Read Online What it Takes by Kathryn Ascher - Free Book Online Page B

occasion.
    “Everything’s fine,” Janelle said. Kelsey exhaled slowly and listened carefully as her sister talked about Zoe’s new milestones, Zach’s good school reports, and the students she was tutoring. After a few minutes, Janelle sighed heavily, then said, “He came by today.”
    Kelsey quickly took the call off speaker phone and glanced at Patrick. He was watching her intently. Their eyes met and she quickly looked away.
    “In the middle of the day,” Janelle added.
    “At lunch time?” Kelsey was a bit confused.
    Richard Wagoner worked for one of the largest companies in the area. His office was forty-five minutes from Kelsey’s house, not a trip he could easily make during a normal lunch break.
    “No. Zoe was just getting up from her nap, so it was around two.” She paused. “He asked about you.”
    Kelsey’s stomach knotted and her eyes grew large. She sat up and pulled her knee closer to her chin. “What was he asking?” she whispered, sounding calmer than she felt. She glanced at Patrick who was now sitting with his fingers steepled at his lips. Instead of adding to her anxiety, the feeling she always associated with Richard, she found Patrick’s presence soothing. The knot in her stomach relaxed and her heart rate slowed. She closed her eyes and let her mind absorb her sister’s words.
    “He wanted to know how you’re doing and where you are,” Janelle answered.
    “What did you tell him?”
    “Nothing, of course.” Janelle exhaled and Kelsey could picture her frown. “I expected him to get angry, but he just smiled and said ‘okay.’”
    “That’s odd,” Kelsey murmured.
    They’d been silent for a moment or two when Janelle said, “I need to get started on dinner.”
    Kelsey glanced at her watch. “Yeah, I guess you do. I’ll talk to you later.”
    The sisters said their good-byes and Kelsey hung up the phone and rested her chin on her knee. She looked out the window, wondering why Richard would be asking about her. She’d never known him to show an interest in her work before. His interest now made her uneasy. She had a feeling he was up to something.
    And that was never a good thing.
    Patrick sat up in his chair, trying to see her face. Kelsey’s eyes were always very expressive and it bothered him that he couldn’t see them. She was absentmindedly picking at the fabric on her jeans and seemed lost in thought. The urge to help was strong, but he was at a loss as to what to do. After a few more minutes of uncomfortable silence, he cleared his throat. She slowly turned and looked as if she’d forgotten he was there.
    He shook off his disappointment. “Your sister?” he asked and she nodded. “What does she do?”
    “She’s a stay-at-home mom and tutors middle school students after school.”
    “And her husband?” Patrick cautiously asked. He’d heard a reference to a man just before Kelsey went pale and wasn’t sure whether he was the man in question.
    Her reaction said it all. She stiffened and lifted her chin slightly. “He works in finance.” Kelsey squeezed her eyes together and inhaled deeply. When she looked at Patrick again, she gave him a dimpled grin. “Thanks for the coffee this morning.”
    Her change of subject couldn’t have been more obvious, and it left him wondering. Was her sister’s troubled marriage the reason for Kelsey’s avoidance of him? Or was it something in her own past? Perhaps it was a combination of the two? Whatever it was, he wasn’t going to ask. If she wanted to tell him, she’d do it in her own time.
    “You’re welcome,” he finally said. “I’d meant it as a peace offering of sorts. I said some pretty cruel things last night and for that I’m sorry.”
    Kelsey shook her head. “I wasn’t exactly pleasant,” she answered, all hints of her sweet southern drawl disappearing. “Apology accepted. How did you know that was my favorite?”
    “I pay attention.” His dimples deepened and her cheeks turned delightfully