Naturally Naughty - Leslie Kelly [85]
Suddenly very glad they’d left the party early, she made a mental note to strangle Armand when she got back to Chicago.
Well, maybe she’d kiss him first. Then, for sure, she’d strangle him.
13
“SO THE PARTY WAS A BIG success and the rumors are already spreading throughout town about how fabulous your store is. Tomorrow’s grand opening will be a hit, I guarantee it. What’d I tell you? You’re going to fail to fail.” Jack couldn’t keep the smug tone out of his voice as he and Kate brushed another coat of varnish remover on the old concession counter at the Rialto on Sunday afternoon.
She stuck her tongue out at him. “Anyone ever told you it’s not nice to say I told you so?”
“Anyone ever told you it’s not nice to stick your tongue out at people? Unless, of course, you’re issuing an invitation.” He caught her mouth in a quick, hot kiss that left them both breathless.
When they reluctantly parted, she looked down at the plastic drop cloth beneath their feet, which was splattered with liquid. “Paint washes off. I think varnish remover would sting, though.”
“There’s no work going on down on the stage,” he whispered. “And our table’s still there.”
“Miss Rose will be back from the hardware store any minute now.” She sounded disappointed. Just like he felt.
They couldn’t seem to get enough of each other. No matter how many times he made love to Kate, it was always exciting, always amazing. Like that first time had been, right here in the theater all those weeks ago.
Jack had a hard time believing how much things had changed since then. In the past several days he and Kate had spent hours and hours in each other’s company. He’d told her about his plans to open his own firm, she’d talked about her desire to expand her store. They’d gone through the past relationship comparisons, each trying to one-up the other with stories about some really bad first dates.
They’d even talked about their families a little. She’d told him what it was like growing up without a father. He’d told her of his regrets at leaving Angela alone in a house with his very unhappily married parents.
She’d grown uncomfortable when he mentioned his parents. “I think we ought to change the subject.”
Though he knew she was right, he wished he could tell her what he’d discovered Friday. He could hardly believe it himself and had no one with whom to discuss it.
Dealing with his father’s bank records had been nearly impossible from the beginning. But suddenly, the other day, he began to make sense of things. For the first time in weeks, Jack started to realize that his father had, in his own way, tried to do right by Edie.
For each and every month when there had been an un-cashed paycheck made out to Edith Jones, Jack had found a subsequent payment to a mysterious account at a state bank. Some digging had revealed the truth. His father had made several sizable payments against Edie’s mortgage. He doubted she’d even realized it was happening.
No, his father hadn’t wiped the slate clean by any means, but it was nice to know he had not completely taken advantage of Kate’s mother. He’d obviously cared about her, enough to help her even when she refused to take his help.
It didn’t make things right. But at least it made them better. It also made Jack wonder if he would ever really understand the truth about their relationship. It seemed now it had been more about emotion than just sex. Sex wouldn’t have taken the older couple through nearly two decades. There had to have been love.
Somehow that made it a little easier to deal with.
“So, what are you going to do now that your store’s on the road to success? You can’t just shut it down,” he asked.
She shook her head. “I’ve been thinking a lot about that. Cassie and I have worked there a lot lately and we’ve been discussing some options. At least she’ll be here until the end of the summer. And who knows what she’ll want to do then.”
He laid his brush down and stared. “No way would Cassie stay here long-term.”