Chapter 15
Zane
I couldn’t stop glancing over at Kathryn, giving her statement to Lewis, while I spoke to his partner, Ray, giving mine. I stuck to the basics that related to Samantha’s threats to Kathryn, not mentioning her involvement with other criminal activity. As soon as the police started investigating her, they would likely uncover the truth on that anyway. And that was if her father didn’t just turn her in first.
But I was worried about Kathryn, since she’d faced something that could leave her traumatized. And now, she was so calm about it, I wondered if maybe she was in shock. We’d talked so much over the meal she’d made, I found myself starting to hope that we could work things out. But then, as I reiterated the events that had plagued Kathryn, including Sam’s confession to me of stalking and threatening her, I realized how much I’d lied and hurt her.
My glances were about Kathryn’s well-being, but they were also about my own selfish desire and what I’d lost in all my deception. I loved Kathryn like she was part of me already, and knowing that I had lost her felt like I’d cut off my legs.
I finished my statement and stood to the side, waiting while the crime scene investigators packed up and Lewis finished with Kathryn. I thanked him as he left and told him I owed him one, or even several. Kathryn closed the door behind them, leaving the two of us alone again. I felt incredibly awkward and out of place. She’d asked me to stay for the pancakes, but I didn’t know how long she wanted me there.
She’d mentioned not bothering with a hotel because it was already late, and now, it was even later. But I wasn’t going to count on her letting me stay the night, especially as she avoided eye contact.
Hopefully, that was only because she’d seen her face in the mirror and was having trouble with the fact that she was dangerously close to having a black eye.
I cleared my throat, and she went to the kitchen, pouring herself another mug of coffee. She reached into the cupboard and grabbed another mug to fill, and I was curious what she was doing. “Listen, I need to go talk to Crystal, explain everything that’s going on. She might want to give a statement, too. After all, she was a part of this whole thing.”
I read her meaning – I’d not only put Kathryn in harm’s way, but I’d also caused the same problems for Crystal.
“Sure,” I said, glancing at the door. I should probably just leave, I decided.
“Make yourself comfortable, okay? Help yourself to the fridge or the bathroom. I’ll be back in a while.”
I stared after her as she disappeared down the hall. I guessed maybe we had more to talk about, or that she was at least going to let me stay the night. I marveled at her generosity and wished I deserved her.
I stood around for a few minutes, poured myself some more coffee, already knowing I was going to battle insomnia tonight, and sat at the table. I could have just turned on the television, but there were several calls I needed to make. That would be a good distraction and a productive way to spend my time alone. I needed to get the ball rolling, if I was going to make sure I had the upper hand in every aspect of the situation.
I started with my lawyer. I didn’t pay him $600 an hour for him to demand I only call during business hours, so I didn’t feel bad when I woke him up. He yawned and said in as jovial a tone as possible, “Well, hey, Zane. I wasn’t expecting to hear from you for a while.”
“Well, things moved a little faster than I planned, which is a good thing,” I told him. “Listen, I need to know where I’m at in terms of money and assuring that, when I have you courier over the divorce papers to her, she can’t touch anything I’ve put away.”
“Hold on a minute. I’ll go to my office, and we’ll look everything over one last time, but you should be set.”
I waited, hearing him curse a couple of times as something banged, and I could picture him tripping over his kids’ toys left out in the living room.
Then, he groaned as he sat at the computer in his office. “All right, let’s see here.” I heard keys clicking, and then he said, “Let’s start with the nightclub. The capital you invested is marked as a gift, and you’ve long since paid the taxes on that gift, so nothing you invested and none of the money you’ve made can be touched. The club’s in your name, so she can’t take that, either.”
I smiled, relieved. There was more clicking, and then he continued, “You bought the Purple Dragon outright with funds from the club, so that’s all safe, too. As for the net worth of the account you keep as Alexander, you’re sitting just over $2.5 million there. The house is yours, too. Samantha will only have rights to anything that has both your names on it. That would be the joint accounts attached to her trust fund.”
“Yeah, that’s gone. Her father made sure of that. But I don’t care.” I’d been putting back money as a salary for myself at the Purple Dragon, under ‘Alexander’, the name I used when I bartended there. I’d bought it five years ago, when things started taking a turn for the worse with Sam and her antics. I knew, some day, I’d find a way out of my miserable marriage, a way to fix the mistake I’d made early on in life, and I wanted to be prepared for that day. I hadn’t exactly pictured it going down the way it had – I’d pictured something more like an amicable parting of the ways due to ‘irreconcilable differences.’
But at least I was free. And I had the club, the bar, and the money I’d put away. My account didn’t touch the funds Sam’s parents gave her, but it was more than enough for me, and it would keep growing with the success of both my businesses.
The only thing missing was Kathryn.
I sighed, focusing on the conversation at hand. “Perfect. Thanks. Now, do you need me to come re-sign the divorce papers, or are they good?”
“We left the date blank for a reason, Zane. Everything else is the same, unless you want to change your mind about the house.”
I considered it for a moment. I’d stipulated that I would sell the house and any shared assets within. I knew that, when the day came, Sam would be completely broke because she didn’t handle finances like a mature, responsible adult. I had provided in the papers that half the amount I got from the sale would be placed in an account for her, in her name and only accessible by her. I could have changed it now, but she would already have practically emptied the house of expensive belongings before I could get the listing up. The only things safe were the exercise equipment in my weight room, which was locked.
And I didn’t know if she’d ever get to use the money anyway, since she was probably going to jail. The idea of the money being there for her when she couldn’t even use it was such a tease I couldn’t step back from it. I smirked and said, “We’re going to leave that as is.” Besides, I didn’t foresee getting more than three million for the lot anyway, and her half would be so small compared to what she was used to, it would probably just offend her.
“Very well. Then, it’s all set.”
“Good. Get the real estate agent to list the house first thing in the morning. I’ll have an auctioneer come take a look at what’s left in the house, too. And send the courier with the papers first thing in the morning.” I felt like a free man, finally.
“I’ll make sure it’s done. Good night, Zane, and congratulations.” I hung up, practically walking on air. Things were good, and I was ready to move on with my life. The problem was, I needed a place to stay, and I wanted to take my time looking for a house. When I bought one, I wanted it to be perfect, everything I liked in a home. And even renting a house was going to take a few days.
I hadn’t talked to my mother in a while anyway, and I knew she would be up. She had always been a night owl, the one thing that caused friction between her and my father, who was an early bird. So, I called her, and she nearly wept with joy when I told her I was moving on. I’d never told her what the marriage was about, but she knew I wasn’t happy, and she’d never liked Sam.
“Oh, honey, I’m so happy for you right now. You can’t imagine how much I’ve worried about you.”
“Well, I’m fine, Mom, better than ever.” I paused. I hated asking for something on the rare occasions I called, but I also had more news for her, so I could wrap all the good things around the favor I needed. “So, Mom, how would you feel about a visit? I was thinking I could come stay with you for a week or so, while I get my ducks in a row. I’m practically a bachelor now, and I’ve got about as much to my name as any other bachelor.”
“Of course! You can stay as long as you need to. I’d love to spend some time with my son. I’ve got your Aunt Margaret and Uncle John and your cousin Roger around the corner now, but it still gets lonely around here.” She sounded excited but worried, and I knew she was concerned that I’d make her miss work while I was there. I also knew that, at this point, she couldn’t even spare the expense of additional food.
“I have one more question, Mom,” I said. I could almost feel her tension through the phone, and I knew she thought I was going to ask for money. “How much debt are you in right now?”
“Oh, honey, it’s not that bad. It hasn’t changed in years.”
“I know, but how much is it?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a quarter of a million, somewhere around there. The house is almost paid off, and then I can start putting the amount I pay for the mortgage toward the debt.” That would take her the rest of her life to pay off, even halfway. And I wasn’t going to stand for that.
“Okay, well, I don’t want to bring you down, so we’ll talk about it more later. Listen, I’m going to let you go, but I love you, and I’ll call you when I’m headed your way, all right?” We said goodbye, and I hung up.
I made one more call, to my brokerage firm, and we talked for quite some time. There were several changes and shifts I wanted to make. My savings account was growing at an outrageous rate because my broker was smart, and I wanted to throw a little more into that account and watch it thrive. But I also wanted to pull from three other accounts of mine and shove it into two separate accounts. One would be a simple checking account, and the other would be set up almost exactly like my account that thrived.
When we’d hashed that out, I hung up and took a deep breath, satisfied with my accomplishments. It was nearly one o’clock, and I realized I’d been on the phone for two hours.
And Kathryn hadn’t come out yet.
I put another pot of coffee on to brew, knowing that when Kathryn did come back, she was probably going to be desperate for another mug. She was one of those people who didn’t get affected by the caffeine in a way that made her jittery or sleepless. But if she didn’t have it, she got antsy and a little lethargic. I chuckled to myself at her quirks, but that only made me sad. Would we even be friends when this was all said and done?
I laid back on the couch, staring at the ceiling and trying to imagine waking up in the morning, knowing that I would never have to answer to Sam again, never be accused of crazy things, never have to hear her father’s derisive comments. If I ever saw either of their faces again, it would be in a courtroom to testify against Sam or her idiot of a boyfriend.
I didn’t want to think about Sam. I wanted to think about my future, and freeing my mom from her debt, and the house I was going to buy with the leftover money.
But every time I pictured a future in a house I loved with the freedom I wanted and two thriving businesses, I saw Kathryn there. Lying beside me when I woke up. In the kitchen making pancakes when we had a late night. Coming home with the kids after she picked them up from school. Lying in a bikini by the pool in the backyard and giggling when I splashed her with cold water.
I didn’t want to picture that anymore. It wasn’t going to happen. I’d screwed up the one good thing I had found that was worth living for, and I hated myself for it.
I heard the door open, but I didn’t move as the sound of footsteps came toward me. Two faces appeared above me, Crystal smiling and Kathryn’s peaceful and expressionless. “Boy, you had a real monkey on your back, didn’t you? One possessed by a demon, from the sound of it,” Crystal said.
I smiled at her. “Yeah, well, I’ve had it surgically removed, so I feel a lot lighter now.”
She snorted. “Well, good riddance, I say.”
I noticed Kathryn had a couple of pillows in her arms, and Crystal was nearly toppling over with the weight of the blankets she carried. Kathryn told me, “We figured you might have fallen asleep, or that you’d be close, so we brought the bedding for the couch with us.”
“Thanks,” was all I could manage as I hoisted myself up to help arrange everything so the couch resembled a bed as much as possible. Then I remembered the coffee. “Actually, I don’t know how well I’m going to sleep, and I know you pretty well, so I made a fresh pot of coffee a few minutes ago.”
The exuberant bounce in Crystal’s step and the gratitude on Kathryn’s face thrilled me. I knew that, whatever Kathryn felt toward me, Crystal would, too, and vice versa. That meant pleasing both of them like this would definitely help my case. They both went to fill their mugs, and I followed with my empty one, deciding to join them.
We all stood in the kitchen, and I hoped there wouldn’t be an awkward silence, though it certainly seemed to be closing in. Crystal broke it, though, while Kathryn averted her eyes. I tried not to let that bother me, but the effort proved useless. “So, Zane, do you know what you’re going to do next?”
I knew why she was asking. Kathryn wanted to know but didn’t want me to get the wrong impression. This wasn’t about her feelings for me. This was about being kind and concerned for people. It was a lot like her job and that project she was working on for patient advocacy.
I cleared my throat and answered her, though I made sure to glance at Kathryn from time to time, addressing her as well. “I talked to my mother, and I think I’ll be staying with her for a little bit. At least, until I find a house I can rent temporarily. Then, I can come back, start from scratch, and look for something more permanent.”
“Isn’t your mother in San Antonio?” Kathryn asked, suddenly turning to face me with alarm written all over her expression.
I shrugged. “Yes, but it’s not that far from here. I can get to the club most nights, and I’ll be able to get my real estate agent to help me find something suitable for the next couple of months.”
Crystal nudged Kathryn, none too gently, and Kathryn nodded. “Well, I think that it’s stupid. And so does Crystal. I mean, it doesn’t make sense for you to be that far from your business, and I’m sure you don’t want to impose on your mother. And renting a hotel room is just a huge waste of money that could be used toward the house you want to get.”
I wasn’t quite sure where she was going with this and thought maybe she was going to make a case for me not to sell the house quite yet. Maybe change the locks? Get a restraining order on Sam?
I didn’t say anything, and she continued, “And it’s not like you can go back to the house you were living in with…Samantha.” I saw the disgust on her face just from saying the name. “Anyway, Crystal and I have agreed that you should just stay here. You’re welcome to the couch until you make other living arrangements.”
Truthfully, I would have gotten a hotel, but I couldn’t stomach the idea of pissing away money with as little care as my soon to be ex-wife. And I did want to see my mother, but I wanted to go without needing to see her. I wanted to show up with something that would make her even happier than she was now.
But I liked the idea of staying here. Crystal was a riot and made great company. The apartment was cozy and not cramped. And mostly, being so close to Kathryn so often gave me a chance to try to redeem myself and get back in her good graces. If I played my cards right, I might just win her over again. And then, I didn’t have to fear those thoughts of the future that always included her.
“If you’re sure, that would be wonderful. Thank you. I appreciate it.”
Kathryn gave me a tight smile. “Good, then it’s settled.” She finished the last of her cup of coffee and poured another one. I hoped that meant we could talk more, but she said, “Today has exhausted me, and it’s really late. I’m going to bed. I’ll see everyone in the morning.” To me, she said, “Stay up as late as you like. I’m a heavy sleeper. TV and such won’t wake me up.”
And there it was, the casual dismissal. I put on a smile I wasn’t feeling, and Crystal gave me a sympathetic look. She didn’t say anything, but she stopped to hug me and say goodnight on the way back to her own room. Left alone in the large open space, I felt almost abandoned, and it gutted me to know that Kathryn didn’t trust me anymore. Of course, I couldn’t blame her.
With a sigh, I turned out the lights and got comfortable with the blankets. I wanted so badly to go into Kathryn’s room. To knock on her door and hear her invite me in. To lie in her bed and smell her, touch her, taste her sweetness. Instead, I squeezed my eyes shut and started singing in my head until the words blurred and I found sleep.