This time he didn’t stop her. She walked out of his apartment for the last time and knew he had chosen.

fifteen

YOU OKAY?”

Kate forced a smile and looked up as Kennedy strolled into her office. “Sure. Is Jane coming in today?”

“Should be here in a minute. She’s ready to go back out there, so I wanted to sit down with her for a one-on-one. Too bad Brian ended up being a jerk.”

“Yeah, occupational hazard, I guess. Still, I’m proud of her. She seems much stronger in who she is and didn’t let this affect her inner core.”

“I had good teachers.”

Kate laughed as Jane appeared behind Ken and gave her a hug. Jane had definitely blossomed. She accepted the breakup and her emotions, and healed. Now she was excited about the possibility of a new journey, and this time Ken would probably screen even more carefully.

“How are you, Kate?” Jane asked.

“Fine.”

The two women shared a look. Kate fought a sigh. She’d been asked that question every day for the past two weeks and her answer never changed. Still, her friends knew it was a big, fat lie. Since that day she lost Slade, she walked around empty, caught between massive pain and a strange numbness. She buried herself in work, stayed home with Robert, and tried to believe it would get better. Someday.

Jane had become a close friend of the group and now joined them for Friday nights at Mugs. Kate was glad she never mentioned her brother or asked any questions. “Anyone want to catch a drink after work today?” Jane asked. “I finished my research paper and would love to celebrate.”

Ken gave a whoop. “You go, girl. Of course we’ll go. But first come into my chamber so we can go over a few things. I think I have a great guy for you to meet.”

Their heels clicked down the hallway, and Kate stared at the stack of folders on her desk. Funny, the last few months her client list had almost doubled. The expo probably helped, and everyone had adjusted well to double their efforts now that she had lost her gift. Not that she tried it out anymore; most of her time was spent with Robert and the television.

She wondered if Slade missed her. Wondered if he got the partnership. Wondered if he ever thought of calling her or had already moved on.

The bell tinkled and there was a knock on her door. She smiled as Tim peeked in. “Hey, Kate, do you have a minute for me?”

“Of course.” She waved him in. “How did Friday night’s date go?”

Tim sat in the chair and shrugged. He was one of her favorite clients and really wished she’d be able to match him correctly. Slightly overweight, he had gorgeous golden eyes and thick brown hair, and his wicked sense of humor always made her laugh. He wasn’t flashy, or broody, or a bad boy. He was just literally nice, with a great personality. Time to work harder.

“She was sweet, but I don’t think we were a good fit. She’s a gym rat, and though we had a great conversation, I kind of caught her looking at the hot waiter.”

Kate shook her head, remembering her own date from hell that she’d hooked up with the busboy. “Sometimes this sucks, huh? But don’t quit on me, Tim. I think I have a better idea of who to match you with.”

“I’m no quitter. Hey, at least I get to date a bunch of cool women and eat out. My television remote was getting too much of a workout before I came to Kinnections.”

Point taken.

The door flung open. “Kate, I’m headed out. I’ll see you at Mugs—oh, I’m sorry to interrupt.” Jane smiled at Tim. “Hi, Tim, good to see you again.”

Tim grinned. “You too. Getting hooked up again?”

Jane laughed. “I guess we’re two peas in a pod, huh?”

Kate rose from the chair and her friend walked into the room. “Did Ken take care of you?”

“Yep. We may try a mixer. I may be ready.”

“Sounds good.”

Tim stood and paused in front of her. “I’m sorry the last guy didn’t work out for you,” he said. He stared at her hard, a smile curving his lips. “He must’ve been stupid.”

“Aww, thanks. Same with you, not sure why you’d be in here again.”

Kate turned to give them some space to continue the conversation, and her hands brushed against the both of them.

Snap.

Crackle.

Pop.

Her skin burned and an electrical shock cut through her system, causing her to jerk back. Holding her breath, Kate stared at them, her heart pounding so hard she swore they’d hear it. But they didn’t. They were looking at each other and the energy simmered like a live wire around them.

Oh. My. God.

The touch was back.

Kate tried to remain cool, though she felt like sticking her hands in a bucket of ice water. She’d forgotten what a jolt it could be when she sensed a connection, but she wanted to throw her head back and laugh with joy.

“Hey, Tim. Jane and I are heading to Mugs after work around five o’clock. We’d love for you to join us.”

“Oh, I don’t want to intrude on ladies’ night out.”

Jane shook her head and touched his arm. “No, come. It’ll be fun.”

“Cool. I’d love to.”

Kate tamped down on a giggle as she watched them make moony eyes at each other. “I better get back to work. I’ll walk you out.”

“See you later.”

She watched them chatter easily and the door shut behind them.

Tears pricked her lids as she sank into the chair. Somehow, she’d been lucky enough to receive her gift back, and she’d never take it for granted again. The image of Slade flashed before her. God, she missed him. She wondered what he was doing right now.

Kate rubbed her eyes, tried to refocus, and got back to work.


HE WAS IN HELL.

Slade stared out the window, trapped another day in his office. Two weeks. The days were endless, but the nights were worse. He kept waiting to feel a sense of satisfaction that he’d done the right thing and released her. Tried to convince himself he was strong for being honest about his limitations and not wanting to wound her. But the inner Ted voice was back, cackling with glee and mockery.

She confessed her love and you threw it back in her face. You’re a pussy and a coward. And alone.

Shut up. Better to hurt her now than later.

What did you really think could happen?

Anything. Probably not cheating. Probably not betrayal. And Kate didn’t lie. But they could grow apart. Maybe careers could take a toll. Fighting. Of course, fighting with Kate was fun, and making up was even better. No, things happened in good relationships all the time, especially if one embraced the idea of love and forever.

Like I said, you’re a pussy and a coward.

He shut the box on his crazy mental companion and tried not to think about her. He wondered how she was doing. He tried not to pump Jane for information, knowing that if he heard she was dating, he might lose his sanity. His sister seemed happy and didn’t need him any longer. She went back to Kinnections and was still hopeful of finding someone. How was it his sister believed in the happy ending and he didn’t? She’d been hurt time and time again, driven to emotional extremes, yet she kept trying. He just didn’t get it. But her last words haunted him, consistently pushing him to the edge.

You were the one who helped me believe in love.

The intercom buzzed. “Mr. Montgomery, your three o’clock is here.”

“Send her in. Thank you.”

He straightened his jacket and eased back to lawyer mode. The woman who entered his office was easily in her seventies, with short gray hair, glasses, and dressed in a polyester pantsuit with old lady shoes. Her smile was kind and generous, and she greeted him in a soothing voice and a firm handshake. Slade prepped himself, sensing this would be a bad one. Maybe her husband going for the younger woman? Blowing through their retirement? Sleeping with the maid?

“Mrs. White, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I know you said you were filing for a legal separation, and I’m very sorry for your troubles. Would you share some of the details with me?”

She eased back into the chair with a serene air that puzzled him. “Of course, thank you for seeing me on such short notice, Mr. Montgomery. You’ve helped some friends I know and they spoke very highly of your reputation. I’ve been married to my husband for forty years. We have four children. I’m seeking a legal separation for now so he can be free for a while to explore.”

He fought a frown and flipped through the folder where he’d made previous notes. “I see this is uncontested. What brought about the separation? If he’s threatening you or been unfaithful, I can make sure you’re protected.”

Her laugh tinkled in the air with merriment. “Oh, goodness no, he’s never cheated. We’ve had a wonderful life together, but he longs to travel and see the world. You see, we married young and with the children and the difficulty in saving money, we didn’t have much time to do anything. Charles always dreamed of traveling and having adventures. I preferred the home life, so he compromised throughout our entire marriage. We raised our kids, paid off our house, and saved for college, then retirement. But now he doesn’t want to leave me. We’ve fought about it, but he refuses to listen. I want him to go and have his adventures, even if it’s without me. It’s his turn, you see, so the only way is to get a legal separation.”

Slade had heard some crazy stories, but this one caused his mind to blank. He tried to make sense of her words. “I apologize, Mrs. White, I’m trying to understand. Your husband did nothing wrong, yet you want to file papers separating with him. How will this help?”