A Solitary Romance: Book 1 in the Only Love Series (14 page)

"It certainly isn't," she purred, planting a kiss on his lips meant to distract him from any thoughts regarding his troublesome employee.

Chapter 10
-New Relationships-

Katrina passed on brunch the next day, insisting that James keep his plans with Kiki.  She moped around her apartment, sensing something between loss and depression.  A night's sleep brought clarity to her situation.  Her feelings had become dependent on Robert's behavior towards her.  For whatever reason, the man felt comfortable enough to let his hair down with her, on occasion, and she'd misinterpreted his actions.  He had a gorgeous girlfriend with whom she could never compete.  Reality had its liberating side, and as she came to terms with her emotions, she cut loose any remaining hopes she'd harbored about
the
man of her dreams
.

She made herself a coffee.  That was one good thing she could credit him with.  She could now use her caffeine machine!  Mug in hand, she plunked down in front of her computer and let her fingers do the talking.  The words for the blog poured out of her like a newly uncapped well.  In fact, they gushed out.  Knowing that Barry would be reading her article, she kept a lid on the details, but the gist of it involved growing up, being good to oneself—preferably with jewelry or a vintage Dior gown from a consignment shop owned by a Russian—and moving on with the God-given opportunities provided.  She hit the
save
button just as James returned, her friend in tow.

"Hey, you two!" Kate tried to sound chipper.

"I was worried when you didn't show for breakfast.  Are you okay, Girl?"  Kiki's concern showed on her face.

"I'm just a little tired.  How was the restaurant?"

"It was great, Kate.  You should have joined us.  I'm going to take Kiki there for dinner next weekend, but you're not invited then," James said with a laugh.

"Oh, that's nice," she replied without emotion.

James and Kiki exchanged worried glances.

"Say, you haven't had any more of those spells Dad got so riled up about, have you, Sis?"

"No, well—"

"What about the other day at Barstow's, Kate?  You didn't look so good then," Kiki interrupted.

"What?"  James drew up, serious now, and the hard glint in his eye meant there would be no putting him off.

"I did feel a little woozy, like I might lose my balance or faint, I guess.  I'm sure it's nothing."

James placed a hand on his sister's forearm and said, "We can't take any chances after what happened to Mom.  If you don't go see a specialist, I'll have to tell Pops.  I'm sure you'd rather do things this way than worry him unnecessarily."  Her brother's gentle tone hid his iron will and Katrina knew she'd have to oblige him.

"All right.  I'll call Cedars tomorrow."

"Good girl, Katrina," Jim said with a lighthearted manner he assumed to keep his sister from worrying too much.  He was concerned enough for both of them.  Her brother slapped her on the back—a little harder than necessary—grinned at both girls, and added, "I'm going to gather my stuff and get going," before trotting into the bedroom.

"I'm worried, Kate," she said, reaching for her hand and giving it a squeeze. 

"Try not to.  They'll just put me through torture, then tell me there's nothing wrong."

Kiki managed a faint smile.

"Hey! What was all that between you and Robert on the dance floor last night?  He was all over you, Girl!" The Hawaiian's eyes danced with enthusiasm.

"No, he wasn't.  He was all over Giselle, or whatever that imposter's name was." Her voice oozed with the tiniest bit of envy.

"
Girl
, his eyes were eating you up!  He's awful moody, though.  We've always gotten along just fine, but he flipped on me last night, out on the dance floor.  He kept shooting me looks like he disapproved of me, and when I tried to chat or make jokes, he snubbed me!" Kiki whispered, not wanting James to hear their conversation.

"He can be strange that way. I've learned the hard way," Katrina said, her voice trailing off.  "Uh!" she exclaimed as if a thought just occurred to her. "I’m so glad I didn’t go with that red dress we found.  Can you imagine if I had to sit at the table with that long legged
thing
across from me in a similar dress?  It's fortunate you took me to Irina's."

Katrina compared the Robert she knew seven years ago with the man she now worked for.  He no longer flirted with every skirt that passed by, but he seemed sterner, maybe even troubled.  Of course, he'd grown more attractive over the years—definitely not fair how a man's looks could enhance with age without any effort, while most women had to pull every trick in the book to slow Father Time.  Her friend's voice snapped her from her contemplations.

"Oh, you looked magnificent in the pink gown.  And when that singer called everyone's attention to you, I knew you'd just about die!  What did you think about his comments, anyway?"

"What comments?"

"Kate, you're such a daydreamer!  You really didn't hear what he said over the
loud speakers
?

"No, what was it?" Katrina asked, her voice reflecting the growing worry she felt.  If it wasn't one thing, it was another working to humiliate her in front of her peers
and
Robert LaSalla.

"He
said
, 'There she is, everyone, Miss America, the girl who captured my heart!'"  Kiki peeled into a fit of laughter so loud that even James heard.

"What's all the hilarity about?" her brother asked, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder.

He'd changed from a button-down shirt and jeans into his driving attire, and the tight, bright blue T-shirt did nothing to hide his swollen biceps and solid chest.  It did accentuate his blue eyes beyond all reason.  James had his effect on Kiki, who bit her lower lip and blushed.  The Hawaiian had to look away and collect herself before she could continue.

"You missed quite a show, James," the receptionist said, still staring at the floor.  She continued, gradually raising her eyes to meet his. "Before you arrived, we had a band playing.  The lead singer met your sister last year at the same event and bought her a drink at the Polo Lounge after the dance.  When Katrina arrived at the top of the stairs last night, he stopped right in the middle of a song and directed everyone to look her way, calling her
Miss
America
and
the girl who won my heart
!  It was sweet, but a little cheesy."

James beamed his pride over his kid sister, then leaned low and whispered in her ear, "Don't forget about the tests.  I'll be following up with you."

"I won't, Jim.  I'll call you when I get an appointment."

"Good.  Kiki, I'd like you to walk me out so we can finalize our plans for next week," James said, as if directing a military maneuver.  Kiki wouldn't be able to decline if she'd wanted.

* * * * *

Katrina called Cedars-Sinai as promised, but the specialist didn't have an opening for six weeks.  She relayed the information to her brother and swore him to secrecy.  She'd see the doctor when he became available.  Long before then, Jim would be overseas.  She reassured him that the hospital would have squeezed her in sooner if her symptoms had indicated anything serious.  He seemed placated but demanded a full report after her exams.

She kept her head down at work and avoided contact with her boss, which was not difficult.  He never walked by her office anymore, and she guessed he'd ceased coming to work early.  Kiki still had to deal with the man on a daily basis, and she reported that he remained curt with her.

Kate suspected that her brother visited Los Angeles more often than he let on by the fact that Kiki made herself scarce on weekends.  He didn’t keep his sister informed, but that was all right with her.  She just wanted to see him a few times before he returned to active duty.

Barry and the museum became the high points of each week.  No longer content with only business lunches, the Englishman courted Katrina.  Every few days, he surprised her with something special.  He swept her away to Catalina, an island off California's coast, for the day because the pressure from the upcoming gala became
too much
for them.  Kate had no idea what he was talking about.  She loved every minute of her time working on the exhibit.

The case with cold walls proved too difficult to engineer, and that prompted a night at the opera.  It seemed that condensation was the problem, but Katrina suggested they rig a blower through an air conditioning vent to run at intervals and fan cold air on the container.  Barry deemed it worth a try and got the museum's maintenance crew working on it.

She finally got a trip to the Magic Castle, a night club reserved for magicians and their guests, because of the director.  A patron's employee also moonlighted with a magic act and arranged an entrée for the couple.  Katrina loved how guests moved from room to room, witnessing different performances.  One venue within
the Castle
was so small, it sat only a dozen people.  The semi-circular room had stadium style seating, although everything was plush and done up in red velvets with gold trim.  The entertainer performed card tricks.  He even did one in slow motion, but she still couldn't see his slight of hand.

She discovered that Barry had varied tastes.  One week, he'd take her to see a visiting ballet company, and the next, to a professional hockey game.  Then, they might spend an evening at the Hollywood Bowl before experiencing the zoo a few days later.  He was easy to talk to as well.  Katrina found herself sharing things about her ex-fiancée that she normally kept to herself.  The couple grew closer as the days of their acquaintance melted into weeks, then months.

Barry wanted to meet her father.  She pondered this one Wednesday afternoon in her office behind a closed door.  Work had been slow this summer.  Things did tend to calm down with so many LA movers and shakers retreating to vacation homes or traveling overseas.

A knock on her door startled Kate from her thoughts.

"Come in," she called.

Kiki poked her head inside the office.

"The firm's Dodger tickets are up for grabs tomorrow.  Do you think you and Barry might like to go?" the receptionist asked.

Kiki had been down in the dumps since James left for duty overseas.   She'd confided to Katrina that she grappled with dating a man in the military, and things hadn't gone so well by the time her brother shipped out.

"No, I'm afraid I have my tests tomorrow afternoon at Cedars.  Barry is going to take me.  Isn't that sweet?"

The receptionist plopped down in a chair facing her friend's desk and searched her face for a clue of her true feelings for the Brit.  She came up empty.

"Yes, I'd say he was very sweet.  Sweet isn't always enough, Katrina."

Kate blinked at the receptionist.  She could see that something troubled her.

"I know, Kiki, but neither is passion.  Passion burns itself out over time.  Barry and I are building something real together, and I'm happier than I've been in years.  But I don't want you to worry.  I won't make any irreversible decisions until I'm sure he's the one."

The memory of Rod and his cheerleader flashed across her mind.  Her ex-fiancée dumped the girl after their liaison.  He acted as if she didn't exist whenever their paths crossed on campus, according to Katrina's friends.

Kiki let out an exaggerated sigh of relief, blowing the bangs off her forehead.  She grinned.

"I'm glad to hear that, Girl.  Sure you don't want the baseball tickets?"

"I'm sure, but thanks for thinking of us."

The firm had box seats with every professional sports team in LA, plus symphony and special event tickets.  William Dodd used them to entertain clients, but when no one wanted them, the tickets were offered to employees.  She remembered Barry mentioning that Mr. Dodd even got VIP tickets to museum exhibits, since he'd become a mid-level patron.  A Dodger game sounded like fun, but the same box seats would probably be up for grabs again next week, and maybe she'd snag them then.

A few minutes after her friend left, the phone rang.  Morris Greir sounded as though he was in the middle of a panic attack.  He'd tried ringing up Robert but got no answer.  He wanted someone's attention immediately.  Kate tried to calm the man, and finally got to the bottom of the issue.  Daud Industrial had pulled out of the investment deal brokered by the firm without explanation.  She assured Greir that she'd get to the bottom of it and phone him back. 

Once off the call with Morris Greir, she dialed Mike Johnson's number.  He answered on the first ring.

"Hi, Mike.  It's Katrina Crimshaw."

"I've got caller ID, you know, Sweetie."

"I was hoping I could pick your brain about something."  She pressed on, ignoring Mike's comment.

"Hmm, sounds painful, but all right," he teased.

"I just got a frantic call from Morris Greir.  It appears that Daud abandoned their deal."

"That's news to me.  I wonder what happened."

"I don't know, Mike, but I've got some medical tests coming up that will take me out of the office tomorrow, so I'd really like to make some headway this afternoon on this."

"Are you okay, Kat?" he asked, worry apparent in his voice.

"Most likely, yes.  But I've got a brother and a father who worry, and so I've got to deal with it.  Anyway, what are the chances you could get some information from your contact?  I'd be forever in your debt."  Kate held her breath, hoping Mike could come through for her again.

After a short pause, he said, "The chances are good.  Give me a couple of hours and meet me in the reference library.  I planned to head over there this afternoon anyway."

"Thank you, Mike.  I'll see you at three thirty, then?"

"Sounds good."

Katrina hung up and phoned Barry to cancel their dinner date.  She explained that she had an emergency at the office that she must face before missing work the next day.  He took the news in stride and confirmed that he'd pick her up at ten in the morning.  The director admonished her not to work too hard and signed off.