Free Star Crossed by Rhonda Laurel Page B

though he were a juicy pork chop. But how was Audra thinking it would unfold if she got involved with him? She likely was trying to throw her hat into the scandalous ring as well. And what would Kate say? She would be hurt whether they were pretending or not. Jack would love for some crazy shit like that to happen. He may have even put Audra up to it.
    He decided to catch up on his reading during his breaks, so he perused the bookcase in Kate’s study and found she had some interesting reading habits. She had everything from medical books on psychosis to books about psychics. She had quite a few on the subject of angels, soul mates, and reincarnation. Funny, she didn’t give out that mystic vibe, but she seemed to be quite vested, book-wise, in these subjects.
    He looked forward to talking to Kate every night and hoped she liked the surprise he had for her when she returned. He even let Merlot stretch his legs with long walks on the beach a few times. It was amazing how the ocean air seemed to clear his head. Life seemed so simple and tranquil. No wonder Kate loved living there. The anxiety he once felt was draining away until a visitor popped up one night.
    Chris opened the door to find a stoic John Gray.
    “Hey, John. Kate’s in New York. This visit for me?”
    “I think we need to talk.”
    “Sure.” They both headed for the kitchen. He offered John a beer. He took it.
    “So.” John laughed. “I heard you tried to take Jack’s head off.”
    Chris laughed too. “It felt good. You hungry, man? I can order a pizza. There’s a football game coming on…”
    Chris and John ate pizza while watching the game and talked for hours. They had a lot in common, although the most important common denominator was Kate. John shared with him that he and Kate had been friends since childhood because he was a sickly kid and couldn’t keep up with the other kids. Kate would sit on his porch with him and talk to him about anything to keep his mind off feeling sorry for himself. They shared a love of music.
    “I love her and I promised her family I would take care of her when we moved here.”
    “Her family of gun-toting law enforcement officers.” Chris laughed.
    “They are all decent guys, including her dad. But to be honest, they aren’t the ones to worry about.”
    “Then who is?”
    John pointed to a photo on a wall.
    “Kate?”
    “That’s Kate’s cousin Billie. And she is the kind of trouble you don’t want to experience. Consider yourself forewarned.”
    Chris got up and took a closer look at the picture. “That’s remarkable. They could be identical twins.”
    “Well, they’re not. What really is remarkable is that they don’t think they look alike. Billie’s a cop in New York. She and Kate are more like sisters. You can tell the difference when they are together. Kate is warmer, friendlier. I would say I think Billie sleeps with her gun under her pillow if I thought she slept.”
    Chris paused for a moment. How could a man know her history and be such a vested party in her life and not feel anything for Kate? “Are you in love with her?”
    John smiled. “I learned a long time ago that there is something in me that couldn’t love a woman like Kate the way she needs to be loved.”
    “When we met I had an entirely different scenario playing in my head about the two of you.”
    “I’ll admit I like being the only man in her life. But it’s selfish to want her to be alone forever. She’s special, and I don’t want to see her get hurt again. She married Jack as a knee-jerk reaction to an argument we had. But I have a feeling this is different between the two of you.”
    Chris took a swig of his beer. “Why do you think that?”
    “Kate tells me about everything in her life, but she won’t talk about you.”
    “We have taken an odd approach to having a relationship.” Chris scratched his beard.
    “I saw that interview you did. You adore her. She needs someone who can love her without a bunch of