A Love Story

12)

Erica nailed him a good a third time before Kendall managed to grab the smaller woman with a squawk of "Mother!" Shoving the Prima Donna back, Kendall set herself firmly in front of Zach—Kendall, why are you defending him—fixing her mother with a defiant stare. "What the Hell do you think you are doing to him!"

"Breaking my neck, Spunky—now, what was that for, honey-bunny?" he asked pleasantly, rubbing his jaw, as she smacked him in the arm with her purse.

The noise that came from the tiny torpedo reminded Zach of a freight train, and he knew full well that most people from Pine Valley would have slipped away… but Kendall's reaction was too good to miss. Flinging her hands, hysterical in its own right, she let out an over-dramatic sigh, which turned into a wail just before it ended.

"Kendall, don't you worry about him… I've given him and that brat daughter of his enough warnings to last a lifetime… you just let me handle him—"

"Mom…"

"Just don't worry about it! I can handle Mr. Cambias!"

"Mom!"

The last yell was enough and she shifted, halting her tirade long enough to look at her firstborn, blinking twice. Behind her, Bianca was still gaping like a fishbut at least she wasn't blurting it out yet, right? Taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the intangible fury that her mother was sending Zach's way, Kendall braced herself as she held out her hands in a hopefully comforting pose, smiling hopefully. "Mother… we were having a business… discussion."

An utterly baffled look, a widening of brown eyes… "Darling… why?"

"Um… it's… complicated."

"Where did you get you get that… did that little friend of yours, Ethan, get it for you?"

Zach, beaming, opened his mouth and took a step forward, but Kendall shoved him back savagely with a hiss of "Back off, Brainiac!" before turning back, letting out a yelp when Erica snatched her hand and yanked it forward; Kendall stumbled, would have fallen if Zach hadn't grabbed her arms again and she flinched when his hold caught the bruise from the newspaper, almost gone.

"Mom… let's go out for dinner, er, lunch… we can, um, talk!" But her attempts were in vain as Erica's eyes found the gold on Zach's finger… and a large fake smile plastered itself across her face. "Honey… why does his cheap ring match this nice one?"

"Um… Mom… let's go…"

"Answer me, Kendall!"

"Um…"

Zach, chuckling, reached forward, wrapped one arm around his lovely wife's shoulders and pulled her forward, offering his mother-in-law a broad smile. "Ms. Kane… aren't you going to offer us congrats?"

"No…" The whisper was so horrified, so absolutely broken that Kendall cringed and then gasped when he went to step forward. Despite her desperate yanks on his jacket, and her whispers to stop, he stopped in front of Erica and flung open his arms, grinning like some kind of warped genie… "Mom!"

Tad knew better than to chase an unknown woman into an alley. However, as previously mentioned, Tad wasn't listening to his instincts all that well lately. So, in some ways, it was a kind of a cosmic "na, na, na, na, na, na" when Adam stepped up behind him and connected a piece of two-by-four across the back of Tad's large, bloated head.

Needless to say, the stupid Cad wannabe dropped like the useless sack he was.

Adam watched, head cocked, smiling pleasantly, as the stupid idiot was dragged out of the alley by his arms. Setting the wood aside, he turned back to young woman, who stood and smiled back brilliantly. "That was very good, Vivianne."

"Least I could do," she chirped, as she tugged on her jacket, ridiculously pleased with Mr. Chandler's ability to get her that fast. She'd managed to dodge his questions by feigning to only speak Swedish. After a good fifteen minutes his eyes had narrowed and he'd figured it out. Thankfully, Adam had hit the scene—and the useless sack—a split second later.

"I knew this idiot would try to screw this up," he muttered, staring as the dragging feet left his sight. "Can't just drop the crap and leave my plans alone." He turned back to the blonde, arched an eyebrow, "And you… you called me—"

"I'm sorry, sir, I have no idea what you're talking about."

Adam grinned, tugged the lapels of his coat in a very manly, gangster way and strutted back to his hotel room.

Diana stared for long moments at the card, tapping it against the wheel of her car, biting her lip, considering her breakfast buddy's sudden change when she'd excitedly questioned about her life before Switzerland. Finally, he'd handed her over the card, instructing her to call him the next morning.

"I can tell you… everything... just call me, um… tomorrow."

She wanted to, wanted desperately to hear that her family had been looking for her and for Cady, that they were still waiting for her except… they thought your were dead, Diana… they've been in mourning… for you and for Cady too probably.

And, now, what, they're just going to, what, decide to forgive you for not looking for them?

Diana flinched helplessly, swallowing, and looked at where the young man had been driven off. He'd seemed happy to see us, Diana, so, maybe, they won't really hate us?

He spent a good half hour in the car, just staring blankly, trying to figure out what to do. Finally, he forced himself out and headed, absently, back into the hotel… through the doors… into the elevator… down the halls… entering his room, he quietly clicked the door closed behind him.

After he closed the blinds, he reached up and tugged on his tie, loosening it, before pulling it off and letting it fall to the ground of the suite. He shrugged off his overcoat, then his jacket, letting them keep his tie company. He was drained, in every way, of anything; for the first time since Christmas, there wasn't that ache where his heart should be.

He was going to take advantage of it. Grateful for the emptiness of his suite, he slipped into his bedroom, noticing, with irritation, that the maid hadn't taken care of the bed. He wanted to change the sheets, what if he got something from the Driving Wonder? But… just the thought made his knees unstable and his hands shaky.

Knowing he would regret it when he spent next week with the flu, JR nonetheless kicked off his shoes and let himself slide into bed, feeling like a dead man walking. Not having the strength to even pull the sheets over himself, JR was asleep in a matter of two heartbeats.

The first heartbeat was connected with the thought of going to see a chiropractor… the second wondered what the Hell was breathing at his back…