She took my hand in both of hers and shook it twice, saying, “Hello, Katelynn. I hope you enjoy your weekend here. Don’t let Colin leave you to go fishing tomorrow.”
He jumped in, “I’m not going fishing this weekend, and I’ll update Dad as soon as I see him.”
“Ooh, can I be there when you tell him?” she asked, her face lighting up.
“I’d rather tell him on my own,” Colin said, a hand on his mother’s shoulder. She reached over and patted it.
“I always get to miss out on all the fun. I have such horrible sciatica today; I doubt I’ll be able to walk around much this weekend. So much for dancing,” she said, waving a hand in the air.
“You’ll find a way to entertain yourself,” Colin said. He made his way back toward the doorway. An imaginary leash pulled me along after him.
“I always do,” she said. I noticed her wineglass on a small table next to her, more than half full. She reached for it and lifted it up as if making a toast.
When we were alone and wandering through the house, up the stairs and through the interminable hallway, I finally had the wherewithal to say, “I can’t tell if you get along with your family or not.”
We entered a bedroom that was at least the size of my entire apartment. I took it all in, the mahogany bedframe with matching chests and armoires. The bathroom door was open, and all I could see from that angle was a wall of marble.
“Sometimes I can’t tell either,” he said.
“Hmmm. That’s not really saying much.” I sat on the bed, sinking into the foam pillow-top.
“I don’t share much of my personal life with them, nor do they with me. We meet for the odd holiday, special occasions, usually at least some time in the summer. I speak to my father often, of course, for the business. I’d say he and I get along, but that’s because I place him in the role of my boss rather than father during the workweek.”
That’s so sad. I reflected on my own father and what I wouldn’t give to see him again. The last time I saw him, I’d given him a short hug goodbye as I’d left my parents’ house. It wasn’t worthy of the last hug I’d ever give him, but I hadn’t known it would be the last one.
I didn’t want to press him further on familial relationships. It was time to get down to business.
“Can I tell you something that has nothing to do with my family?” he asked, closing the door behind him and taking off his suit jacket.
Ding.
“Sure,” I said.
He loosened his tie.
Ding. Ding.(These were alarm bells going off in my head.)
“I’d like to say that I’ve been dreaming of this moment since I met you.”
Fire alarm now ringing in my ears.
“Is that right?” I managed to say through the heat that was rising within me.
“I haven’t thought of anything else since our kiss the other night,” he said, unbuttoning the top button of his shirt.
Four alarm fire!
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Colin sat next to me on the bed and took my hand. We stared into each other’s eyes as he kissed my hand. Then he did it again.
I was speechless.
Drawn to the fire.
Enamored.
“Haven’t you thought of the kiss?” he asked.
