“Katie Kat,” I whisper. “I’m sorry, you don’t have to keep going.”
She shakes her head. “No. I want to,” she insists, taking a deep breath and continuing. “My mom also goes out a lot. Meredith always has, it’s like she never grew up. So as a kid, I was home alone a lot, and I pretty much had to raise myself because no one was around. Textbook latchkey kid, you know, and now that I’m sending my mother money, I feel like I’m the one raising her. Honestly, it’s a little strange. The daughter’s become the mother,” she says with a slightly sad smile.
My chest tightens with sympathy. Hearing her story is heartbreaking. This woman is precious, and someone who deserves to be cherished, yet her mother basically abandoned her. I get up and walk over to her, pulling her into my arms and burying her head in my chest. “Shh, it’s okay, baby.”
Katie lets me hold her for only a minute before pulling away. “What about you? What was your family like?”
I pull up a chair next to hers and sit down before taking her hand in mine and squeezing it gently. “Well, I had a pretty strong family. That is, up until cancer took my father. He was a smoker.” I shrug as if to suggest that such a thing was inevitable. “A year later, my mother died of a heart attack or a broken heart, I don’t know which.”
Katie listens intently with widening eyes. “That’s awful. I’m sorry.”
I shake my head. “Don’t be. It happens. Even with all of the money in the world, I can’t stop people from dying. I’m not Superman or God,” I say with a rueful smile.
She smiles gently in return, her big brown eyes filled with tears.
“Still, it must have hurt,” she says softly. Katie squeezes my hand and looks up at me. I take a deep breath.
“Anyway, I have a younger brother who lives in Washington State. He’s a game warden there, and we get along great. So for the most part, my life is pretty good. Nothing to complain about.”
Katie shakes her head, her brown hair bobbing on her shoulders. “I hope you don’t think I was complaining or anything. I know that there are people who’ve had it much worse than I ever did. Sometimes, it just didn’t feel like it, that’s all,” she says a bit wistfully.
I take her face in my hands and pull her close. “I think you’re a courageous young woman.” I kiss her forehead and smile at her. “And don’t let anyone tell you otherwise because as far as I’m concerned, you’re a real winner. Most people would have given up, but you haven’t let your life get you down.”
“I guess so,” she says in a whisper.
“No, don’t guess,” I say in a firm voice. “You know it’s true.”
She blushes slightly, her cute cheeks turning pink, reminding me of that first pair of panties. Mmm. The sight of her on my desk pops into my head.
“Hey, how would you like to go out and see the town sometime? Maybe go to the opening of a movie – meet some of the Hollywood stars? I’m friends with quite a few of them. Take your pick, I probably know them.”
Her eyes widen. “Really?”
“Mm-hm,” I hum, an amused look on my face. This girl is intolerably cute when she’s excited.
“Of course,” she exclaims, nearly jumping out of her seat. “That sounds awesome.”
I take her into my arms and carry her to the couch. With her in my lap, I run my fingers through her silky hair before caressing her cheek.
She leans her head into my palm just like a kitten.
Sometimes, she does things like that – gestures that absolutely melt my heart.
“You know, you can have a great life here in L.A.” As I say this, I find myself thinking that I’ll see her all the time. “We can do whatever you want. Movies. Restaurants. Long days at the beach. You name it.”
For a moment, I wonder why I made this deal to begin with. Sure, Katie’s cute and sexy as all hell, but it isn’t my typical style to stick with one girl for so long. Okay, a month isn’t that long really, but for a confirmed bachelor like me, it’s an eternity. So what am I doing?
People are bound to catch on. Rumors will spread. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone snaps a picture of us and writes up an article. I’m used to that kind of thing. But for some reason, I want to keep Katie away from all of the publicity. I want to keep her all to myself.
Man, is getting involved really a smart thing to do? On the one hand, I’m torn. At any instant, the real Bruce could rear his head and break her heart. After all, the past often informs the future, so any woman is taking a chance when she goes out with me.
