Right from the Start (21 page)

“Fair’s fair, hmm?”

He would hardly call sitting here playing the
let’s-get-to-know-each-other game when they didn’t have time to get to know each
other fair, but he nodded anyway. He could afford to play with fire when he knew
life would quickly douse the flames. And he liked watching her mouth move when
she talked.

“Fair’s fair. So how does someone get into divorce mediation?
Did you study it in school?”

“I wish. I actually got into mediation because I’m a family
advocate. It’s a form of social work. I sort of fell into teaching the classes
because there was such a need, and it turned out that I love it.”

And was good, by all accounts. He unscrewed the top of the
water bottle. “How do you fall into teaching classes? There’s a story
there.”

A smile played around the edges of her lips as she took another
bite then set her fork down. “There is, as a matter of fact. I happened to be in
session in a city building where a class was taking place. The woman who taught
the class had car trouble on her way, so an attorney I worked with told me what
happened and said there was a room full of people who’d paid to attend the class
and needed a teacher. One of them being his client.”

“You walked in cold? That’s impressive.”

“Kind of scary, actually, but my curriculum has come a long way
since that class. The fact they’d let someone walk in unprepared to teach tells
you what you need to know. We need standardized education—especially now that
they’re offering classes online. Otherwise these classes are just a money grab
for the state, rather than an attempt to improve lives. People go right back out
and involve themselves in relationships that won’t succeed any better than their
marriages did because they didn’t figure out what the problems were and deal
with them.

“The worst part is that the kids generally suffer. It’s hard to
be shuffled back and forth between parents, trying to have lives in both places.
Start adding new spouses and step- and half-siblings and their family, which is
the single most important thing to give them a secure start in life,
disintegrates. Unless parents make a real effort to help their children cope
after a divorce and that means creating a stable family for them.”

“And I’ll bet that doesn’t happen often because parents are
getting divorced, so there’s a problem between them already.”

“Exactly,” she agreed. “Not always, thankfully. But far more
often than not.”

Everything about Kenzie was passion right now, and her passion
was actually an interesting display of gentle firmness and calm-voiced
intensity.

Leaning back in the chair, Will twisted the cap on the bottle,
on and off, considering her and what she said. “I have to admit that’s
eye-opening. I never thought about the situation from that perspective.”

“You’re in good company.”

A very diplomatic way of saying that most people didn’t think
of the impact of divorce on a child’s family life.

Had Will? He’d been in this situation, only with more
complications. At least he hadn’t jumped into another marriage to further
destabilize Sam’s life.

Kenzie turned her attention to the table, gathering up cutlery
and napkins, collecting them on her plate for disposal. Then she sipped from her
own water bottle, apparently waiting until he finished before clearing the
table. Very traditional, he decided. A woman who appreciated a sit-down meal,
probably grew up with her family gathering for a family dinner hour like on
old-time television shows from the fifties.

Was that why she was so passionate about family life? Made
sense, since she wasn’t the child of divorced parents herself.

“I think Sam’s going to like his new school a lot,” he finally
said.

She stacked the empty foam boxes and slanted an amused gaze his
way. “My turn, hmm?”

“Fair’s fair.” He stretched his legs out before him. “What’s
not to like? More space and there will even be a big playground, which is Sam’s
favorite part.”

“Oh, really? Where’s that going to be?”

“Where the maintenance room is now. It corners the building and
has some square footage that abuts the easement. We’ve relocated the mechanical
systems so we can free up that space. It’s good-sized and walled in. Perfect for
a play area.”

“Sounds like it. I have to admit I’m impressed.”

“Me, too. Building’s turning out better than I could have
hoped. So far. Still holding my breath.”

“Well, that is good, but I was actually talking about the
contractor who’s making this new building happen. Family Foundations is pretty
ambitious, Will, and you have quite a private agenda. But it seems to me that
you’re using your private agenda to serve a lot of people.”

There was so much in that carefully phrased statement. The
biggest implication was that his private agenda was his and his alone. He
wondered why she’d think that. Her interactions with Melinda maybe? “Did you
know about my connection to Angel House? Is that one of the reasons why you
didn’t vote for me?”

The question was out of his mouth even though he didn’t really
want reality right now, just wanted to engage with a beautiful woman and hear
her soft-spoken voice.

“No, I didn’t know.”

But she didn’t offer any other explanation, didn’t mention his
divorce, so he left it there, appreciated the chance to backtrack after opening
his big mouth. He didn’t want reality intruding further when she’d paid him a
very nice compliment.

“I’m glad I reassured you, then,” he said far more
diplomatically, encouraged when she nodded, her smile reaching her sparkling
eyes.

“You have, Will. If you run for a second term, I will vote for
you.”

There was something so earnest in her words that he knew she
would not have offered lightly. She was kind, but she didn’t sugarcoat the
truth. He’d discovered that about her, which meant somewhere along the way he’d
earned some respect and rose in her estimation regardless of what she’d heard
about him from Melinda.

He couldn’t remember the last time a woman had looked at him
with admiration. But Kenzie’s soft expression bridged the distance in a way that
reached inside him to all those places he was trying so hard to ignore.

And finding impossible to ignore.

He seized the opportunity for distraction by gathering the
remains of his meal. He took Kenzie’s, too, and headed out the door to the break
room to deposit everything in the trash, feeling as if he’d gotten too personal,
too intimate with a woman he’d only wanted to watch talk.

And that’s all he wanted, to talk with a beautiful woman, to
feel like a man without a whole lot of responsibility weighing on him.

He hadn’t wanted to turn Kenzie’s generalizations about divorce
into a personal commentary about him. He may have failed at marriage twice, but
he hadn’t jumped into his second marriage. And he definitely wouldn’t jump into
a third.

How could Will ever ask another woman to step into his life, a
life driven by Sam’s needs?

His own mother couldn’t handle those needs.

Will wouldn’t do that—not to a woman he cared about and not to
Sam. Even if he did have the time to find a special someone, which he didn’t, so
this little break from reality was over. He’d leave the ceiling panels and
windowsills until another day.

But as Will ditched the trash and washed his hands, he couldn’t
help thinking about his meeting with Deanne.

“Closing doors and opening
windows,”
he’d told her.

Maybe Will was the one who needed the reminder. Was Kenzie an
opening window, a convenient encounter with a woman because the door had closed
on any hope of a real relationship in his life?

CHAPTER ELEVEN

“O
H
MY
GOODNESS
, what a perfect day,” Kenzie said aloud to no one in
particular, leaning her head back on the swing in her parent’s backyard. Her
hair flowed over the edge as she tipped her face to the sun for a dose of
vitamin D.

Everyone in her world was exactly where they should be today.
No turmoil. No conflict. No worries about Will showing up or popping through the
ceiling.

The
perfect
day.

Insects whirred in the distance, a chirpy trill that always
seemed to accompany summer days like this one. She’d grown up in this yard,
although the swing hadn’t been around then, but there had been a child-friendly
wooden play yard her father had built himself. And a tree house. She’d had one
of those, too.

The French doors opened and Nathanial appeared, carrying two
glasses of a Riesling he’d had on ice.

“Budge up.” He handed her a glass. “Mom said to stay put.
Geri’s running late. She’ll let you know when she needs help getting dinner on
the table.”

“Thanks.”

Mom, of course, was
her
mom, not
his. Mom Wright, as Kenzie always thought of Nathanial’s mother, couldn’t make
dinner today because she’d spent the night in Charlotte with Sarah and Sean, and
the new baby. So Mom Wright had sent Pop Wright along, pleased not to have to
worry about his dinner. Pop Wright and Kenzie’s father were in the study, poring
over the latest copy of
North and South,
the Civil
War Society’s magazine.

The Civil War had always been her father’s passion, and Pop
Wright was the son of an army officer and had served in the armed forces
himself. He loved anything and everything to do with the military, historical or
otherwise.

“Tell me what you think?” Nathanial said.

“I think today’s entirely perfect.”

He clinked his glass to hers. “The Riesling.”

She’d known he had been asking about the wine and sipped with a
smile. The white proved to be a little drier than she’d expected. “Not too
sweet. I like it.”

Nathanial saluted her again with the glass. “I thought you
would.”

“I like when you think of me.”

“Of course, I think of you. And it’s not a red day, no matter
how much you like them.”

And she did. Malbecs were her favorite. A South American wine
she’d discovered purely by accident at a hole-in-the-wall restaurant that made
the best figs and cheese appetizer around. She’d discovered the place with Fiona
and Jess on one of their girl days, an occasional day trip out of town where
they drove aimlessly through the mountains looking for adventure.

That day they’d found it in the form of a restaurant that
looked like a total dive in a dilapidated strip plaza between an open-air
farmer’s stand and a tattoo parlor. But the place had been packed with cars for
a luncheon special of
meat, rice, bread and cola
for
$3.99. They’d been starving, and if
that
meal wasn’t
an adventure, Kenzie didn’t know what was.

“Living life dangerously,” Nathanial had agreed when she’d
shared the story.

Nathanial, on the other hand, preferred white wines and was
always trying to sell her under the premise she’d discover what she liked if she
tried enough good ones.

“You’re in an awfully pleasant mood for someone who hasn’t left
her office much lately,” he said. “Doesn’t sound like you get home much more
than I do.”

“True, true,” she agreed. Her entire life had been revolving
around work even more than usual since receiving a registered letter from City
Hall.

She squelched that thought fast.

“That’s about to change, Nathanial. I want more perfectly
perfect days like this one.” Now she clinked her glass with his. “Where
everything is perfect and everyone is exactly where they should be. Mom and Dad
are home and hosting Sunday dinners again. You and your dad are here, and Geri’s
on her way. Would be better if Mom Wright was here, but she might be back in
time for coffee. We’ll cross our fingers. I’ve got a glass of not-too-sweet
Riesling in my hand and a cute guy sharing my sunbeam. Perfectly perfect.”

He grinned that grin that had been charming her since
kindergarten. “I take it the pitch went well this week.”

“Everyone loved it. I did a Q & A afterward that raised a
few questions I hadn’t considered, so I
incorporated
the answers for my next presentation. Soon as Geri gets here, I’ll get her spin
on the things I came up with.” Kenzie took another sip. Not bad at all. “Now
catch me up on the case. I’ve been sending good thoughts every morning before
you head into court.”

“I don’t know how you time it, but I literally get your texts
as I’m turning off my phone to walk into the courtroom.”

“A gift.” It was actually premeditated timing on her part, but
she wouldn’t spoil the mystery.

Stretching his legs, Nathanial let her control the swing. “I
can’t decide if the partners are testing me to determine if I’m partner material
by my performance on this case.”

“What else would they be doing?”

“Looking for an excuse to get rid of me.”

Kenzie turned toward him, trying to determine whether or not he
was serious. He didn’t sound as if he was joking. Didn’t look it, either, which
made her feel guilty for going on about her own contentment.

“You’ll be brilliant,” she said softly. “You always are.”

“You’re partial.”

She nodded, hoping to reassure him, and his expression relaxed.
She slipped her hand over his. “Tell me.”

“This is a tough case, Kenz,” he admitted. “I’m not going to
lie. I’ve done nothing but prepare when I’m not in the courtroom. I’m driving my
assistants insane, according to Chad.”

Chad was Nathanial’s senior legal assistant, a third-year law
student specializing in business litigation like Nathanial.

“What’s making this so tough? Is it the case or the partners
paying such close attention?”

“They can pay attention all they want.” He scoffed. “I’m a
performer. You know that.”

She did know. Nathanial could walk into any room and take over.
He’d always been that way, had walked into their kindergarten classroom, marched
straight up to Mrs. Mars and introduced himself. He’d been on a first-name basis
with most of the class before the bell rang.

“They’re expecting me to pull a rabbit out of my hat. I’m
beginning to think they threw this case at me only because no one else wanted to
take the fall.”

“You really don’t think you can win?”

“It’s hard enough putting a face on a big corporation, but even
getting the jury to empathize with my client... If I don’t make some connection
with the jury, I’m going to cost the firm a big client and some serious money. I
can forget all about becoming a partner anytime soon.”

Kenzie knew better than to ask about the particulars of the
case, but she also knew how these things worked from listening to him. “If this
is such a big case, shouldn’t they have put together a defense team and not
leave you scrambling around trying to do everything yourself?”

“I have a team, for all the good it’s doing me.” He scoffed.
“That part’s my own stupid fault. I smelled the setup but was arrogant enough to
let them suck me in because I thought I could use this case as a springboard.
And I could if I can turn it around and get a fair judgment.”

“Sounds like quite a risk.”

“It is, but I’m ready to be a full partner, Kenz. You know
that. More than ready.”

She was surprised, and not a little. Nathanial was ambitious,
but not so much of a risk taker that he’d jeopardize years of hard work. “Any
ideas about how to turn it around?”

“That’s the only reason I’m here today. Otherwise I probably
couldn’t have rationalized taking the time. But I needed to clear my head, so I
can review with fresh eyes.”

She wasn’t happy to hear that spending time together hadn’t
been on his radar today, whether or not he’d thought about her with the
Riesling. “Clearing your head sounds smart.”

“Fingers crossed. I can’t seem to get away from the fact that I
have to switch gears and take another approach entirely. If I can convince the
jury my client is committed to settling the situation fairly, I might earn a
little sympathy.”

“Are they?”

He gestured with an impatient hand. “Bingo. Precisely the
problem. My client will settle and pay out, but only to end the litigation. They
won’t own responsibility for the situation. Their brand will take too big a hit
if they’re found culpable.”

“Are they culpable?”

He arched a quizzical eyebrow. “I’m a defense attorney,” he
said, as if that explained everything.

Of course, all his clients wouldn’t necessarily be innocent.
But the fact he was in business litigation usually masked that obvious fact.
Kenzie knew all this, so why did business litigation suddenly sound so
unsavory?

She put the thought right out of her head. Turmoil would not
ruin her perfect day. “Anything I can do to help?”

He smiled, but it still looked strained around the edges. “Your
texts always help. Listening helps. Getting away helps. I opened my eyes this
morning rehashing everything that happened in the courtroom last week.”

The French doors opened, and Geri popped her head out. “I’m
here. Finally.”

“Hi, Geri,” Nathanial said.

Kenzie chimed in with, “Glad you made it.”

Geri glanced between them with a curious expression. Kenzie
could just imagine what Geri was thinking right now, given their conversation
about Will.

“I never know if you two are together
together,”
she had said.

“Just wanted you to know I was here. I’ll go help your mom in
the kitchen.” Geri retreated as quickly as she’d appeared.

Nathanial used the opportunity to put the brakes on the
conversation. “Don’t worry about me, Kenz. I’ll figure it out. I knew it was a
gamble when I accepted the case. I like challenges. You know that.”

She did know. She also knew he was keeping her at arm’s length,
and Kenzie considered that as they fell into silence. Nathanial likely
considering his case or avoiding thinking about it by dodging this conversation.
Kenzie wouldn’t know because he wasn’t sharing today.

And she couldn’t help but remember all the questions that
Fiona, Jess and Geri had raised during their recent heart-to-heart
conversations, Kenzie had but to look at the situation.

The best friend or the hero?

Nathanial had always been both. Even as far back as when he’d
been her gregarious friend who was a boy with blond bangs that flopped into his
eyes. Her partner in primary school as they’d banded together to stand up to
Wade Crucker the crayon-breaker, the much-bigger boy who had tried to push them
around.

They’d stood together against a bully and saved their crayons.
She had a lifetime of stories like that. Kenzie and Nathanial. Best buds.
Occasional friends with benefits. Someday they would get serious about their
relationship. When they both got where they wanted to go in their careers and
had the chance to think about settling down. But that time hadn’t come yet.

There had been times when Nathanial had wanted to focus on them
and she hadn’t been ready. Hadn’t there? She’d dated and had even rented a place
on her own in Raleigh for a training program that had lasted nearly a year. But
she honestly didn’t know for sure. And she’d never asked him the question,
didn’t want to ask it now.

Kenzie found that very telling.

She would rather sit here and not raise hard questions because
she didn’t know if she wanted to hear the answers.

There was a problem in that motivation.

Kenzie could certainly come up with some good rationalizations
such as now wasn’t a good time for Nathanial since he was having trouble with a
case.

She needed to be supportive. Her needs could wait.

Their relationship had been ticking along in exactly this way
for years, so another month would hardly make a difference.

Too bad her inner child didn’t agree.

She could blame all the urgency she felt on Will, and that was
wholly unfair to Nathanial. Why should he be impacted because of her crisis?

Because that’s what a hero did? Ride in to save the damsel in
distress?

Kenzie couldn’t remember ever reading one fairy tale about a
princess who chose to step back and patiently wait for her prince. No.
Princesses kissed frogs. Her very favorite version of the Cinderella story had
Drew Barrymore rescuing the prince.

But not Kenzie.

“Why don’t you come over tonight, Nathanial? Pack an overnight
bag and stay with me. We can brainstorm together. A change of scenery sounds
like the very thing you need.”

That was all it usually took—an invitation. He’d invite himself
over, and they’d shift gears and settle into their comfortable
friends-with-benefits relationship.

He’d call her during the day. She’d call him. They’d get
together at night for dinner. They’d make love, something they hadn’t done since
Florida.

She wasn’t sure why they’d stopped. But their relationship had
always been like that—if they couldn’t go forward, they just faded back into
their separate lives.

And that’s what this was—shared lives, but most definitely
separate.

The best friend or the hero?

“Thanks, but no can do, Kenz,” he said. “I’m in over my head
and can’t handle even the prettiest distraction.”

His words were lighthearted and sincere, but they hit her with
a force she wasn’t used to experiencing.

Why did she feel so overwhelmed right now?

Because he’d always been the one to do the inviting in their
relationship, and the first time she’d invited him, he wasn’t available?

“Are you seeing someone?” she asked.

“No, of course not.” He frowned. “I would have told you if I
was.”