of doubt, straightened her frame, held her head high and walked into the deserted café. Blossom was known more for their savory hot breakfasts and so-so lunch salads. Not too many patrons dared their blue plate specials at this hour of the evening.
Kat spotted Justin sitting in a corner booth with his head down, looking impatiently at his phone. Her tremors took on a different character as memories rushed in of that weekend she’d spent with him. She’d let down her guard for two days with a hot, charming, understanding man, who’d left his indelible stamp on her. She’d thought about him for weeks afterward but had convinced herself he wasn’t right for her. He hadn’t been enough. She’d wanted more out of life than he could offer. They’d ended things civilly with no illusions of anything else developing between them.
On a steadying breath, Kat lifted her chin and ventured farther into the café. But a piece of broken grout between the floor tiles trapped her four-inch heel, throwing her off balance. Flailing her arms, she managed not to fall flat on her face. But darn if the perfectly dignified entrance she’d plotted in her head wasn’t shot to hell.
Justin saw the whole thing.
As she walked closer, he took in her clothes with his piercing gaze. She wore stretch blue jeans and a billowy white top tucked under a cropped jacket. A sterling silver rope chain made of entwined oblong circles dangled from her neck. On her wrist she wore a matching bracelet.
The clothes were her own designs and had been rejected by every major fashion house in New York City.
“You’re late,” Justin said, rising from his seat.
“Babies aren’t predicable. It always seems to take longer than you think to put them down to sleep.”
He gave her excuse some thought. Then his lips thinned. “I wouldn’t know.”
Oh, boy. Kat got it. He wasn’t happy about the circumstances, but then neither was she. If they were going to accomplish anything, they would have to agree to civility. By this time of night, after a day of taking care of a baby and an aging woman, Kat was pooped and not up to verbal sparring. “I can leave and we can do this another time…when your attitude is better.”
Justin swore under his breath. His mouth clamped down and he sent her a long thoughtful look. Then like magic, his demeanor changed before her eyes. His body visibly loosened up, as if on command, and he gave her a reluctant but gracious smile. “You’re right. I apologize. Please sit down so we can talk.”
Accepting his apology, she dropped into a cushioned seat facing him and set her purse down beside her. As she looked across the café table, a quick zip of awareness caught her off guard as she really, really studied Justin’s handsome face.
My God…Connor looks exactly like him.
Yes, their hair and eyes were the same color, but Connor shared Justin’s wide full mouth, too, and a deep dimple that popped out on the left side when they smiled. She couldn’t begin to count how many times she’d kissed that disappearing dimple on her baby’s face. Their skin tones were smooth and olive and she imagined Connor would easily tan golden-brown just like Justin when he got older. They shared the same hairline that cut a neat straight line across their forehead. Connor would have the same arrow-sharp nose, too, when he grew up.
Her son’s adorable baby features were a precursor to Justin Slade’s adult appearance.
His brows furrowed. “Who’s watching the baby?”
“Aunt Mattie and Doris Brubaker are with Connor.”
She went on to explain, “Doris is a neighbor. We’re friends, and I asked her to stay with Aunt Mattie until I got back. They’re having tea and I don’t want to impose on them any longer than necessary.”
“Okay. Let’s get on with it, then. Ladies first.”
“You told me you were Brett Applegate. I want to know why you lied to me.” Then she added, “I would appreciate the truth.”
“Just remember that when it’s my turn to ask questions.”
A waitress wearing a snappy blue outfit and white tights showed up at the table with a notepad. “Hi, I’m Toni, and I’ll be serving you tonight. Have you looked at the menu yet? Just so you know, the blue plate special is—”
“Decaf coffee for me,” Kat said. Her stomach knotted at the thought of food. “That’s all I’d like.”
“I’ll have the same,” Justin said, nodding to the young girl. “Thank you.”
“No cherry pie or apple cobbler?”
They both shook their heads. “Okay, I’ll be back with your coffee in a sec.”
Kat watched the waitress walk away and then turned to Justin. “You were about to tell me why you lied to me that weekend.”
The muscles in Justin’s face pinched tight, a distant look in his eyes hinting at regret. “I lost a bet.”
Kat blinked. “You lost a bet? What does that mean?”
He leaned forward, his elbows flat on the table. The material of his navy shirt pulled taut across his broad shoulders, and it wasn’t hard to remember what he’d looked like with a shirt off. She could almost feel the sensation of touching his golden skin and ripped muscles under her fingertips now. “It means Brett beat me at arm wrestling. Best of five.”
Kat didn’t like where this was going. “So?”
“So, I made this stupid bet with him, because I never thought I’d have to pay up. He was egging me on in front of my men until I finally thought, what the hell. I’d never lost a match to Brett before. If he won, I’d have to trade places with him the next time we had time off. We’d switch wallets—and the cash and credit cards inside—and assume each other’s identity with…” Justin’s lips snapped shut. He ran his fingers over his mouth and winced.
Kat caught on. “With women?”
He gave her a slow nod.
“So, the weekend you spent with me was to pay off a bet? You used me…lied to me…had no intention of ever telling me the truth?”
Something hard flickered in his eyes. “I didn’t use you. If you remember correctly, I didn’t pressure you for anything. And you made it clear you wanted no ties to a hick from a small town, remember? We didn’t exchange so much as cell phone numbers when I walked out your door.”
That was beside the point. He’d been amazing that weekend and by the time the second night rolled around, Kat couldn’t imagine not sharing her bed with him. He’d been compassionate and kind and patient and just what she’d needed at that moment in her life.
Maybe he’d assumed more than Brett’s identity that weekend; maybe Justin had taken on Brett’s personality, as well. That weekend helped heal some of her old wounds. She’d needed a strong shoulder and an understanding heart. It hadn’t been all fun and games between them, it had been unexpectedly more. “I’d put it a little gentler than that, Justin. But yes, it’s true. I couldn’t get romantically involved with a man that wouldn’t—”
“Serve your purposes?”
She
