Breaking Kate: The Acceptance Series (27 page)

“Well, I would hate to disappoint you, so I guess I will just have to get my happily ever after so you can believe again. Come on, let’s go eat before they both come out here and start yelling at us.”

We spend the day watching movies and the boys end up staying into the early evening. After a long round of goodbyes, Jess and I both pretty much drag our tired, sexed-out a
sses up to our rooms and crash.

Chapter 15 – Michael

I have been parked across the street of her house since five a.m. I don’t really know why I’m waiting; I’ve already been here two hours and need to be at work in an hour. I guess I really just don’t want to leave a letter bearing my heart and soul on the doorstep. Deep down, I’m hoping to get a glimpse of her, my beautiful Katherine. I can only imagine how much she has changed, both inside and out. I’ve got my sunglasses on, my baseball cap covering my head, and the car I drive is new. I traded my Porsche days for a work truck long ago and couldn’t be happier about that. Katherine was never materialistic; she used to always tease me about being high maintenance. I guess I was back then and just didn’t realize it. Hell, I didn’t realize a lot of things back then. I was young and stupid and let other people’s feelings and accusations get in my mind and interfere with my happiness, which is why I’m in this mess. If only I could go back to that night, I would’ve never let her leave the hospital. We would have talked it out together and made sense of what happened.

My thoughts are cut short when I hear a garage door opening. I peek over the edge of a magazine, trying to keep my face covered with just enough space to be able to see who comes out. Jessica is getting into a BMW SUV and she looks incredible. She’s still gorgeous, just older and more womanly. My heart aches when I see her. I don’t just miss Katherine, I really miss Jessica, too. How could I just cut the only people besides my family that I ever loved out of my life like that? God, if I could kick my own ass I would; I’m such a fucking prick. Katherine’s Porsche SUV is next to Jessica’s car in the garage. Absentmindedly, I wonder why Jessica got a new car. She was over the moon with the little Audi Coupe she got for graduation from Chloe, but maybe she just decided she would feel safer in something bigger; I know I do.

Okay, it’s now or never. I have to do this quick. I have no clue how soon after Jessica leaves that Katherine leaves, and I don’t want to risk her seeing me. Once Jessica is fully out of sight, I hop out of the car and sprint to her door. I really hope her neighbors don’t see me. I slide the envelope to where it’s sticking halfway out of the door and sprint back to my car. My heart is pounding a million beats a minute and it has nothing to do with the quick sprint to the door. My palms are sweating and my hands are a little shaky.

I take a deep breath, start my truck, and head to work. The ball is in her court now—I just hope she calls. I think she will; Katherine isn’t unkind. I don’t think she would leave me hanging, even if she only calls to tell me to fuck off and never contact her again. I keep asking myself
if I don’t hear back from her, what then? Will I try and contact her again?
I know I will, so how long do I wait before trying again?  I will wait one week; it’s been almost four years, I can wait one more week.

I can’t wait to tell Daniel I finally did it. I don’t know where I would be right now without him. Daniel is like a brother to me. He is absolutely my best friend; his family is one of the best I’ve ever known. If it weren’t for them, I might literally be in a gutter somewhere. With their love and support, and the love and support of the
Houstons, I feel like I belong. They have taught and given me so much, it’s time I show them how much I appreciate it by piecing myself back together. First and foremost, that means resolving things with Katherine. Once I fix that relationship, I need to call my mom and deal with her. Lastly, and probably the hardest one of all, will be Jessica. I say hardest because Jessica can hold a grudge like no other. I don’t think she will be an obstacle in trying to redeem myself with Katherine, but I don’t think she will open her arms wide to friendship, either.

Oh well, one thing at a time. Hopefully, work will be enough to keep me busy and I won’t think too much about Katherine, if she has read the letter, and what she is going to do once she does.

Chapter 16 – Kate

It’s already Wednesday afternoon. This week has flown by. I’m running late getting home to meet my dad because I stayed late at the center to help Lauren with some homework. Natalie has been trying to pick up some extra hours at work so I offered to stay and help out. I need to call Daniel and change our plans for this weekend. Natalie is working the night shift tomorrow and has no one to stay with Lauren. I offered to have Lauren sleep over at my place and then I can just drop her at school on Friday morning. After that, I can just drive out and meet Daniel at his parents’ house. Although I won’t get to see him on Thursday, this actually works out better. I know how crazy things are for him at work right now. Since he got approved for his transfer down here, he’s been working fifteen-hour days. We really haven’t even talked much since he left on Sunday and I miss him.  Random text message conversations are not the same, but once my dad leaves tonight, we are supposed to catch up.  I can’t wait, and I’m sure I’ll need the release once I’m done talking to him. With the change in plans, he’ll get the chance to get a really good night’s sleep on Thursday and not have to drive all the way down here.

I’m nervous. It’s been a while since I have seen my dad, and it’s typically awkward with the two of us, so this night is going to go on forever. Jess called a little while ago. She and Connor are at the house. Apparently, they have set up a baby monitor somewhere discrete so they can hear what is going on and intervene if necessary. Connor promised Daniel he would watch like a hawk, and since I banned them from being in the room, this is the next best thing.  My dad and I pull up at about the same time. I really wish I would have had time to have a drink first. Oh well, I just need to get this over with. He’s already knocking on the door as I walk in from the garage.

Deep breath in and open door.

“Hi, Dad, let me help you with that.” It looks like he bought out P.F. Chang’s with all the food he has. I look him over. He looks relaxed, which is rare. He’s wearing a black t-shirt and a pair of jeans. What the hell? I don’t think I have ever seen my dad in jeans my whole life. He reaches in for a hug—not a classic Joseph Moore pat like I’m anti-social hug, but a real
squeeze
hug. I seriously think I have entered The Twilight Zone.

“Katherine, sweetheart, thanks for letting me come over for dinner.
I wasn’t sure if Jessica would be here so I brought plenty. Oh here, this envelope was stuck in your front door.” I glance down at the envelope; it’s addressed to Katherine Moore. It’s probably from the homeowner’s association because only my bills and official paperwork come addressed to my formal name. I chuck the envelope in my purse so I can focus on my dad.
Did he seriously just call me sweetheart?

“Dad, it’s good to see you, too, but can you please for the love of all that is holy call me Kate? I haven’t gone by Katherine in years.” I start unpacking the food, getting out plates and silverware to eat with. My out of the carton Chinese food rule doesn’t apply with my dad. He’s too proper, and we really just aren’t close enough to eat comfortably like that.

“Jess is here, but she’s upstairs with her boyfriend watching a movie, so it will be just the two of us tonight.” We both sit at the table and pass around the food until we each have some of it all. It smells really good and I realize I’m starving. I was too worked up about tonight to eat much today. I take some extra Mongolian beef and another eggroll because they are my favorites.

“Kate, I wanted to see you so that we could discuss some developments in my life. I know I haven’t been the best father to you, especially since your mother died. I am not a very open person, and I don’t show my feelings and emotions well. Every time I buy you something or give you money, it’s my way of trying to show you how much I love you, but I’ve come to see that I’m doing a very poor job at that. You’re so much like your mother inside and out; it’s both wonderful to see and heartbreaking at the same time because I miss her so much.” I’m shocked that he’s opening up to me. I’m sure the look on my face is priceless. I just can’t help but wonder what is prompting his sudden confessions.
Is he dying?
I start to open my mouth to talk but he puts his hand up.

“Please, Kate, let me get this all out. We don’t have much time tonight, but I hope that we will start spending more time together soon.”

“When Grant died, a lot of things were put into perspective for me—things in the business I couldn’t talk about because I was under a non-disclosure agreement. Personally, I was reeling when you shut me out after that initial talk.” Oh, I remember that talk; it was me screaming at him about what happened while he was trying to board a plane home from the Bahamas. I flinch a little bit just thinking about it.

“I felt terrible about what happened with you and Michael. I was devastated with Grant’s passing; he was the best friend I ever had. Just for the record, I didn’t know the board had let him go that day, not until after it had already happened. That’s why I cut my trip short; I needed to get back and try to straighten things out. I had just heard of his death mere minutes before you called and let me have it. When I got home, I went to see Claire, but she didn’t want to have anything to do with me. I found out about the board revoking the life insurance and had it reinstated immediately. I also cut two personal checks to the company from my own account and demanded they get them to Claire immediately and tell her they had made an accounting error. The money more than made up for what Grant would have received if it had been a legitimate firing. That’s the thing, though. It wasn’t legitimate. I was aware of the contract Grant was looking for that disclosed his ownership of the other company; I had a copy at home in my personal safe. If he had just waited to speak with me, and not gone out drinking and being reckless, this whole mess could have been avoided.” Dad looks really shaken up and so sad. I know he has to be telling the truth.

“Why the fake copy of the document? Who presented that as proof to the board to start the whole investigation in the first place?” I’ve suddenly lost my appetite. I wonder if Michael and Claire know all of this.

“Tom Beringer did it; it took me three years to get to the bottom of it all. That’s part of why I needed to meet with you tonight. We have been trying to keep it all quiet but it’s turned into a scandal. Tom was a board member and also a good friend of Grant’s, or so we all thought. It turns out that Tom used to date Claire in high school and she broke up with him because of his temper. Tom always thought that Grant stole her away and was looking for revenge. He was delusional, and all the years he stayed friends with the family, he was really just trying to find a way to stick it to Grant, hoping to weasel his way back into Claire’s life.”

“I hired investigators who found pictures of Claire and Michael all over Tom’s vacation home. There was a long paper trail of little things he did to Grant at work, proof that he was the one that stole the contract. We also found out that he was the one that initiated the board’s investigation into Grant. There were some minor misappropriations of funds within the company, but we have almost all of that figured out and corrected. Tomorrow, Tom is being arrested on a slew of charges that include stalking; he is going away for a long, long time. The photos in his house are quite disturbing. There are family photos with Grant’s head cut out and his in its place. Each photo has a label over each person’s head. Over Claire it says ‘my love’, over Michael ‘my son’, over you ‘my future daughter-in-law’, and over me ‘best friend for life’. That sick son of a bitch had pictures going back as far as when your mother was alive.”

I’m stunned and sickened. I can’t believe someone was doing that to us all of those years and we never even knew. I’m sure Jess and Connor are flipping the hell out upstairs right about now.

“Kate, I know this is a lot to take in, but that isn’t the worst part, there’s more. The police also found evidence that Tom was out with Grant the night he died. It looks like from journals they have in evidence that Tom drank with Grant in the bar for hours. The details are sketchy at best, but somehow there was a call placed to Grant by a company employee telling him something had happened at home, some sort of emergency, and he needed to get there right away. Grant took off. Tom just happened to be in the restroom at the time that the call was placed. Grant didn’t drive because he wanted to; he drove because he was terrified that something had happened to his family.”

I gasp out loud, I can’t help it. Everything that happened was malicious and intentional.
How could someone do that to us?
Grant died for absolutely no reason. My heart is breaking all over again, and I feel like someone is sucking all the air out of my lungs. Poor Michael and Claire; I wonder what they think of all of this.

“Dad, why isn’t he in jail already? Do Claire and Michael know all of this? This is awful for them and for Grant.” The tears are flowing down my cheeks, my sobs uncontrollable. My dad actually gets up and hugs me tight while wiping the tears away.

“Tom is out of town on Moore company business. I gave him a huge project with the incentive of making partner to replace Grant. The slimy bastard jumped at the opportunity and was even caught bragging that he would be a better partner than Grant ever was. He has no clue what’s been going on here. I spoke with him this evening and he is returning tomorrow morning with the anticipation of a limo picking him up at the airport. Once it is confirmed that he’s on the company jet, the FBI is being dispatched to meet him at the airport. Fortunately, there is
more
than enough evidence to put him away for life.”

“As for Claire and Michael, that’s a tricky subject. You and I haven’t spoken at all about them since the funeral. I’m so sorry for everything that happened. I know you loved Michael very much and
him shutting you out broke your heart. Have you spoken to him, Kate?” I shake my head no. “Neither has Claire; not since he moved out a few weeks after the funeral. I had my private investigator track down his information and got her a phone number and an address. Claire has been leaving him messages for a while now, but he doesn’t call her back. My guess is, once this hits the news tomorrow he will call when he sees it. Maybe then Claire can put him in touch with you and you both can work things out.”

I shake my head even harder.

“No, Dad, that isn’t going to happen. My future isn’t with Michael; I know that now. I wish him all the best and truly hope one day we can be friends again, I miss him. Losing Michael broke me in more ways than I can ever describe, and though I don’t wish him any harm, I don’t want him in that way anymore. I’m actually seeing someone; his name is Daniel and I’m madly in love with him. I would like for you to meet him someday.” My dad looks at my hand, sensing the seriousness of my tone.

“Kate, are you engaged?” He practically chokes out the last word, and I can’t help but laugh.

“No, I’m not engaged, it’s a promise ring. Daniel knows my soul and wants me to heal. For the first time since Michael I’ve moved on, and it’s a really, really good thing.” My dad smiles at me, a genuine, warm smile.

“I’m glad that you’re happy. That’s all that I want for you. I would like to meet Daniel, because any man that has stolen my daughter’s heart must be worth knowing. I need to finish telling you the rest of this story and then I need you to do me and Claire a favor.” I give him a perplexed look and cross my arms.

“Well, I might do
you
a favor, but I don’t know about Claire. She made it abundantly clear she wanted me out of her life for good last time we spoke.” 

“I understand how you feel. I know how Claire is when she is upset. I tried to reach out to her for months and she would never speak to me, but I slowly wore her down and got her to listen to me. Eventually, Claire became my closest confidante and she began to help me figure out all of what had happened. You have no idea how sorry she is for all that happened. She really was a shell of herself for a long time. Claire lost Grant, Michael, and you all in the span of a month. She was truly devastated. Her grief ruled her emotions and unfortunately, you and Michael got stuck in the crossfire. Claire and I started dating almost two years ago. I never mentioned it because I didn’t want to fuel the fire between you until I could fix things. I have asked her to marry me and she accepted. Claire has tried speaking to Michael, and she would really like to speak with you. She’s waiting at Starbucks around the corner and would really like to head over to talk to you if that’s okay.”

My dad is getting married to Claire? Michael is going to be my step-brother? Claire has all her money back? All the planning I have done to fix things has been for absolutely nothing?
I can’t get the thoughts in my head to slow down. I nod to him that it is okay for Claire to come by so my dad sends her a text.

“Well, this is surprising. I only want you to be happy, so I can accept it, but I need you to do something for me. I’ve been working really hard these past four years keeping my head above water with a double major, and I know we have talked about this before, but now I need you to understand how I feel about the business.”

“Kate, it’s fine, I know you don’t want to work for me and it’s okay. I want you to do what makes you happy and I know that my company won’t; it doesn’t even make
me
happy anymore. I guess it took a lot for me to realize that happiness doesn’t come from business, it comes from the people you love. I’m just sorry it took me so long to figure that out.  I wish I could get your childhood back and do it over, but for now I just want a fresh start if that’s okay with you. I don’t want to miss any more of your life—I missed your gymnastics, your birthdays, and so much more.  I want to be there for you and all your milestones from here on out. I want to walk you down the aisle at your wedding and take my grandkids to Disneyworld. I know I blew it horribly with you, but I’ve changed, sweetheart, I just need a chance to prove it to you.”