Chapter 3
Everything ok?
Kara smiled down at the text message from Simon as James drove sedately toward Helen’s Place. She hadn’t talked to Helen in several days and they had made arrangements to have coffee. Since Helen couldn’t stand to tear herself away from the restaurant, Kara usually popped in after school during the slower hours to chat.
She sent a return text. Yes Daddy. All’s well.
It was Friday, almost a week since the incident at the clinic. Simon checked in with her every day, usually several times a day, to make sure everything was okay. She might joke with him about being like an overprotective father, but she secretly found it touching that he cared about her safety.
They hadn’t gotten physical since the night of the incident at the clinic. They joked, they talked, but they didn’t screw. It was almost as if they were both afraid that what happened couldn’t be repeated. Or maybe it had just scared the shit out of both of them. It had certainly frightened the hell out of her. She had never experienced anything quite that intense.
Her phone beeped again.
Be careful. Let me know when u leave. RU there yet?
She replied. Pulling up now. Will obey orders, sir.
The car pulled in front of Helen’s restaurant as her phone beeped again.
I wish. Only in my dreams do you ever obey orders.
She snickered as she put the phone in her front pocket, almost able to hear Simon speaking those words out loud in a disgruntled voice. “Thank you, James. I’ll see you in a little bit.” She smiled at the kind, elderly man as she reached for the door handle.
He grinned broadly at her. “Have a nice visit, Ms. Kara. I’ll be here waiting for you. Give Helen my best.”
James had worked for the family for several years and knew everyone.
“Will do.” She slid from the vehicle, lifting her hand in a wave to James as she reached the door.
Even during the slower hours, Helen’s Place wasn’t lacking customers. The place was well known in the area for having reasonable prices and great food. Kara made her way to a corner booth and was about to seat herself when Helen came rushing from the back doors, a wide smile on her face and her arms open wide.
Kara hugged the older woman fiercely as she arrived beside the booth, breathing deeply, taking in the welcoming scent of vanilla that always seemed to radiate from Helen.
Helen pulled back and grasped Kara by the shoulders. “How is my son treating you? You look good. Rested.”
“Let me get us some coffee.” Kara went behind the counter and snatched two mugs, filling them with steaming coffee, before making her way back to the table, grabbing a bowl of creamer on her way. “I’m doing well. Classes are good. It’s getting to crunch time.” She slid a mug in front of Helen before seating herself in front of her own.
“Honey, you don’t have to serve coffee. You aren’t an employee anymore.” Helen shot her a grin, one so similar to Simon’s that Kara was momentarily distracted.
Leaning back, she studied Helen for a moment, trying to find other similarities to Simon. There really weren’t many. After viewing tons of photos of the two brothers with their mother, Kara had come to the conclusion that Simon must take after his dad, even though she had never seen a photo of his father. Helen looked like Sam, with her short, wavy, blonde hair and green eyes. Her friend had always dressed with casual elegance. Today, it was a paisley calf-length skirt with a button-down pink sweater. Large, pink, dangling earrings fell from her delicate ears, bumping against the side of her neck every time she moved her head. Helen’s rather flamboyant earrings were the only ostentatious thing about her. She was a truly kind, gentle soul.
Kara smiled. “I need my caffeine fix.” She dumped liquid creamer into the steaming brew. “I just got you some at the same time.” She added sugar and picked up her spoon to stir the mixture. “And Simon is treating me fine. More than fine. He’s a wonderful…friend.” Kara nearly choked on the last word. Well, Simon was a friend.
Helen sighed. “He sounds happy. I talk to him almost every day. I haven’t heard him so upbeat in a long time. He sounds completely smitten.”
“He’s not,” Kara answered quickly, nearly choking on a sip of coffee. “We’re not. I mean, we’re friends.” God, she couldn’t lead Helen to believe there was anything permanent in her relationship with Simon.
“Uh huh. And Simon talks about you every day, nonstop for an hour because…why?” Helen shot her a teasing look over the rim of her mug.
Kara shrugged. He did? Really? “I live in his home. He’s helping me. It’s only natural that he talks about a roommate. We see each other every day.”
Helen snorted. “Sweetie, he and Sam see each other every day, too, and he certainly doesn’t ramble on about his brother. And he’s never talked about a woman before.”
Kara tried to get her hopeful heart under control. Just because Simon mentioned her in his conversations with his mom didn’t mean anything. “He and Sam don’t live in the same home.”
“You like him. And he likes you. A lot.”
Her shoulders slumped as she set her mug back on the table and toyed with a napkin. She had never been able to hide much from Helen. “I do. I just don’t want to expect too much. Simon isn’t into commitments. I get that.” Sort of. “He’s never even had a steady girlfriend.”
Helen reached out her hand, resting it over the fingers that Kara was using to slowly rip up a paper napkin. “It doesn’t mean that he can’t or won’t.” Helen let out a heavy breath. “Something happened to Simon when he was sixteen and he’s never been the same, Kara. He’s always been quiet, my intelligent little boy with his face firmly planted in a book and as studious as any parent could ever wish for. But he was also humane, the type of child that would rescue any stray. I remember how badly Sam used to tease him about his bleeding heart. There was hardly a day that went by that Simon wasn’t dragging home a lost animal or trying to right some wrong.” Helen squirmed uncomfortably on the bench seat. “But I think he lost that when he was sixteen.”
Kara squeezed Helen’s hand. “He didn’t lose it. It’s still there. Look at how he’s helping me. I know something happened. I don’t know the specifics, Helen, but he’s still as kind as he’s always been.”
“That’s just it. He wasn’t before he met you. You’re the first person outside the family who he’s cared about in a whole lot of years. It gives me hope.”
Kara flinched. “Please, don’t get your hopes up. We’re friends. That’s it. Just consider me a stray that he’s rescuing.”
Helen beamed as she pulled her hand away and grasped her coffee mug, shooting Kara a knowing look. “Yeah, well, then you’re the first stray he’s taken in for about sixteen years. I’d say that’s kind of significant.”
Kara did the math, her heart pumping. Of course, the party. Simon’s turning thirty-two tomorrow.
“I’m sure that’s not true. He probably just didn’t tell you.” Certainly, she couldn’t be the first person he had helped since the unknown incident that had changed him at the age of sixteen.
Helen laughed and said cryptically, “I’m his mother. I have eyes in the back of my head. Ask my boys. It irritates the hell out of them that I know things even when they haven’t told me.”
Do you know that Simon can only have sex with women if they’re blindfolded and tied? Kara was pretty sure that Helen wasn’t privy to that information, and she sure as hell wasn’t telling her. There were just some things that mothers shouldn’t know. Still, she wondered about Simon’s supposed years of isolation, of containing his rescuer tendencies. It made her chest tight to think about what had happened to Simon, what had changed him from that sweet young boy to an isolated, detached adult.
Was he really changing? He was aloof at times, and a little bit insular, but Kara didn’t think she could ever imagine him as uncaring or completely solitary. There were some things that were just…Simon.
Gruff…check.
Cranky…check.
Bossy…check.
Controlling…sometimes.
Kind…definitely check! Beneath his rough exterior, he had a very good heart.
Sexy…check, check, check.
He was also witty, smart, and completely irresistible in more ways than she could count.
“Hopefully, he’ll tell me what happened someday,” Kara whispered to herself.
“I hope he does. He needs to talk about it and leave it in the past,” Helen replied quietly.
Oh, hell. Simon’s mother had heard her comment. In addition to eyes in the back of her head, Helen must also have supersonic hearing.
“Do you know what happened?” Kara asked her friend curiously.
Looking uncomfortable, Helen replied, “I know the event. He nearly died. But I don’t think I know everything.” Helen’s expression was grim.
“It’s a painful memory for you. I’m sorry.” Kara vowed to never take her friend down this road again. She hated seeing the woman who was like a second mother to her looking so forlorn.
“There are a lot of memories in the distant past that are painful. I can’t always avoid them. My boys went through a childhood that they never should have had. That no child should ever experience. I should have done more, protected them better.” Helen’s eyes were filled with pain, as though remembering that painful past and the toll it had taken on them all.
“Stop. Right now. Simon and Sam both turned out fine. They’re sons to be proud of, Helen. You did your best and it shows.” Kara hated that mournful expression on Helen’s face. “You don’t have to have a perfect childhood to grow into a terrific adult. Look at me.” She smiled broadly, trying to cheer Helen up with humor.
Helen smiled weakly. “Sometimes I forget how hard you’ve had it, sweetie. Your parents left you alone too young, but they raised you right.”
“And you raised your boys right. I don’t know Sam, but I do know Simon. He’s a wonderful man,” Kara told her friend honestly. Hoping to change the subject and see Helen smile again, she was determined to change the topic. No good could come out of Helen wishing that she had raised her children differently. Kara knew Helen, and that her friend had done her best to raise her two boys, whatever the circumstances might have been. “Simon invited me to Sam’s party tomorrow.”
Helen laughed. “Simon’s annual birthday bash, hosted by none other than his brother, Sam. You are going to go, aren’t you?”
“Yep. Simon wants me to go. Are there going to be a lot of people there?” Kara couldn’t keep the apprehension from her voice. How in the world was she going to blend in with a bunch of wealthy guests at Simon’s birthday party?
She had been surprised when Simon asked her attend the event. Not only had she not known that he had a birthday coming up, but her own birthday was the day after Simon’s.
“Are you nervous?” Helen lifted her brow, giving Kara an inquiring look.
Damn. Was there anything that Helen couldn’t get out of her? “A little. It’s not exactly a crowd that I’m used to mingling with.” That was an understatement. Things done for pleasure or relaxation weren’t events she attended at all. Between work and school, she had never had the time.
Helen’s delighted chortle filled the air around them. “One thing I’ve learned over the years is that rich people aren’t really that much different than normal folks. Some are nice. Some are not so nice. You’ll be fine. Having money doesn’t make any of them better than you are, sweetie.”
Rationally, Kara knew that. Still, she was nervous. Her anxiety wasn’t caused so much by the wealth as the idea that she didn’t want to disappoint Simon in front of his friends, business acquaintances, and family. Her social skills were sadly lacking from years of neglect, her only practice her customers at the restaurant and very young college classmates.
Kara’s phone beeped, startling her back into reality. She pulled the phone from her pocket. “Simon,” she informed Helen with a smile as she glanced at the text message.
RU done talking about me yet?
Really? Like she and Helen had nothing better to do than talk about him? Her fingers flew as she flipped back a message.
Your name hasn’t even come up. Arrogant much?
A reply came almost instantly.
No. But I know my mom. If you don’t come home soon, I’m cooking dinner.
“Oh my God, I have to leave.” She gave Helen a grin and an expression of mock horror.
“Why?” Helen asked, her expression perplexed.
“Simon’s threatening to cook if I don’t get back to the condo.”
Helen’s tinkling laugh shimmered around Kara, making her chuckle along with the older woman. Helen sucked in an amused breath and replied, “An ominous threat coming from Simon. He’s likely to hurt himself.”
“Yep. He’s a culinary disaster if he tries anything except sandwiches or microwave dinners,” Kara answered Helen as she typed.
I’ll head that way soon. Please, do not cook.
“Sneaky, manipulative man,” Kara whispered fondly as she slid out of the booth.
“He’s obviously missing you. It’s romantic.” Helen sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes as she stood up beside Kara. “Just don’t let him get away with too much.”
Kara hugged her friend with an amused expression. It was more likely that Simon was hungry and didn’t want a sandwich, but she didn’t want to squash Helen’s lofty ideals about her son. “I’ll see you tomorrow night,” Kara answered, heading for the door.
She searched for James and the Mercedes with eager eyes, ready to be back at the condo with Simon. He might not be truly missing her, but she missed Simon. The best part of her day was evening, spending time with him, talking about what had happened during their day, throwing around opinions and ideas. They could talk about important things, or just little things. It never seemed to matter.
Oh God, I’m pitiful.
Spotting James, she picked up her pace to get to the car, realizing with shock that she had been incredibly lonesome before she had met Simon. Strange, but she had never felt alone. Every day, she had been surrounded by people, customers, students, crowds. Yet, the loneliness had been there, buried deep inside her, shoved beneath exhaustion, hunger, and the need to survive. Waiting.
Pulling the car door open, she slid into the front seat beside James, still wondering why she had never recognized her yearning for the company of a male.
Because it wasn’t there. Not until I met Simon. It’s him. I don’t want just any male.
Damn it, it was true. She knew it. There was something about Simon that called to her, beckoned her to bring him closer, so close that she may very well get burned. Nevertheless, the lure was there and it was seductive; Simon’s come-hither vibrations were enticing and impossible to ignore.
Why am I so drawn to him? We’re nothing alike.
Shaking her head against the supple leather of the seat, Kara admitted to herself that in some superficial likes and dislikes…they were different. But in many ways…they were so very similar.
After being burned by Chris, she was wary…just like Simon. The causes might be different and she was fairly certain that Simon’s were much more traumatic, but the two of them circled each other like frightened children, not quite sure if they wanted to be friend or foe, whether they wanted to trust or not.
She knew Simon had given her a valuable gift when he had trusted her enough to take her without his usual procedure of bondage and blindness. She just wished she knew what caused his distrust. And why the blindfold? The man had a body to drool over.
She shivered and shot a weak smile at James as he pulled the vehicle into traffic, weaving his way slowly toward the condo.
She blew out a long, shaky breath, desperately hoping that she wasn’t inadvertently putting her head on the chopping block by getting so involved with a man like Simon.
Just go with it. Relax. Enjoy what you have while you have it.
She bit back a self-deprecating laugh. She didn’t relax, she didn’t roll with the flow, and she had never, ever lived in the moment. Those were all difficult things to do for a woman who needed to worry about where her next meal was coming from and if she could scrounge up enough money to pay her rent every month.
But you don’t need to worry about that now.
No…she didn’t. It might not last very long, but for a brief time, she knew she had a bed to sleep in, a roof over her head, and plenty of food to eat. Because of Simon, she had time and space to actually breathe.
Her heart stuttered as she pictured him, as he was last week on the couch, vulnerable, yet so very strong. How could she not admire that strength and determination to beat whatever phantoms of the past were haunting him?
He did it for me. Because I wanted it.
Drawing power from her memories, Kara gathered her backpack. She was home. James had delivered her to the front of the massive building. “Thank you, James.” She gave him a sheepish grin, suddenly noticing that she hadn’t spoken a word to the driver on the short trip home.
“You’re most welcome, Ms. Kara. As always. Have a nice evening.”
“You, too.” Sliding out of the seat, backpack in hand, she closed the door and jogged toward the entrance.
She would have a nice evening. How could she not? She had a dark, sexy, handsome man waiting for her. He might want dinner, but she was determined to give him something more than just food. It was time to give back to Simon. After all, he had trusted her, sheltered her, made her feel like she was someone special.
She hoped he was hungry, and not just for food.
Waving at the watchful doorman, she slipped silently into the elevator that went to the penthouse.
Live in the moment. Don’t think about the future.
It might feel totally alien to her, but she was going to try.