Chapter 11 #2
“You want me to sketch you a picture?”
“I just want to know if she has changed much since the last time I saw her.”
“I know where you’re going with this. She looks the same; she’s still beautiful.”
“You like her, don’t you? Don’t beat around the bush, tell me the truth.”
“I like her.” I smile to myself, looking down at my hand on the table.
“That explains why her sister was in such a rush to announce an engagement to everyone. I don’t like this.”
“Like what?”
“You know what? I hope you’re not thinking of getting involved with Cat. She’s a nice girl, from what I remember, and you’re friends with her brother. I would hate to see you lose a good friend over this.”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. Chris and I have been friends forever; he’s like a brother to me.”
“Oh, Nicholas. You’re already involved with her, aren’t you? This is not going to end well for anyone, you do know that?”
“I know.”
“Do you care about her? Is she worth ending a friendship to one of your closest friends?”
“Yes, she is.” I know she is.
“Then I won’t say anything else. I love you, and I hope this complicated, monumental, disastrous situation works out the way you want it to.”
“Thanks, Mom,” I say sarcastically. “I love you too.”
“Don’t be a smart ass. I knew one day running around with all these different women would catch up to you.”
“Mom, I don’t introduce you to any of the women I date, so how would you know?”
“I wouldn’t call what you do dating. When you were living here, I thought this was going to turn into a home for teenage girls. They were popping in and out of here like candy in a Pez dispenser. I learned the hard way to knock on your door before I entered.”
One of my eyebrows goes up and the corner of my lip starts to twitch.
I sit back and try not to smile. My mom and I had a lot of arguments when I was a teenager, mainly about the girls that were coming in and out of here.
She wasn’t a strict parent, but she had her limits.
Her limit was two girls coming out of my room at the same time when she came back an hour early.
I got a stern talk that day—so did the girls—and every day after that until I left for college.
“Don’t you give me that look. I know what goes on between a man and a woman, that’s how you got here. I have my ways of finding things out. Your father’s not the only one with eyes and ears in the right places,” she says with a huff. “We need to discuss your other major problem.”
“What problem is that?”
“Your father. Did you tell him about the situation you’ve gotten yourself into?”
“Nope, I don’t care what he thinks. As long as I’m putting money in his pockets and I keep winning high profile cases, he doesn’t care.”
“Sometimes you are so much like your dad, your womanizing ways.”
I stiffen and narrow my eyes at her. “Watch it, Mom.”
“I’m speaking the truth. You try not to be like your father, but you’re well on your way.”
“The only similarities between us is we’re both lawyers and we’re damn good at what we do. When it comes to women, I don’t lie, I don’t cheat, I tell them what it is and what it’s not going to be upfront, so they’re under no illusions.”
“It’s all the same. Merely being with these women gives them the hope of a chance to be with you in a serious relationship.”
“They are with me, they should enjoy the time they get to be with me, because I’m going to enjoy the time I’m with them.”
“Spoken like a true womanizer. Sometimes your honesty is a little too honest. I’m your mother, and I know you have a good heart, and if you say you care about Cat I believe you care about her—but it may not be good enough.
Your father cared about me once, and look how that turned out: an endless stream of women while we were married. ”
“I’m not my father. I would never hurt Cat that way. When she opened the door the day she came back, a feeling I’ve been trying to suppress for years hit me like a punch to the gut. I knew our relationship wasn’t going to be the same. I want to protect her and love her at the same time.”
“I’m happy you finally found a woman who makes you feel this way, it’s a good thing. That’s the only good thing about this mess you’ve gotten yourself into.”
“As much as I love sitting here talking to you about my messed up life, Mom, I have to go.”
She reaches across the table putting her hands on my cheeks. “Sure you do.”
“I have some legal papers for Chris to sign. I told him I would drop them off at his parents’ house.”
“Don’t you have people to do that for you?”
“Yes, but since he told me he was going to be over there tonight, I figured I could drop them off. Plus I need to talk to Cat.”
“Good luck.” She walks me to the door and grabs my cheeks again. “Those eyes are a dangerous weapon.” She smiles and kisses me on my left cheek.
I pull up in front of Cat’s house, step out of the car, and walk up the steps.
I know I said she needed time, but I have to see her.
I keep seeing her face the night she got out of the car, the tears rolling down her cheeks.
I hate the fact that I did that to her. The door opens, and it’s the sister I don’t want to see.
“Hi, Kate.”
“Hi, Nick. What are you doing here?”
“Is Chris here? I have some legal papers for him.”
“No. Is he supposed to meet you here?”
“Yeah, he said he might be running late.”
“Come in. I guess he should be here soon.”
“I need to talk to you anyway; can we go someplace to talk in private?”
“Follow me.”
She takes me upstairs to her father’s office. She sits in his chair behind the desk, and I sit across from her.
“I wasn’t expecting to see you here tonight.”
“Well, I’ll be here a lot now; there was a leak in my apartment. They’re doing renovations, so I’ll be staying here until they’re finished. The dust is not safe for me and the baby.”
She rests her hand on her stomach, sitting back in the chair. She smiles at me like she’s expecting me to say something. I sit back in my chair, smile back, and lay my arms on the armrest folding my hand in front of me. “Is everything all right with the baby?”
“Yes, thank you for asking. Your child is fine.”
“Alleged child.”
“Huh, this again.”
“Yes, this again. I already told you I’m not claiming that child until I know without a doubt it’s mine.”
“Oh, it’s yours all right. You might want it not to be yours, but it is.”
“When’s your next appointment? I’m going to be there.”
“Why?”
“I want to find out as soon as possible whose kid that is. I can’t take your word for it.”
“Fuck you.”
“Been there already, won’t be going there again. When the hell is the appointment, Kate?”
“You can be a real asshole. I can’t believe I slept with you.”
“That makes two of us. When is it?”
“Next week.”
“Text me tomorrow with the time and place. Don’t make me have to call you for it.”
“Whatever.”
I look at her staring daggers at me, well made up and flawless as usual.
She’s pretty to look at, but there’s something iffy underneath it all.
When she smiles, it doesn’t quite reach her eyes, unlike Cat, who is right out there for you to see, nothing hidden.
The only time I ever saw Kate let her guard down and show real emotions is the night we saw each other at the dinner party and when we had sex.
The next morning she almost seemed vulnerable; it was a different side of her.
“There’s one other matter I need to discuss. Why is your mother calling my mother to talk about our nonexistent engagement? I thought I told you to take care of that. Maybe I wasn’t clear enough?”
“I tried to stop her, she wouldn’t take no for an answer. What was I supposed to say?”
“I don’t give a damn what you tell her, make sure she doesn’t make any more calls to anyone else, or I’m going to talk to her. I don’t think you want that.”
“I’ll make sure she doesn’t. Are you happy now?”
“No. I won’t be happy until this whole mess is settled.” We sit in an uncomfortable silence. She puts her hands on the table and stands.
“Are you finished interrogating me? I’m going downstairs.”
“I thought we were having a friendly conversation.”
“Please, you haven’t been friendly to me since the night Cat came home.”
“If you didn’t make your big announcement, we could’ve figured this out quietly, and we would still be on friendly terms. I don’t like to be blindsided, and that’s exactly what you did when you decided to announce to your family that we were engaged.”
“I’m sorry if you felt that way. I didn’t see what the big deal was anyway. You don’t care what people think about you.”
Is she trying to piss me off? I stand up from my chair, take a step toward her, stop myself, and take a deep breath.
“You’re not sorry. Don’t look at me and give me a fake-ass apology I didn’t ask for.
You’re right; I don’t care what most people think.
I think we know who isn’t most people are, and that’s one of the reasons you made your little announcement that night. ”
She knows who I’m talking about. She doesn’t have to say a thing.
Placing her hand on her stomach, she manages to straighten her back even more.
I’m surprised it doesn’t snap as she stands up with her head held high.
I turn around and open the door to go downstairs, holding it open, motioning with a sweep of my hand for her to go first, even though she’s a manipulative bitch.
After we reach downstairs, she sits down on the couch and takes a sip of what looks like ginger ale.
I stand across from her with my hands in my pockets.
She doesn’t look so good. I wonder if it has something to do with the pregnancy.
“You don’t look good.”
“Gee, thanks! What every woman wants to hear.” She rolls her eyes at me and leans back against the cushions.
“I didn’t mean it like that. Are you okay? Are you sure everything’s fine?” As much as I don’t want this baby to be mine, I do want it to be healthy. Whether I’m the father or not.
“I’m fine, just a little queasy. It’s normal, don’t worry about it.”
I nod and then I hear the door open. In walks Chris with a big-ass smile on his face, like a Cheshire cat. “Why the hell are you smiling so hard? You look like you found out you hit it big.” He walks over to me and pats me on the back.
“You can say that. Jay and I had a bet to see which one of us could sell a multi-million-dollar property first. Guess who won?”
I smile back at him and shake my head. “Let me take a wild guess. You.”
“Damn right.”
From the couch Kate raises her head. “What’s the prize?”
“My big-ass commission and a round of beers on him. You coming out with us? Guys’ night out.”
“Definitely. I brought those papers for you to sign; they’re on the table over there.”
“Cool, after I’m finished, we’ll head out.”
“Sure, but first I need to speak to Cat.”
“She’s not here.”
I look at Kate, still leaned back against the cushions. “She’s not home yet?”
“She was, then your cousin came over and they said they were going to some club in the Bronx.”
Chris stops signing and turns around to look at her. “Which part of the Bronx?”
“I don’t know. Some shady-sounding part.”
I stare at her and throw my hands up in the air. “You let them go without finding out where?”
“Yes. I’m not their keeper, they’re adults. They’re free to go wherever they want to go. Cat’s capable of taking care of herself; besides, your big-mouthed of a cousin can help her if she gets into any trouble.”
Chris finishes signing the papers and turns around to stare at her. “You could at least act like you’re a little concerned instead of name calling.”
“Are you kidding me, Chris? I showed plenty of concern when I told them that two women dressed the way they were shouldn’t be out in a part of the Bronx they’re not familiar with.”
I laugh because I can’t see her telling them that. “Did you really?”
Taking her feet off the couch, she stands. “You two can stop looking at me like I’m a rotten apple and kiss my ass!”
“Why are you getting so upset and defensive, Kate? We’re just concerned about them.”
“So what’s new? I don’t see anyone concerned about me when I leave my house,” she mutters under her breath as she stomps up the stairs. “I’m not a fucking babysitter. Next thing you’ll be telling me I have to wipe her ass.”
Chris and I turn to each other when we hear her parting words.
“What the hell is up with your fiancée?”
“How the fuck am I supposed to know?”
“She is your—” The look I shoot him stops him from finishing what he’s going to say.
“Okay, let’s head out to meet up with Jay. I can see you need a drink more than I do.”