Torn (Lords of the City #1) (34 page)

I cleared my throat and turned back to Linda. “Like you said, I’ve seen what the world has to offer. Now, I just want to carve out my own small, happy piece of it. I’m happy for you and Henry, I really am. Do you plan to finish out the school year? Or am I going to have to watch Mr. and Mrs. Hollis quiz your replacement on the proper administration of an Epi-pen?” I asked, attempting to bring our conversation back around to light-hearted.

Linda smiled back at me and climbed out of the tiny chair. “I haven’t made any decisions yet. But speaking of the Hollis family, we should head down to the nurse’s office. One of the commandments of teaching kindergarten is ‘thou shalt not keep nervous parents waiting.’”

“Lead the way,” I said, rolling my chair away from my desk. I followed Linda out of the room and we set off to assure the Hollis parents once again that we were capable of taking care of their children.

***

“Are you ready for this?” Ben asked. He held open the door of Market Seafood and I stepped past him into the entryway. A blonde hostess in a crisp white shirt and black tie held open the interior door. I took Ben by the arm and gave him a determined smile.

“Maybe he’ll be in a good mood,” I suggested, trying to hide my nerves. Uncle Walt had made it no secret that he disapproved of Ben, but for my sake, he usually stayed on his best behavior when we were all together.

“Good evening,” the hostess greeted us. She ushered us through the door and grabbed two menus.

“Hello,” Ben replied. “There will actually be three of us. I believe we have a reservation.”

“Kinkaid?” she asked, a hint of a smile lighting her face.

Uncle Walt’s still sweet talking the ladies, I see.

I nodded and she returned the menus to the hostess station. “Walt is already here. Just follow me.”

She snaked her way across the dimly lit dining room and I spotted my uncle at a corner table. His eyes fell on me and he rose with open arms. He wrapped me in a hug and kissed the side of my head.

“It’s so good to see you, Em. I hope traffic wasn’t too bad?”

I knew the question was a veiled reference to the fact that we were ten minutes late, but I kept my tone light and patient. “We got held up at school this afternoon and we’ve been running late ever since.”

Ben pulled out my chair and Uncle Walt settled down across from me. A tall, bald waiter approached us with a bottle of wine.

“Your Riesling, Mr. Kinkaid,” he announced. He pulled the cork and poured a splash into a long stemmed wine glass. Uncle Walt swirled, sniffed, and sampled it before nodding back at the waiter with a smile.

“This is fantastic, Kevin, thank you.”

“Are you ready to place your order, or would you like a few more minutes to look at the menu?” the waiter asked.

Uncle Walt looked from me to Ben and back again. “Do you know what you want?”

We nodded our heads simultaneously. Market Seafood was my uncle’s favorite restaurant; we could all recite the memory by heart. We placed our orders and Keven gave us a final nod before disappearing.

“So how was your first week of school?” Uncle Walt asked.

“Hectic.” I leaned back in my chair with a long sigh. “Most of the kids in my class have older brothers and sisters, so they understood the concept of school when they arrived Wednesday morning. But I had a handful of kids who seemed terrified they’d never see their parents again. Most of them settled into our routine by yesterday afternoon. But I’m expecting a little regression when we show up again Monday morning.”

“You have the patience of a saint,” my uncle insisted. He took a sip of his wine and turned to Ben.

“And how was your week? I imagine you have an easier time of it. Emily here spends seven and a half hours a day trying to keep the kids still, and then they get to run loose for half an hour with you.”

“Ben isn’t the recess monitor, Uncle Walt,” I broke in, my voice firm. “I explained to you that The Day School puts a strong emphasis on physical fitness.”

Walt held his hands up in mock defeat, a smile spreading across his tan face. “Easy, Em. I was just teasing. I know Ben’s job is important. I didn’t mean any offense.”

“None taken,” Ben insisted. “Honestly, I love my job so much, it doesn’t feel like a job.”

“It doesn’t pay like one either,” Walt muttered under his breath.

Ben took a long drink of his ice water and we both ignored my uncle’s comment.

“Enough about us,” I announced, changing the subject. “What’s going on with you? How long are you in town?”

Before he could answer, Kevin arrived at our table with a platter of appetizers. He promised our entrees would be out soon, checked our drinks, and moved on to the table beside us.

“This looks delicious,” Walt announced, filling his small plate with crab cakes, calamari, and spicy shrimp cocktail. I studied him while he dunked a forkful of crab cake into remoulade sauce and savored the first bite.

My uncle and I could have easily passed for father and daughter. We had the same high cheekbones, blue eyes, and chestnut hair, although his was tinged with gray around the edges. I realized then that Walt was tense about something. He was smiling, but his shoulders were taut and I had a feeling his mind was somewhere else.

“So how long are you in town?” I asked again, filling my own plate with food.

Walt swallowed a shrimp and washed it down with another sip of wine.

“Actually, that’s why I wanted to see you guys tonight. I have news.”

Ben and I both set our forks down, giving Walt our full attention.

“Well?” I pressed as he sat there silently. “Don’t keep us in suspense.”

“I’m retiring from the airline… have retired, to be more precise.”

“What?” I asked, sure I’d heard him wrong. Uncle Walt loved his job; the sudden early retirement didn’t make any sense. Panic grew in my chest while I waited for him to continue.

It’s his health. He’s been grounded. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

“Is everything okay, Walt?” Ben pressed, his voice full of concern.

“Everything’s great,” he assured us. “In fact, they couldn’t be better. I know this will come as a shock to you, Emily, but I’ve met someone. Her name is Claudia and she’s a pediatrician here in Portland.”

I stared at him for a moment, processing his words. “You’re quitting your job for a woman?”

“I’m leaving the airline for a lot of reasons,” he replied, popping another shrimp into his mouth. I felt Ben relax beside me, but I was more wound up than ever. Uncle Walt announcing he was in a serious relationship was twice as shocking as his retirement announcement. I was too impatient to wait for him to swallow and continue.

“What are the other reasons?” I demanded. “When did this happen? Where did you meet her? Why am I just hearing about all of this?”

Uncle Walt took a sip of his wine and wiped his mouth with a crisp linen napkin.

“Slow down, sweetheart. Claudia and I met about four months ago. I flew a nonstop to JFK, then took the jumpseat on a flight back home for my weekend off. Claudia had been in the city presenting a paper. We spent the whole flight talking. I think you’ll really like her.”

“I can’t believe you’re going to introduce me to a woman,” I observed, my hunger finally outweighing my shock. I cleaned my appetizer plate while Walt continued.

“I can hardly believe it myself. But it’s happening. As for why I didn’t tell you earlier, I wanted to wait until I knew things were serious. Claudia’s amazing, but like I said, she isn’t the only reason I’m leaving the airline. The constant traveling is starting to wear me out. I’ve never liked spending so much time away from you and I can finally afford to do something about it. I have savings, my pension, and I’ve taken a part-time job at a local charter company. I’m thrilled about all of this, Em. I hope you are too.”

I studied him for a moment and then smiled. “If you’re thrilled, I’m thrilled. It will be nice to have you around more often. And I can’t wait to meet Claudia. Maybe we could all have dinner next weekend.”

“I’ll check with her and see what fits in her schedule,” he promised.

Ben scooted his chair away from the table and rose to his feet. “Excuse me, restroom,” he explained, tossing his napkin on the table. He left and my uncle turned to me with a scowl.

“Come on,” I groaned. “I just said if you’re happy, I’m happy. Can’t you just do the same in return?”

“Absolutely not,” Walt replied with a slight shake of his head. “I know this guy has you snowed. But he isn’t who he wants you to think he is, Em. He’s a slick talking cad. Trust me, I’m right. I can spot my own kind from a mile away.”

I was stunned into silence when he acknowledged his sordid romantic past. He gave me an amused smile and an eye roll of his own.

“You’re an adult now, Emily. I think we can speak openly about this. I think we
should
talk openly about it. I know you know I liked to sew my wild oats, so to speak. But unlike Benny, I never pretended to be someone I’m not. If there’s one thing I can say for myself, I never let a woman believe I wanted a serious relationship. I flat out told them I didn’t. But this guy… he’s a real piece of work, sweetheart.”

I pushed my shoulders back and stared back at him defiantly. “You don’t know what you’re talking about. And you’re making me angry. Ben is one of the good guys, Uncle Walt. He’s stable and wholesome, and you should see him with the kids. In fact, now that you’re going to be around more often, you should come to the club and watch a few games. I know you’re convinced that no man will ever be good enough for me, but if you’d just give Ben a chance—”

“I’m quite sure there’s a man out there good enough for you,” he corrected me. “I’m even more certain that Ben isn’t that man. I can see I’m upsetting you, so I’ll drop it. But only if you promise me something.”

I raised an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

“Let another school year pass before you make any life-altering decisions.”

I narrowed my eyes and scowled back at him. “If Ben asks me to marry him, I’m going to say yes.”

“I get that. But—”

“Here we are,” Kevin sang, sidling up to our table with a large tray balanced on one arm. “Sorry for the wait,” he continued, distributing the plates around the table. I stared down at my steamed mussels and pasta, thankful for the interruption. I swirled linguini around my fork and felt a gentle, familiar hand on my back.

“Perfect timing,” Ben said, sliding back into his seat. “I’m starving.”

“Is everything okay? You were gone awhile,” I whispered while Walt was distracted by Kevin.

“I’m fine,” he insisted. He spread his napkin across his lap and sprinkled salt on his swordfish.

He’s up to something. But it has to be something innocent. I know him better than Walt. Besides, if he were a player, he wouldn’t have stuck around for an entire year.

Kevin carried the tray back to the kitchen and Walt turned to Ben with a somewhat forced smile.

“Emily invited me to come watch some of your games at the club. How many teams do you coach?”

“I coach one basketball, one football, and one baseball team,” Ben explained. “But I coordinate all three programs.”

“You’re a busy man,” Walt observed.

“I like what I do,” Ben replied with a casual shrug.

“You know, I was quite the football player back in high school. Maybe I could come out and coach a few games with you.”

I could tell Ben was taken aback by the suggestion, but he handled it well.

“I’d enjoy that very much, Walt. I’ll email you the team’s schedule.”

Ben’s phone vibrated and he pulled it from his pocket before slowly rising to his feet.

“Speaking of the club, this is one of my team moms. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

“Of course,” Walt insisted with a dismissive wave.

Ben strode quickly out of the dining room and I turned to my uncle, my eyebrow cocked again.

“Five minutes ago, you were practically begging me to get rid of him. Now you’re volunteering to coach pee wee football?”

“Yes.” He lifted his glass and swirled the liquid. “I’m going to give him a chance because you asked me to. And you’re going to think long and hard about what I asked you to do. Deal?”

“Deal,” I agreed. I felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I was convinced that once Walt spent some one-on-one time with Ben, he’d understand why I had no intentions of leaving him.

***

“Thank you for suffering through that with me,” I told Ben, kicking off my shoes. I sat down on his bed and started pulling off my jewelry.

“It wasn’t that bad,” he assured me. “I learned not to take Walt’s jibes personally a long time ago. He’s protective of you. I get it. He’ll have to warm up to me sooner or later because I’m not going anywhere.”

I laid my rings on the nightstand and started stripping out of my clothes. I had more than sleeping on my mind, but Ben didn’t seem to get the hint. He tossed me a clean t-shirt and stepped into the hallway.

“I’m going to make a drink. Do you want anything?”

“No,” I called after him.

I tossed the t-shirt to the floor alongside my discarded clothes and wiggled between the sheets in nothing but my white lace panties. A few minutes later, I heard the television spring to life and groaned, feeling the spark of arousal doused. I leaned over the side of the bed and retrieved the t-shirt. I pulled it over my head and made my way to the living room. Ben was stretched out on the couch with a scotch and soda, his eyes fixed to a baseball game.

“I thought we were going to bed,” I reminded him with a pout.

“I was just going to check the score. But it’s all tied up at the end of the sixth. Why don’t you lay down and watch it with me?” he suggested.

I sighed and squeezed onto the couch beside him.

“We can’t fall asleep out here again,” I warned. “Last time, I had a crick in my neck for three days.”

“Shh,” he said and nodded toward the TV.

If Linda could see me now, I’d never hear the end of it. I think this is the definition of vanilla.

Ben propped his elbow on the arm of the couch and took a long drink of his scotch. He covered my bare legs with a blanket and settled back down behind me. I waited until the commercial break to make my move. I turned in his arms, pushing my hips into his.