Not Quite Mine(Not Quite series)

Chapter Eleven





As sure as the sun would rise tomorrow, Katie knew that Dean was going to check up on her over the weekend. The only way to avoid it was to get his nosy ass out of town. And for that, Mike was key.

Talking to Mike was quick and easy.

Work has been stressful. Jack will be back in town next week and Dean could use some downtime. You two should go camping.

Mike fell in line and agreed to push Dean to go with him. As soon as she was off the phone with him, she’d called Dean.

“The doctor said it’s a sprain. Ice, elevate, compress. He wants to see me in two weeks.” He also told her to wear flat shoes for six weeks. Not that she intended to follow that advice.

“You could have easily broken it in those heels.”

“I know,” she agreed with him…hoping to make him feel good about the conversation. “Monica agreed to help me out over the weekend. I shouldn’t have any problem coming in on Monday.” She cast the line and hoped he’d take the bait.

“You sure? I could—”

“I appreciate that you care, Dean, but Monica is the nurse. She’s beat me up over my shoes more than you have.”

“Remind me to kiss her when I see her again.” And the bait is in the mouth.

“I saw the schedule for next week. You could use a real weekend off.”

Dean’s voice wavered. “Maybe.”

“I’ll see you on Monday, Dean.”

“Take care,” he said before hanging up.

An hour later Mike sent her a text and let her know that he and Dean were on their way to the desert with their dirt bikes.

Katie leaned back on Monica’s sofa with Savannah sleeping at her side and relaxed for the first time since she’d arrived in California.





Monica picked up the phone on the first ring, praying it didn’t wake up the baby.

“Hello?” she practically whispered.

“Mo! I’m back!”

Monica jumped up from the couch, moved to the large sliding glass door, and opened it up. “Oh, Jessie, it’s so great to hear your voice.” Monica needed a good sister chat in the worst way. After brushing off the leaves that had collected on a patio chair, Monica sat down and kept an ear out for Savannah.

“We had such an amazing time.”

“I doubt you even made it out of the hotel room.”

Jessie laughed. “We did stay an extra night in Florida before we did the island hopping.”

Monica could feel her sister’s smile over the phone. She deserved happiness and Jack was the perfect man for her. “Is married sex better than single sex?”

“You’re going to laugh at me if I answer that.”

“No, I won’t.”

Jessie hesitated. “OK, then. Yes, it is. It’s hard to explain why.”

“Well try,” Monica insisted. “Because you telling me about your sex life will be the closest I’ve come to having sex in a while.”

“I don’t know, Mo, it’s like every doubt I’ve ever had, any insecurities leftover from my life before marriage were swiped clean when we said ‘I do.’ It’s just better. Perfect.”

“Does all his Texas lovin’ mean you guys are going to give Danny a brother or sister soon?”

“Oh, lord, not you, too. Do you have any idea how many people have asked me that since we got back to Texas?”

She could only imagine. “Is Gaylord harping?”

“Him, the housekeeper, Jack’s aunt. I’m not opposed to having more kids, but could they lay off for a month at least? Let someone else in the family bring babies into the world.”

Monica’s eyes traveled to the open door to the apartment. Now would be the perfect time to tell Jessie about Savannah, but she couldn’t do that to Katie. “Don’t look at me. You have to have sex to have babies and sadly, I’m not.”

Jessie laughed. “I’m going to miss you, Mo.”

“You’ll be too busy decorating that new house and having perfect sex with Jack. Besides, you can climb on that fancy jet and visit whenever you want.”

“Jack told me that today before he left.”

“Oh, that’s right. Katelyn told me he was coming in today.”

“You and Katie really hit it off, didn’t you?”

Monica thought she heard a noise from Savannah’s room. She poked her head inside but didn’t hear anything other than the air conditioner turning on and off. “Yeah, we did.”

“Jack was worried about her working with him. Has she said anything about the hotel?”

Monica bit her lip. If Jessie thought Katie was living with her, more questions would be asked and it would be hard to keep Savannah out of the conversation.

“Actually, she slept over this weekend. She sprained her ankle at work last week.”

“Is she OK?”

“Just a sprain. And if you ask me, a deserving injury. She was wearing four-inch heels, for crying out loud. I told her she needed to wear flats, or tennis shoes. But Miss Fashion wouldn’t even buy a pair until last Friday.”

“She’s lucky it’s not worse.”

“I know—” Savannah’s cry filled the small apartment and made Monica’s heart jump inside her chest. “Oh, no.”

“What’s that?”

“I’m…er, babysitting.”

“Babysitting? You?”

“I know…strange. But a friend was in a bind. Can I call you back later?” Monica stepped into the apartment and closed the door behind her.

“Sure. Call when you can. Love you, sis.”

“Love you, too.” Monica hung up the phone and tossed it on the couch.

“Oh, Vanna…what’s the big deal?” After a quick diaper change, Monica moved Savannah to a baby carrier while she prepared a bottle. It took a little while for the baby to calm down. She’d been fussy all night from what she’d heard. When Katie had gone to work that morning, she looked like a zombie. The pace of keeping Savannah a secret was tiresome. It was only a matter of time before someone figured out that they were hiding a baby.

Monica hoped the investigator Katie had hired would come up with something soon. Now that Jessie was back, the last thing Monica wanted to do was lie to her sister.





Dean walked into a quiet office. Jo had called to tell him she had the flu, the icky stomach variety that would spread. She’d offered to come in, but Dean wanted nothing to do with getting ill.

The light on the phone blinked, letting him know there were messages, and the air-conditioning was already on. His office was dark but light under the conference room door ran along the floor.

A weekend with Mike reminded him of how much he’d given up since he’d met Maggie. It wasn’t until the second night, while sitting under a blanket of stars, that Mike had told him that Katie had suggested the guys’ weekend.

Damn if that didn’t warm him just about everywhere. “Katie said you needed a break,” Mike had told him.

     





Here Dean had worried about Katie not getting around on her bum foot, and she was pushing their mutual friend to help Dean relax.

He called himself all kinds of foolish for dreaming about her, but he couldn’t help it. Every time he closed his eyes, she was there. Even now, as he stood outside the conference room where he assumed he’d find her, he couldn’t stop the fast beat of his heart. Would she be wearing heels? Would she smile when he walked in the room?

Could he get through the day without touching her?

Turning around, he moved away from the door and went to his office. He fired up his computer and tossed his car keys on the desk.

Still, not a sound came from the other room.

He pried the blinds apart over his window and peered outside. The main entrance of the hotel had several workers milling about. But no Katie.

It took less than thirty seconds of his ass in his chair before he shot out of it.

Outside the conference room, he didn’t hear a thing. He slowly turned the handle and popped his head in.

His jaw dropped and something inside him melted.

Katie’s blonde head rested over one of her arms while the other one was curled up under her chin. Her eyes were closed and her lips were open as she slept. She wore a simple buttoned-up shirt and slacks. Dean glanced under the table and noticed a pair of flat shoes.

She didn’t hear him approach so he knelt beside her and lost his brief battle with touching her. A strand of hair fell into her eyes and he swept it behind her ear. He could watch her sleep forever. If she weren’t huddled over a desk, he would have left her alone.

“Hey, darlin’,” he whispered. He trailed his fingers over her hair and rested his palm on her shoulder. “Katie?”

“Hmm?” she murmured and sighed.

“Time to wake up,” he coaxed.

She smiled as she slept. “Dean?”

His stomach twisted and other parts stirred. The memory of her uttering his name, like she was now, gripped him.

She blinked a few times and focused on his face. A spark inside her leapt toward him in that brief moment and told him something that her lips never would. Katie closed her eyes, and shook her head.

But Dean had seen her desire…seen her soften. And he wanted to see it again.

“You’re sleeping in the office,” he said.

Keeping his hand on her arm, he leaned back, hardly realizing how close his face was to hers.

“Oh, lord.” She rubbed her eyes…eyes clean of her usual mask of makeup.

He’d ponder that later.

“It’s OK. I’m the only one here.”

He forced his hand off her and stood.

“I didn’t sleep well this weekend.” She glanced at him, and then to the papers she’d been working with before she’d dozed off.

“How’s the ankle?”

She looked confused for a minute. “Better. Hurts at night, though.”

“You could have taken another day off.”

“Too much to do. Besides, Jack will be here today. I don’t want him to think it was a mistake letting me help.”

Dean crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the table. “I’d vouch for you, Katie. No one can accuse you of slackin’.”

One side of her lips lifted in a grin. “You’re probably the only boss who’s caught someone sleeping on the job that said that.”

“I’m not your boss,” he reminded her.

“You’re bossy.”

“Not the same thing.”

“It is from where I’m sitting.”

He wanted to sit there, make conversation with her. But that would be obvious. He’d made an art form of being subtle when he pursued her the first time. Now he’d have to be stealthy. The realization that he intended to pursue her again hit him.

The thought didn’t disturb him…it did the opposite. For the first time in a long time he looked forward to waking…to going to work…to really living. He still wanted Katelyn Morrison.

“Jack called me this morning. He has a meeting in LA at lunch but will be here before four. You still gonna be here?”

She nodded. “Like I said, I have some things to do.”

“Good. Would you mind picking up the phone if you’re in the office? Jo’s out sick.”

“That’s funny. One of Bowman’s men flagged me down when I came in. Steve is sick, too.”

“I hope it isn’t going around.”

“Do you have any of those bottles of hand sanitizer around here?”

He shook his head. “Don’t think so.”

Katie pushed away from the table. “I’ll run to the store and get some. Maybe some of those Lysol wipes. We can’t be too careful.”

Dean frowned. “Since when are you a germ-a-phobe?”

“I’ve spent the whole weekend with a nurse. Monica washes her hands more than anyone I know.”

He’d forgotten about that. The fact that Katie was quick with where she’d spent her weekend made him think it wasn’t with the much-too-old Ben guy. He smiled.

“Good idea. Grab the big bottles. We’ll spread them around and let everyone know to be careful.”

She grabbed her purse and limped, albeit not as much as the last time he’d seen her, to the door. “And you say you’re not the boss.”

He snorted a laugh and watched her leave.

The only reason he kept smiling was because he knew she’d be back.