Remember Love (14 page)

Maybe for once
He’d answer.

"Mommy,
mommy." Timmy’s voice floated into the kitchen and Sharon threw her hands
up. "I might as well go to bed now," she said, grimacing. "Good
luck with Alec."

 Sharon left the
kitchen and Katrina slumped against the sink, still holding the silent phone in
her hand. She hoped he wasn’t angry. What on earth had possessed her to do such
a rude thing? She straightened. Fear. That’s what. The man scared her and
because of that she was reacting with anger. And maybe it had been a bid for
control, a way to show him she didn’t have to talk to him if she didn’t want
to. That she wasn’t his dog, ready to jump when he snapped his fingers.

Her faded blue
pajama bottoms bunched around her feet as she ambled into the living room. She
slouched onto the leather recliner. No matter her reasons, she would apologize
for hanging up on him. But first she needed to calm down.

She closed her
eyes and took a deep breath. Things would be okay.

Brisk rapping
sounded at the door. For a moment she thought about ignoring the sound, but when
it came again, she pushed herself up, set the tea on a side table, and grumbled
her way to the door. The last thing Sharon needed was someone waking up the
other kids. There was no peephole so she made sure the chain engaged before
cracking the door.

Alec stood on the
stoop, hands shoved deep into his pockets, his eyes focused on her.

"What are
you doing here?" She hissed the words out, unwilling to open the door farther.

"Let’s talk."

"I’m not
going to your condo in the middle of the night." Even though he lived
right next door.

He moved so his
nose was inches from hers. "Come out and talk to me, Kitty."

"There’s
nothing to talk about."

"Don’t be
childish. If you won’t come to my place, then I’ll come in."

"The kids
are sleeping."

"If you’re
afraid . . ." His voice trailed off and he moved backwards, as if planning
to leave. She knew he was baiting her but anger clogged her throat anyway.
Unlocking the chain, she swung the door open and stepped onto the stoop. She
inched the door closed so the kids wouldn’t wake up.

Sirens filled the
air, and then faded, replaced by the heavy whoosh of cars passing on the
interstate nearby. A small breeze tugged at her hair. She pushed a curl out of
her eyes.

Beneath the harsh
fluorescent glare of the street light, she saw the banked fire in Alec’s eyes,
the tightly controlled anger. It made her want to scamper right back into the
little condo and huddle beneath her blankets. She squared her shoulders.

Maybe she
would’ve backed down at one time, but not now. It was her store. She had sweat
and begged and poured herself into it, especially after Joey and mother died.
She needed Kat’s Korner.

Period.

She pinned him
with a glare. "What’s so important you couldn’t wait until tomorrow to
discuss it?"

"You hung up
on me."

"You rushed
over here because of that?"

"Why’d you
do it?"

"I don’t
want to argue. It’s my business and I’m not selling. Listening to you nag me on
the phone only makes things worse." She drew a deep breath. "Involving
you was a mistake, a moment of weakness. I don’t want someone else telling me
what to do and how to do it."

Alec stepped
forward and took her hands before she could react. He drew her closer to him,
down the front step, off the sidewalk and onto the lawn. Soft blades of grass
tickled her toes as she allowed herself to be enveloped in the night air.
Alec’s face was only inches away, studying her while his thumbs traced velvety
loops against the tops of her hands. Her breath caught in her throat.

Even now, the
rough planes of his face captured her, the vulnerability in the curve of his
lips entranced her.

Was it possible
God had a purpose for him in her life again? That maybe He hadn’t abandoned her
and had sent Alec to prove it? Her anger faded beneath the onslaught of newer,
more tender emotions.

She couldn’t read
his feelings, he kept them carefully masked, but his actions told her so much
more than an expression ever could.

Looking up, she
waited while the sounds of the freeway buzzed in her ears. A gentle breeze
brushed past them, encircling them in the scent of cool grass and moonlight.

Very softly, he
pressed his lips against her forehead, then bent his head near her ear.

"Marry me,
Kitty."

CHAPTER
THIRTEEN

Alec watched
Katrina’s eyes widen with shock and could’ve kicked himself for letting the
words slip out so soon. This wasn’t part of the plan, not yet at least. He
needed time for her to learn to trust him. And he needed time to get over the
secret of Joey. But the proposal escaped and that was a mistake.

She was going to
say no.

He could feel her
withdrawal before she actually slipped her hands out of his.

The dumpy blue
pajama top swallowed her frame but somehow she seemed to shrink even more. A
guarded look tightened her features. "Did you just propose to me?"

"It’s a good
idea. You’ll be able to keep your store." Desperation prompted him to say
that. He could tell by her face the fact wouldn’t do any good.

Katrina’s head
tilted to the side as she studied him. His heart thumped hard against his
chest.

"Alec,"
her voice faltered and his pulse skipped a beat. She was definitely going to
say no. "Don’t you think we have bigger issues to consider?"

"No."
He didn’t want to consider anything but her back in his life for good. He’d had
his own reasons for coming home, but maybe God was turning them into something better
than he'd expected. 

Her hands
fluttered by her side. "I’m not marrying someone because of a store.
Furthermore, we’re almost strangers to each other."

Cotton sleeves
billowed as her arms moved up to hug her body and he could almost hear her
wishing for her glasses.

"It’s been
ten years but we’re far from strangers." He schooled his features into an
impassive mask, pushing down his disappointment, ignoring the hurt that never
seemed far away.

"We don’t
have anything in common. I really can’t worry about this right now."

"Why worry?
Say yes."

"No."
Katrina looked up at him and without her glasses, her eyes appeared larger,
more silver in the night. "I won’t marry you."

"We’ll
finish this in the morning." He studied her and waited for some kind of
denial. It didn’t come. Sad lines marked her face as she backed up to the door.
She gave him a single nod before turning and going back into the condo.

Alec stood for a
moment and willed his heartbeat to slow down. She didn’t want to be married to
him. But she would. He wasn’t going to let her escape so easily this time.
Maybe she didn’t love him but she still needed him. He could hear it in her
voice. See it in her eyes. Whatever her reasons for saying no, he’d change them
into reasons to say yes.

God had blessed
him with tenacity, and he’d use it for the biggest investment of his life. His
feet slicked through the grass as he strode home, his mind already working out
the details.

*****

The next morning,
Alec phoned his secretary to let her know he’d be late to the office. Then he
headed next door.

When Sharon
answered his knock, the thick aroma of frying bacon that drifted out sent his
senses reeling. When he smelled bacon, he thought of his grandma and wished for
the home he’d never had. She’d died two days after his tenth birthday.

"Are you
coming in?"

Alec mentally
shook himself and stepped into Sharon’s condo. He could hear the laughter
coming from the kitchen and it dried his throat. He followed her down the
short, narrow hallway, noting the lack of pictures on the walls, and then
stepped into the bright kitchen. Bacon and eggs sizzled on the stove while
Sharon’s three children clustered in a circle around someone sitting on the
floor. He knew it was Katrina. Her low, husky chuckle gave her away.

Timmy saw him
first. "Awec." His little body barreled into Alec and, grinning, Alec
scooped him up.

"Hey buddy.
What’re you guys up to?"

"Auntie
Kat’s teachin’ us how to make bacon."

"On the
floor, huh?" He let amusement drift into his voice, enjoying Katrina’s
flushed features as she rose.

"The bacon’s
sending out missiles aimed right at our heads," Paul announced, while
seven year old Julie’s eyes grew wide with excitement.

"She told us
about the invisible shield God gives his followers." Julie beamed,
exposing a gap where her front teeth used to be, and Alec jolted as he
remembered the photo of Joey sitting in Katrina’s kitchen.

"Psalm 39."
Katrina swiped at her jeans and then turned to the stove and scooped bacon onto
a paper towel-covered plate.

"Right."
He swallowed tightly, unwilling to take his eyes off  her.

"Okay, guys."
Sharon clapped her hands briskly and three little heads whipped to attention. "To
the table and then we need to get dressed for the day."

"Mom, do we
have to?" Julie plopped into a chair and pulled away from her mother’s
hands. "After school, can Alec take us to the park again?"

Sharon glanced at
him, a question in her gaze. With great gravity, he leaned down and said into
Julie’s ear, "Meet me at the front door, 1600 sharp, and bring supplies."

"We’ll be
there, sir," Julie said between a mouthful of bacon and eggs.

"Good."
He straightened, smiled at Sharon and then flicked Katrina a look. "Do you
mind coming with me to my condo?"

Before he spun
around and strode out of the kitchen, he caught the thinning of her lips in his
peripheral vision. Last night she’d indicated she would continue their talk. He
had another chance to change her mind and he wouldn’t mess it up.

*****

Katrina gave the
kids a hug and then went next door to Alec’s. She’d spent the night tossing and
turning, wondering what God was doing with her life, asking for answers but not
hearing any. She was pretty sure she loved Alec, but that didn’t mean she could
marry him. Marriage meant trust. Commitment. Something she wasn’t sure she was
ready for.

She stepped up to
Alec’s door and knocked. The sun hadn’t yet risen fully into the sky but the
nearby freeway sounded ripe with cars. The door swung open and, with a tilt of
his head, Alec beckoned her inside.

The atmosphere of
his condo hit her like a splash of cold water to the face. The hall opened into
a spacious living room he’d done nothing with. The walls glowed stark and
white. One couch, a recliner, and a big screen TV. That was it. Alec must have
seen her surprise because he said, "I don’t stay here often," and
then gestured for her to sit. She chose the recliner since it put distance
between them. After his startling and abrupt proposal yesterday, space was
needed.

"Tea?"

She nodded and
waited for him as he went into the kitchen.

Bare. The room
was bare of any kind of personal touch. She shivered.

"This should
warm you up," Alec said as he handed her a small cup, mistaking the tremor
for a physical chill. "No milk, right?"

She accepted it
with a grateful smile. "You paid attention at the office?"

"I notice
everything about you, Katrina."

She sipped too
quickly and coughed when the tea went down wrong. "What do you want?"

His brow arched. "You
sound like you want to fight."

"I don’t."
At his skeptical look, she winced. "Not really. I just don’t appreciate
being treated like your secretary."

She thought she
saw a hint of a smile tugging at Alec’s lips, but couldn’t be sure. He probably
thought ordering her around was funny. She drank a little more tea to hide her
scowl.

"We didn’t
finish our conversation last night," he said.

"I beg to
differ. We did. I’m not marrying you."

"Why?"

Her eyes
narrowed. "I have my reasons."

Alec shifted forward
on the couch so that his elbows rested on black-slacked knees and the gleam in
his eye was decidedly predatory. "Name them."

What was this,
Interrogation 101? "How about love?"

"Ahhh."
He leaned back against the back of the couch, more relaxed now, and Katrina
fought the nervousness making her stomach ache. "It always comes back to
love, doesn’t it?"

"Marriage proposals
tend to do that." Katrina tightened her grip on the coffee mug. It wasn’t
a question of her love, but of his. But she was too chicken to ask him. Or
maybe too prideful. She wondered if he could feel the tension building between
them like a brick wall. His face was a mask again, albeit a calm one. He lifted
his own cup to his lips and for a moment there was only silence. It made her
want to scream. She cleared her throat. "So you’ve been taking the kids to
the park?"

"Only when I
first brought them here."

"It must’ve
meant a lot to them. That was thoughtful."

He made a
noncommittal sound.

"Really. You
make a wonderful male role model." And he kept proving he’d become a good
man. But would he make a good husband? She took another sip of tea, wishing the
caffeine would clear her heart of worry the way it smoothed away her fatigue.

"Is that so?"

She nodded,
conscious of his hawk-like perusal and not liking it one bit. She knew what she
looked like. A big gray sweat-shirt, old Levi’s, and disheveled hair. And not a
speck of make-up on.

"Katrina,"
he leaned forward. "I want to court you."

She squeezed her
lips together so her jaw wouldn’t drop open at the archaic word. "Court?"
she finally managed without choking.

"I’m
absolutely serious. We’ll get to know each other again."

"Alec, are
you okay?"

"I want to
take you to Broadway tonight."

Katrina felt
faint. "I don’t understand."

"What’s not
to understand? Be ready at six and we’ll grab something to eat."

She stared as he
whisked the empty cup from her limp fingers and took it to the kitchen.

Well, why not? It
couldn’t hurt anything. There certainly was nothing wrong with going on a few
dates. So why did she feel so afraid? She pressed her hand against her stomach
and let out a deep sigh.

Broadway. She
couldn’t resist that anymore than she could resist Alec.

*****

"Mr. Munroe?"
Marta’s brisk voice drifted from the office door to where Alec sat immersed in
numbers and contracts.

"What,"
he snapped. Business had picked up suddenly. After three nights of candlelight
dinners, Broadway shows, and wooing a nervous female, Alec had been forced to
stay behind at the office while Katrina traveled home alone, much to his
irritation.

"I have
those papers you requested." She bustled over, steel gray hair pulled
tight against her scalp, and set a folder filled with paperwork on his
overcrowded desk. Stepping back, she placed her hands on ample hips and cut him
a razor-like glare. "You look horrible."

"I’m busy."

"You’re
thinking about that woman, aren’t you?"

"Marta, I
don’t have time for a lecture." He waved toward his desktop.

"I told you
not to go back to that town. Eight years I’ve known you, and not once have I
seen you less than competent."

He raised his
brow. Her tone edged on inappropriate.

"Don’t give
me that look, young man. Now here." She moved forward and slid a sheet of
paper to him. "I’ve scheduled you a vacation of sorts. These are staff who
can take over all but your most important accounts."

Alec took the
paper and without looking at it, set it to the side. "Thank you, Marta,
but that was unnecessary."

"I insist,
Mr. Munroe. What you need is a vacation, perhaps somewhere tropical, where
you’ll forget this whole situation. And remember, you’re a Christian now.
You’re expected to be forgiving."

"What would
a self-professed atheist know about that?" Despite himself, Alec smiled.
Marta, all righteous indignation, figured he’d react like any other man in his
position.

"I know a
bit more about religion than you think, young man." Marta sniffed.

"And what
else have you gleaned from your studies of Christianity?" he asked,
amused.

"I don’t
want to see you fail in being a great man. There’s too many weak-willed silly
nilly Christians out there. If you’re going to embrace a faith, then do it."

"I don’t
fail, Marta."

Her eyebrow
cocked. "You’re human, mister."

"And why
don’t you embrace some kind of faith?"

"I’ve never
met someone who could show me a faith worth having. Except you, of course."
Her forehead wrinkled.

"Of course."
He shuffled the papers on his desk, suddenly aware that his Christianity hadn’t
made a huge impact on his secretary. He steepled his fingers. "I’ll think
about a vacation."

Marta’s wrinkled
frown transformed into a beaming smile. "Good. Here’s the report on that
motor company. Your lunch will be up in ten minutes."

"What’s on
the menu today?"

"Chicken
Gorgonzola." With a self-satisfied smirk, Marta bustled out of the office.
She was a woman who loved to be in control. The door clicked behind her, and
the no-nonsense tap of her heels quickly faded from his hearing.

His gaze roamed
around the office. He’d had it for over five years now, and it was almost as
sparse as the day he’d leased it.

A few awards hung
on the wall, certificates of achievements, a graduation plaque. One large Monet
reprint hung behind his desk. Marta’s taste, not his. A lone leather couch sat
in a corner, the chocolate colored surface still gleaming with the finish of something
brand new.

Sometimes he
wondered if his soul was as stark as his office and condo. After years of
battling overwhelming emptiness, he’d given his life to Christ. Surrendered the
old way of living, the love of money and pleasure, to embrace something new,
something priceless. And he’d been happy. What had happened to change that? Too
much work, maybe. Or his plans to return to Manatee Bay and all they entailed.
Finding out about Joey had stripped the peace from his soul.

Alec pushed away
the uncharacteristic introspection and sorted through the papers on his desk. A
headline caught his eye. He pulled out a computer print-out hiding beneath a
stack of contracts. The date of the high school reunion was scrawled across the
top. It must be from when he’d called Marta that night in his car and asked her
to search for information on Joey.