Forgotten Honeymoon (15 page)

“Pretty rough on yours, huh?”

“I took it everywhere,” he said, giving the
bear a squeeze. “Don’t tell anyone, but when I cried on the first
day of kindergarten, it wasn’t because I was leaving my mom. It was
because I was leaving Brown Bear.”

She smiled, thinking of him as a little
blonde headed boy, missing his bear. “Mine was named Tinkerbell.
Somehow I got my bear mixed up with the Peter Pan story.” She
wondered where her mother had packed Tinkerbell away. “Do you still
have Brown Bear?”

“No, he must have been thrown away when my
mom and I moved out.” He rubbed his thumb over the bear’s shiny
black button eyes.

“How old were you when your parents
divorced?”

“Seven.”

That was so young, she thought with a pang of
sympathy. For some reason she’d thought he was older. “I didn’t get
to meet him at the wedding, but your Dad re-married and had more
children, right?”

“Not until I was twelve, and by then I was at
boarding school.”

Was that where he’d learned to do his duty
with such precision? What a lonely childhood he must have had.

He saw her watching him and put the bear back
on display. He picked up the bedding and walked towards the cash
register. A woman with twins in a double stroller stood in line
ahead of them. “Do twins run in your family?” he asked
casually.

Kelly said, “No, thank goodness. Yours?”

“No. I just thought it might be a good way to
get two for the price of one.”

“Dr. Armanzo assured me that I’m only having
one.”

“When do we get to find out if we’re having a
boy or girl?”

“In about a month,” she answered.

The woman ahead them turned around and
smiled. “I couldn’t help overhearing. Is this your first?” she
asked.

Kelly beamed with pride. “Yes.”

They paid for their purchases, and Lars went
downstairs to supervise the clerk carrying out the unassembled
crib.

“Go ahead,” Kelly said. “I want to look at
something else. I’ll be down in a minute.”

She waited until Lars was out of sight, then
walked over to the teddy bear he liked. “I want two of these,” she
told the clerk. “Shipped to my home address.” For Christmas, she’d
give one to the baby and one to Lars.

For lunch, they stopped at an Italian
restaurant, and sat outside on a stone patio with a fountain
bubbling in the background. Kelly ate her fettuccini alfredo,
watching Lars, admiring the way the wind ruffled his thick blonde
hair. He really was beautiful. “Would you wear a periwinkle blue
shirt if I bought you one?” she asked idly.

“If you bought it, I’d wear it,” he said.

“To work?”

He hesitated, not wanting to offend her, and
she laughed. “I guess that was pushing it. I know you’re the white
shirt and tie type and probably always will be.” For a few minutes
they ate in silence. “Speaking of Rawlins,” she began. “What’s it
like being President? Are you having any fun?”

He pushed aside his shrimp scampi, and looked
at her. “The truth?”

The seriousness of his expression surprised
her. “I guess so.”

“It’s not going well,” he said simply. “And
no, it isn’t fun.”

She’d never thought she’d hear him say that.
Lars exuded confidence and always seemed to have a solution for any
problem. She was humbled that he trusted her enough to share his
concerns. “What’s the problem?”

“Too much to do. Conflicting interests
between the different departments. You name it. I work and I work,
and I can’t seem to get a handle on it.”

“You’re too hard on yourself,” she said.
“Every job has a learning curve.”

He smiled wryly and changed the subject. “I
thought you weren’t hungry. Do you want to finish mine, too?”

She looked at her plate. Somehow she’d
managed to eat it all. Dr. Armanzo would be proud of her. “No thank
you, this is enough.” She added quietly, “Whenever my Dad couldn’t
figure something out, he hired an expert, or two, or three, until
he knew what to do. No one expects you to be Superman.”

“That’s what you think.”

“What’s the worst thing that could happen?
The Board of Directors fires you and we have to live off KPots
profits.”

His lips tightened into a thin line. “It
won’t come to that, Kelly.”

“Good,” she said and leaned forward to speak
in a dramatic whisper, “Because confidentially, production has been
a little slow lately.”

He reached across the table to take her hand.
“Thank you, Kelly.”

At that moment, she felt like his wife, part
of a team working together, instead of just the woman he slept
with.

She felt a funny twitch in her abdomen. For a
moment, she thought it was something she’d eaten, but she pressed
her hand to her stomach and felt the slight inward shifting
again.

“What’s wrong?” Lars asked.

“Nothing’s wrong,” she said. “That’s just our
baby saying, ‘Hi, Mom and Dad.’“

#

“Nigel Parker to see you.”

Lars set aside his papers. Why in the world
would Nigel want to see him? “Send him in,” he said.

Nigel walked in, confident and cocky, wearing
a shiny gray suit with a black t-shirt. “Thanks for taking a few
minutes from your busy schedule to see me,” he said, not bothering
to put his hand forward for a handshake. He pointed to a chair
across from Lars’ desk. “Mind if I sit down?”

“Go ahead.”

Nigel sat down, leaned back and crossed one
leg over the other, resting his ankle on his knee. “Nice office,”
he said, looking around. “Rawlins doing well?”

Nigel obviously had something to say, and
Lars wasn’t going let himself get annoyed by the preliminary small
talk. He waited.

Nigel cleared his throat. “I’m here about
Kelly,” he said finally.

Lars fingers tightened on the pen he was
holding. “Yes?”

“Well, Kelly’s pregnant, and I have reason to
believe I’m the baby’s father.”

Lars stood up. “What?”

Nigel held up his hand. “Don’t get excited.
I’m not planning to break up your happy home. I just think we
should take care of the matter legally, so there aren’t any
questions later.”

Lars wanted to climb over the desk and
throttle the slimy bastard. But he kept his voice cool. “What do
you mean by legally?”

“I had a friend of mine, an attorney, draw up
a paper for me, that says I give up all parental rights to Kelly’s
baby.”

“In exchange for ...”

“One hundred thousand dollars,” Nigel said
flatly.

“That’s interesting, because from what
Kelly’s told me, you aren’t the father.”

“So she remembers everything now?”

No, Lars knew she didn’t, and he didn’t want
her to. Lars said, “You told her you weren’t the father.”

Nigel shrugged. “I didn’t think I was, after
only one time. I figured she must have been cheating on me. But the
more I think about it, the more I think I’ve got rights that need
to be considered.”

“One hundred thousand dollars’ worth.”

He smiled. “You got it. I mean, you married
the cash cow, why shouldn’t I get my sh–”

Lars came around his desk and lifted Nigel to
his feet. “Get out of here,” he said fiercely.

Nigel brushed himself off. “There’s no need
to get rough. It’s a simple business transaction. Pay me and Kelly
doesn’t need to know. I’ll fade quietly into the woodwork.”

Lars shoved Nigel backward. “Get out.”

Nigel staggered. “I’m just warning you. The
price goes up every day, and in a week, I tell Kelly.”

It was blackmail, plan and simple. “No deal,”
he said firmly.

Nigel laughed. “You know how to reach me,” he
said as a parting shot. “I’ll be waiting for a call.”

Lars ran his fingers through his hair. He was
tempted to pay the hush money and be done with it. But Nigel was a
born liar, and he could still approach Kelly. And even if he
didn’t, Lars knew had to tell her the truth.

Even if that meant losing her.

She’d said she no longer loved Nigel, but
would that change if he was the baby’s father?

CHAPTER TEN

Kelly sat curled up on the couch in the den,
idly reading one of her parenting books. The news channel was
running silently on the flat screen television. He knew from past
experience that occasionally, she’d glance up and catch the
headlines scrolling across the bottom of the screen. She often did
two things at once; she was a multi-tasker with a quick mind. “Hi,
you’re home late,” she said with a smile when she saw him in the
doorway. “Do you want something to eat?”

“No, I’m fine.” Lars sat down next to her,
and she snuggled up to him. For a minute he held her, saying
nothing, savoring her warmth, and the floral scent of her shampoo.
He wished that he didn’t have to tell her that Nigel might be the
baby’s father. But he’d already procrastinated for two days, going
to work earlier in the morning, and working as late as
possible.

As if by avoiding the issue, he could pretend
that they were still a happy family.

He kissed the top of her head, and she smiled
up at him. His heart contracted painfully. Maybe he was a coward,
but he didn’t want to take the risk of losing her. He cleared his
throat. “Kelly, there’s something we need to talk about.”

“This sounds serious.” She reached for the
remote control. “I’ll turn this off, so--”

“No. Stop.” The image on the television
screen caught his attention, and he sat up straighter. He took the
remote and turned up the volume. He listened as the newscaster gave
a report on a hurricane currently raging over South Carolina.
Rawlins Lightings’ largest plant was located outside
Charleston.

A map of the state appeared on the television
screen. The newscaster continued, “Hardest hit were portions of
North Charleston, Hanahan and Goose Creek. Major flooding in Mt.
Pleasant and Charleston.”

Just what he didn’t want to hear. If the
plant were inoperable, Rawlins Lighting would be crippled. Lars
hurried to the telephone and started making calls. Within half an
hour, he learned that the plant had been damaged.

“How bad is it?” Kelly asked, standing beside
him, her eyes concerned.

He ran his hand through his hair. “Reports
differ,” he said flatly. “All I know is that there’s some
structural damage to the roof, and some of the equipment, and a lot
of water damage. Two hundred employees are out of work, and some of
those are without homes.”

“What are you going to do?”

“First thing to do is to fly out there and
assess the damage.”

“Do you have to go?” The minute she asked the
question, she checked herself. “Sorry. Of course you’ll go. If my
dad were here, he’d go.”

Lars wished her father was here instead of
finishing up his eight week cruise. He wanted to do what was right
for the employees and the company.

Kelly put her hand on his arm, drawing his
attention. “When are you leaving?”

“First flight in the morning,” he answered.
“Would you like to come with me?”

She looked surprised, but happy that he’d
asked. “Yes, I would.”

“Is it safe for you to fly, with the
baby?”

She nodded. “I’m not in the third trimester
yet. I can fly.”

Good. He wanted her with him. And he wouldn’t
tell her about Nigel until they came home. There was one good thing
about the hurricane -- it had given him a few days reprieve.

#

Kelly sat next to Lars on the airplane. He
sat silently with his laptop, going over reports. This was the
first time Kelly had actually seen Lars at work, she realized.
Before she’d just interrupted him for a few minutes in his office
and then left.

She was worried about him. For the past few
days he’d worked long hours at the office, and the night before, he
had gotten only a few hours sleep. He looked tired, but when she
suggested that he close his eyes and take a nap during the flight,
he said, “I don’t have time to sleep.”

That was irrational, but she didn’t want to
nag him. She put her hand on his, to give him encouragement, but he
kept reading, not even acknowledging her touch with a smile.

She put her hands together in her lap and
stared out the airplane window. She knew this was a serious
situation, with the damaged chandelier plant, and she knew he was
thinking ahead, trying to solve the problem. But why did he ask her
to come with him if he wasn’t going to pay any attention to
her?

By noon, he was dressed in jeans and a hard
hat, white shirt and a tie, tromping outside the damaged building.
He talked with city utility officials, two engineers and a local
builder to determine whether the roof could be repaired or whether
the building should be rebuilt completely.

Kelly wandered around the plant parking lot,
amazed by the damage that one big storm and heavy rains could do.
Trees were uprooted, big chunks of the parking lot were gone, and
the plant was a mess, with broken windows and most of the roof
sagging in towards the center.

She waited an hour, then two, while Lars and
the other men talked. Finally, feeling very hungry and worrying
that he’d forgotten all about her, she decided to take the rental
car back to the hotel where they were staying. But first, she
wanted to tell Lars her plans.

He was no longer in sight. They must have
walked around to the back of the building. Kelly carefully picked
her way across the muddy ground. Good thing she’d worn her
sneakers, she thought. They didn’t match her t-shirt and her
flowered maternity jumper, but today she’d gone for comfort instead
of fashion.

She found the men all looking intently at
cracks in one of the outside walls. One of the engineers sketched
something on a clipboard. Lars shook his head. He said, “I don’t
want to spend that much money and run the risk of it still not
being right. I’d rather spend more and have a guarantee.”