Free Curtis by Kathi S. Barton

when she came in to fuss over the real
stains on the floor. But the smell of cleaning fluids he could not ignore. He
gathered up is coat and phone and left the house. He knew without a doubt that
the place would be spotless when he returned, and the smells a lingering
reminder to not do his business at home again would be gone as well. Grinning,
he went to see about some of the shipments he had coming in.

Chapter 7
     
    Kylie paced her house knowing that she
needed to pack. Glaring at the piles of her things around the room she wondered
how on earth she’d gathered so much stuff in such a short amount of time. The
boxes seemed to mock her as she thought about the conversation she’d had with
Daniel yesterday.
    “Well? Do you love him or not? Because I’m
reasonably sure that he’s loved you longer than you have me.” She’d looked at
him in shock, but said nothing. “I know that he’s leaving tomorrow to give me
the opportunity to settle down and marry you. But you no longer want that, do
you?”
    When she finally found her voice it was
husky and hurt. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I’d been infatuated
with you…a childhood crush, but love you…” She didn’t continue because she found
that what she was saying was true. She didn’t love Daniel. She’d only been
madly in love with the thought of loving him. His knowing grin had pissed her
off.
    “So you do love him. It’s a good thing
too. I would hate to see you two mess up what could be a good relationship over
some old crush.” He stood then and came toward her. “So, when do you tell him? Or
are you going to let him go to Paris and live in misery?”
    She’d thought about it. More than she’d
wanted to. More, probably, than she thought Curtis would have, but in the end
she’d left Daniel and come here. To her house that was set to be foreclosed on
in a few days.
    She thought about her childhood living
with the Hunters across the street. While they’d been growing up Daniel had
been the one who would talk to her while Curtis would stare at her. He’d been
sweet, she remembered, but nothing like his brothers. He’d been sweet and all,
but not her Daniel. But she kept drifting back to the bank and what she’d
learned.
    She’d gotten a lot of information when
she’d gone to the bank this morning. Not only was the house in the company name,
but it too had been mortgaged several times over. Her dad, it seemed, had gone
to two banks at the same time and had asked for and received a loan against it.
She owed more on the house than the house was currently worth. She could in no
way fix this. Not that she wanted to try.
    Then there were the credit cards. All of
them had been closed, of course, but the amount on them, paper for the
printers, ink, business luncheons as well as a plethora of other things needed
to run a large paper. She had looked at the staggering amount and cried. The
banker, a new person she’d never dealt with before, had left her in his office
to “compose” herself. Like that was even going to be a possibility now.
    She looked at the front door when the
bell chimed. The car dealership had delivered her car back to her an hour ago
without a word. She’d been handed the title and the keys and he left. She
wondered if she should have told him to take it back, but by the time she’d
thought of it he was gone. They had repossessed it while she’d been having
lunch with Daniel yesterday just as she’d thought they would.
    She looked out the small window on the
side of the door and didn’t recognize the man standing there. She was about to
tell him to go away, she was busy, when he knocked hard on the wood.
    “Miss Washington, it’s Eric Howe. We
spoke the other day. I wanted to talk to you about the newspaper and see if you’d
reconsider selling it to the other group. I have a sentimental attachment to it
and really wanted to speak to you.”
    She saw his smile and knew he’d seen
her. But she didn’t trust