Thank you for your support. Hope you enjoy this chapter. :)
(Reed)
A few minutes after two o'clock, the following afternoon, the driver pulled up in front of the house and brought the SUV to a stop. I thanked him for driving Winnie and me home and then informed him that I would get the bags. Winnie and I got out and I moved toward the back of the vehicle. I opened the hatch and seized the bags from the cargo hold.
"I'll take mine," Winnie said.
"It's heavy," I warned her. "Are you sure?"
"Give me the bag, Drummond," she growled softly.
Grinning, I passed her the suitcase and closed the overhead door. I followed her across the yard and up the steps, retrieving my keys from the pocket of my jacket. I found the correct key on the ring and unlocked the door. Leading the way inside, I quickly deactivated the alarm and set my suitcase down.
"Well." Winnie put her bag down at her feet and grabbed handfuls of my jacket. She pulled me toward her and rose up on her tiptoes, kissing me on the mouth. "I'm sure you have some business to take care of and I have things I need to do, so I'm going to go."
"What do you need to do?" I asked, not ready to let her leave yet.
"I have some calls to make and errands to run," she answered. "Also I thought I would drop by the stables and check on Clancy." She winked at me. "You want to come with me?"
"Uh-no." I felt something brush against my leg and looked down. It was Starbucks. "Look who came to welcome us home."
"Starbucks." Winnie knelt down and scooped up the kitten. She rubbed her cheek against the top of his head. "Were you a good boy while we were gone?" she whispered to him.
"Probably not," I said wryly.
"You know," she muttered. "You never told me why you named him Starbucks."
"I was at Starbucks one day getting a cup of coffee and saw this woman giving away kittens," I explained, scratching the kitten on the back. "I had been thinking about getting a pet for a while so I took him. I was trying to come up with a name and decided on naming him after the place where I got him."
"Why a cat?" Winnie wanted to know. "You seem more like a dog person."
"Cats are easier to take care of," I pointed out. "You don't have to walk them."
"True." She handed me the kitten, pressed a kiss to my cheek, and picked up her suitcase. "I will see you later."
"I'm looking forward to it." Once she left, I glanced down at Starbucks. "I guess it's just you and me, little guy." I shook my head and sighed. I was talking to an animal.
"You're late," Mark snapped.
I glanced at my watch. It was one minute after eight. "I'm only a minute late. What do you want?"
He smirked. "Think about it."
"I'm not in the mood to play your game, Mark." I glared at him. "Just tell me what you want."
"Alright." He moved the receiver to his other ear. "I had a little talk with mother yesterday when she came to visit me. She told me that Winifred has decided not to come and see me anymore. That won't do. I want to see her, Reed, and I'm going to. You can't keep-"
"No," I growled. "She's done with you."
"Only because you filled her head with lies," Mark said through clenched teeth. "You told her I was guilty."
"That's because you are," I shot back. "Don't try and feed me that crap about being innocent. You have mother fooled, but not me. I'm not blind and I'm not stupid." I took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Since you can't seem to get it through your thick head I'll tell you once more. You are never going to see Winnie again."
"That's what you think, big brother." He grinned crookedly. "Now I'm going to tell you what I think. Listen well. Are you listening?"
"Yes," I hissed.
"I think I can get Winnie to come and see me anytime I want her to."
"Oh, really?" I arched an eyebrow at him. "Please, do tell how you're going to accomplish that."
"No, I don't believe I will." Mark cocked his head slightly. "What would be the fun in telling you? I'm going to let you find out for yourself. Don't worry. You won't have to wait long."
Anger burned inside of me. I wished more than anything that I could reach through the glass that separated us and choke him until that smirk left his face. I gripped the receiver harder and willed myself to calm down. He would like it if I lost control. I wasn't going to let him have the upper hand. "I don't know what kind of game you're playing, Mark, but I won't play it."
"You don't have to." He shifted on the hard plastic chair. "All you have to do is let me see Winifred. You let me see her and I'll forget all about my plan."
"You can go to hell," I said softly.
Mark snorted with laughter. "I'm all ready in hell, big brother. If you don't get with the program you're going to be joining me. "
"Is that right?" I uttered coolly.
"That's right," he replied. "Shall I be expecting the lovely Winifred to drop by tomorrow?"
"No."
Mark leaned forward and gazed into my eyes. "Then let the game begin. You made the first move. Now it's my turn." He hung up the receiver, got to his feet, and shuffled from the room.
Thirty minutes later, I rang Winnie's doorbell. My promise not to barge in kept me from letting myself into the house. While I waited for her to answer the door I studied the rose I had in my hand. It was white as snow and in full bloom. I raised the flower to my nose and inhaled its intoxicating scent.
Just then, the door opened. Without saying a word I held out the rose to Winnie. Her eyes lighting up, she took the flower and kissed me on the mouth.
"Thank you." She smiled at me. "Did you steal it from the garden?"
"I didn't steal it," I answered. "It came from my garden. Are you going to let me in? I was a good boy. I rang the doorbell."
"Yes, you did and I appreciate it." She gave my cheek a pat. "Get the door. I want to put my flower in water. While I'm in the kitchen can I get you anything?"
"No, thank you." I closed the door and followed her as far as the living room, where I sat down on the couch.
"How did your business meeting go?" she called out from the kitchen.
"I'd rather not talk about it if you don't mind." I cleared my throat. "It wasn't a pleasant meeting."
"I'm sorry," Winnie said, coming back into the room. She placed a slender vase with the rose on the coffee table and then joined me on the couch, crossing her shapely legs. "Of course, we don't have to talk about it. We can talk about something else. Your mother's birthday is in a few days. Are you going to go see her?"
"What's the point?" I rubbed the back of my neck, trying to relieve some of the tension brought on by my visit with Mark. "You know and I know there would be an argument. I'm tired of arguing with her, especially about her precious son. I'll have someone pick up the painting and deliver it to her."
"I would take it to her, but something tells me I wouldn't be welcomed with open arms," she said dryly.
"I'm sorry for that." I turned my head and looked at her. "I know you wanted to get to know her."
"Because of you." Winnie reached up and tucked several strands of hair behind her ear. "I wanted to get to know her because she's your family." She shrugged her shoulders. "It just wasn't meant to be."
"Believe me when I tell you you're not missing out on anything." I laid my hand on her leg and squeezed gently. "You don't need the family. You have me."
"And for that I am happy." She placed her hand over mine. "Happier than I've been in a long time."
"Me, too." I thought of Mark and couldn't help but wonder if Winnie's happiness and mine was about to come to an end.