Hampton Manor (15 page)

“Okay, I see him.”

“Is it anybody you recognize?”

“No, I don’t believe so. The sun is reflecting off his windshield, so I can’t get that good a look. I don’t recognize the car either.”

“Well I think I’ll pass him and slow him down some.”

“Do you think that’s a good idea? There’s so much road rage nowadays.”

“Well we’ll soon find out,” he said as he accelerated and cut in front of the car.
 

The driver of the blue coupe recognized Kane’s car and decided that it was prudent to curtail the pursuit. His orders were to avoid personal contact. He took the next exit and phoned in his decision to abort. He was pretty certain that her eventual destination, would be Hampton Industries.

“It looks like he got the idea. It should be okay for you to go on to your office. I’m headed to the Belmonte.”

“If he shows again, please don’t take any unnecessary chances. It may just be a coincidence, anyway.”

“You could be right, but I wouldn’t bet on it. I don’t think he’ll be back, but there is no sense in taking chances.”

“Who would care about where I went?” It didn’t take her long to come up with a name.
It must be Adam.
“Do you think that Adam is having us followed?”

“He’s the obvious culprit. Maybe you shouldn’t go in today. If he’s that desperate, then he’s stepping over the line. Your private life is none of his business.” Now it was Kane’s turn to have the obvious thought.
Or is it? Could they have been lovers before I came along? If so, why hasn’t she told me?
 

“I might as well tell you, because you’ll eventually find out.”

Kane pulled off the road. He switched the phone to his left hand to lessen the interference from the traffic noise.

Miles down the road, Marcia pulled over as well. She looked down at her cell phone as she pondered how to word the next few sentences. They were going to hurt Kane, but she had little choice at this point. She blurted it out, “Adam and I slept together. It happened only twice. It was a mistake. I know that now. I decided a while back not to see him again. I haven‘t had a chance to tell him, but by now he’s probably figured it out for himself. That may be what’s behind this.”

Kane anticipated the admission. He felt guilty for pushing the issue.
Hell
,
I
didn’t even know her then. It
must
be
very
awkward
trying
to
cut
things
off
when
you
have
to
work
with
the
guy
,
especially
when
he’s
the
boss
.
I better cut her some slack.

“Look, I’m sorry. I had no reason to pry, but that would explain why he might be having you followed. He’s got no right to meddle in your personal life. That’s clearly harassment. He could find himself in a lot of trouble.”

“Don’t worry, Kane. If it is Adam behind this, I’ll make him stop. It is time, anyway, for me to be up front with him. If this is any indication of how he handles rejection, it can’t be soon enough.” She hesitated before asking, “Now that you know everything, is your offer still good?”

“Are you kidding? How soon can you get away from that place?”

“I’ll put in my two weeks’ notice as soon as I get to the office. I think he has an appointment out of town this morning, but I’ll hand him my resignation as soon as he gets back. With any luck, he’ll get pissed and send me packing right away, too. I know that’s a bit much to expect, but I can dream can’t I?

“Look, I’m having lunch with my mother. Call me on my cell as soon as you know anything. If he gives you a hard time, call me.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’ll be okay. Say hello to your mother for me. I can’t wait to meet her. She sounds like such a neat lady.”

“She is. I know you two will hit it off.”

“I‘ll call you as soon as I know anything. I Love you.”

“I love you too. Later!”

Chapter 21

Kane arrived at noon on the dot. Evelyn’s mansion is in the historic section of Old Brooking two blocks from the knoll that Hampton Manor is built on. Her three children were raised in the house. Kane had fond childhood memories, with a with a few minor exceptions, namely his two sisters, Melanie and Bridget. As an adult he felt genuine affection for them, but it took him until the age of eleven to rise above the tyranny of the two as they conspired daily to make his life a living hell, as sisters often do. It all changed one day when he finally reached his limit and decked Melanie with a right cross to the jaw and after that they never bothered him again. Evelyn went through the motions of admonishing Kane, at the time, giving him a stern lecture about never hitting women, but deep inside she knew that Melanie had gotten what she deserved.

They settled down in the Florida room. It was tastefully decorated with colored wicker and bamboo furniture. Kane sat at one end of a wicker sofa with floral patterned overstuffed cushions, his mother at the other end. They agreed on Thai food which would be delivered within the next half-hour. He looked around the room at the dozens of picture frames, mostly holding pictures of his two nieces and two nephews over a span of a half-dozen years. There were a few of him from his college days; nothing more recent.

“Gosh, those kids are sure growing up fast.”

“Yes they are. Much too fast! Both Jason and Colby are starting to sass me back when I correct them. By the time they grow out of it, the other two will start up. I love being with those kids but I’m always relieved when they go home.”

“Methinks you protest too much,” he said, watching to see how she would respond.”

True to form his mother smiled and said, “You’re right. I really do enjoy having them around. They make this old spirit feel young again.”

While they waited for the food to be delivered, Evelyn poured two glasses of Riesling. Kane was pleased with her choice of the wine.

“Here’s to you and your young lady. What was her name again?”

“Marcia.”

“Okay, here’s to you and Marcia. May you both find the happiness you so richly deserve.”

They clinked their glasses and took a sip of the wine.

“This Riesling is a delightful white wine,” he said.

“I’m glad you like it. I started drinking it at the Club about a month ago. It’s very mellow. Now, tell me about your date last night.”

Before he could begin telling her, the food arrived. During the next half hour they dined in silence on the Pad Thai Tofu noodles, Thai prawns covered with a seasoned pineapple sauce and Thai stir fried vegetables. When the last noodle disappeared from Kane’s plate he sat back with his glass of wine and filled her in on his date.

“Then this morning, while we were on the road, I spotted a blue car following Marcia. He stayed with her, making every turn, for about fifteen minutes. Finally I got in front of him. I’m sure he recognized my car and we made eye contact for a brief moment. I guess he decided that it was wise to back off, because he got off at the next exit.
 

“You think Adam Hampton was behind it, don’t you?”

“I don‘t just think it, I know. Who else would care?”

“That seems a bit over-controlling, don’t you think?”

“Well, there is more to it. It turns out that Marcia had a couple of dates with him.”

Evelyn got silent. The look on her face mirrored her disapproval. “It wasn’t very smart for her to get involved with her boss, especially Adam Hampton.”

“She knows that, now. It was only two dates and she decided to end the relationship a while back.”

“Around the time you came on the scene,” she astutely observed.

He smiled as he replied, “I do have that powerful animal magnetism. I think I got that from you, but actually she says she decided before I made the scene.”

“This is no laughing matter. You’re messing with a very dangerous man. I warned you about that family when you first told me that you would be working with them. You should never have agreed to such an arrangement. You weren’t obligated in any way. You should have just walked away from the company.”

“I know, mother, but I felt duty bound to look after my employees and some of our vendors. They’ve been with us a long time. I know many of them personally. I’ve visited with them and met their families. Besides, I never would have met Marcia if I hadn’t stayed.”

“I’ll give you that, but I’m also a firm believer that if it was meant to be, it would have happened, somehow.”

“Perhaps! Right now I just want for us to get far away from Hampton Industries as quickly as possible.” He set his cell phone down on the cocktail table. “I asked Marcia to call as soon as she turns in her resignation to Hampton. She’s giving him two weeks’ notice.”

“Under the circumstances, why doesn’t she just walk out? That’s what I would have done.”

“It’s different with company officers. Vice-Presidents are bound by an unwritten code of conduct and usually by employment contracts. Normally the time frame would be a months’ notice or until a replacement is found. She feels that because of his outrageous behavior she is justified with the two weeks’ notice. Marsha wants to get out of there as soon as she can. Trust me.”

“That’s fine for her, but what kind of code does that man live by?”

“That’s beside the point. Marcia feels strongly about this. My only hope is that he will act irrationally and fire her on the spot. I’m keeping my fingers crossed.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“So, in the meantime, what have you been up to, mother? I haven’t seen your name in the gossip columns in a long time. Are you deliberately keeping a low profile on the social front?”

“Not everything I do makes the papers, you know, but if you’re really asking if I’m seeing anyone since I got rid of Donald? No, I’m not. I think four husbands is my limit. I’m getting too old for this romance stuff. It’s the big seven-oh coming up for me this year, you know.”

“You don’t have to marry them to enjoy their company. There must dozens of seniors who would enjoy being in the company of a sophisticated lady, such as yourself.”

“What would I want with a senior? If I took up with anyone, he’d be a young buck. I’ve still got a lot of life left in me yet, you know.”

He laughed. “Mom, you never change. On a related subject, Marcia was asking me about my family and she found it strange that I didn’t know anything about my father. It got me to thinking. I’ve got plenty of time now. I’m thinking about putting out a trace on Peter Masterson. I may actually meet up with him. I’m curious as to why he would leave you when you were carrying me. I want to see for myself what kind of a man would do that? I’d like him to tell me the truth, to my face.”

Evelyn turned ashen. Her voice was faint as she asked, “Why would you go and do that now, after all these years? Obviously, that man never cared about you.”

“Perhaps so, but suddenly there is something that I feel inside that is urging me to find out about him. I’m about to make a major commitment in my life. I’d like to clear up that one question before I do. Besides, what’s the harm? If I find him, he may even refuse to talk to me. What can you tell me about him?”

Evelyn didn’t answer him; she couldn’t. Tears began pouring down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. She started sobbing and averted Kane’s gaze. “I don’t want you to speak with Peter.”

“Why on earth, not?”

“There’s nothing to be gained by dredging things up” Evelyn’s tears turned to sobs.

He slid across the sofa and took her in his arms. He said nothing. He simply held his mother, patting her gently on the back, determined to wait her out. Minutes passed before Evelyn’s sobbing quelled. She sat back against the cushions, her eyes unfocused, as she gathered her thoughts.

She spoke softly. Kane had to strain to make out the words. “I hoped and prayed that this day would never come. Kane, Peter Masterson is not your biological father. Peter and I had a marriage in name only. I had an affair with a married man and got pregnant. We both knew Peter wasn’t the father. The day after he found out about you he disappeared and I have never heard from him again. When you were born the hospital assumed, from the forms that I had to fill out, that Peter was the father. That is how you became a Masterson. Everything else I’ve told you about your father has been a lie.”

Kane sat quietly, in disbelief. Eventually he asked, “How could you deceive me all these years? I had the right to know the truth.”

“Well, now that you know the truth, does it really change anything? Are you any better off? Your sisters are still your sisters and I’m still your mother.”

“Yes you are, but right now, I’m very angry with you. I know that I rarely asked you about him. It wasn’t because I didn’t care, that I didn’t miss doing all the things that sons do with their fathers, because I did.” He looked directly into his mothers eyes as he said, “I didn’t ask because I didn’t want to remind you that he ran off because you were pregnant with me. I felt responsible. When I got older, I didn’t ask because I was too wrapped up in myself to really give a damn. I want to change that now. I don’t want to start a new life when my old one is incomplete.”