Breathe (4 page)

“Okay if you’re sure we wouldn’t be ruining your afternoon. We would love to join you all.”

“It’s settled then. You can just ride with me after we get all the paperwork done tomorrow morning. It will be so much fun.” I excused myself then, went and found the waiter. I paid the tab for the whole table before heading to the restroom and washing my hands. It was a game that Joey and I always played. Who was quicker on their feet, to pay the bill for their dinners or lunches was something we had done since the first time we moved out of our parents’ house and shared a flat together. Joey was so excited to have found someone to help his son learn how to skateboard, a hobby he had been struggling with, that he didn’t even react when I stood up. I just had to mention his family and Joey was a puddle on the floor. As much as I enjoyed to one up my friend and tease him mercilessly about that, I secretly yearned for the day I had something to melt for too.

When I got back to their table, I smiled wickedly at Joey before sitting back down. Joey looked questioningly at me, then turned and looked towards where I had come from then slammed his fist on the table.

“Goddamn it! You always do that!”

(Kathryn)

I jumped when Joey hit the table and gasped at his expletive. He had seemed like such a sweet mild mannered man. He was glaring at Daniel like he wanted to climb on the table and strangle him. I looked over at Cora to see how she would react. To my relief she started laughing.

“Joey you are scaring our new friends.” Cora laid her hand gentle on her husband’s arm. Then smiled over at me. “He does it because he knows it will work. Maybe that should be a rule. No talking about kids at dinner.”

“These two buffoons have a game they play whenever we go out. They used to argue over who would pay the tab, then one day they started trying to pay the tab before the other one noticed. It’s been a thing for so many years I am amazed it is still a surprise to either one. Daniel is usually the winner because this one,” she points her thumb at her husband, “gets all distracted when he starts talking about our kids. Daniel waits until his eyes glaze over, excuses himself quietly, pays the waiter, usually washes his hands so it seems like he actually left for the restroom, and comes back. Somehow Joey is clueless until he is back.”

I grin at Joey then turn to Daniel. He is watching me with a grin of his own, an incredibly sexy grin that showed dimples. He actually has dimples. What the hell? I really don’t stand a chance do I?
Yeah like it matters, it’s not like you are something he would want anyway.
I seriously hate my inner voice but the bitch does have a point.

“Well we have an early day tomorrow. Where was the waiter Daniel? I need to pay for our dinner and get these two back to the hotel.” I looked over to where Tyler was leaned back, his head resting on the back of his chair. He was still awake but not entirely alert. Lily had her head resting on her hand that was on the armrest of her chair. Cora and Joey burst out laughing.

“Kathryn, he already paid for you too.” My eyes swung back to the end of the table, my eyes widening, and then narrowing as I realized what they said. They nodded, looking smugly at Daniel who started looking slightly uncomfortable as I turned my look towards him. He held his hands up.

“It takes longer for the waiter to figure out who ordered what and split it up. I just pay it all and have done with it.” I reach into my purse, having mentally calculated what me and the kid’s meal had cost, and brought the bills out. He crossed his arms across his chest refusing to even look at me.

“You will take this money Daniel Kaehe, my children and I are not part of your game with Joey. We pay our own way through this world and do not expect nor accept anyone else doing it for us.” He tried to stare me down but the vehemence in my voice or the strained look in my eyes changed his mind. He sighed deeply.

“Fine. I will accept this time but I wasn’t trying to offend you.” Once he had the money and he had slipped it in his pocket I took a deep breath. He couldn’t know that I had heard what a ‘self-centered, manipulative, moocher’ I was all my life so it was a sensitive topic for me.

“It’s okay.” I stood up and faced Cora and Joey who had watched the exchange quietly. “Thank you for joining us tonight and making this dinner so much fun. We’ll see you in the morning Cora, and you at the park later Joey. Good night Daniel, it was nice meeting you as well.” I stuck my hand out for him to shake which he did, his warm hand engulfing mine. He had a warm glint in his eyes as he looked up at me.

“I will be seeing you tomorrow as well Kathryn. I want to see these skills Tyler supposedly has.” I couldn’t keep the surprise from my face but I nodded before reclaiming my hand from his then collecting my tired kids. Before we left the restaurant I chanced looking back and saw his sapphire eyes watching us. I ducked my head and followed the kids outside to hail a cab. We were all too tired to walk back to the hotel. I was in so much trouble the man I had been dreaming about for so long was showing interest where no man had shown it before.  Was I ready for that?

(Kathryn)

The next day I was awoken early by the shrill ring of my cell phone. I rolled over and glanced at the screen, grimacing when I saw who it was. Sighing, I sat up and answered, I knew that I shouldn’t but I just wanted the ordeal over with.

“Kathryn. Our conversation from yesterday was not over.”

“Yes mother. “

“I do not understand why you can fly to Paris and to Ireland, back and forth to LA and New York but you can’t stop for two days in Colorado. You never come home! Your sister had surgery this morning, and you didn’t even pick the phone up to call her, see how she was doing.” I put the phone down on the sheets next to me. Crystal Scott could talk for an hour without any response from me. I got up, moved to the bathroom brushing my teeth and running a brush through my wavy auburn hair, padding to the suitcases at the end of the bed, listening only to make sure she was still going and wasn’t waiting for a response from me. I quickly changed my flannel pajama pants and tank top into a pair of black slacks and a red sweater, feeling comfortable but professional keeping in mind we were going to the park after the morning meetings. Once I was feeling more put together and human I picked up the phone again.

“Your father and I have discussed this several times and he is as disgusted by your behavior as I am.” That was always a shot that hit its mark, just the way Crystal wanted it to. No matter how confident I was feeling, no matter how many walls or what protection I had built against my stepmother, statements like that could tear through all of them and leave me broken. She had been doing it for years and she was a master at it.

“Crystal I am sorry. Once we are done with this campaign in Paris we will make sure we come to Colorado before we head home to New York.”

“What do you mean home to New York? New York isn’t home Kathryn. Colorado is.”

I sighed as this sent Crystal off again. I sat silently, listening to my stepmother railing about how I should have come home after the unfortunate incident with Sean. That unfortunate incident was the death of my husband, Sean Matthew James, the love of my life and the rock that kept me steady. He had gone to war and had never come home. There hadn’t been anything to bury, so me and the kids had planted a tree, burying his dog tags at the base as a memorial, placing a small bench and plaque by it so once it was large enough people could sit underneath and enjoy its shade, read the inscription and know the tree that was offering them shelter was because of a man who was loved so much that his family wanted something to live in his memory. My father had called me but they hadn’t come out to help since my real mother had. He thought it would be too awkward. It was always too awkward because Crystal just couldn’t get over the fact that my father had been married before her, even though she had been married before too.

The knock on the door pulled me out of my reverie, giving me something to do while I continued to tune out Crystal’s voice. Lily stood on the other side of the door.

“I forgot to pack toothpaste. Do you have any?” I went back to the suitcase, taking out the extra toothpaste I had packed, knowing one of the kids would forget. She grinned and kissed me on the check then rushed across the small sitting room of our suite to her own room. Thinking I might as well get Tyler up so we could go get breakfast I walked to his door and knocked. I put the cell phone against my shoulder, hopefully blocking out my voice so Crystal didn’t realize I really wasn’t listening.

“Get moving Tyler. You don’t want me to send your sister in there.” I heard a muffled curse that made me grin. Then put the phone back up to my ear. “Look mother I would love to finish this conversation but I need to get the kids up and moving so we can grab breakfast before their morning meeting.”

“See that is more important than your family, their morning meeting. That is what I am talking about Kathryn! If it doesn’t affect your life in your little Kathryn bubble it doesn’t concern you at all. I am so tired of making excuses for your selfish attitude with everyone.” I rolled my eyes. I had heard this so many times it was almost like it was a recording.

“I am not saying it is more important mother. It is a bit more pressing right now though. The kids worked very hard to be accepted into this program. It is important to them. Your grandkids shouldn’t be punished because I can’t come home when you want me to.” This seemed to appease my stepmother because she allowed me to finally get off the phone without any more insults. I heaved a deep sigh, rubbing my forehead and the slight ache that was constantly present, just more so after a phone call from Crystal.

“Hey momma, you okay?” I glanced over into the still sleepy but worried eyes of my oldest child. His hair was mussed from sleep but he was dressed in a pair of khaki carpenter pants and a blue sweater. He was so handsome that it made my heart ache sometimes looking at him. He looked more and more like his father the older he got. He had lost his boyish, lanky build for a more filled out manly form. He ran a lot; I think it helped him relax, so he was fit and healthy. He was never interested in bulking up too much, for the most part he did his modeling with his sister so was fully clothed. Only once in a while did I allow a half open shirt so bulking up wasn’t a priority for him for that reason, but he took care of his body. Making sure he was strong enough to take care of his sister and I no matter what.

“Momma?”

“Tyler, sweetie, I am fine. Just a wakeup call from your grandma instead of my alarm this morning, threw off my routine a little.” I have never told my kids the harshness of my relationship with Crystal; she was their grandma no matter what. They both had an idea though. There wasn’t much I could hide from either one anymore, Tyler especially. He had seen me at my worst, lifted me up when I needed it, held my hand and been the best son anyone could ever ask for.

“Aren’t you going to brush your hair?” We turned to where Lily stood. She was wearing a pair of dark blue jeans with a pink silk tank and dark grey blazer. Her hair was left down around her shoulders. She had left her face bare of cosmetics, she and I both preferred except some light pink lip-gloss. I smiled at her. She was the sunshine in our lives, always bringing light into those moments we thought we would be lost in darkness.

“Leave my hair alone brat. The women love it.” Tyler ran a hand through his hair, which was his normal comb and moved to grab his sister. She squealed and ran to the other side of the room.

“Do not touch me Tyler! Mom!!” I sighed, went to the small fridge, and grabbed a bottle of water and the small black bag on top. I opened it, grabbing one of the bottles, shaking two pills out and taking them quickly with the water. I stood silently for a minute, listening to my children arguing and fussing with each other in the background.

“Wait. What did you just take mom?”

All activity stopped in the room as they waited for the answer.

“It was just ibuprofen Lily. We are fine. But let’s go so we have time to eat breakfast before going to Cora’s.” I took the small bag, throwing it in my large purse. Knowing I would need it again before the day was done.

Our hotel was only a few blocks from Cora’s so we chose to walk. Enjoying the warmth and the smell of patisseries in the air. We stopped in a small café to grab a few croissants with jam. Tyler enjoyed some cappuccino while Lily and I stuck with orange juice and water. We watched the street as we ate, enjoying the different people walking by and the sound of the French language flowing around us even though none of us had any clue what they were saying. When we were done with breakfast we hurried the rest of the way to the building where Cora’s fashion empire was.

It was a sleek modern grey building that still somehow fit into the older buildings around it. As soon as they walked through the front doors security welcomed them warmly. They were set up with passes and directed towards the elevators with instructions to head to the third floor. When they stepped out a receptionist was seated at a glass desk opposite the elevator, she glanced up when the doors opened and smiled. She was a pretty brunette, her hair was pulled back into a smart bun at the back of her head, and she wore black cat eyeglasses. She was wearing a simple black pencil skirt and white blouse but she looked very comfortable and very pretty. She stood up to welcome us.

“Ms. James, Lily and Tyler I presume?” Her voice carried a slight French accent but her English was very precise. We all nodded and she led us down a small hallway to the only office we could see on this floor. “Mrs. Walker has been expecting you.”

She opened the door to a room that was surprising in its warmth after the cold white and glass of the entryway. Cora sat behind a large mahogany desk in a desk chair upholstered in a fabric that had deep red, black, and white in a spiraling pattern. Her walls were painted a deep red, almost burgundy and had black and white photographs beautifully displayed. I recognized most of them as Cora’s husband Joey’s work. It was a beautiful office. Cora was on the phone when we came in but she gestured for us to come in and take a seat on the black sofa against the wall.

“Yes Joey… I won’t leave without them! I will remind them they promised… Yes my love, don’t worry… Okay I will see you again in just a few hours… I love you too.” She finally hung up, laughed then came to sit on a red chair that sat near the black couch we were sitting on. “Sorry about that, Joey wanted to make sure you were all still planning on joining us at the park later and weren’t going to cry off. He is excited to actually have someone who knows what they are doing. He was worried he was really going to be stuck with Daniel teaching Jamie. And that would have been a disaster.”

She laughed again and we all smiled at her. She was such a sweet woman, so warm and inviting. Of all the Parisian fashion empires I was beginning to feel thankful Lily’s heart had been set on this particular one.

“Okay now, down to business so we can get to the park and actually have fun. Did your lawyer get a chance to go over everything?” I pulled my binder out of my bag and set it on the low table between Cora and me. I pulled out the contract and other paperwork I had sent to Alex yesterday.

“Yes he went over everything and said there was nothing else we needed to add to it since you already added some of the things we normally have to.”

“You mean the no nudity or too provocative clause?”

I raised my eyes to hers and nodded.

She smiled. “Like I said when I saw your kids in my pile of applicants I wanted them. I do my research Ms. James. You have a reputation.” When she saw my face fall she rushed to reassure me. “No, no, it’s a good thing. You protect your children. For the most part I have that for anyone under the age of 18 anyway but I know you wanted that as part of Tyler’s as well. It wasn’t a problem to add it. Although there are a few pieces that would look better half open, and he has the chest for that, as stated I will make sure they are approved by both you and Tyler before we move ahead with those. “

“That’s fine. For the most part we don’t have a problem with the half open look as long as it isn’t too provocative. He isn’t interested in being a sex symbol.” Cora smiled and agreed. We were then lead to another floor and to a boardroom where Cora’s lawyer was waiting to witness and sign the papers. We signed everything quickly, everyone sighing with relief once it was all done.

“Now, let me show you around a little more. You have seen the business parts of the building. All very boring if you ask me. Let me take you to the top two floors where the real magic happens.” We walked back to the elevators and followed Cora to the next two levels. She was right.

The first floor we stopped at was a flurry of activity led by a woman with bright red hair sticking out all over her hair. This was the sewing and adjustment floor. The designs would come here, get put together by the seamstresses, get tried on by the various models meant to be wearing them for catwalk shows, for print ads, etc., then any adjustments that need to be made are noted, and done by the seamstresses before a final try on, everything was approved by Cora at every step of the process.

It was fun watching the bright interesting colors and people flowing in and out as we stood chatting with the red head that turned out to be Cora’s very efficient assistant Leigh. We took a full tour of the entire floor, Lily’s eyes bright and excited the whole time. Tyler just took it in indulging his sister as always, not noticing or caring that several of the female models gave him appreciative stares as they walked by.

The next floor was where Cora drew her designs. It was open and airy, the ceiling covered with glass, allowing the maximum amount of sunshine down into the space. It had several drafting boards with a stool in the middle. There was an area with a state of the art stereo system, a small kitchen with a fridge and sink, and then an area with bolts of fabric, clothes dummies, and various other embellishments all tidied and organized according to color.

“Leigh keeps the space pretty organized. She keeps me on target for the most part.” Cora laughed, making me smile. “I haven’t been up here for the past few days, but now that I have some new models signed I have new inspiration. I will have so many new ideas I won’t leave this room for a few days. Joey will be driven mad.” Cora laughed again so I knew she was either joking or delighted with that idea.

Lily started asking Cora all kinds of questions so they walked away while Cora answered. They had their heads together talking animatedly at each other like two long lost friends. Two girls from New York who have found themselves in Paris, the other fashion center of the world.