—then her mother had signed everything away. Everything.

“My God, Mother, what were you thinking?”

Apparently she hadn’t been thinking at all, Kate decided. Had her mother realized what she was doing? Had she considered the ramifications?

Kate understood now why her mother would never discuss finances. She hadn’t wanted any of them to know the truth.

Kate alternated between anger and sadness as she tried to clear her head and come up with a plan to salvage the future. She paced to the kitchen window and looked for Kiera’s car to return. She would give the news to her sister the minute she walked in. Maybe the two of them could make some sense of this.

By the time several minutes had passed with no sign of Kiera, Kate had changed her mind. Although it would be nice to dump some of the worry in her sister’s lap, it wouldn’t change anything. What was done was done. Besides, Kiera had only a few days to rest before her next grueling round of medical school, and she wouldn’t get a break for another eighteen months. This news would just pile more stress on her and keep her up all night. There would be plenty of time in the morning to talk to her about this . . . if Kate decided to tell her at all.

And Isabel? If she did tell Kiera, should she tell Isabel? That thought led to another. What about college? Where was Kate going to come up with the tuition money?

There had to be a solution. Kate sat down at the table, picked up her pen and paper, and ran the numbers once again.

The doorbell interrupted her. When she looked through the narrow window beside the front door, she saw a good-looking man shifting from foot to foot.

She opened the door and said, “Yes?”

He took a step toward her, and she instinctively stepped back to get away from the smell of stale beer. He reeked of it. His eyes were bloodshot.

“Is Isabel here?”

“No, she isn’t,” Kate answered.

“Where is she?” he belligerently demanded.

“Who are you?”

“Reece. My name’s Reece Crowell. Now where is she?”

The man standing in front of her was in his mid-twenties. He wore khaki pants and a button-down shirt with the cuffs rolled up to his elbows. His dark hair was slicked back from a rather angular face, but he was handsome in a soap opera way. Kate had never met him and was surprised that Isabel had dated someone so much older. They were definitely going to discuss this later.

Reece took another step closer. Kate hadn’t opened the door wide enough for him to step inside . . . unless he walked through her. From his angry expression she thought he might just do that.

“I know she’s here,” he muttered. “I want to see her.”

“She is not home,” Kate said. She kept her voice firm. “And Isabel has said she doesn’t want to see you again.”

“We’re getting married.”

The guy was definitely out of it. “No, you’re not. Isabel is going to college, and you’re going to leave her alone.”

His hands balled into fists. “It’s your fault. Isabel wouldn’t do this to me. It’s you. She said you wanted her to go to college. She’s throwing away her career because of you and your bitchy sister.”

She wasn’t going to argue with him. “Isabel has moved on, and you need to do the same.”

He tried to push past her, shouting Isabel’s name. She stood her ground and used her hip to brace the door.

“If you don’t leave now, I’m calling the police,” Kate warned.

“You don’t get it, do you? She’s mine. We’re going to Europe next week, and we’ll be married before we come back. I’ve put too much time into her singing career to let you mess it up for me.”

He came at her again, and this time she shoved with her whole body. She slammed the door and bolted it.

Kate leaned back against the door as Reece pounded on it and shouted obscenities. He stopped for a second, as if waiting to see if the door would suddenly open to him, and then he resumed the pounding and the screaming. Kate stood on the other side terrified that he was going to break the door down.

Suddenly the pounding stopped, and at the top of his lungs Reece bellowed, “This isn’t over, bitch!” Then it was eerily quiet. Kate waited a second before she peered through the side window. Reece was staggering across the lawn. He turned at the sidewalk and kept walking.

Kate’s heart was racing. She rushed to the phone to call the police, and then she stopped. What could she tell them? Aside from being drunk and obnoxious, Reece hadn’t threatened them with violence or done any damage. Maybe when he was sober he’d come to his senses.

But his parting words, “This isn’t over,” echoed in her head.

Chapter Seven

The phone call came in the middle of the night.

Kate was awake. She hadn’t slept at all. After Kiera and Isabel had returned home, she had told them about the incident with Reece. When she had seen the worry and fear on their faces, she simply couldn’t tell them about their financial problems as well. They had had enough anxiety for one night. She wasn’t about to burden them with more.

She had pored over the records multiple times hoping against hope that she might find a solution before she had to reveal the problem to her sisters. The ringing jarred her from her thoughts and she quickly snatched the receiver so it wouldn’t wake the rest of the household. No one ever called with good news at two in the morning. She feared it might be Reece on the other end of the line as she answered.

“Did I wake you?” Jordan asked.

Kate let out a quick breath in relief. “No, I’m wide awake. What’s going on?”

“Why don’t you answer your e-mail? I’ve been sitting here in front of my computer since nine o’clock.”

“I’m sorry. I was going through bills.” Kate could hear the anxiety in Jordan’s voice and knew something was wrong. It had to be something awful, too, or she wouldn’t have called in the middle of the night. Good news could always wait until morning.

Kate knew better than to come right out and demand to know what the problem was. She and Jordan had been best friends for a very long time, and Kate understood how her mind worked. When pressured, Jordan closed up.

“What’s going on there?” Jordan asked.

“Not much. Just the usual stuff.”

“What usual stuff? Kate, I need to talk about mundane things for a minute. Okay?”

Oh, Lord, the news was bad all right. Kate felt a knot form in her stomach. “Okay,” she said. “I’ve been going through bills, and guess what I found? Never mind, don’t guess. Before she died, Mom signed away the house, the car, and all other assets, including my company and my name. She took out a loan the size of Nebraska and only paid the interest for the last three years. The balloon payment is due in thirty days. Oh, and last night, I almost got blown up.”

“I miss talking to you.”

“You didn’t hear a word I said, did you?”

“I’m sorry? What did you say?”

The question wasn’t a joke. Jordan sounded a million miles away. The knot twisted in Kate’s stomach.

“I was saying it’s hot here, hot and humid. What’s going on with you?”

“I found a lump.”

Four little words and everything changed in that instant. The worry about the house and bills and tuition was forgotten, and all that mattered was her friend.

“Where? Where is it?” She tried to keep the urgency out of her voice.

“Left breast.”

“Have you seen a specialist yet? Have you had any tests?”

“Yes and yes,” she answered. “Surgery’s scheduled for Friday morning. The surgeon wanted to do the biopsy tomorrow, but I wouldn’t let him. You need time to get here . . . right?” She sounded like a little girl now, a scared little girl.

“Yes, that’s right. I can be there tomorrow.”

“I’ll book you on a flight. I’ll e-mail you times and flight numbers, and I’ll pick you up at the airport.”

Kate knew Jordan was focusing on the details as a way of staying in control. It was the same thing she would have done. Control was one way to combat fear.

“I’ll be waiting at baggage pickup.”

“Yes, okay.” Kate was so shaken she couldn’t think of what questions to ask. Her hand was aching and she realized she was gripping the phone. She forced herself to relax.

“Listen. I’ve decided not to tell the family, not yet anyway. After I know what I’m dealing with, then I’ll tell them. I couldn’t stand all of them hovering around me. Mom and Dad have really been through it the last couple of months. As proud as they are of my brothers, having most of them in law enforcement has taken its toll. When Dylan was shot on duty, I think they aged twenty years. For a while there, none of us knew if he was going to make it or not. You were there. You know how bad it was.”

A shiver rushed down Kate’s spine. “Yes, I remember.”

“And you saw how the stress affected everyone, especially my parents. Now that Dylan’s home and mending, the family’s calming down. Just the other day Mom called and mentioned that it had been eight weeks since that nightmare phone call, and she’s just now able to take a deep breath. What was I supposed to say to that, Kate? Brace yourself? I’ve got more bad news for you?”

“You don’t know if it’s going to be bad news or . . .”

“Right, but it’s the not knowing that gets everyone all stirred up. It’s better to wait until I find out . . . everything.”

“Whatever you want . . .”

“Besides, Dylan is sending Mom and Dad on a cruise.”

“That’s sweet of him.”

“Are you kidding? He just wanted to get them out of his hair. Mom’s been driving him crazy, showing up at his place at least once a day with food. He’s not used to being pampered.”

“What about your sister? I know how close you and Sydney are. Aren’t you going to tell her?”

“Have you forgotten? She’s in L.A. She starts film school in just a couple of weeks, and she’s busy getting settled.”

“That’s right, film school. I forgot all about that.”

“If Sydney knew about the surgery, she’d come home, and I don’t want her to do that. If it’s bad news, then of course she and Mother will need to know right away.”

“Yes.”

“But for now it’s just you and me. Are you up for this?”

“Absolutely.”

They talked for another few minutes and then hung up. Kate stayed in complete control while she gathered up the papers from the table and dumped them into a laundry basket. She wanted to put it all in the trash, but that wouldn’t solve anything.

She still had a little time before the roof came crashing down and the creditors were banging on the doors. There was enough money in the checking account to pay the current bills. When she returned from Boston, she would figure out what to do. She wouldn’t tell her sisters about the financial disaster until then.

She turned the lights off and carried the laundry basket upstairs to her room. She put it in her closet and got ready for bed.

She didn’t start crying until she was under the sheets.

Chapter Eight

Jordan had never been on time for anything in her life, and today was no exception.

Kate was waiting with her bag at her feet outside the airport doors when her friend pulled up to baggage claim.

Jordan put the car in park but left the engine running, popped the trunk, and got out so she could hug Kate.

“I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Me, too.”

“I knew you’d come.”

“Of course.”

A policeman motioned for Jordan to move the car. Neither Kate nor her friend said another word until they were on the airport exit road heading toward Jordan’s apartment.

“How late was I?” Jordan asked.

“Just fifteen minutes.”

She glanced at Kate, smiled, and said, “You look like hell.”

“You look worse.”

Kate was teasing. Jordan always looked beautiful. Though her hair was a deep auburn color, she had a redhead’s complexion. She usually had that all-American, freckle-faced, Ralph Lauren model look about her, but not today. There was very little color in her face. Even her freckles looked pale.

“No wonder we’re best friends. We’re both painfully blunt.”

She concentrated on merging onto I-90, then cut over to the middle lane and shot forward. “I wish you’d move here.”

“I do love Boston, but . . .”

“I know. You have to keep the home fires burning for your sisters.”

“Mostly for Isabel, and just for a little while. She deserves to have some family at home. Of the three of us, Isabel was closest to Mom, and she’s had a hard adjustment.”

“Is she still headed to Winthrop?”

“Yes,” she answered. “She’s very excited. It’s the perfect school for her.”
If I can come up with the money for more than one semester’s tuition,
she silently added. “I’m hoping that going away to college will help her grow up a little. Mom always treated her like a baby.”

Jordan nodded. “She is the baby in your family, but she’s got a good head on her shoulders. She’ll be okay.”

“How scared are you, Jordan?”

The abrupt change in topics didn’t faze her friend. Her mind worked just like Kate’s, bouncing from one thought to another. “Very,” she answered.

“What did the specialist tell you?”

“I’ve gotten three opinions, and all of them have poked, prodded, and taken enough blood to fill a bathtub.”

“That’s a pleasant image.”

“They have to prepare me for the worst.”

Kate nodded. “What happens tomorrow?”

“Dr. Cooper will do the surgery. He’s gone over all the options with me. He’ll do the biopsy . . . and then we’ll see.”

Kate took a deep breath. She knew she had to keep it together. Her friend needed her to be strong.

They were on Storrow Drive now, and Kate stared out the window at the Charles River. The sun made the water glisten.

“We’ll get through this,” she told Jordan.

“Yes.”

“So what time do we need to be at the hospital?”

“Six.”

“We aren’t going to be late, even if I have to use electric shock to blast you out of your bed.”

Jordan laughed. “You’d do it, too. Dylan threw a soaked towel on my face once to get me to wake up.”

“Did it work?”

“Oh, yes.”

“Bet you didn’t wake up happy.”

“You’re right. I didn’t. I wanted to get even, so the next morning I threw a glass of cold water on him. He roomed with Alec, and you know what a slob he is, and I guess I just didn’t think it through. As soon as the water hit his face, Dylan came off that bed . . . I still shudder thinking about it. I’ve never seen anyone move like that. I had my getaway all planned, but I tripped over one of Alec’s shoes and went careening into his bedside table. I cut my knee open and started screaming. I think Alec slept through it all, but poor Dylan ended up carrying me downstairs to Mom. I had to have stitches.”

“How old were you?”

“Ten or eleven.”

“You sound like a hellion.”

“I had my moments. Tell me something. How come you didn’t want Dylan to know you sat with him in the hospital?”

“I was there for you, not him.”

“Yeah, right.”

“And if he knew,” she continued, “he’d never let me live it down. Your brother loves to tease and torment.”

“All my brothers like to tease.”

“Yes, but Dylan’s the worst, bless his little ol’ heart.”

Jordan grinned. “You southern girls mask your criticisms behind the ‘bless your heart’ you always tack on the end.”

“Southern girls never criticize,” she said, deliberately exaggerating her accent. “We are raised to be soft-spoken ladies. We always tell the truth but in a kind, genteel way.”

Jordan rolled her eyes. “That’s a load of . . .”

Kate laughed. “What?”

“I’m cleaning up my vocabulary now that I’ve got nieces and nephews. I’ve got to set a good example. That’s what Theo and Nick tell me anyway.”

“Your brothers are telling you to clean up
your
vocabulary?”

“Speaking of Dylan . . . I think he’s kind of sweet on you.”

“Dylan’s sweet on all women.”

“True, he does like women,” Jordan said. “But he especially likes teasing you because you embarrass so easily.”

“His accidentally walking in on me taking a shower the first time I visited Nathan’s Bay didn’t help any. I don’t think I’ll ever live that down.”

“Oh, I forgot about that.” Jordan laughed. “No wonder he has such a big grin whenever your name comes up.”

She turned a corner and spotted a prime parking space directly in front of her brownstone. It was an extremely rare occurrence. She also noticed a black Hummer had just turned the corner and was coming from the opposite direction. The driver obviously wanted the same parking spot because he gunned his motor and came racing toward her. Jordan was quicker. She parallel parked like a pro. The driver of the Hummer made an obscene gesture as he drove past, which Jordan and Kate thought was hilarious.

Several years before, the brownstone had been converted into three spacious apartments, one on each floor. Jordan’s was on the top. Kate had lived with her during school and was used to the squeaky stairs and narrow corridors.

Jordan had made a fortune for herself with a computer chip she had designed, and she could live anywhere, but she, like Kate, was a creature of habit. She loved her old, worn-out apartment and didn’t have any plans to move.

Kate loved the apartment, too. It was warm and inviting even on the coldest of days. It always smelled clean and fresh. Jordan, showing her loyalty to her friend, had placed Kate’s scented candles on almost every table. She had Kate’s body lotions in the two bathrooms and on the bedside tables as well.

There were three bedrooms. The guest room was at the end of a long hall and was large enough to accommodate the king-sized bed two of Jordan’s brothers had purchased for her so they could sleep over when they were in town. Their parents’ home on Nathan’s Bay was a good two hours with traffic.

The third bedroom had been converted into an office, and bookcases lined all four walls. The shelves were bowed from the weight of Jordan’s books. The office was open to the dining room on one side and the hallway on the other.

The hardwood floors were as dark as midnight. Splatters of color came from oriental rugs strewn about. The huge windows in every room were covered with plantation shutters. One of Kate’s favorite study spots was the window seat in the living room that overlooked the Charles River.

The only sterile room in the apartment was the galley kitchen. Jordan didn’t cook. She lived on carryout or frozen food. If it couldn’t be microwaved, she didn’t buy it.

Kate immediately went to the guest room and put her bag next to the bed. She cut through the office to get to the dining room. She noticed all the papers on Jordan’s desk and backtracked. As cluttered as Jordan’s bookshelves were, her desk was always immaculate. Aside from her computer and a stack of Post-its, one or two pencils, and a phone, her work area was usually as sterile as her kitchen counters.

Jordan walked into the office, noticed Kate looking at the layers of papers on her desk, and said, “It’s a mess, isn’t it?”

“For you it is,” she said. “You always keep a clean desk when you work. You’re kind of obsessive about it. You’ve had a lot of stress lately, though, and I would think paperwork would be the last thing on your mind.”

“Most of the papers are legal documents. I’m being sued.”

After dropping that bit of shocking news, she turned around and walked into the living room. Kate chased after her.

“You’re being sued?”

“That’s right,” she said as she dropped into an easy chair and swung her legs over the arm.

“You’re being awfully blasé about it.” Kate stood in front of the coffee table with her arms folded, frowning at her friend while she waited for an explanation.

It didn’t come soon enough to suit her. “Okay, I’ll ask. How come you’re being sued? And how come you’re so calm about it?”

“I might as well be calm,” she said. “Getting all worked up won’t do any good.” She kicked off her sandals and leaned back. “I’m being sued by a man named Willard Bell. He seems to think he came up with the design for my chip before I did, and I figured out a way to steal it from him.”

Kate sat in the opposite chair and crossed her feet on the ottoman. “Have you ever met this man?”

“No. He lives in Seattle,” she said. “My attorney told me that Bell is a computer geek who makes his living suing people. A very nice living,” she stressed. “He doesn’t really ever have a case, but it’s cheaper to settle than fight because of all the legal expenses.”

“What are you going to do?”

Jordan looked exasperated. “What do you think I’m going to do? You know me better than anyone.”

“You’re not going to settle. Bet your attorney wants you to, doesn’t he?”

“You’re right, he does. I’m not going to, though. I don’t care what it costs. What Bell’s doing is wrong, and I’m not going to give him a dime. His attorney is playing hardball,” she added. “He’s frozen all of my accounts. That just means I won’t have money for a while. I’ll get them unfrozen soon,” she hastened to add. “So there’s no need to worry.”

“What does Theo think about all this?”

“I haven’t asked him for advice. In fact, I haven’t even told him about it.”

“Why not? He’s an attorney, for heaven’s sake. You could use his advice.”

“Theo’s overworked and underpaid, and with a new family . . . no, I’m not going to bother him.”

“What about Nick?”

“He graduated from law school, but he doesn’t practice,” she pointed out. “Besides, I don’t want to involve any of my brothers. My attorney is very capable, and any other problems that come along I can handle on my own. All of my brothers have a habit of taking over, but they’re going to stay out of this. I’m a big girl now. I can fight my own battles.”

“Why do you have to be so independent?”

Jordan smiled. “You make ‘independent’ sound like a bad word. I’m just like you, Kate. We both like to control everyone and everything.”

She didn’t argue because she knew Jordan was right. They were overachievers and did like to have complete control over every aspect of their lives. Other people’s lives, too, when they could get away with it, she admitted.

“How come we’re so smart about business matters and so stupid about men?”

“Oh, that one’s easy. We tend to date men we can walk all over, and then we don’t want them.”

“You know what I think?”

“What?”

Kate wrinkled her nose and made a pathetic face. “We’re really screwed up.”

Jordan laughed. “I’m so glad you’re here. Listen, I realized after our phone call that I hadn’t really been paying any attention to what you were telling me. You know, when I asked what was going on with you. It was very self-centered of me, don’t you suppose?”

Kate grinned. “I do suppose.”

“Okay, I’m paying attention now. Did you say your mother gave away your business?”

“Close. I’ve just hit a couple of bumps, that’s all.”

“You know that if you ever need anything from me, it’s yours, don’t you?”

“That’s very sweet,” she said.

“I know you’d do the same for me.”

“I would,” Kate agreed. “But don’t worry. I’ll work this out. You’ve got enough on your mind right now.”

Jordan’s face turned pensive as if she were trying to re-create their phone conversation in her head. “And did I hear you say you almost blew something up? All I could think about was the surgery, so I was only half listening. Were you trying to cook again? Lord, I hope not. You could have blown up your house.”

Kate protested. “Just because of one little mishap in your kitchen you assume—”

Jordan snorted. “Little mishap? The fire department showed up.”

“All this talk about cooking has made me hungry. Do we go out or would you rather order in?”

They spent at least ten minutes deciding and ended up walking two blocks to a neighborhood bistro that Kate thought served the best seafood chowder in the city.

They chose a booth in the back of the restaurant so no one would bother them, but neither of them ate much. Jordan looked worn out.

Kate’s stomach ached from the knot that wouldn’t go away, but the rest of her body was numb. She knew if she allowed herself to feel, she’d melt into a pool of tears. She decided to try to take Jordan’s mind off her worries for a few minutes.

“Don’t you want to know how I almost got blown up?”

Jordan stopped swirling her spoon in the now-congealed chowder she’d barely tasted and smiled. “I’m waiting for the punch line.”

“It’s not a joke. I had a big bump on the back of my head, and haven’t you noticed the whopper of a bruise on my forehead?” She lifted her hair away so Jordan could get a better look.

“Of course I noticed, but I just assumed . . .”

“Assumed what?”

“Kate, you’ve got to know by now that you’re kind of a klutz. I just thought you tripped or something.”

“I beg to differ. You’re a klutz, not me.”

Jordan didn’t argue with her. “You weren’t joking about almost being blown up, were you?”

“No, I wasn’t. Do you want to hear what happened or not?”