Ready To Love Again (38 page)

“Crystal.”

Katie slammed her finger on the button to end the call with a satisfied smile, then dialed Victor’s cell. When he didn’t answer, she dialed his office.

“Kelly and Rodriguez Construction, Steven speaking.”

“Steven, it’s Katie.” She breathed a sigh of relief that her oldest brother had been the one to answer the phone.

“Sis! How’s California?”

“It’s fine. I’m sorry, I don’t have much time to talk. I need to leave for work in a minute, but I need to speak to Victor.”

“Hang on—he’s with a client.”

“Steven, if you love me at all, you’ll get him on the phone now.”

The business phone rang in the background.

“Let me put you on hold for a sec,” he said.

“No! It might be Elena, and I need to talk to Victor before she does,” she said before he could put her on hold.

“Don’t worry. If it’s that witch, I’ll tell her he’s busy. Hang on.”

Okay, he’s now my favorite brother.

“Hello?” Victor’s deep voice reverberated down the line.

“Victor, I’m getting on a plane to pick up Shawn,” she said in the no-nonsense tone he knew not to mess with.

“What? Why?”

“How much time have you spent with him in the last four weeks?”

“Well, I have to work, and he and Elena are getting along fine. They do stuff togeth—”

“He doesn’t care about Elena. He wants to see his father, and you’ve left him with a woman he barely knows.”

“Now, Katie,” Victor said, “Elena loves Shawn and would do anything for him.”

“Just shut up,” Katie said, her temper snapping. “Shawn called me crying this morning and wants to come home because he hasn’t seen you. I didn’t send him there to get cozy with your girlfriend. Either you take the time off and spend it with your son, or I am flying there to get him.”

For several minutes, the only sound on the line was Victor’s even breathing. “I’ll see what I can do,” he said.

“I’ll call you when I get off work to make sure you’ve followed through.”

Her hands shook when she hung up. There was nothing worse than hearing your baby almost a thousand miles away, wanting you, and not being able to do anything about it. Katie considered calling Amelia and hopping on a flight right then, but a breach of their visitation agreement might be used against her to get custody changed.

Two more weeks.
 She could hold on for two more weeks.

~*~

Victor took vacation time and spent the remaining two weeks with his son. The next time Shawn called, he was a different child. He enjoyed the time spent with his father and asked if he could stay longer. To Katie’s relief, Victor had bought a nonrefundable ticket. She didn’t think she could handle being separated any longer.

Katie counted down the hours before she could pick up Shawn at the airport. He had assured her several times that he could fly all by himself. The airlines would tag him as a minor flying alone, and the flight attendants would see to any of his needs. This gave her some comfort, but she wouldn’t be able to relax until she saw his sweet face.

Back when she and Victor had come to an agreement about visitation, she had been naïve enough to think she would enjoy having some time to herself. She’d even thought maybe she would take up a hobby. Little had she known how hard the separation from her son would be.

Katie still had a few hours before Shawn landed, so she plopped down in her office chair and delved into the paperwork that had accumulated on her desk. She had thrown herself into her work as a distraction from the loneliness, and management was more than happy to give her time off to avoid paying her more overtime. A week of relaxation and time with her son was something she was looking forward to. Gina knocked on her door before poking in her head.

“Do you have some time to spare?”

Katie smiled and waved her in. To her surprise, Liz walked in behind her. “Hey there, what are you guys up to today?”
 

“Liz came in to do the morning rounds with Amelia,” Gina said.

“That should be fun. Amelia has a fun way of feeding the octopuses that I’m sure you’ll love, Liz.”

“Actually, I need to run up to my office and make sure that everything is set for the wedding next week. Amelia won’t start for another half hour, and Liz was asking about the white shark, so I thought, who better than you to answer her questions?”

“Sure, I’d love to give you the scoop on her,” Katie said, turning back to Liz.
 

She looked up with a bashful smile, and Katie was relieved to see that her aloof attitude was just shyness. Gina gave Liz a small hug before leaving the two of them alone.

“So did you have specific questions about the shark?” Katie asked.

“Not really.” Liz looked down at her shoes again. “Maybe you can just tell me whatever you want to.”

Katie chuckled. “That could take a while, because I love to talk about her.”

She turned to lead the way to the Outer Bay tank when Liz again surprised her by cautiously slipping her hand in hers. Katie smiled down at their intertwined fingers and tried not to make a big deal of it while she talked about the white shark’s feeding habits and what kind of environment she preferred. They discussed how hard it was to transition the shark to captivity and some of the problems they had while training her how to feed. They also talked about her impending release.

“She doesn’t seem so scary now.” Liz gave Katie a heartwarming smile, and even though Katie knew she looked like her mother, she saw Chase reflected in her expression. It was genuine, and Katie realized that she wasn’t putting on an act to be nice—Liz wanted to be there. They walked back to Katie’s office in silence, a newfound friendship growing between them.

“Katie?” Liz asked as Katie opened the door for Liz.

“Hmm?”

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking down at her shoes. Liz appeared so dejected that Katie wanted to wrap her arms around her. “I shouldn’t have been so mean to you. Dad told me you wanted to be my friend, but I wouldn’t listen.” A small tear ran down her cheek before she swiped it away. Her head came up, and she looked at Katie with pleading eyes. “I didn’t mean all those things I said about you and Shawn.”

When Katie smiled, Liz’s arms slid around her waist and squeezed her in a tight hug. Katie held the girl’s small body while she cried. For the first time, Katie felt that her decision to leave Chase had been the right one. No matter how much loneliness she had suffered, seeing the change in Liz almost made it worth it.

“You need to talk to Dad. He misses you,” Liz said with a determined tone when she stepped away from Katie.

“I talk to your father.”

Liz shook her head. “You need to get back together. He tries really hard to make us happy, but I can see how sad he is when you’re not around. Tony and I miss you, too.”

A small cough came from the doorway, and Katie looked up to see Gina. “Amelia’s ready to start the morning rounds. Are you ready?”

Liz nodded, and Katie leaned down to speak in her ear. “Thank you. You were very brave to apologize, and I appreciate it,” she whispered so only Liz could hear. Liz nodded again and turned to kiss Katie’s cheek before she walked over to Gina and took her hand.

The grin on Gina’s face when she walked out of Katie’s office could have lit up the Point Pinos Lighthouse.

~*~

Buddy had been thrilled to see Shawn and ended up sleeping on his bed. The morning came early, and by ten o’clock, they had packed up the ice chest and all the beach gear and headed into Pacific Grove for the Feast of Lanterns. Shawn wasn’t happy about leaving Buddy behind, but Katie didn’t want the hassle of a large dog on a cramped beach.

Katie was surprised that most of the beach was already taken up with blankets so early in the day, but they found a cozy spot and set up their little space in the sand. She loved Lovers Point Beach because it sat in a little nook in the corner of the bay. Due to the pier and a barrier of rocks, the waves gently lapped at the beach, making it safe for swimmers. Shawn played in the water until his toes turned blue, and then ended up back on the sand, sharing his toys with the other children waiting for the show.

Katie spent the afternoon reading the latest bestselling mystery while keeping an eye on her mischievous child. A belly dance group performed, and Katie stifled a giggle when a few of the dads surrounding her on the beach took interest in the half-naked girls dancing provocatively on the pier. The constant switch in entertainment helped with the tedium of waiting for the evening performance.

“Mom, can I pleeeeease have a slushy?” Shawn asked, turning up the charm and giving her his puppy dog eyes. How could she say no? He took her hand, and they maneuvered around the sunbathers until they reached a little food shack overlooking the beach.

“If you get a slushy, then I get a kiss.”

He grimaced but reached up and pulled her down to peck her cheek with lightning speed. She had to get them when she could. Ruffling his hair, she got their hot dogs and slushies, and they turned back to make their way through the throng of people.

“Katie?” She stopped at the sound of her name, goose bumps rising along her arms.

“Shawn!” There was no way to mistake Tony’s excited voice.

They both turned and saw Chase with Liz and Tony. Katie’s eyes raked over Chase. He had on a blue polo shirt and pair of khaki cargo shorts, and his strong legs and arms were tanned to a golden brown. She let out a long sigh at how sexy he looked in casual clothes. Shawn jumped up and down at seeing his friend. The boys lost no time in telling one another about their summer adventures.

“How are you?” Chase asked while one of his hands went to the back of his head and scratched.

“I’m good. Are you guys here to watch the show?” Katie wanted to smack her own forehead with the palm of her hand.
Of course they’re there for the show. Who else would be crazy enough to venture into a mass of people just to go to the beach?

He chuckled. “Yeah, the kids love to watch the fireworks afterward.”

“Have you set up a spot yet?” she asked, hoping they hadn’t. “If not, you’re more than welcome to sit with us.”

“We’re on the boat!” Tony said.
 

Katie looked out over the bay and noticed several sailboats anchored close enough to the pier to see the show when it began.

“Dad, can Katie and Shawn come with us on the boat?” Liz asked.
 

Chase looked down at her and seemed surprised at her question, but he nodded. He looked back at Katie, and his blue eyes twinkled.

“Yes, yes, please, Katie. Come with us on the boat,” Tony begged. He and Shawn both turned their pleading eyes to her.

She glanced at Chase, and he gave her a lopsided grin, rendering her speechless.
 

“What do you say, Katie? Would you and Shawn like to join us on the boat for the show and fireworks?”

Katie felt her heart flutter at the mention of the boat. She didn’t think she could ever look at a sailboat again without remembering the first time they’d made love.
 

“Yeah, that sounds like fun.”

“Yes!” Tony and Shawn pumped their fists in the air.

“Well, the kids wanted to get an ice cream, and then we can head out,” Chase said, motioning toward the snack bar.

Shawn and Katie packed up their beach gear and lugged it back to the car. They met Chase and his kids in front of a little dinghy sitting on the beach. Katie looked at it with trepidation when Liz, Shawn, and Tony jumped into the small boat and it rocked precariously back and forth. Chase smiled and pushed it off the shore.

Katie had to take her flip-flops off and wade into the cold water to get in. She couldn’t understand how
 
Shawn had played in the frigid water for hours.
 
Chase took her hand and helped her step into the boat, and she clutched on to the sides, hoping it wouldn’t dump them all in. Chase chuckled at her anxiety, and she stuck her tongue out at him for making fun of her. He smiled wider before giving the boat a gentle push and hopping in. Chase stood to pull the ladder down when they reached the sailboat, making Katie gasp and hold on tighter.

“Relax,” he said with a laugh while he helped Liz on board. Chase took each boy by the waist and tossed them onto the deck before he turned to her with a raised brow. “Are you going to sit in the dinghy all night?”

Katie looked up at his outstretched hand and contemplated her options before grumbling about how they had better not end up in the water. Chase pulled her up, mindful of her apprehension, and held her around the waist until she was steady. His strong hands sent a small shiver down her spine that did nothing for her balance. She wobbled, and his grip tightened, making her feel more secure. Katie latched on to the ladder and climbed aboard. When she turned around, Chase stood behind her, close enough she could feel his breath on the back of her neck. Another involuntary shiver ran down her spine.

“Are you cold? I could get you a blanket from below.”

His hands grasped her arms and rubbed them up and down, trying to use friction to warm her up. The combination of his hands and his smooth, baritone voice sent another warm rush through her body.