Stealing Time (20 page)

“I’m not angry. Just disappointed. I want to
forgive you. Give me some time. I even tried to run away last
night, but Rudy caught me.”

Drew’s jaw clenched, looking as if he was
given quite a scare. “Without me? Kate, I’m so sorry. He didn’t
hurt you, did he?” She shook her head. “You were desperate enough
to leave? It’s that serious? You were planning to leave me for
good, weren’t you?”

“Yes, if I had to,” Kate whispered. “You’re
never here. We never talk. I felt all alone for the last couple
days. It was as if I didn’t exist.” She began to cry.

Drew gathered her in his arms and held her
tightly. “You exist and are the reason for my existence. How stupid
can I be? Everything went to my head. The power. The money. The
glamour of this life. I swore it wouldn’t get to me. It’s not the
life I want.” He pounded his fist into the mattress. “I will do
anything you want, if you can forgive me.”

“
I’m shopping with your mother today
and am going to find a way to get to Lilly’s. You need to do the
same if you want to come with me. Leave everything behind. We don’t
need a thing.” Kate gazed into his eyes. “Are you coming? Or are
you staying here?”

“
Of course, I’m coming. How can you
even ask that question? I promised your father I’d take care of you
and did a terrible job. Wait till he hears about this. I’ll lose
his trust for good.”

“No, you won’t. My father’s just been a
little overprotective this year. He’ll understand.” Kate took his
hand.

“My head’s clear now. It’s the two of us
against them.”

Relief spread through her body. Kate felt
like she could relax. She and Drew were on the same team again. He
had lost his way, but she could forgive him. It happened to
everyone. No one was perfect.

“Drew, last year, did your father ask us to
stay on longer like he did the night of the reception?”

“Yes, he did. I declined the invitation but
promised to come back at Thanksgiving. Although I knew it wasn’t
true.”

“So that’s why he let us leave.” Kate’s
thoughts drifted to that day. Nicolas was almost kind to her. At
the time she felt she had finally made a breakthrough with him. But
really, he just wanted to make sure they came back for
Thanksgiving. Little did she know Nicolas postponed the plan to
keep them in New York until they returned for that holiday. He’d
have time to work out all the details beforehand. This time he
accomplished his plan earlier. “So you lied to him last year?”

“Exactly. And now I see I shouldn’t play with
history. I should’ve told him we were leaving Sunday...just like
before. I created this mess. If I had stayed on script, we’d be
back home in Ohio.”

“But Drew, you already went off script. All
this didn’t happen because you told your father we’d stay. Remember
the wedding? You gave your father information he didn’t have
before. He had almost two weeks to prepare before we got here. Even
if you told him we were leaving on Sunday, we’d still be here. You
know we can never come back again. Use today to say your good-byes.
Maria’s back at boarding school, but you still can see your mother
and Freddie.”

“That sounds so final. I hope I can pull it
off. I won’t have a problem getting out of the house because I join
my father every day at the store. How do I deviate from the
schedule? Someone’s always with me now that I think about it.”

“Say you want to buy me a present and need to
stop somewhere.”

“Where do you plan on shopping with
Mother?”

“I have no idea. I’m only familiar with Saks.
You have to help me. Where can I look at linens and décor for the
house?”

“B. Altman’s, corner of Thirty-fourth and
Fifth. It’s a huge store. We need a meeting place.”

“How many floors?”

“Eight.”

“Jewelry’s usually on the first floor,
right?”

Drew nodded and pulled his pocket watch from
his coat lying next to the bed. “Synchronize our watches.”

Kate looked down at the one Drew gave her on
their anniversary night. It was a special, sentimental gift at the
time. Little did she know she’d use it now to save their lives.
“Give me an hour with your mother. Let’s meet at
eleven-thirty.”

She climbed back on the bed and crawled over
to Drew. He held her in his arms until the knock on the door
came.

“Sir, are you awake?” It was Sal’s voice.

“Yes, I am.” Drew got up and opened the door.
“I cancelled today’s departure because my wife informed me she’s
shopping with my mother. No need for your services right now.”

“Very good, sir.” A sneaky smile crept over
Sal’s face.

As he walked down the hall, Drew called out
to him. “Oh, Sal, I hope the car’s repaired. I have a lot to do.”
Drew shut the door and winked at Kate. “How’d you like my
performance?”

“It was perfect. You took the upper hand and
caught him off guard. I’m sure he’s running to tell your father the
good news.”

“Let’s get some breakfast. You can confirm
plans with Mother. I’ll act all business-like around here for an
hour or so and then say I’m ready to go to Martin’s—with one stop
before I get there.” Drew slid back onto the bed, pulling Kate next
to him.

Kate needed time because inside she had been
angry with Drew for days. She told him she forgave him because in
her head she knew she did. It was her heart that still ached and
needed mending. “It will take awhile to recover from this,” she
said quietly as she lay in his arms.

He made no effort to leave the bed or the
room like the last few days. She knew he was sorry. Life was far
from perfect unlike the fairy tales she so loved as a girl. There
would be bumps along the way, but this was a big one.

Drew kissed the top of her head. “I don’t
know how I can make this up to you. Tell me what to do.”

Suddenly Kate realized her perspective on the
past week was different from Drew’s. This was his family, his life
before he met her. He was comfortable here and familiar with a
routine. “You don’t have to do a thing. This is your family. You
had no idea your father was that controlling.” Kate sat up and
turned toward Drew. “You do know what he is, don’t you?”

“I think so. I just don’t want to admit
it.”

“He’s more than a designer of men’s fashion.
Much more. He’s not catering to mob clientele...he is the mob. And
more to the point, he’s in charge.”

Drew was silent. Kate feared she went too far
but felt he needed to face facts. Then he said exactly what she
wanted him to realize on his own. “He doesn’t want me to work at
the store or learn that business. Father wants to train me to take
over the mob one day.”

“Yes, Drew, he does. Is that the life you
want?”

“No, it isn’t. So when I died at the canyon,
all his plans died that day.”

“I think so.”

“Then let’s get back there and not change
history anymore than we already have.” He jumped out of bed and
went into the dressing room. “Kate?”

“What?”

“I love you.”

“I love you, too.”

At breakfast, Drew and Kate put on quite a
show as newlyweds excited over the prospect of decorating their own
apartment in the house. “We’ll be able to stay longer and come more
often, Mother.” Drew smiled as if he really meant it. “You know I
love being in your company.”

“You have always been the most kind and
generous son.” Ilene took his hand. “I miss you every time you
leave.”

“And I miss you. That’s why I got this for
you.” Drew slipped a little blue box from his pocket and handed it
to his mother. Kate thought she saw Tiffany & Co on the
lid.

From the box Ilene pulled a lovely gold
locket embellished with a pale purple lilac, her favorite flower.
As she opened the locket, Ilene put her hand to her mouth. “It’s
perfect. Thank you, son.” Passing the necklace to Kate, she rose
from her chair and left the room.

“Why didn’t she want you to see her cry?”
Kate realized that was the reason Ilene left. Gazing down at the
picture, Kate saw three stoic-looking faces—Drew, his brother
Freddie and sister, Maria. “Oh, Drew, this is perfect. When did you
do it?”

“It wasn’t all fun and games when I was out.
I special ordered the locket from Tiffany’s and picked it up last
night. I want her to have something to remember me by.”

Ilene returned, coat in hand. “Kathryn, dear,
I’m ready as soon as you are.”

“I’ll just be a minute.” Kate ran up the back
stairs to her room, grabbed her coat and anything else she deemed
important and stuffed them into her pockets. The phone caught her
eye as she gave the room one last sweep with her eyes. For a brief
moment, she wanted to grab it and dial her grandmother’s number but
didn’t want to risk it. There was a strong possibility someone
could be listening. So instead, she turned toward the door and took
a deep breath. She was strong. Wasn’t that what Anna told her in
the letter? She could do this. Her plan would work, and it would
start as soon as she walked out the bedroom door.

It would be the last time she would see Drew
until they met at the store. There was no opportunity to discuss
the details again. She heard him talking to his mother as she
descended the stairs to the first floor.

“Ah, here she is. Didn’t you say you’d love
to shop at Altman’s, Kate?” Drew smiled up at her as she reached
the final set of steps.

“Yes, I’ve never been there and heard it’s
fabulous.”

“Then let’s stop wasting time and get
started.” Ilene put her arm through Kate’s, not giving her a chance
to speak to Drew.

“Mother, you can’t take my bride away without
letting me give her a kiss.” Drew was really playing the part.

Kate swung back around, facing Drew. “I love
you,” she mouthed as they quickly kissed.

The two women settled in the back of the
Cadillac as Sal prepared the car for the journey. Ilene and Kate
made small talk on the way to the store. Kate asked if they could
shop for linens first and wanted to know the best place for lunch.
Guilt swept through her every time she told another lie. It was
hard to think how to leave and still be on good terms with her
mother-in-law. Kate had no idea what the next step would be, so she
decided to wait until they reached the store. Sal parked in front
of Altman’s, running around to the passenger side to let them
out.

“You don’t need to wait, Salvatore. Andrew
needs your services. I’ll put in a call when we’re ready to come
home.” Ilene took his hand and stepped out of the car, followed by
Kate.

Sal nodded and drove away, giving Kate her
first idea. She could pretend she was ill and needed to leave with
Lilly immediately, not able to wait for the Martin car to arrive.
She’d hug and thank Ilene profusely and say she’d see her in a bit.
Relieved to have a small part of the plan worked out, Kate decided
to enjoy the shopping trip.

Surprisingly, she chose a lovely bedspread
and linens for the apartment rather quickly, and the women took the
elevator to another floor. Ilene wanted Kate’s opinion on lamps and
tables. She checked her watch as they headed up a floor and saw it
was close to eleven-thirty.

Embarrassing as it would be, Kate decided to
say she needed to use the restroom and hopefully find a phone
instead. As they wandered through the rows of lighting, she grabbed
her stomach. “I think I need to find a ladies room.”

“Oh, I’ll go with you. There’s one on the
floor we were just on.”

“Please, keep shopping. I’ll be back before
you know it.” Kate was already on her way to the elevator as she
said it. Maybe Ilene realized Kate needed her privacy or just
couldn’t wait.

As the elevator doors closed behind her, Kate
quickly gave the operator her floor number. She couldn’t take her
eyes off the giant dial that showed the numbers, willing it to
begin the countdown to the first floor. When the doors opened,
someone she never expected to see stood before her. “Dad! You’re
still here!”

“You didn’t think I’d leave after that phone
call from Andrew, did you? I wasn’t leaving my little girl here all
alone.”

“I have it under control.”

“I’m sure you do. I’m only here as
back-up.”

“How did you know I was in the store?”

“I’ve been watching the house. I saw Drew
leave every day with his father, but you were nowhere to be seen. I
had Mother call the house and ask to speak with you. They said you
were out which we knew wasn’t true. So I’ve been patiently waiting
and watching the house every day, trying to keep myself from
storming in, demanding to see you.”

“You wouldn’t have,” Kate giggled and slipped
her arm through her father’s. “I’m meeting Drew. Don’t have time to
fill you in on the details, but I can tell you this much. Nicolas
is trying to keep us here. There’s always an excuse why we can’t
get to the train station. I haven’t been allowed out of the house
or their sight the whole time I’ve been here. It’s always done very
nicely—the car’s in the repair shop. Maria’s going back to school
and wants to have lunch with you. Ilene’s in the sunroom and needs
your help. Polite but scary.”

“I knew he couldn’t be trusted...”

“Dad! How can you say that about Drew?”

“Nicolas, I meant Nicolas. Now what’s the
plan?”

“Drew’s meeting me in the jewelry section at
eleven-thirty.”

“And?”

“And we didn’t plan any farther than that.
Originally I was going to find a phone and call Lilly, but now I
see I wouldn’t have time. We’d probably leave by taxi.”

“Well, you don’t need a taxi now. I’ll pull
the car around after I see Andrew for myself.”

“Look, I think that’s him now.” Kate pointed
over her father’s shoulder.

“Jack! Couldn’t believe my eyes at first.”
Drew grabbed his hand, shaking it like he spotted an old
friend.

“I’ll be at that entrance.” Her dad pointed
to the opposite one Drew just entered. “Give me a few minutes and
nonchalantly leave like nothing’s wrong.”