Page 14 of Josh Dalton

“Kim, Paul is just perfect for you. A fall wedding between the two of you would be wonderful.”

What? This stuffed shirt isn’t perfect for her. He shouldn’t even be sitting next to her.

“Mom, I just met him,” she stresses.

“You aren’t getting any younger. And did you know Paul is interested in starting a family right away? I know how much you want kids.”

I clench my hands. The woman has some kind of nerve setting her daughter up like that… Fuck.

Kim turns almost white. I feel sorry for her. Glad my mom isn’t like that.

I squeeze Kim’s shoulder. “Apparently, Kim hasn’t mentioned this, but she and I are dating.” I eye her mother before turning to Paul. He wants to be anywhere but here. “Sorry, old boy, but she’s taken.”

Kim stiffens under my hand but doesn’t say anything.

Paul stands and drops his napkin on the table. “Guess there’s no reason for me to stay.”

Without waiting for a response, he leaves. Now it’s the three of us.

Kim’s mother glares across the table at her. Geeze. She acts like it’s her fault.

“How could you embarrass me like that?” she rants.

According to Kim’s file, her mother is a selfish, horrible person. The file seems to be spot on.

“I’m sorry, Mother,” Kim states. “But I’m leaving.”

This isn’t how I meant for this to go. Kim gets up and leaves without a backward glance. I want to follow but can’t. The two men I’m having lunch with are still waiting for me at my table.

Boy, does this suck.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

KIM

I can’t take it anymore. I have to leave them both. Mom is glaring at me, and Josh is standing so close it’s messing with my head. I have to get out of here.

I knew seeing Mom was a bad idea. I was hoping things would be different. It didn’t help when Josh showed up to witness her being her most manipulative.

I thought I’d be stronger if I ran into him again, but I’m not. My body begs for his touch. I can’t seem to forget that night. I dream about it. Fantasize. Wake up with body sweats, yearning for the release only Josh can give me.

I head back to my place to get some work done and put this disastrous day behind me. I pick something up at the deli before heading upstairs to my apartment. Since we’re caught up with orders, I give the girls the rest of the day off. I’m going to design a new collection. Need to get some ideas down on paper, and I do my best work alone.

With pen and paper in hand, I sit down on my couch and begin to sketch. Soon after, I realize I have nothing. Absolutely nothing. I lean back, waiting for inspiration to hit. I’ll have to blame Josh for this since I can’t get him out of my mind. Which pisses me off. He’s not supposed to have this effect on me. He left me that morning without saying a word. Like I was a twenty-dollar hooker. How dare he?

And today, he acts all weird when he sees me at the restaurant. I got the vibe he wasn’t happy to see me. I’m sorry, but we were bound to run into each other. Chicago isn’t that big, and his brother is married to one of my friends. I should have handled myself better, though. But between him and Mom ...

I need to get them out of my brain. I pick up my pencil and sketch. Get into the zone, and before long, I’ve drawn two bracelets, a ring, and earrings. I get my inspiration for these designs from an antique store that buys jewelry at estate sales. They were old and expensive. I would have loved to have them for myself, but they were out of my budget.Bummer.

I keep working on my drawings until everything is just right. I’m pleased with them. Now I have to turn the drawings into reality.

Since I’ve gotten done what I need for today, I take a break and watch television. When I’m settled in, there’s a knock on the door.

Who? I’m not expecting anyone, and my doorman didn’t alert me to any visitors. Maybe it’s Angie or Sue coming over to see if there is anything that needs finishing. I hop off the couch and shuffle to the door. Don’t bother checking my hair. What’s the sense?

When I throw the door open, Josh is standing at my doorstep. He’s the last person I expect to see. I consider slamming the door in his face. He must expect that because he barges past me. I keep the door open and stand beside it, letting him know he’s not welcome.

“What are you doing here?”

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