In the Eye of the Storm (14 page)

“Mittens is my child, Kate. I like to spoil him,” Richard said, apparently exasperated with her eye rolling.

“Mittens isn’t a child, he’s a
cat,
Richard. And a miserable excuse for one. Why don’t you spoil him with a lobotomy?” she suggested, smiling for the first time that day. “Maybe then, everyone around you won’t want to shoot him.”

Richard frowned. “Nobody wants to shoot Mittens.”

Kate raised a brow.

“You don’t count. You don’t like anybody.”

Kate just rolled her eyes again.

“Dare I ask why you decided to come on this shopping trip? Clearly, you aren’t enjoying yourself.”

“I felt bad for canceling on you. I know how much you like Black Friday.”

“I would have come without you and you know it,” he pointed out. “You were pretty insistent last night about not going. What changed your attitude?”

She thought that over. Talking about her situation with Beau was harder than she’d thought it was going to be—even with Richard.

“He’s gotten under your skin, hasn’t he?”

Kate grimaced. Richard was nothing if not intuitive. Perhaps if she wanted to keep her thoughts to herself, she needed to find some clueless straight guys to hang out with.

“I can see how he would,” Richard continued, taking a sip of his coffee. “He’s sizzling hot, that one.”

His description of Beau was certainly accurate. “He hasn’t gotten under my skin,” she lied, pretending to browse through a rack of blouses.

“Kate, it’s obvious that he has. He’s that type of guy. All he has to do is stand there and women fall at his feet. If only we all had such luck.”

She glowered at him. “You don’t like women.”

“I like women fine—just not for my partner. Speaking of which, what did you think of Peter? And if you don’t conscience.

Kate had no problem being honest. “I like him. He seems very nice.”

Now it was Richard’s turn to frown.
“Very nice
? It sounds like you’re talking about an old, knitted shawl or something. He’s hot, don’t you think?”

“He’s good looking,” she agreed. “He’s a little older than what I imagined you going for. But that might be a good thing. You should be careful and take things slow.” They were walking by the men’s department and a vintage T-shirt with an older model car on the front of it caught her eye. Somehow it seemed to scream Beau’s name. Before she thought about it, she stopped to browse.

Richard cleared his throat. “I should say the same thing to you.”

She gave him a petulant stare. “I don’t need you to say the same thing to me.”

“Something’s obviously stuck in your craw about Beau Callahan, so why don’t you just talk about it? It might make you feel better.”

“I don’t want to talk about it,” she snapped, thumbing through the T-shirts far rougher than was necessary. Several hangers clanked loudly against the metal rod that held them.

“Clearly, you are sleeping with him. Are you upset because you regret that?”

“I don’t regret anything,” she retorted, then met Richard’s gaze. She finally said the one thing that had been bothering her the most since she’d met Beau Callahan. “Has it escaped your attention that I’m not exactly his type?”

Richard narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”

“I mean, I’m not the kind of girl that a guy like Beau Callahan would give the time of day to. He’s scratching an itch while he’s here. I know that, and yet I can’t seem to tell him to beat it.”

“Scratching an itch, that’s a good one,” Richard said, chuckling. When her expression remained serious, he sobered. “I think you’re being a little harsh on him, Kate. Maybe you should be having this conversation with him.”

“I’ve already had this conversation with him, more or less.”

“And?”

She shrugged, warily. “He told me up front that he’s not a forever kind of guy. I still had sex with him. Now I can’t seem to stay away from him. I’ve tried. Yesterday with his family…” Her voice broke off and she sighed. “I like them a lot, Richard. And they like me. It freaked me out a little.”

“So that’s why you’re here with me today.”

She didn’t deny the assumption.

Richard appeared to think that over. “Well, the way I see it you have two choices—either you kick him to the curb, or you get over this insecurity you have and enjoy the time you have with him. If he’s been honest with you, you can’t fault him for that, right?”

“Right,” she said quietly, snatching a shirt from the rack that she was pretty sure was Beau’s size. While Richard watched with interest, Kate paid for the shirt. She frowned at him when she turned and noticed the curious look on his face. “What are you looking at?”

“Not a th expression onhe wasing,” he answered innocently.

“He’s done a lot of nice things for me,” she said lamely. “I just want to do a little something in return to thank him. It looks like something he would wear.”

“It does,” Richard agreed. “I think it’s a good idea. I didn’t say a word.”

“Your eyes can talk,” she grumbled, shoving the small bag into her over-sized purse.

“Kate, people have flings all the time. As long as you’re being real with yourself about the future, you’ll be fine. Quit overreacting. You haven’t known him long enough for that.”

“We had unprotected sex,” she blurted out, surprising herself. She hadn’t planned on talking to Richard about this particular lapse in judgment she had made with Beau. In fact, she’d been determined to keep it a secret until now.

By the look on Richard’s face, she realized she should have. His eyes grew wide. In the midst of the crowd, he grabbed her arm and dragged her outside where it was far quieter, though there were still throngs of people milling about. “I hope I heard you wrong in there. You
didn’t
just say you had unprotected sex with him.”

She didn’t reply and he swore.

“Why in the world would you do a stupid thing like that?”

She felt effectively chastised and shrugged her shoulders, avoiding his gaze. “I don’t know. It just happened.”

Richard hissed out a breath. “So are you telling me you think you might be pregnant? Is that why you’re so worked up about this? Because it sure as hell isn’t all your fault. He’s the guy. He should have been responsible.”

“I know all this, Richard. It takes two to—”

“Yes, Kate, I’m well aware of what it takes two to do. Safe sex is a
must
always—for more reasons than one. So does he know?”

Kate frowned again. “Of course, he knows. He was there.”

“I mean, does he know that you think you might be pregnant?” Richard asked, exasperated.

“First of all, I don’t think I might be pregnant. It’s still way too early to tell. But obviously the possibility is there and he realizes that.”

Richard sighed, clearly frustrated with her. “For God’s sake, Kate, haven’t you ever heard of the morning after pill?”

Of course she’d heard of the morning after pill. But she hadn’t thought about taking it until it was two days too late. Anxiety tore through her again and she took a deep breath. “You’re not helping.”

Richard calmed down, clearly sensing her distress. “So what does he say about it?”

“He takes care of his own,” she answered, basically repeating the crux of what Beau had said to her days earlier.

Richard looked relieved. “Well, that’s good.”

“So I lied to him and told him I got my period.”

“You
what
?” Richard’s eyes exploded open again. “Why in God’s name would you do a thing like that?”

“Because, he looked like he was sc said, rolling his eyes. up bared shitless and I wanted to give him an out. Not only that, I didn’t want him bugging me day in and day out about my period. I was very stressed out, Richard. I didn’t know what else to do at the time.”

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard,” he told her angrily. “You can’t lie to a guy about his own kid, Kate. It’s wrong.”

“He didn’t believe me anyway,” she said, letting out a deep breath. “He got pretty pissed off and let me know it. He’s not the type to just disappear if this ends up being a real situation.”

“Well, I should freaking hope not,” Richard said. He shook his head at her. “Of everyone I know I can’t believe you’re the one who has gotten yourself into this kind of mess. You’ve only known the guy for a few weeks, if that.”

“You’re not helping,” she repeated quietly, trying to stop the pounding in her head. “And you’re the only person I can talk to.”

Richard sighed. “Okay, I’m sorry. I just know what you would say to me if the tables were turned. You would call me ten kinds of stupid.”

She figured he was right. “So go ahead. Call me ten kinds of stupid.”

He ignored that. “You know you may be completely overreacting. If it was only one time, you’re probably fine anyway. What are the chances of it resulting in a pregnancy? I would be more worried about diseases if I were you.”

“He’s clean, Richard. He’s had a thorough physical every year since he started playing ball. Not only that, he says he’s always been safe…..until now.” She avoided his gaze. “Technically it was my fault. I had a condom in my hand but we got carried away and didn’t use it.”

“Unbelievable,” was all Richard said.

“We’ve been safe ever since,” she replied lamely, as though that negated the one time they hadn’t.

After a moment, Richard sighed again. “Well then you’re probably fine.”

“That’s what Beau said.”

“I would just calm down and take a test as soon as you can.” Richard reached over and squeezed her hand. “I wish I had some better advice for you but I don’t.”

“Just don’t say anything to Kylie or even Peter. If this gets out—”

“I think you know me better than that, Kate. If you want, we can buy a test and you can take it at my house.”

“I have a test at home. It’s still too early for me to take it. My period’s not due for another week or so. I’ve never been on schedule like clockwork either.”

“Oh.” Richard balanced his bags and gave her a sympathetic smile. “Well then, there’s not much you can do until you can take a test. At least he’s on board. Things could be worse.”

She knew he was right about that. On the other hand, she couldn’t see Beau Callahan settling down with a wife and a baby. Hell, she couldn’t see Kate Nyland settling down with a husband and a baby either.

“You’re thirty years old, Kate. You have to grow up sooner or later.”

Kate scowled at him. How did he always manage to know what s conscience.

“Don’t get angry. I’m just being honest. When you had unprotected sex, deep down you both knew the risks you were taking. Heat of the moment or not, that is reality. Now take the consequences like a man.”

“I’m not a man,” she snapped.

“Well, then take them like a woman,” he said, rolling his eyes. “Like I said, you may have nothing to worry about anyway. You’re jumping the gun. Let’s go finish our shopping.”

By the time Beau pulled back up to Kate’s house, it was after nine. He’d spent the entire day with his family. They had opted to hang out at Trey and Kylie’s with take-out and just visit, to avoid any problems with people recognizing Beau.

The afternoon had been pleasant. He’d played with his niece and nephew and spent time shooting the breeze with both of the brothers that he rarely saw anymore. He’d even played a game of Scrabble with his mother and grandmother—something he hadn’t done since he was a kid.

When he’d checked his watch, he’d realized it was after five. Kate had likely made it home by that time and he didn’t want her alone for any great length of time, so he’d taken off to meet up with her.

The hard part of spending time with his family the way he had that day, was that he was reminded of the fact that he likely wouldn’t see them for a while again, once they went home. The entire clan would be taking off Sunday, so they really only had one more day together. The more time he spent with everyone, the more he realized how much he had missed them. They had always been so tight-knit and ever since he’d started playing pro ball he’d fallen away from that. He was starting to think about his priorities a little bit at this point. Lucas would probably never know his uncle well at this rate. Amy barely knew Beau either. Now Trey and Kylie were going to have another baby that likely wouldn’t have much of a relationship with him either.

The idea bothered Beau and he sat in his truck in Kate’s driveway and pondered that. His job was his job. He supposed he could quit, but he’d always loved playing ball. It was in his blood.

Cursing, he slammed his hand into the steering wheel and eventually climbed out of the vehicle. Everyone had to make choices in life and everything wasn’t always easy. By playing ball and living the lifestyle he lived, he was able to extend his wealth to his family. At least his nieces and nephews would have the best of everything as long as he was around.

Still a little depressed, he locked his truck and headed for the front door. When he walked inside, he found Kate sitting at the counter, a calculator in her hands.

He let the front door shut with a thud, careful to lock it behind him. “Uh oh. If you have the calculator out you must have done some serious damage today.” He shrugged out of his jacket as she looked up and grinned halfway.

“No, Richard did some damage. Honest to God, I think that freaking cat is better dressed than I am.”

Beau had to laugh at that. “I didn’t know you could dress a cat.”

“In
Juicy Couture,
no less,” she said, turning back to her calculator as she rolled her eyes.

“Juicy what?” he asked, walking over and leaning against the counter.

“Never mind,” she chuckled and then met his gaze again. expression onhe was“How was your day?”

“It was nice. I’m going to miss them all when they leave.”

“It’s not like you can’t go see them anytime you want to,” she reasoned, turning back to whatever she was doing.

There was something off about her again&#

15

The next morning, Beau was up early. He decided that if he and Kate were going to do any sightseeing today was the day. They both bundled up and headed out into the city. They took a trip to the Empire State Building, Ground Zero and Greenwich Village. They visited the Statue of Liberty and the United Nations. She begged him until he gave in and took her ice-skating at Rockefeller Center—something for which he knew his backside was going to curse him for later.