Decker (Torey Hope: The Later Years #1) (19 page)

“Sure, Libby, what’s up?” Katie tried to play nonchalant, but she knew talking to Decker’s mom was going to be hard.

They walked side-by-side to the conference room. On the way, they passed the gym and Katie’s heart stopped when she saw Sawyer and Decker speaking. Kendrick and Zach stood off to the side. None of the four men looked happy; there was definite tension in the air, and it broke her heart knowing that Decker was indeed choosing Option 2. Her heart, wounded as it was, warmed to know that the other three men were standing up for her.

“Katie, my son is very special to me; both of my boys are absolute gifts and I treasure them. That being said, I don’t agree with the way Decker plans on handling this situation. Both his father and I tried to speak some sense into him last night. Even Jeremiah and Kyle tried to talk to him; his Aunt Audrey all but castrated him with her words, but he’s not backing down right now. I know I don’t really have the right to ask you to do this, but I’m going to anyway because I feel it in my soul that you two are meant to be together. Please don’t give up on him; every person in his family will stand by your side and fight him on this. He’s mad and scared and hurt right now; he thinks he’s let us all down. The only way he knows to fix things is to pull the reigns tight and shut himself down to everything but protecting his business and you. He doesn’t see that shutting you out isn’t protecting you, it’s hurting you; he thinks that he’s doing what’s best. Give him some time, Katie, but don’t give up on him.” Libby’s eyes shimmered with tears. Patting the girl’s hand, she stood to leave. “Don’t let him forget how beautiful you made his life, because you did that, Katie. You made his life so much more than what he allowed it to be before.”

Katie dried her tears and walked with determination to her office. Setting her coffee cup down, she checked her mascara in her small compact mirror and then headed to Decker’s door. He had barely had time to dry his hair after his workout with the guys and the scent of soap emanated from him, teasing her senses and choking her with emotion.

“Good morning, Decker. Could we talk?” She spoke professionally, not knowing exactly how he was going to play this off. Would he pretend like their relationship hadn’t happened and just treat her as his assistant manager? Or would he address the huge white elephant in the room; the beast was so large, Katie felt like it was seated on her chest. Did he feel it too?

“Good morning, Kate. Yeah, I think we should talk. Pull up a chair.” Decker avoided meeting her eyes, not a good sign. This lit a spark of anger inside of her.
I won’t let him do this. Not now, not this way.
Making up her mind, Katie pulled a chair in front of his desk and sat down. Pulling herself up to her full height, she sat on the edge of the chair.

“Decker, before you speak, I have something to say, and I want you to just listen until I’m finished.” Leaving him no chance to argue, she started speaking.

“When I first met you, years ago, you were this serious, controlled, unapproachable young man. I adored your brother, but I fantasized about you.” The tick in his jaw was the only indication that he was hearing her words. She plowed on. “Years later, I found the absolute perfect job for me in my perfect little hometown, working alongside the perfect boss. Fighting the immediate attraction we had for each other became pointless, and you soon became my perfect match, my missing puzzle piece. You are it for me, Decker; I gave you myself, I gave you my love, my heart, my soul.” Taking a deep breath, she steadied herself and went on.

“I hate what is happening to The Center+; I don’t understand it any more than you do. I am woman enough to admit that I’m scared to death of that threat Nicky shared with us,” her breath hitched when his jaw tightened yet again and his nostrils flared in anger over the threat to her. As long as that emotion continued to show on his face, she knew she hadn’t lost him forever.

“I spent last night in the arms of your brother. Stop growling, you know there’s nothing there, even if I wanted there to be. I tell you this so you’ll stop being so pigheaded; your brother held me and comforted me last night. Your mom offered me her support this morning. I love your family, Decker, but I want
your
arms and
your
comfort and
your
support.” Taking another deep breath, she readied herself to deliver her ultimatum.

“Decker, I watched my father put his business and his professional goals in front of his marriage for far too long. You are not my father, I know that. I know that in your heart-of-hearts, in your misguided head, you are doing this to protect me. But, I won’t stand by while you shut me out. One week, Decker. You have one week to figure your shit out. I will stand by your side and we will fight this and work it out, together, as a team, or, I’m gone. I will walk away from the most wonderful job, family, and man I’ve ever known; I won’t be second to your business, Decker. I can’t, and I won’t. One week.” She willed away the tears which threatened to fill her eyes and waited for his response.

He looked at her with hard eyes. Not hard, hateful eyes; hard, broken, determined eyes. “Kate, you are the best thing that ever happened to me, both personally and professionally. The threat against The Center+ and you is just too much. I can’t risk you, and I can’t risk my business. Whoever is behind this seems to be pissed that you and I are together; if they see that we’ve cooled it on a personal front, maybe they’ll give up and leave us alone, or, they’ll mess up and we’ll catch them. I’d never choose the business over you, but all of this started happening when I brought you on board, and we started a relationship. The Center+ keeps taking hits, you’re in danger, and my Uncle Nicky was hurt because I’ve lost my focus.” He pinched the bridge of his nose before he spoke again. “I can’t promise you anything will be solved in a week; I want to ask you to give this thing more time, but that would be unfair of me. So, take your week, but I can’t guarantee anything, so be sure you’re ready to follow through on your ultimatum. I won’t put you in more danger; if that means I lose you in order to protect the business and you, so be it.” He looked at her with sad but unwavering eyes.

“So be it, huh? So you’d throw away all that we have instead of fight for us? You’d go back to that cold, bleak existence you called life, all in the name of protecting me and your precious business? Why, Decker?! It would be so easy to let me stand by your side and fight with you. Everyone else sees it, why can’t you?” She started to crack, her voice was beginning to quiver with emotion. “You know what? Forget it; there’s obviously no talking to you right now. I’ll give you some time. Until the end of the week, you know where to find me. I hope you also know that I won’t be sitting idly by, waiting for you to come up with a fix for this. I love you Decker Morgan. Even though you aren’t willing to fight for us right now, I am; I’ll fight for both of us.” She stood from the chair.

“Damn it, Kate, I
am
fighting for us! Why can’t you see that? I lost my control, I lost my focus, and that led us to where we are now. My family, my business, and the love of my life are in danger. I can’t split my focus, so for now, I will do what I have to do to protect everyone and everything that I love. You’re the one handing out ultimatums, Kate. Not me. I’m not pushing you away, I’m protecting you.” He leaned towards her, palms flat on his desk.

Her body, heart, and mind wanted nothing more than to lean over that desk and kiss him until he stopped this asinine plan of his. But she wouldn’t do that; their love was more than a physical attraction. He needed to come to her because of his love for her, not because he wanted her back in his bed.

She turned and walked out of his office. Knowing that she was shot for today, she gathered up her bag and headed to the gym; a good punishing run on the treadmill would maybe help clear her mind and comfort her broken heart.

A few shots into his evening drinking with his brother and cousins, Decker was more pissed off than when he’d arrived at the bar. The three fuckers who were supposed to be his best friends, supposed to support him and stand by him, were clearly not on his side; they were on Kate’s side. Everyone was on Kate’s side. Damn it, why couldn’t they see that he couldn’t pull her any further into this mess? If it wouldn’t be the worst move ever for the business and it wouldn’t crush her spirit more than he already had, he would fire her from her position in hopes of keeping her away from danger. But, he already feared for his ‘cock-n-balls’ when her grandmother found out that he had essentially ended things with her. It wasn’t a permanent separation; it was just temporary until he could get things at the center under control and get Kate out of danger.

“Okay, I feel like we need to run down the list of possible suspects again. Who in the hell would be so out to get me and ruin The Center+, putting Kate in danger at the same time?” Decker racked his brain, trying to come up with names.

“What about Ted Nelson? That guy was a total douche in high school, always trying to compete with us on everything. I heard he was trying to coach the high school basketball team, maybe he’s trying to cause problems at The Center+ to thwart Kendrick’s teams.” The motive sounded flimsy at best, even as he spoke it.

“Know anyone at the senior citizen center? Zoey said that it was going to have to cut some programs to save on the budget. Would anyone there be trying to mess with The Center+ in hopes of keeping more business coming through their doors?” Zach offered a slightly more plausible idea, but Sawyer shook his head almost immediately.

“No, no way. First, all of those people are either close personal friends with our families, use The Center+ just as much as anyone else in town, or don’t even know Katie; they’d have no motive. Even if The Center+ went down completely, the senior citizen center would still be losing some of their funding. It wouldn’t make sense for them to shut down the only other viable option for most of the seniors in town.” Sawyer wanted to come up with a suspect in this whole mess just as much as the other guys, but pinning it on the wrong person or group wasn’t going to help anyone.

“I think we need to focus more on who hates Kate so much that they’d go to the trouble of messing with The Center+ and threaten her life. I brought a couple yearbooks; Sawyer, you were the closest with her, you can help us go through the pictures and see if anyone sets off any alarms in your mind.” Kendrick pulled out some books and passed them around. The four men stopped drinking, opting for water at that point, and poured themselves over the books, looking for any face that would clue them in to someone wanting to hurt Katie and/or Decker.

Two hours later, eyes crossing from looking at so many thumbnail photos and small print, the men were no closer to coming up with a name than when they’d walked into the bar. Packing up the books and paying their tab, they headed home.

Decker drove by Kate’s house. He told himself it was just to be sure everything looked safe; he knew the lie he told himself was weak. God, he missed her. His heart hurt; his heart literally burned inside of his chest. Rubbing his hand over the pain, he closed his eyes and tried to block out the fact that he knew he had hurt her. His only hope was that his strong-willed, determined girl wouldn’t give up on them before he had a chance to fix everything; he prayed he’d be able to fix everything. With a last glance at her house, his heart stopped. There in the front window, he saw her. With a sad smile, she lifted her hand in a slight wave; he raised a hand in return and drove off. What would she think knowing he’d driven by to check on her? He hoped she’d realize that it meant he wasn’t giving up, he was fighting, but he was fighting in the way he felt was best. Keeping her as far away from him as possible was the best for now.

**********

Katie wasn’t sure what to make of Decker’s car being in front of her house. She watched for several minutes as he rubbed his chest, closing his eyes he laid his head heavily against the head rest. He was hurting, she could feel it. When he noticed her watching, the helpless wave he gave her was enough to bring her to her knees; the pain in her heart was overwhelming.

“When will you stop being so stubborn you stupid, stupid man?” She muttered angrily through her tears. Turning around she almost ran over her grandmother.

“Come sit, dear. I made tea; we need to talk.” Grandmother’s eyes were hard, but a fierce love and protection shone through them.

Sipping her tea, loving the way Grandma always made it perfectly strong and perfectly sweet, Katie waited for the older woman to speak.

“Well, before I begin dismembering your young man, I feel like I need to hear the whole story.” Grandma motioned for her granddaughter to speak.

“It’s a long story, Grandma.” Katie hesitated. How much should she tell her?

“Well, I’m not ready to die just yet, I’ve got the time. Go on, girl. Speak.” Grandma set her chin, and Katie knew there was no escaping.

“Someone is messing with things at The Center+. It seems like the problems started when Decker hired me. When we started dating, the issues at The Center+ continued and got worse. This past weekend when we went on vacation, his Uncle Nicky was hurt by someone snooping in my office. The person made a threat against my life. We don’t know who is behind all of this. We don’t know who would hate me so much. The police are trying to help, but they really can’t do much with the little evidence we have to go on.” She paused to catch her breath, knowing Grandma already wasn’t happy with what she had told her; the older woman was going to pitch a shit fit when she heard that Decker was pushing her away.

“So, Decker feels like it’s in the best interest of The Center+, his family, and me if we stop seeing each other. He seems to think he can’t divide his focus between the professional and the personal, and he feels I’ll be safer if he sticks to just the professional. He loves me, or so he says, but he’s pushing me away in order to protect me. At least that’s what he thinks he’s doing. I gave him one week; I told him he needed to get his shit figured out in one week or I was gone.” Katie held her chin high and waited on Grandma’s response.

Shaking her head, Grandma sipped her tea quietly as if contemplating all that she’d just heard. Setting her cup gingerly down on the tea tray, Grandma leaned back in her chair and just stared at her granddaughter.

“He’s being an ass, right Grandma?” Katie had wanted Grandma to love Decker as much as she did, but at that moment, she needed the older woman on her side.

“Well, girl, if I agreed with you, we’d both be wrong.” The old woman delivered her blow as softly and lovingly as she could, but Katie felt it as sharply as if she’d been slapped.

“You’re taking his side? How could you? I thought you wanted to cut off his male parts and feed them to rabid dogs; now all of a sudden you think he’s making the right decision?” Katie sputtered her words, shock at what she was hearing settling over her.

“Calm down, Katie-girl. I’m not 100% on his side, but I’m not totally against him either. Same for you; I see where you’re coming from, but I don’t think you’re dealing with the issue at hand very well.” Grandma closed her eyes and leaned her head back against the chair momentarily as if to gather her thoughts.

Katie poured herself more tea, wishing she had something a bit stronger to sip; she had a feeling that she needed to steel herself against Grandma’s words.

“Katie, I’m sorry you’re hurting, but I think Decker is doing what’s for the best right now. The best way for him to protect you is to make the person who is pissed off think you’re not dating. He can’t exactly fire you to keep you out of danger, so he’s doing the next best thing. That boy loves you, any fool can see that.” When Katie raised her eyebrows in disbelief at her grandmother’s words, the old woman sighed, “Girl, he learned to dance for you and made an absolute fool of himself at that wedding just for you; his eyes light up when he sees you, he puts up with a crotchety old woman just to be near you. It’s true, the boy has it bad.” Leaning over to pat Katie’s knee, she smiled softly. “I think he’s doing the only thing he can do for right now. I hate that he has to hurt you in the process, but I’m proud of him for being man enough to do it, even though it hurts, if it means protecting my girl.”

Grandma let that sink in for a bit. When Katie sniffed her nose, the woman continued. “Now, as for you….I think you’re making a big mistake issuing ultimatums. You’re giving this boy a week to sort things out that the police haven’t even been able to sort out in months; you’re not being fair to him. I know you’re strong and determined and proud, maybe a little too proud sometimes, but it doesn’t show weakness to be patient and wait for the one you love. At least give him longer than a week. If he says he wants out completely, then let him go. And
then
I’ll do the dismembering. But, until he says he’s out or he figures this out, give him time and don’t give up on him.”

Katie felt like a petulant little girl who had just been reprimanded by her grandmother. She sat, brooding, sipping her tea for several moments. Not sure where to go in the conversation, she was about to excuse herself when Grandma spoke again.

“Okay, let’s get our Angela Lansbury hats on and solve this mystery.” Grandma’s eyes lit up and she wiggled in her seat like a giddy little schoolgirl.

“Who is Angela Lansbury?” Katie was a little concerned that Grandma seemed so excited about a threat being made against her life.

“Oh my goodness. Where did I go wrong? I’ve failed you, child. Angela Lansbury?
Murder She Wrote
? Only one of the best mystery shows on television for several years beginning in the mid-80s. I can’t believe I never introduced you to super sleuth Jessica Fletcher.” Shaking her head in dismay, Grandma drained her tea cup and poured another, this time adding an extra lump of sugar. “Anyway, let’s hash it out and see if we can figure out who might hate you enough to hurt you and Decker.”

Katie nodded her agreement, although she wasn’t sure how her elderly grandma was going to be able to help her solve something that even the police hadn’t been able to put a stop to.

“Let’s start with townsfolk who hated you in high school. Anyone come to mind?” Katie shook her head in the negative.

“College. Jilted lovers? Jealous roommates? Professors whose love for you was unrequited?” Katie rolled her eyes at her grandma’s imagination.

“Grandma, you know I barely dated in college. My professors were all women or over 70. My one roommate sold sex toys and I lived by myself the other years before I returned home. I think you’ve had too much sugar or caffeine or both.” Katie had to giggle at her grandmother’s antics.

“Okay, that leads us to the here and now. Who hates you? Who is mad at you and/or Decker? Townsfolk jealous of his or your success? Local guy wanting to date you and feeling let down when you picked Decker? Ex-lover of Decker’s?” Grandma continued to rattle off possibilities, but Katie sat bolt upright on the chair.

“Oh my God! How did none of us see this? Grandma, that’s it! Decker’s ex-girlfriend of three years. He broke up with her right before he moved back home. He thought it was a mutual, amiable breakup, but she showed up at the wedding and started talking about how she and Decker were destined to get back together. Oh my God, we didn’t even put it together.” Katie drained her tea, rushed to the bathroom, and called the guys’ house. After telling them she was coming over, she kissed her Grandmother on the head. “Thanks for the talk, Grandma. You’re the best. I love you.”

“Love you too, Katie-girl. Love you too. Now, go get your man. But, remember, good things come to those who wait. It may not happen right away. It may be like a good bowel movement, you may need to give it time to work itself out.” She cackled at her granddaughter’s grossed-out expression and closed her eyes for a short little catnap.

**********

Bounding up the steps into Decker’s house, Katie felt exuberant with the thought they could solve this problem tonight, but she worried how things would be between her and Decker after this tense time apart.

Sawyer met her at the door and drew her into a warm hug. “Katie-girl, it’s good to see you. I hope you haven’t come to poke the sleeping bear. That’s a metaphor obviously; my brother isn’t sleeping, but he
is
being a total bear.” Walking with him into the living room and watching him close the front door, she was bombarded with memories of that door just a short time ago. Her heart constricted and she cast sad eyes Sawyer’s way before linking arms with him.

“It will get better, Katie-girl, I promise. If it’s any comfort, he’s just as sad and miserable as you are.” He kissed her head and turned her toward the kitchen. “You ready for this?” He was talking about walking into the kitchen and facing Decker. She nodded and took a deep breath.

“With any luck, this will be over soon.” She smiled hopefully at Sawyer.

“There’s our girl. Hey there Katie. Come here and give me some love, girl.” Kendrick stood and walked toward her. She knew he was laying it on thick in hopes of pissing Decker off. From the red-hot daggers his cousin was shooting his way, it appeared that Kendrick had been successful. She let herself be pulled into Kendrick’s arms; they weren’t the arms she wanted wrapped around her, but she would take the love and comfort for now.

“Good to see you, Katie.” Zach kissed her on the cheek and pulled a chair out for her. He really was such a sweet, good guy; total boy next door vibe coming in waves off of that fit, tight, hot body. “You want some coffee? I was just making some when you called.” Katie nodded and dared a looked at Decker.