On trembling legs, he leaned against a privacy fence at the end of the alley and watched Carla Flannery in her silly little motorhome. She was priceless. She was a godsend, she and Barker Blessing. They would serve him well before everything came together and he had his glorious triumph with Tess Delaney at his side. He felt better now. He felt his balance returning. He was glad he had the strength to pull back in the presence of such outrage. He was glad that his control had not broken. He would be patient a little longer. That was all that was needed. Just a little more patience and then the prize would be his, and he would savor it as he had savored nothing in all of his life.
Though she would have liked to linger, though she would have appreciated a little more time before she had to face Garrett again, Kendra didn’t take her time getting ready. She knew how uncomfortable Harris would be if he got there and found himself entertained by Garrett and Stacie. There was no love lost between the three of them, and she’d not had the chance to talk to Harris about what was going on between her and Garrett, though she was sure he’d figured it out when he delivered her clothes to Garrett’s house. He wouldn’t approve, but he’d have figured it out. Still, she didn’t want to make it more difficult for him than necessary.
She was halfway down the stairs, dressed and made up as Tess, when she heard the knock on the back door. She found only Stacie in the kitchen.
‘Garrett’s in his study working,’ she said, as she wiped her hands on the dish towel and scrambled for a quick exit. ‘I’ll be catching up on some of my own work in the guest room if you need me.’ She gave Kendra’s hand a squeeze.
‘If all goes well, I’ll probably need you both in a little while, and Don too.’
Stacie only had time for a raised eyebrow before Harris knocked again, and she scurried off up the stairs, choosing retreat over staying to hear Kendra’s plan. Just as well. Kendra figured best break it to them in small groups. Divide and conquer. And the hardest sell, by far, was about to walk through the kitchen door. If she could enlist Harris’s help, then she figured the other two would be a cakewalk.
Kendra took a deep breath and opened the door only to be bodily scooped off her feet into Harris’s muscular embrace. He said nothing, only held her there close to the rapid beating of his heart, surrounding her with arms and abs and chest made hard from kayaking, his sport of choice. He was good at it, and his body reflected his skill.
Not for the first time she wondered what might have happened had they not met so young, had they not became fast friends so early. But then again, Harris’s friendship, along with Dee’s, were the two most precious parts of her life. They were her constants in a world that had been anything but, and she doubted either of them could imagine just how much that had meant to her over the years. She could fuck anyone, but she could only love Harris in the way she loved him, in the way he loved her back. In the way she most needed him.
At last he brushed a kiss over the crown of her head and released a tight breath. ‘You all right?’
She nodded against his chest, surprised to find how close to tears she felt. ‘Better now that you’re here.’
He pulled away enough that he could lift her chin with the crook of a finger, forcing her to meet his bright gaze. ‘What’s he done?’
There was no question who the “he”, spoken with such distaste was. She’d have to work on that. She really wanted Harris and Garrett to like each other. Strange how quickly her feelings for the man had come full circle. Dee had told her from the beginning that Garrett was an all right guy. She should have known. Dee rarely misjudged anyone’s character. And neither did Harris, but Harris didn’t know Garrett. He didn’t know the man’s heart like she did.
‘He hasn’t done anything, Harris,’ she replied. ‘It was all just poor timing. Stacie showed up just back from Japan. She had no idea what’s been going on, and now somehow the press is imagining the mad orgy with Garrett and his sex-crazed ex right in front of the poor long-suffering Tess.’ She realized he was staring at her. ‘What?’
His smile was cautious. ‘It’s just that you really do look different. I’ve never read a Tess Delaney novel, but I read the back cover of the one you had in your bag, and you look just like I would have pictured the woman who wrote it.’ He curled a lock of her hair around his finger. ‘I like you better blonde, though.’
She squeezed his hand. ‘Kendra Davis is blonde. Tess Delaney is a fiery redhead.’
His smile went from cautious to stunning. ‘Well, at least she shares the fiery bit with Kendra Davis.’ He looked around the kitchen. ‘Where are they?’ The word “they” sounded like something nasty he needed to spit out of his mouth.