She wondered how much longer she could hide it from Reese.
* * *
They were on the highway back to Houston when Kenzie phoned home. Reese listened as she spoke to her grandmother, asking about Griff and her grandmother’s day.
Florence replied, and Kenzie smiled. “We just finished. We’re on our way back to the apartment.”
Her grandmother said something. Reese caught the blush that rose in Kenzie’s cheeks and wondered what her grandmother had said.
“I’ll be home tomorrow for sure, Gran.” She waited a second for Griff to come on the line. “Hi, sweetheart. I’ve missed you.” Griff must have asked about the weekend. “Don’t worry,” Kenzie answered. “We’re all still going to the museum on Saturday, just like we planned.”
The love she had for her son was unmistakable, and Reese felt an unexpected longing. He had wanted children badly. After his bitter divorce, that had changed.
“Your dad called?” he heard Kenzie say. The color leached from her face. “It was nice of him to ask, but you have a playdate with Tommy, remember? His mom invited us over to use their pool.”
Griff must have agreed because she relaxed back in her seat. “I’ll call your dad, explain why you can’t make it. Maybe you can see him next weekend.” Griff said something. “All right, have fun. I love you, honey. See you soon.”
Kenzie hung up and tipped her head back against the seat.
“I take it your ex wanted to spend Sunday with your son.”
She sighed. “I’ll have to tell Griff about the custody suit—or Lee will.”
“How will Griff take it?”
“I don’t know. He hasn’t spent much time with his dad since the divorce. Not much before that, either, if you want the truth. I know he wouldn’t want to live with his father full-time.”
“He won’t have to.” Reese changed lanes, passing an SUV traveling slower than the rest of the traffic. “Wilcox will make sure it doesn’t happen.”
“I hope so.”
Drew Wilcox was the best family lawyer in Dallas. Reese was fairly certain he could win Kenzie’s case and she would be able to maintain custody, but nothing was ever certain.
His gaze slid toward her, settled on her mouth. He imagined the feel of those soft pink lips under his, and heat burned through him. He needed a drink, he thought, or a woman. Anything that would send his thoughts in a different direction.
If it weren’t for the stop he planned to make in the morning at the Harris County Jail, he’d have the jet fly down early, take them back to Dallas tonight. But he needed to follow this last lead to its conclusion.
He wearily rubbed the back of his neck as the apartment building appeared ahead. Pulling into the driveway, he parked and turned off the engine, breathed a sigh of relief that the long day had finally come to an end.
TWELVE
Kenzie sat on the sofa in the living room of the Houston apartment. It was 7:00 p.m. The long day over, she had changed into a soft yellow, loose-fitting knit top and a pair of dark brown yoga pants, slid her feet into a pair of kidskin slippers. She poured herself a glass of the white wine she’d found in the refrigerator and took several badly needed sips.
She should have relaxed. Instead, she sat on the sofa like a statue, listening to Reese as he moved around in his apartment, getting ready for the evening he had planned. With every minute that passed, her nerves stretched tighter.
She was good at her job. Better than good, and she loved it. But there was only so much she could take and today she realized that she had reached her limit.
Sure, the job paid a top-notch salary, but she could always find another place to work. She likely wouldn’t earn as much, but there were adjustments she could make to the way they lived, and she had a little savings to tide her over until she found another position. If she had to, she could find a cheaper place to live in Griff’s same school district.
Reese’s footsteps sounded on the carpet and she imagined him in his crisp white shirt and perfectly tailored designer suit, imagined how handsome he would look and what his date would think when she saw him.
She thought of them enjoying a meal together in an elegant restaurant, then Reese taking her home. Her throat tightened. She imagined him kissing her, the woman kissing him back.
She blocked the rest, the part she couldn’t bear to think about.
With a deep, fortifying breath, she rose from the sofa. She wasn’t a masochist. She had done her best to subdue her emotions, but she had failed. She had feelings for Reese and there was no longer any way she could ignore them. It wasn’t fair to Reese—or to her. Her ambivalence finally over, her mind made up, she resolved to do what she should have done sooner. It was time for her to quit.
Her hand shook as she set her wineglass down on the coffee table and started across the room. She couldn’t wait any longer. Not another minute. It had to be now, before her courage failed.
Her legs felt unsteady as she marched out into the hall, down the corridor, and stopped in front of Reese’s door. Her heart was throbbing, her chest squeezed tight. She ran her fingers through her hair, shoving it back from her face, taking a moment to steady her nerves. With a last deep breath, she knocked on the door.
If Reese had delayed, she might have weakened, turned around and run back the way she had come, but all of a sudden he was standing there looking down at her from his superior height, which, without her heels, made her nearly a foot shorter than he was. He was dressed exactly as she had imagined, except his suit coat was gone, the sleeves of his white dress shirt rolled up, revealing his muscular, tanned forearms.
“Kenzie.” His intense blue gaze swept over her, noting the pallor of her face or the pulse hammering at the base of her throat, maybe both. “What is it? What’s happened?”
“I need to talk to you.”
“Come in.” He stepped back and she caught the scent of Paco Rabanne, the cologne he favored, a combination of cinnamon, wood, and leather.
“Your color doesn’t look good,” he said. “There’s a wet bar behind the paneling. Sit down and I’ll get you a drink.”
“I’m...I’m fine. I just need to get this over with.”
His features shifted from concerned to wary. “All right. Tell me what’s going on.”
She swallowed, gripped her hands together in front of her to keep them from trembling. “I’m quitting, Reese. I’m giving you my two-week notice. I won’t just abandon you, of course. I’d never do that. I’ll come in whenever you need me until you find a replacement, but I’m quitting. I’m going back to Dallas tonight.”