Lakeshore Secrets: The McAdams Sisters - Kate McAdams (By The Lake Series Book 1) (6 page)

“It’s nice of you to join us.” Carl had always been nice to the staff, her father included, and treated Marc, his sisters and mother with a respect Mr. Caliendo had been lacking. She wondered how Mr. Caliendo lacked everything humane when his brother had so clearly acquired it.

“It was nice to be invited.”
Oh, what a lie.

“Your grandmother was an amazing lady and not a bad pie baker either,” he teased with a wink. “Her pies will be missed here.”

She smiled at him. “Thank you.”

“How long are you in town for?”

“I leave Friday.”
As long as everything was settled by then,
but she didn’t add that part.

There was some talk before dinner was served. A few more questions were directed at Kate, but all in all everyone was surprisingly respectful of her privacy. They didn’t pry or seem angry she had left Marc all those years ago. She hadn’t been sure what to expect, but even if she had, this was most delightful.

Right after dinner was served and just beginning to cool enough to eat, a delicious plate of Salisbury steak, mashed potato and vegetable with a fancy roll on the side, Izzy and Abby excused themselves. Izzy kissed her mom’s cheek and talked the whole way around the table, not allowing another person the opportunity to get a word in, until they were lost in the crowd.

Were they kidding? Kate’s insides boiled like a witches brew and she wished she could curse her sister straight up to her suite. Since that wasn’t realistic, she forced a friendly smile, rising from her chair. “Excuse me for a quick second.”

She caught Marc’s concerned look but didn’t have time to explain, nor did she want to with a whole table around them.

She stormed with anger out of the pub and caught her sister down the hall.

“Abby!” she called.

Surprisingly, her sister stopped and turned, even against Izzy’s pulling hand. She met her halfway leaving Izzy to find an employee to pass her time in a flirtation manner that had Kate inwardly shaking her head.

“Where are you going?”

“Kate, I just need some space.”

“From me?  From your family?”

“It’s not about you.” She rolled her eyes. “Okay, it’s a little about you.”

“Abby...”

Abby cut her off by pulling her into an unexpected hug.  “Top floor, room 237. I will see you later tonight. I promise.” And just like that she was down the hall and had disappeared with her friend, who had been there more than Kate had in the last few years. Kate had abandoned her, no matter her reasoning at the time and she wondered what it would have been like if she had stayed, if she had just stood up and faced things head on. She would have crashed, that’s what would have happened. She would have had her life ripped out from under her and everyone she loved would have been in jeopardy.

Abby was probably better off with that crazy Caliendo.

Marc wanted to chase Kate out of the pub as she chased her sister, just to make sure everything was alright. It was obvious she was having a family dilemma with Abby, and Izzy was squeezing in where it wasn’t her business. What else was new?

He knew how it would look to everyone deep in conversation about the Snowflake ball, if he excused himself in search of her. They were all well aware this girl brought out something in him that stole his rationality and that was why they had all chased him around the resort the day before. He would also look like the love-struck, heartbroken, emotionally unattached fool they all hoped he wasn’t.

Debate danced in his head weighing out his options, and he found he didn’t care what they thought. Not when it came to Kate. He placed the napkin he hadn’t realized he’d been twisting in his hands beside his plate. He knew exactly what it was like to have a whirl-wind sister and felt a tinge of responsibility since it was his sister causing conflict. How could no one else see that? That was the reason he fed the logical part of him, even though deep down he knew it was more. It was always more with her.

A hand rested on his shoulder keeping him grounded when he was about to stand. “I will go check,” Violets soft voice whispered for his ears only. “She left her jacket and purse,” she pointed out squeezing him reassuringly before removing her hand and merging through the crowded pub.

He felt his shoulder relax, glad someone was going to check on her and pushing the disappointment that it wasn’t him away.

“Where is she off too?” Melissa asked, nudging his side lightly.

“Checking on Izzy,” he lied. “Probably followed by a lecture on her early departure,” he added and Melissa chuckled then dived her attention right back into the conversation she had been having with the rest of his family. Marc tried to focus on the conversation at hand, but was feeling less than interested. It wasn’t until he spotted Violet and Kate laughing and smiling their way back through the tables that he felt...better.

He was ready to excuse himself on that notion. This protective desire he felt could only lead to trouble. But that was what friends did, they protected each other.

“Is everything alright?” his mother asked when they returned. He was glad she had asked as the words were on the tip of his tongue.

Kate nodded. “Yes, thank you.”

After Kate settled back in her seat and his uncle whispered something to her, bringing about a true rumble of laughter from Kate, Marc was jealous it was his uncle on the receiving end and that he was close enough to Kate to do so.

Melissa interjected the laughter. “Kate, did you come alone?” The table went quiet like a long, narrow closed-in hallway with only one door at the end generating curiosity. Sofia and Parker had no interest as they talked amongst themselves, not realizing the air had shifted around them. Melissa made sure everyone else focused on Kate.

Marc watched Kate’s face alter from the enjoyable conversation with his uncle to Melissa and her meddling question. He noted the ever so slightly tighten of her jaw, and raise of her eyebrows, that he was sure no one else recognized as her protective face.

He hadn’t dared ask the question but it was another answer he was curious to know.

She smiled for the rest of the table, certainly not for Melissa and answered surprising cool, “Yes, I did.” This was a new side of Kate, able to mask her dismayed face.

Melissa smiled back, she was first-class at disguising her true feelings. He’s noticed since he returned home she portrayed the pretense of a woman madly in love with him but he sensed something was off just like his sister had warned. He just couldn’t put his finger on it. But these two gals here, he knew exactly where their relationship stood by the hatred sizzling between them like an electric charge ready to split. “There is no special someone in your life? Boyfriend? Fiancé? Husband?”

A gracious smile reserved Kate’s lips disguising the surprise the rest of his family were wearing across their faces.

Kate replied, “He certainly wouldn’t have missed my grandmother’s funeral, if there was.”

There was no one in Kate’s life, good to know. 
Why was that good to know?
What was he thinking was going to happen here?

He barely had time to scold himself when Melissa stepped overboard and said, “Oh, that’s too bad.”

Kate’s eyes widened like round little green olives as Melissa turned back to her meal casually, and contentedly. If she had really thought Kate was going to let that comment slide she was forgetting the young Kate, unless she had changed over the years. Evidently, Melissa had not.

“I don’t see a ring on your finger Melissa. No someone special?” she threw her words back at her, making full on eye contact with Melissa.

Marc wondered if the others around the table could see what was conspiring in front of them−a cat fight in the making.

Melissa smiled back. “There’s always been someone special in my life,” she replied. And, that was exactly the talk that resulted in these two sparring. He didn’t like that Melissa threw meaning about him so casually around, that he knew his family, especially his mother, would be analyzing.

  “That’s wonderful,” Kate said, her tone not condemning like he knew she felt. Her gaze settled on Marc. He put a mouthful of potatoes in his mouth to cover the grin and give him a reason to absolutely not get involved. “So Marc, did you ever get that sauna lock fixed?” she asked so full of fake curiosity it almost made him laugh. However the images of that spa were much more distracting and he could hardly focus when the image of her half naked body pressed against his flashed like staggering lightening through his head. “I probably did a number on it with that screwdriver.”

A classic Kate move. Maybe not as blunt as the feisty brunette had once been, but none the less it got the point across and he saw exactly where this was going. And he didn’t mind Kate throwing meaning about him around.

He grabbed his beer and washed the potatoes down before answering a quick yes.

“You were in the sauna?” Eliza inquired. “With Marc?” she added analyzing why he hadn’t mentioned it yesterday. She shot him a questioning look as Kate sent him a teasing smirk.

As the stares of the others now returned to Kate, she smiled sincerely. “It was quite the coincidence. When I arrived here yesterday I thought what better way to relax than a steaming hot sauna?” She shrugged. “So I headed down and it was extremely hot in there, it hit me right through the doors and Marc said,” she glanced over at Marc dragging him into her game. “What was it you said I did?” she asked innocently, pretending hard to figure it out.

This was going to get a rise out of his mother for weeks. “Blatantly ignored,” he filled in the blank.

Gasps turned to laughter that roared from the table. She’d always been able to make a table laugh. It hadn’t been his family around the table, but instead those long parentless nights with her sisters while they all sulked around and Kate would convert those frowns into smiles full of laughter.

She clapped her hands together dramatically and nodded agreeing. “That was it!” she pointed at him.

“Marcus, you did not.” Eliza was only half serious.

“He did,” Kate insisted. “All because I missed the tiny little ‘out of order’ sign,” She parted her thumb and pointer finger an inch to show how small the sign was. “Which he politely pointed out to me after I locked us in!” Curious eyes arose around the table like kindergarten children being read a story book.

“You were locked in the sauna?” his six year old nephew called from the other end of the table. “I’m not even allowed in there. How long were you locked in? Were you hot?”

“It was steaming hot.” Steaming hot bare skin everywhere. “Since the thermostat was broken,” Marc added.

Kate laughed. “Can you all imagine my surprise, finding Marc in there wearing his expensive slacks dripping sweat and he was holding a screwdriver in his hand from a toolbox sitting on the floor being much more useful holding his shirt,” her gaze locked his eyes for a moment and they were back in that steamy room together, staring at one another with lustful eyes. She turned away. “Because as we all know he’s not really as handy as he thinks he is.” She smiled at him enjoying the story just as much as everyone else. Another round of laughter.

“Hey,” he interjected. “I am the one who changed the door handle.”

“I could do that in my sleep.” She dismissed waving her hand at him. “So anyway, I let him at it for a little bit but when I couldn’t stand the heat anymore I bumped him out of the way...” She looked at him with a mischievous grin. “Literally I set him on his,” she glanced down the table at the kids listening, “Rear end.” More laughter and she winked only for him, purposely omitting what had really happened in the steam.

“And not alone,” he added. “She came tumbling down with me.”

Kate’s eyes widened and her cheeks flushed. Melissa coughed and his family gasped. Kate laughed and the rest couldn’t help themselves.

“And then I fixed the thermostat before popping the door knob open.” That wasn’t exactly the details he remembered.

“Hey,” Violet interjected. “You told us you’d fixed the thermostat.” Technically he’d said it was fixed and didn’t include the specifics, purposely trying to avoid the cat and mouse run he was sure to have with each pair of those curious eyes over the following days.

Kate laughed. “If passing me a screwdriver is fixing it,” she said.

“At least we had one McAdams to save our day,” his mother praised.

Round one. Kate’s win.
He enjoyed the true smile he saw on her face. This might actually work to his benefit, deterring Melissa from engaging in flirtation and Emma from always trying to set them up. The only downside was that in a few days she would be gone. Again.

They had resumed the Snowflake Ball conversation after supper and their glasses were all re-topped. Kate declined more wine and politely excused herself before the rest, with courteous appreciation for the invitation to their meal and insisted on paying for her and Abby’s uneaten portion. His mother wouldn’t hear of it.

“Don’t be shy Kate. Next time you are in town drop by and say hello,” Eliza encouraged. “Maybe we will see you again before you go.”

“That would be nice. Thank you again.”

Although the snowflakes and icicles conversation had nothing to do with the fact he rose with Kate and offered to walk her out, he would have argued that strands of lights and fondant shaped snowflake cupcakes were the basis of his quick departure. But those, like himself, after that sauna story was displayed, wouldn’t have believed it anyway. It was Kate. He felt like this was his opportunity to ask the question frequently popping into his mind. He needed the answer. He needed some closure so he could move on. He hadn’t realized the extent of nagging the question had implied over the years until he was in such close proximately to get the answer. He needed to know just like Violet said he did. Marc hated it when she was right and he certainly didn’t look at her before following behind Kate.

Kate chuckled on their way down the hall.

“What?” he asked.

She shook her head looking up at him.  “I’m so sorry if that was inappropriate but that girl-woman prickles me in a way I can’t explain,” she laughed, grabbing his arm. “She turns me back in time to a crazy love struck teenager.” As the words came out, her eyes snapped up to his and she quickly retracted her hand. “I’m sorry.”

He shrugged. “She kind of asked for it.”

Kate laughed. “She totally did, didn’t she?” She shook her head. “Thanks for supper. It was a nice distraction but now I have to wait impatiently for my sister.” She looked up at him. “That girl is driving me nuts.”

He knew exactly what she was talking about. “I can relate.”

She nodded. They stopped at the elevator just as it opened and Kate thanked him again before stepping in. He wasn’t done yet, so he stepped in with her.

She looked him over suspiciously. “Directly to my door, that’s service,” she teased.

He smiled. “It’s not that unselfish,” he said as each floor they passed sounded a little beep.

When the doors opened, he walked her to her door. She got her card out and looked up at him. “I’m not asking you in,” she said.

She had already made that clear. But it wasn’t her lips he was after, ok well...it wasn’t entirely off the radar either. He leaned his side against the doorframe hovering above her so close her vanilla scent wafted around him...again. “I want you to ask me in.”

She stared up at him with pleading eyes. “Marcus,” she whispered.

He leaned his arm above the door frame to shelter them. If this was as far as they went he had to ask now. “Why did you leave me?” There it was−the question that plagued him all these years. He had learned to live with it, but now with her only inches away he wanted the truth.

Her eyes filled with pain, but she didn’t budge. “My mom had left money to all of us in a trust fund for college. My dad he didn’t tell us. Then one day when I was cleaning and I found the papers. I had to go Marc and see what else was out there. I had to go to school and start a career. And when I got there, I realized...” she paused sucking in a hard breath. “I didn’t want to come back.” Her eyes apologized for the harsh truth that he longed for and stung his heart like that of a bee sting, quick and immediate, only there was no cream to relieve the pain. This was what he wanted. As painful as it was, the truth would help him to move on with his life, move on without her.