Searching for Someday

seven

SLADE WATCHED HER smoothly reject the other three women, set up the date with Hannah, and wrap up the entire mixer in a neat little bow. Normally, he’d be amused at his first foray into the love industry, but the lingering tingle in his hand distracted him.

Kate Seymour was hiding something big. And he was going to find out.

The woman intrigued him on every level. Her cool, composed appearance completely contradicted the lightning bolt her touch gave him and the obvious confusion and stutter when she was taken off guard.

Made him want to take her off guard in a variety of more . . . pleasant ways.

Like hard-core, no-holds-barred sex.

Her hips gracefully swayed, and he wrestled back his rapidly growing erection. Damn pants. How did she make them so sexy when she was all covered up? The peekaboo of her black camisole gave him a hint of delicate lace and a mouthwatering glimpse of cleavage. Then the black tuxedo jacket with the lush fur collar swung back and covered the whole thing up. The whole hide-and-seek game was starting to get him irritated.

He shouldn’t have been so honest about his intention to get her naked, but the moment her skin slid over his, he exploded. As if he had no control over his body and the craving to take her. Not his smoothest moment, but he had plenty of time to recover.

He gave her credit, though. Slade expected to be underimpressed with the four choices at his mixer, but the women were everything he was looking for. Smart, funny, attractive, and independent. Weird, he didn’t feel any type of physical charge, but his upcoming date with Hannah would give him a more intimate atmosphere and maybe something would emerge. Did he really want to keep chasing Kate when she didn’t want to be caught? Better to try to focus on a woman who was eager to be with him and explore a possible connection. Even though he didn’t believe in long-term love, an affair with a companion he enjoyed was something he missed.

But he wasn’t ready to leave yet.

The ladies dispersed and Kate headed toward the bar. Slade picked up his wine and followed her. As if she sensed his stalking, she stopped short and he almost rammed into her. One arched brow rose. “Did you need something else?”

Ah, he was being officially dismissed. The humor of the situation made him want to push for more. This woman amused him with her bossiness and the way he seemed to underwhelm her. “Thought I’d hang with you for a bit. After all, it’s a Friday night. Still early.”

Pale pink lips tightened. “You could’ve continued the mixer for longer. The women were quite impressed with you.”

“At least they were. You seem to treat me like an annoyance.”

Her startled jerk satisfied him. “That’s ridiculous. I’m only trying to do my job.”

“Excellent. Then you can babysit your new client and let me buy you a drink.”

His delight at her obvious attempt to ditch him was pretty sick. Maybe he was too spoiled by women throwing themselves at him on a regular basis. She gave a cute little humph, but politeness interceded. “The drinks are free,” she said grudgingly. “At least till ten. Part of the contract for holding our exclusive mixers here.”

“Good deal. Another Merlot or Chardonnay?”

Kate shook her head. “Merlot.”

He walked to the bar, scooped up two fresh glasses, and handed her one. He wondered if she intrigued him by her mystery. Maybe if he broke through some of that reserved demeanor, he’d realize she wasn’t as interesting as he originally believed. After all, it happened to him all the time. “So, tell me a little background on Kinnections. Not many people have the guts to start a new business in this economy, especially such a risky one.”

Her snort told him she wasn’t buying his fishing expedition. “Hope you do better in court when you’re trying to dig for information. That was pure amateur.”

Slade threw up his hands in surrender. “I’m interested in your company. Sue me.”

Kate chuckled. “Fine. Let’s get this over with. Cross-examine me, counselor.”

Anticipation charged him up. “How did you decide to launch Kinnections?”

“The three of us met in college at NYU freshman year, got assigned a group project in English together, and became close friends. We decided to room together during college and graduated together.”

He shook his head. “The three hot amigas tearing it up at NYU. The poor guys must not have known what hit them.”

Her eyes flashed with a memory and a bite of pain. “It was different than you think.”

“How so?”

Discomfort oozed from her pores. She shifted her weight. “We didn’t really fit in with the regular crowd. That’s probably a big reason we bonded so quickly.”

“Specifics?”

“You’re not getting any.”

His shark instincts flamed to life. Slade tabled the topic for a later discussion when she was off guard. “What was your degree in?”

“Business management. I always dreamed of being an entrepreneur but wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on. Arilyn graduated with a degree in counseling, and Ken in media and communications. We pursued careers for a while but found everywhere lacking. One night we got drunk on cosmopolitans and came up with this whole idea of a matchmaking agency.”

“Women still drink those, huh?”

“We do.” Her eyes sparkled with the memory. “We were hung over the next morning but still agreed it was the best idea we ever had. We pooled our resources, our talent, and moved forward.”

He loved the gutsiness. Most grown men he knew sat around whining because they hated their jobs but were too afraid to take any risks. “Why Verily? I’d think you can make a hell of a lot more money in Manhattan.”

“We didn’t want to go head-to-head with some of the big names in the city. Spindel, Kelleher, and many others would blow us out of the water. Verily has the perfect mix of young, career-oriented twenty- or thirtysomething professionals. It gives us the majority of the market, introduces us to a new client base, but is still close enough to Manhattan so we can host events there and still recruit. Our focus is the twenty-five to thirty-five bracket, and we don’t accept clients outside those barriers. Gives us a special niche.”

He nodded. “Nice move. Here’s to brilliant drunken ideas.” He clicked his glass to hers, and her lips curved in a genuine smile. What was it about the angles of her face, the fall of her hair over her brow, the stubborn tilt to her chin? Separately they were nothing extraordinary. Together, they held him almost . . . spellbound.

Yeah, let’s get married and have babies ’cause you like the way she looks. That’ll work.

He ignored the Ted-type voice in his head. Somehow, he didn’t get the image of a funny teddy bear. More like a gleeful devil boy with black teeth. He shuddered at his mental insanity and refocused on the conversation. “How successful have you been?”

“Ten marriages in three years. A good percentage of engagements. Not bad stats, and hopefully we’ll have more good news this year.”

“Divorces yet?”

She bared her teeth. “No. But if I get the call, I’ll send them over. Try to leave the cynicism at home on your date with Hannah, please.”

“Of course. I’m very good on first dates.”

“Yes, I’m sure my challenge will be getting her not to dump you by the third. Statistically, that’s when elements of a true personality begin to leak out.”

“Ouch. Don’t you need to believe in your clients?”

A shimmering lock of angel gold slid over her cheek. She pushed it back. “No. I just need to match you.”

His gaze locked with hers. Raw heat slithered in his veins and scratched at his skin. God, he longed to back her up against the wall and kiss that haughty expression off her face. Make her moan while he slid his fingers between her thighs and torture her for mouthing off. If she shocked him again, would it be like pushing into fire? His pants tented and Slade controlled his breathing to stave off an embarrassing scene. He needed to remember why he was putting himself through this whole charade. Why hooking up with his matchmaker would be a disaster, chemistry aside.

His sister.

Prove them fraudulent and protect Jane. Though lately, the idea they were true con artists was drifting away. Lately, he’d begun to think they actually believed in this ridiculous happily-ever-after nonsense. And if they weren’t straight criminals and just misguided, he had a bigger problem on his hands.

Because belief and hope in a concept that really didn’t exist was neither a crime nor punishable by law.

Slade deftly changed the subject. “Are Ken and Arilyn married?”

“No.”

He pondered the answer and jabbed off the cuff to try and wring out some truth. “So, if you’re a witch and cast spells, how come you didn’t find love for your two best friends?”

The air between them heightened. Kate gripped the wineglass so tightly he worried it would shatter within her grip. “They’re not ready. I was only being facetious, counselor. Making sure you won’t be able to sue me for any misguided claims such as love spells that fail.”

“That’s what you wanted me to think, but I still don’t believe you.”

She gave a delicate shrug. “That is your right.”

He decided to push. “Do you light up most men you touch?”

Kate stiffened. “I don’t know what you mean.”

“Yes, you do. That was no regular kiss. It was something else, and you don’t want to admit it.”

Bingo. The distance shrank and temper lifted her chin. “Don’t kiss me anymore and you won’t have any problems.”

“That is a problem.”

“Why?”

He dropped his voice. “Because I like kissing you.”

She jerked. “Trust me; I’m the complete opposite of what you need.”

“How do you know what I need?”

His flirty tone seemed to piss her off. Sparks shot from ocean-blue eyes and reminded him of a tsunami of temper. “Because I interviewed you, remember? The only reason you’re suddenly interested in me is some perverse masculine challenge to win me over because I don’t like you.”

Damn, this was more fun than his last court battle. “Why wouldn’t you like me? I’m charming, successful, intelligent, and a great lover. Wanna test me out?”

Her gaze narrowed. “I know your game, Montgomery. You signed up for this thing as a joke and to keep an eye on your sister. You think you’ll waltz through these dates, and I’ll keep you amused while you poke at me and have your fun. But I’ve got news for you. I play by my own rules, and by the end of this contract, I’ll rip down those neat little walls you built and show you what it’s like to be in love. Real love. Not the kind of crap you play at. I’m gonna do it for two reasons. One, I’m damn good at my job.”

“What’s the second?”

She smiled, slow and deliberate, imitating the symbol of Eve and everything a man would give up just for a taste of a poison apple. “Because payback is a bitch.”

His heart thundered at her warning, almost as if she had cast a spell on him like a hard-core gypsy. She put her glass on the bar and spun on her heel. “Where are you going?”

“Home. My party mood has disappeared and someone is waiting for me. Someone who reminds me that love and emotion are real, and not some mocking game played by arrogant lawyers.”

A strange panic stirred in his gut. “You didn’t tell me you were in a serious relationship! Who’s waiting home for you?”

She threw him a pitying glance. “His name is Robert, and you’re not worthy to say his name. Good night.”

Kate stalked off and left him wondering if he’d pushed both of them too far.

Who the hell was Robert?

And why did he care?

“BABY, YOU’RE HERE!”

Kate stepped over the threshold and got smothered by her mother’s enthusiastic greeting. Strong, tanned arms wrapped around her neck and squeezed like a pumped-up boa constrictor. The familiar scents of incense and pot drifted in the air of the cozy lake house in upstate New York, luring pedestrians through the doors with a promise of pleasure.

Kate hugged her back and fought off the rest of the embrace in order to breathe. “Mom, what if you get busted by the police? For God’s sake, at least close the door and windows when you smoke.” Madeline Seymour laughed and shook her head in easy amusement. White-blonde hair similar to Kate’s shimmered in the rays of sunlight.

“No one wants to arrest an old lady, darling. Want some? You’re way too tense, I can tell from the set of your shoulders.” Her mother’s tall, elegant body was clad in hot pink yoga pants, halter top, and her usual bamboo beads to promote health. Her bare feet padded over the worn wooden floors toward the back of her makeshift workout/meditation/drug studio. Kate had been raised in the hippie era where free love, peace, health, and spiritual kindness are the tokens of a good life. Madeline ate only vegetarian foods, wore organic clothing, grew an herbal garden to rival Vitamin World, and held retreats at her lake bungalow for women searching for their inner Goddess. When Kate was a teenager, she’d caught sight of her mother on a harvest moon night, naked and singing with a bunch of other females around a fire. That had ended in an epic battle with tears, rage, and a vow to never talk to her mother for embarrassing her like that again.

Kate respected the philosophies her parents raised her with but hadn’t dealt easily with combining the real world she craved with her mother’s cringe-worthy ideals. Arilyn, of course, adored her and said Madeline was the last great hippie left in New York.

Kate shrugged out of her coat and eased onto a purple-seated cushioned chair. The Buddha statue dominated the room, with wildly painted murals on the wall to inspire relaxation and flow. “No, thanks. Sobriety is a goal of mine.”

Her mother floated across the room and settled on a plump gold cushion on the floor. She hit the Remote button and the sounds of chanting monks cut abruptly off. “I just finished my yoga practice and decided to meditate before my client tonight. He’s having some problems with impotency, and I thought we’d try some controversial methods. I need clarity beforehand.”

Even after all these years, knowing her mother was a sex therapist still had the same affect. Sheer discomfort. Then guilt. Who wanted to think of a parent having sex, let alone with a bunch of strangers in order to help them? Besides not being able to speak clearly, she grew up trying to hide her mother’s occupation from the world. “TMI, Mom,” she said.

“Sorry, dear. Now, what brings you? It’s been a while.”

Kate squirmed. “I’m sorry; I’ve been so busy with Kinnections. Are you okay out here? You’d tell me if you needed anything, right?”

Madeline smiled. In her late fifties, her face glowed like a younger woman’s, unlined, smooth as glass, soft as butter. Deep blue eyes lit up her face, reminding Kate of Michelle Pfeiffer, a beautiful presence most people couldn’t stand to look away from. “I’m fine. Seeing someone new who’s wonderful and making me happy. Are you having sex, dear?”

Kate sighed. “Sure, Mom. I’m having lots of sex, thanks for asking.”

“Don’t lie. You’re so stopped up with emotion my skin is tingling. How many times have I told you a good orgasm is a release of toxins in both the body and mind? Did you get the vibrator I sent you last week?”

This was so not happening. No wonder she never visited. Kate fought for calm. “I got it. There are so many speeds and buttons it’s taking me a while to go through the instruction manual. Umm, can we focus here?”

“Of course. Tell me the problem.”

“I j-j-just had a few questions. About Dad. About the touch.”

Madeline nodded in encouragement. “You can ask me anything. You know how much I loved your father and I’d never hide anything from you.”

Yes. How many times had she prayed to not know certain information? Sometimes she felt as if she was born into a family she never understood or identified with until the touch had visited her and she realized she was blood. She was only fourteen when her father passed from a heart attack, and she’d been enraged at her mother’s ability to move on. Until she came to understand later that it was the only way Madeline knew how to cope with the loss of her soul mate. The other men were mere distractions in a world that had seeped color and a desperate attempt to fill a void only her father managed to soothe.

For one strange instant, an image of Slade drifted past her vision. What was one of the requirements on his list for his perfect woman?

No embarrassing family secrets.

Good God, he’d go screaming for the hills of The Sound of Music if he got one good look at her mother and heard her history. And why the hell was she thinking of him again anyway? His date with Hannah tonight would be perfect. She’d left him a polite voicemail message asking if he needed any advice or support and he never got back to her. Obviously, he had everything under control. She just hoped he didn’t break her ironclad rules and try to seduce Hannah.

“Kate? You said you had questions?”

She dragged herself back to the present and swore she wouldn’t think about Slade Montgomery again. Ever. For real. “I know you used to tell me about how you connected with Dad immediately on contact. But now I want to hear specifics. Was it a gut feeling? Did you get dizzy? Or did your skin tingle?”

Madeline smiled with the memory. “Oh, no, it was much more intense than that. Your father and I went to shake hands and an electrical shock jolted us immediately. It was the strangest thing—almost like I stuck a wet finger in a socket. Benjamin Franklin’s famous kite had nothing on us.”

Shit.

Kate tucked her hair behind her ear and studied the whirling patterns of the bamboo floor. Just a coincidence. “After the shock, did you get a sense he was meant for you? Or was it just a physical chemistry?”

“Sure, it was sexual, but that type of buzz comes once in a lifetime. It always has for our family. Your grandmother experienced the same symptoms with your grandfather, and so on, dating back for generations. Don’t worry, darling, when you feel it you’ll know. There’s no possibility of denying it. And when you do, it is literally the most earth-shattering sex you have ever experienced.”

Kate ignored her own crazy staccato heartbeat and dove straight in. “It happened to me.”

Madeline stared at her, eyes wide. Her voice dropped to an intimate whisper. “You met the one?”

No way.

Kate jumped to her feet and paced. She’d never wanted a joint so bad in her whole frickin’ life. Kennedy would have a field day with this one. “No, that’s the problem. He’s not the one. So not the one. But I think it means something else that we missed. He’s a client at Kinnections, and I think I’m meant to find him his soul mate. I’m convinced it’s a weird third-party factor misfire.”

For the first time in years, she caught a seriousness to her mother’s face that caused her gut to free-fall. Why had she thought this would be simple? A quick explanation, an easy visit, and a return to her normal life? “There’s never a mistake with the touch,” Madeline stated firmly. “I know you’ve fought me on this, but it will be easier if you accept that this man is meant for you. What’s wrong with him? Why do you think he couldn’t be your match?”

“B-b-b-because he’s everything I don’t want!” The nerves rose up and choked her, strangling the free flow of words she needed as desperately as air. Kate took a breath, pictured the blank screen, and heard the faint sound of music to soften her syllables. When she spoke again, she had calmed. “He’s not right for me. Once someone in our family experiences the touch, what happens if the person denies it? Or what if it’s wrong? Has that ever happened?”

Madeline turned away. Studied the bright orange Buddha statue as if it could answer her question. “Well, it has happened once. Before your grandmother. A cousin of ours experienced the touch, but felt as if it was wrong. So she didn’t marry him.”

Finally. She stopped pacing and leaned forward. “Now we’re getting somewhere. What happened?”

Her mother reached out to the small drawer with trembling fingers and slid out a joint. Kate stomped down on her disapproval and hoped breathing in the smoke would get her a contact high to calm her down. “I can’t tell you.”

Impatience nipped at her nerves. “What do you mean you can’t tell me? You just said you’d tell me everything I asked. What’s the big deal?”

Again, Madeline’s eyes refused to meet hers. “It’s just a rumor. You cannot deny the touch, a gift given by God. If you do, there are consequences.”

A shiver raced down her spine. She felt as if she’d been dropped into a horror movie. “Mom, I don’t have time for spooks. What type of consequences?”

“I don’t know. I never learned the whole story of my cousin Rose. My grandmother told me it was a lesson not to deny the man meant for you.”

Kate snorted. “Great, we are a bunch of witches. I’m not gonna get burned at the stake, am I?”

“Don’t make fun. That was a tragic time in women’s history.”

“Sorry.” She rubbed her temples and tried to focus. “Okay, so something bad happens if you deny the gift. I don’t think I’m denying it. I think it’s stopped up and I’m sensing a connection with one of our other clients.”

Madeline took a hit. The smoke seemed to give her the courage needed to look up. “Be careful, darling. This is dangerous territory. No one in the family has used the gift as well as you do. You’ve been able to turn it into a pathway for people to meet their mates. If you deny your own fate, you don’t know what you will unleash.”

“Yeah, consequences we don’t know or you can’t tell me. Great. Thanks for the info, Mom. So, you’re saying that everyone who experiences the touch for themselves just accepts it? How did you explain that to Dad? Or what if you connect with a random guy on the street? Do you chase him down, screaming if you don’t get married, you’ll get screwed by consequences?”

Madeline sighed. “Each situation is different. Of course, marriage doesn’t happen overnight. Your father and I dated for almost a year before we married, but the connection helped open a flow between us that was vital to the relationship. Has this man pursued you? Shown any interest other than being a standard client of Kinnections? Do you have any type of relationship with this man?”

Kate remembered the way he trailed her at the bar. The way he stripped her mentally, challenged her snarkiness, and generally pissed her off. Remembered the stark beauty of his kiss, mouth to mouth, skin to skin, wringing away any rational thought except the need to be his. Was that a relationship? Or her own brand of crazy? “He’s just a client,” she said firmly. “Nothing more, nothing less.”

Madeline nodded. “If there’s no obvious flow, you should be okay.”

“Define flow.”

“Opportunities to see each other. Talk, share information. Each time an encounter of intimacy is formed, it makes the touch stronger and more vibrant. You never did anything other than touch, right?”

Ah, crap. “Well, we kind of kissed. But it was really quick and it’ll never happen again.”

Fear skittered over Madeline’s features. “Was it electric? The best kiss you ever had?”

Yes.

“No,” she said firmly. “It w-w-was good, but not the best.” Her mother gave her the look. “Fine,” she huffed. “It was the best kiss I ever had.”

“This is very bad, Kate. Very bad.”

Irritation kicked in. For goodness’ sake, she didn’t believe in witchery and spooks. She made a mental note to shift Slade over to Kennedy as his main contact. If she backed off, the whole thing would go away. “And if I decide to block this type of encounter?”

Her mother frowned. “You will cause the energy to be disrupted. And then cons—”

“Yeah, I know,” she interrupted. “Consequences will form.”

“Why is this man so wrong for you? Has he caused heartbreak to others?”

Kate eyed the joint with envy. “He’s a divorce lawyer.”

Her mother jerked back with sheer horror. “Oh, no! Negative energy probably invaded his entire aura. And I wished for so much more for your match,” she moaned.

“He’s not my match. I’m telling you it’s a mistake. I’ll fix it.”

She sucked in a deep breath of the sweetly sick smoke and hoped she’d get a good contact high. At this point, no consequences could compete with the hell of spending more time with Slade Montgomery. He pushed too many buttons, and they were obviously wrong for each other. There must be another explanation for their connection. Her phone bleeped out Maroon 5 “Payphone” and she clicked the button.

“Yeah?”

“I need you. Now.”

His voice leaked over the phone, all hot and creamy, like the favorite hot fudge and caramel sundaes she tried to avoid. Kate blinked through the smoke. “What’s up? Don’t tell me you’re canceling your date with Hannah, that’s just plain rude. And how did you get my cell number?”

He practically hissed at her through the phone. “Never mind, I’m in trouble and it’s all your fault.”

“I never even touched you, the baby’s not mine.”

“You’re a real laugh riot.”

Kate rolled her eyes and propped her phone up by her ear. “Listen up. Hannah canceled our date. She came down with the flu bug, was trying to make it ’cause she felt bad, but decided to pull out an hour beforehand.”

“Well, that sucks, but it’s not her fault. Did you reschedule?”

“I don’t care about rescheduling, I care about having a dinner date tonight.”

She stretched out her legs and rested comfortably against the cushions. Her mother busied herself with pouring another cup of her Japanese tea. “Sorry, not understanding. You can’t go out to dinner alone? Then order takeout.”

She heard the gnash of his teeth over the line. “You’re not listening to me. I need a date here, at my doorstep, in one hour. I’m about to walk into a huge business dinner where everyone has a date except me. I’m up for partnership, I need to make a good impression, and if I don’t show with someone fabulous it’ll take away some major points. I haven’t worked this hard to screw it up now.”

The true facts of his statement hit her in the gut like a sucker punch. Holy crap. His intimate, first date with Hannah was really a business function? Hot, pure anger pumped through her veins. “Wait a minute. Are you trying to tell me for your first date with Hannah you planned to drag her to a business dinner? No alone time? You expected her to dazzle your partners on your terms and used my company to do it?”

A short silence hummed. “You’re twisting my words, and I have no time for this. I approached Hannah with the situation, and she agreed to help me out. Said she didn’t mind at all and she handled business dinners all the time with her job and with her family background. It’s not a big deal.”

Her voice squeaked. “Not a big deal? Of course, Hannah said it was okay. She’s sweet and always tries to help people out, but you used her just as much as you used Kinnections. Now, I’m thinking of kicking you out of our program!”

“Don’t be overdramatic. Listen, you need to get here within the hour.”

The phone almost dropped from her hand. “What did you say?”

“You heard me. I cannot show up alone, you arranged this date for me, and you’re going to get me a replacement. Besides, it’s in the contract. You don’t give me this, I have legal grounds to sue.”

Kate blinked. “That’s an indemnity clause for a completely different reason. It states if you’re not satisfied or get stood up on a date, Kinnections will find you a replacement date. It doesn’t say that night!”

“Your lawyers screwed up and should’ve thought about it. Since the contract clause does not specify a certain time, it can be used the night of the date. I’m invoking my right to get a replacement date within the hour or I’ll take you to court.”

She gripped her iPhone like it was his neck. “You son of a bitch. You can’t do that to me, it will never stick in court.”

“Try me. You have my address on file. Wear something conservative, but pretty. And bring your A game.”

“I c-c-c-can’t get there in an hour! I have no time to shower, change. I have to check in with Robert.”

“I can deal with an hour and a half. No more. And as for Robert, I don’t care what he thinks—business is business. If he can’t understand that, you should’ve dumped him already.”

“You are a horrible person, Slade Montgomery. Pure evil. As bad as-as-as Megamind!”

His laughter rolled over the phone, hit her ears, and stroked between her thighs. “A little old, but still a great movie. My friend’s kid made me watch it. And you must not have seen the whole thing. Megamind started off as the villain but he ended up the hero and saved the girl. Remember?”

“You-you-you—”

“See you later. Thanks for helping me out.”

Click.

Kate stared stupidly at the screen saver picture of her, Ken, and Arilyn in front of the Kinnections sign, arms around each other, goofy smiles on their faces. Her mind sifted through the possibilities of his threat. She doubted he’d follow through, but as the owner of a company that meant the world to her, she couldn’t risk it. And she had no time to begin calling random clients and begging them to meet a surly, arrogant man for a boring business dinner.

No. She had to do it.

Kate glanced at her watch, made calculations, and crawled to her feet. “Mom, I’m sorry, I have to go. I have an emergency at Kinnections.”

“Was that him, dear?”

She nodded. “Yeah, that was him. At least he confirmed once again he could never be the mate I need in my life. There’s definitely something else going on, so I’m not going to worry. I’ll stop by next weekend.”

Madeline rose, gave her a strangling hug, and walked her to the door. “Have fun. I’ll come visit you soon, I miss Robert. Oh, you forgot your purse, dear.”

Her mother went back to the room and came back with her Coach bag.

“Thanks.”

“Don’t forget to use the vibrator to release tension and toxins!”

Kate stifled a crazed laugh. “I will, Mom.”

Kate made her way to her car. She had just enough time to take care of Robert, change, and throw on some makeup. No time for shower, shaving, or primping. Of course, she showered this morning so she should be acceptable. She roared out of her mother’s driveway and headed home, using every imaginable, colorful curse to describe what she thought of her pain-in-the-ass client.