Not Quite Mine (Page 61)

Not Quite Mine (Not Quite #2)(61)
Author: Catherine Bybee

“Oh, Dean, why is all this happening now?”

He held her in his arms. “I don’t know, darlin’. We’re going to be OK.”

She tried to pull up another emotion about her mother, other than frustration, but she couldn’t. “She didn’t even go to Jack’s wedding.”

“I know,” Dean said.

“Why should we care if she’s hurt?”

“It’s what makes you a better person.”

“What if I don’t want to be the better person?” She knew she sounded like a child but her mother didn’t deserve her sympathy.

“I’ll support you if you don’t want to go. You’ll have to live with that decision forever if she dies, Katie.”

She wanted to scream. “Mrs. Rock, meet Mr. Hard Place.”

“C’mon. I’ll help you pack.” Dean helped her to her feet.

“I didn’t think I’d be flying to Italy today.”

Dean rested his arm on her shoulder. “You’re not. She’s in Florida.”

“What?”

“That’s what Jack said.”

“What happened to Italy?”

“No idea.”

The annual Christmas card was always postmarked from Italy. Maybe she was visiting someone.

In their bedroom, Katie removed several slacks and a few blouses. She had no idea how long she’d be. The thought of leaving Savannah for more than a few hours felt awful, but she couldn’t avoid it. At least it’s not Italy. Damn…Katie was leaving her child to be there for her mother. A mother who couldn’t be bothered to be there for her.

She was never there.

Katie wanted to feel pain, but anger ruled instead.

Dean placed a suitcase on the bed and helped her shuffle clothes. “There’s one more thing you might want to know before your family gets here,” he said as he tucked her shoes into the bag.

Should I pack a black dress? Just in case? She grabbed one from a hanger really hoping it wasn’t needed.

“What’s that?”

“I told Jack you’re living here.”

She snapped her gaze to his.

“It couldn’t be avoided, Katie. He called the hotel, Monica’s…”

Dean’s look of distress kept her from getting too upset. “I’m a grown woman. I don’t need my brother’s permission to move in with a man.”

Dean walked around the bed and kissed her. “That’s what I thought. Besides, it’s one less secret to keep.”

“Right.”

They sat in silence as the plane taxied on the runway before takeoff.

She supposed they were all in a little shock. Dean had shaken hands with both her father and her brother before taking her in his arms and kissing her good-bye. Her family stood by in stunned fascination.

“Call me and I’ll come…we’ll come,” he whispered in her ear.

Katie understood his meaning, kissed him again, and walked toward the plane.

“I guess we’ll have to talk about all this when we get back,” Jack said to Dean behind her.

“I guess you might need to know when something isn’t your business and butt out,” she called over her shoulder.

When they reached cruising altitude, Gaylord undid his seat belt and poured himself two fingers of whiskey, neat.

Her dad was a big man who had something to say about everything. His silence had always frightened her. So far he’d only greeted her and walked onto the plane.

“I’ll take one of those,” Jack said.

“Please tell me we have wine,” Katie chimed in. Apparently, none of them wanted to do this without a little liquid courage.

Her father tilted back his glass, finished the drink in one swallow, and poured another one. He fixed one for Jack and opened a bottle of wine from the fully stocked wet bar for Katie.

“Thanks, Daddy.”

He offered a forced smile and sat beside her on the leather sofa. “Does he make you happy?” he asked from nowhere.

It took her a minute to realize he was asking about Dean. “He does.” Keep it simple. Don’t offer too much information.

Gaylord sipped his second drink. “Good.”

Jack wasn’t so quick to applaud. “Really, Dad? That’s it? You grilled me for an hour about Jessie before you met her.”

“I didn’t know Jessie. I know Dean. He’s a good man. Hardworking. Hell of a lot better than some of the men your sister’s dated.”

“I think I should be offended,” she teased.

“You should,” Gaylord said.

She laughed. Despite the somber reason for the three of them to be on the plane together, she found herself smiling. “Oh, Daddy, I wasn’t that bad.”

“Yes, you were!” both her father and Jack said at the same time.

Now all three of them were chuckling.

“Dean even has you wearing proper clothes. I hope he burned those skintight jeans and barely there skirts.”

She’d left those in the closet at the hotel. But she still loved her high heels.

“Is he gonna make an honest woman of you?” her father asked.

“No one says that anymore, Daddy.”

“I do.”

She smiled…not sure where she and Dean were going. “You’ll be on the list of the first people who will know if that’s what we decide.”

“I guess that’s all I can ask for then.”

Katie leaned over and kissed his cheek. “Thanks for trusting me.”

“Oh, honey, I’ve always trusted you. It’s the guys I didn’t trust.”

She sipped her wine and thought of some of the untrustworthy men she’d brought into her life. “I was really bad, wasn’t I?”

“Yes!”

“Yes.”

Again, they sat there laughing. She couldn’t imagine sitting back and letting Savannah make the mistakes she’d made. How had her father done that? With all his money, his power…how did he stand it? Perhaps in the near future she could ask him those very questions.

“So…Annette’s in Florida,” she finally said, broaching the subject they were all avoiding.

“Show some respect, baby girl. She’s still your mother.”

“She stopped being a mother too many years ago to count.”

Gaylord scolded her with a look.

“OK, fine. So…Mom’s in Florida.”

His face softened and he shrugged. “So I’m told.”

“What happened?”