

MISUNDERSTOOD

A CALAMITY PLACE ROMANCE

Sandy Appleyard

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ISBN 978-0-9950705-2-3

Copyright © 2016 Sandy Appleyard.

All rights reserved.
Table of Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Decisions

Keep In Touch

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A Word From Sandy

Also by Sandy

Chapter 1

Ian

There was a mental picture locked inside his memory of what she looked like. And he had to admit, she was beautiful. Her stunning long blonde hair and smart-looking blue eyes stood out against the black outfit she was wearing when he first saw her. Tonight, however, she was wearing a stunning red shirt that accentuated her modest cleavage. Michelle was her name, and she just happened to be at the front desk when he picked his mother up from work the previous week.

Ian's mom said it was fate that Michelle and he met. She'd wanted to set them up for weeks but didn't want to intrude...so she said. It wasn't until Michelle asked about Ian that his mom's opportunity arose. This would be the fifth date for him in as many months, and frankly, he had to talk himself into it. His mom, sister and cousins were always trying to set him up with some girl they know.

Some girl. Yeah, she's probably going to be the same as the rest. Dating was pretty typical for Ian. They drooled over him at first glance, but once they saw what was inside; that he was not as perfect as he appeared, he became as unwelcome as a bad taste in their mouth. He had yet to meet a girl who hadn't run away from him. Ian told his family that they just weren't right; that there wasn't any chemistry, but only he knew the truth. And he would never tell them.

Michelle rose when she saw Ian and offered him a limp handshake. Her lack of eye contact was proof of her nerves. Evidently tall, dark and handsome were what most women still dreamed about. They ordered drinks and immediately Michelle's hands were all over him. Great...another one. By the time the meal was over Michelle was talking about what they should do for their next date; boldly suggesting a trip to the honeymoon capital about one hundred and thirty kilometres away, in Niagara Falls.

When Ian returned from the men's room he noticed that she had unbuttoned her shirt a little, but it had no effect on him. She also touched up her lip gloss, and then when he sat down, she gave him those haughty bedroom eyes he recognized from hopeful women in the past. They ordered dessert, despite her saying that they didn't need it; that perhaps they could go back to her place, but Ian wasn't having any of that. Because he knew what would happen next.

Eating dessert, she licked the spoon dramatically, irritating Ian further. They began conversing about the weather and how unusually warm it had been for winter in Toronto, and she seemed to cool off a little. Perhaps I'm boring her, but I don't know...and I don't really care.

"So, what do you do for a living?"

Ian chose the simplest answer. "I work at the Eaton Centre."

Michelle's face brightened. "Oh yeah? Do you get good discounts for clothes and stuff?"

"Not exactly. I'm part of building management. I don't work in retail."

"Oh,"

Michelle fidgeted with her straw, so Ian decided to throw her a bone. "How long have you worked at Bradford Technologies?"

"With your mom, you mean? Oh, just about four or five months. I'm only on reception for now, but I hope they'll bump me up to marketing. I just got my diploma in Marketing Management."

Ian smiled. "Congratulations."

"Thanks. Plus, Receptionists don't get paid much." Michelle changed tack. "Your mom is great, by the way. So sweet, and she's always bringing in goodies and stuff. I have to tell her I'm full most of the time...gotta keep my figure, you know." She giggled.

Ian agreed. Maybe there was a glimmer of hope after all. "That's mom."

"So, how do you keep yourself in such great shape?" she asked, widdling her way over to his arm, and then she stroked it, like he was a Labrador Retriever.

"I go to the gym. And I have free weights at home."

Her hand remained on his arm. He considered moving it, but decided to make it less conspicuous. "Do you live with your mom?" She asked.

"No. I moved out a couple of years ago."

"I bet you have a great place."

To hide all the women who swoon over me, right? Is what Ian wanted to say, but he bit his tongue and pretended to scratch his leg, effectively removing his arm from her grasp. And she took that as a queue to stroke his leg with the toe of her shoe. Avoiding eye contact, Ian pressed his hand into her foot and watched her eyes dart to his in surprise. But it wasn't a lustful glance, as one would expect. Her head lowered and her eyes focused to her left, as if she was going to explore further.

And there it was. Her eyes widened and she stiffened up as if someone had just slid ice cubes down her top. Her foot returned to its rightful spot on the floor and she went silent. Had I known that was all it would take, I would have done that sooner. The waitress brought the cheque and Ian placed a credit card on the collection plate. Michelle picked up her jacket and purse, stammering something about needing to use the washroom.

Yeah, that's what I thought.

And she didn't return.
Chapter 2

Kendra

The bang was so loud Kendra lurched forward, spilling a half-eaten bowl of popcorn down her favourite Roots hoodie. A mouthful of Coke quickly splashed over her knees. Catching a breath, she absently wiped her mouth with the back of her hand and bent forward to pick the remote control up off the edge of her Ikea coffee table.

As she paused a rerun of Friends, her ears suddenly became hyper-sensitive as she strained to listen to her neighbours upstairs. Ignoring the popcorn strewn about the beige carpet underfoot, she rose from the couch to see something falling from the sky. Opening up the balcony door Kendra felt the winter chill penetrate her damp clothes. The night sky was ablaze with a full moon. What first looked like large flakes of snow she soon realized was men's underwear being thrown from the neighbours' place upstairs.

There was a faint grunt from the woman who lived in apartment 402, as she threw her husband's clothes out the door. Kendra watched the numerous pairs of underpants, t-shirts, and trousers as they fluttered down to the ground beneath, landing in a haphazard pile to the left of the main entrance.

Kendra covered her mouth so her neighbour, Linda, couldn't hear the reaction to the expletives sputtering from Linda's mouth. They were such a pleasant couple; mid-twenties, and both happy from what Kendra noticed. Linda and Ray had so much in common; they were internet marketers and they both drove vintage cars: he a powder blue 1982 Honda Civic and she a red 1979 Oldsmobile Cutlass.

Just as she heard Linda close her balcony door Kendra thought it was over, but she remained outside, staying behind the spruce tree that lent her privacy so she could observe people coming and going out of the building. What could Ray have done to upset her so badly? I suppose there is only one thing he could have done to warrant an outburst like this.

Knowing he couldn't see her, Kendra frequently spied on Ian, the man in apartment 404, and there he was, arriving home with who Kendra guessed was a date. The woman he was with was wickedly gorgeous, and so was he in Kendra's eyes. Ian worked as a department manager at an upscale clothing store downtown, however, he should have been on the front cover of Gucci magazine, in Kendra's opinion. He was tall, with reddish brown hair that curled above his ears and neckline. His eyes were piercingly blue and his teeth were perfect and white. And Kendra was completely in love with him, but he had never seen her before. She only watched him from afar. Ian Wilkinson—she knew that was his last name because she found an envelope that fell from his mail slot once—would never be interested in her, she thought.

He and his guest walked onto the pavement leading into the foyer and he stopped dead in his tracks as he saw the pile of clothes to his right. A pair of pants and a t-shirt managed to get mangled in the tree just below Kendra's balcony. Linda didn't seem to care that she'd attracted an audience as she tossed bed sheets over the railing and sobbed again, watching her Egyptian cotton linens float to the ground.

Ian smirked and shook his head as his date laughed. Apparently she was unfazed. Maybe Ian had told her about the happenings of 125 Calamity Place.

Kendra moved to Calamity Place about five years ago, and although the rent was enormously high for such a small dwelling, the building was right for her because it forbade animals. Apparently it was against the law to ban owners from having four-legged friends in the city of Toronto, however, evidently the building's board found a loophole because of the unique and smaller size of the units. I'm sure it would never stand up in court, but whatever, it suits me fine. Kendra had said.

Linda spat out another expletive and slammed the balcony door. Kendra was torn between going inside to eavesdrop through the vents or staying outside to watch Ian and his date. Ian entertained the ladies regularly. In fact, if I was keeping track, which I'm not, I would estimate that he has at least one date a week. Kendra's friend Cassandra dated almost as much, but she was never serious about her dates, being a single mom and all. However, Kendra hadn't been on a date since a co-worker, Desmond, asked her to a company summer picnic...but it was a complete disaster. Working with him since then had been so awkward.

All seemed quiet with Linda upstairs so Kendra decided to go change her clothes and watch the rest of Friends. Ian had bid his date adieu, so it appeared, so there was nothing left to see besides the clothes on the main floor flapping in the wind. As she pulled a white sweatshirt over her head, after putting on a pair of blue jeans, she heard laughter in the hallway.

Sticking an ear to the door, Kendra heard Missy from across the hall. She must have taken Kendra's advice and used the back entrance, avoiding Mrs. Cummings, the landlord. Mrs. Cummings was so old-fashioned she believed it was okay for Ian to date as much as he did, however, it was completely unacceptable for Missy to do the same.

Poking her eye into the peephole she could see that Missy brought home Tom, the sexy kindergarten teacher she'd been dating on and off for a couple of months. They ran into each other in the elevator last week and Missy introduced him to Kendra. Tom was a Clark Kent look alike and was completely smitten with Missy from what she could tell.

As she heard Missy's door close Kendra decided to return to the balcony to see if anyone had gathered around Ray's clothes. He was a pretty snazzy dresser and she figured his clothes would at least fit Peter or Henry from the second floor, but that would be weird, right?

There was still no movement upstairs, so Kendra assumed Linda was either drowning her sorrows in the nearest chardonnay or plotting Ray's death via Facebook. The pile of clothes lay untouched on the ground floor, and to Kendra's chagrin, it had not provoked attention except for Carol and Steve, the new people on the first floor, entering the building, but apparently they didn't notice the Tommy Hilfiger jeans hanging in the tree.

Disappointed, Kendra was about to close the balcony door behind her when she saw a flash of headlights coming from the street. Curious, she waited. When she saw Ray's blue 1982 Honda Civic pulling into the underground parking garage, her jaw dropped. Quickly running to the ceiling vent just above the kitchen, Kendra waited for Ray to arrive home and for the poopoo to hit the fan.

And then she jumped when there was a knock at the door.

Chapter 3

"Kendra? Kendra, it's Mrs. Cummings. Are you home?"

Hearing her landlord's soft voice and obligatory knock, Kendra wondered what she wanted. I have a pretty good guess.

Opening the door, Kendra was careful to slide her right foot forward, allowing a slight gap between her and the door. "Hi, Mrs. Cummings. What can I do for you?" Kendra asked, observing Mrs. Cummings' expression. The woman appeared sheepish; like she was embarrassed to be a bother. Her short white hair was pulled back in a kerchief, and her hair was in rollers under the cloth. A long pink sweater was over her shoulders, covering her plump, short body past the waist. The sweater didn't match her sheer brown chemise and elastic waistband pants. It was as if she was in the middle of undressing when it began raining clothes outside her window. Kendra was careful to keep the door open a mere inch.

"Are those your clothes downstairs?" the landlord asked, although they both knew the answer. Mrs. Cummings was aware that Kendra lived alone, and she also knew that Kendra didn't have a boyfriend, proving that the purpose of her call was to dig for information. Mrs. Cummings knew that Kendra was pretty astute when it came to what went on in the building.

Struggling with whether or not to share what she knew or wait to see if Linda would tell her in the morning, Kendra decided to be selective with what she communicated to the nosey woman. "I think I recognized Ray's t-shirt in the tree, but I'm not sure." Kendra answered.

Unconvinced, Mrs. Cummings folded her arms onto her chest. "Is Linda home?" she went for nonchalant. "Mr. Catchman isn't home." There were only five floors in the building, so that left Kendra, Linda and Ray, and Mr. Catchman in 202 as possible culprits for the thrown clothes since Mr. and Mrs. Cummings lived in apartment 102.

As much as Kendra wanted to report the loud slam she heard earlier, she liked knowing more than Mrs. Cummings. It was kind of a power trip, so she shrugged, feigning ignorance. But part of her wanted to go with Mrs. Cummings up to Linda's apartment, especially knowing that Ray was on his way. So she played the concerned friend. "Maybe we should go up and make sure Linda's okay."

Part of me is going to hell for this, I know. But I can't help it.

"I'll lead the way." Mrs. Cummings said, as Kendra pulled the door closed behind her and she followed the older woman to the elevator.

Pushing the button pointing up, Mrs. Cummings looked at Kendra as she walked to her left. "You were just watching television? No plans tonight?"

Kendra shook her head, fishing a pair of plastic tortoiseshell glasses out of her pocket. The stems were folded down so she unfolded them and placed them on her face. "I had a rough week at work. I'm pretty tired."

The mature woman inspected the glasses. "Those ones are nice. I like the pink ones too." Most girls had an obsession with clothes or shoes, but Kendra; she loved glasses. None of them had prescription lenses, but they were perfect for her, and she never left home without at least two pairs either in her purse or tucked inside her pocket. "Thanks. The pink ones are my favourite."

The elevator pinged its arrival and the door opened. Both ladies tried to keep a straight face as Ray appeared inside the elevator. Oh, this should be good.

"Hi, Ray." Mrs. Cummings said. And Kendra couldn't help but wonder if she'd say anything to him or wait until the drama unravelled. The old woman was as bad as Kendra was for dirt, and they both knew it. Kendra felt like she was part of a conspiracy. "You speak to Linda recently? We are just going up to see if she's okay."

Ray was slim, and well-groomed, with short blond hair and blue eyes, and he was good looking as long as he didn't open his mouth. His teeth were terribly misaligned. He looked at Kendra first. His eyes traveled down to her chest for a millisecond, as if by rote, and then a 'v' formed between his eyes. "I saw her this morning before work, why? Why wouldn't she be okay?" he addressed Kendra even though Mrs. Cummings was the one who asked the question.

"Well, I believe those are your clothes all over the grass by the parking lot, aren't they?" Mrs. Cummings said, almost coldly.

Of course, she knew Ray wouldn't have seen his clothes, since he came in through the underground parking and caught the elevator up to his apartment. The old woman was enjoying this. "You guys have a fight?"

Ray's head craned backward. "What? No. We didn't have a fight."

The elevator reached his floor and he stomped out quickly, muttering something to himself as he fished for his keys in his jacket pocket. Kendra almost felt sorry for him, but she was also enjoying this a little too much. He looked at them quickly before opening the door, as if to ask 'um, are you coming in? Because this is kind of personal', but he knew that he didn't have much of a choice since they had already expressed their concern for Linda.

Linda and Ray's apartment was a mirror image of Kendra's. As the door opened, both ladies saw Linda sitting on the couch with her arms crossed on her chest and one leg draped over the other; her foot pumped up and down violently in a gesture that said she was clearly agitated. Her head jerked over to the door as Ray entered the unit and she seemed to not notice Kendra and Mrs. Cummings' presence as she darted toward Ray.

"Who is she?" Linda demanded. Ray was two heads taller then she, and the woman was tiny, almost frail, but her voice traveled far enough for the entire apartment to hear.

"Who is whom?" Ray asked, and Kendra truly believed that he didn't know who Linda was talking about. He wasn't shaking or acting nervous, and he walked casually to her.

"Don't play dumb with me, Ray!" Linda shrieked.

"I'm not playing dumb." His voice hadn't risen an octave. "Mrs. Cummings says my clothes are all outside on the ground?" he gestured to Mrs. Cummings and Kendra standing by the doorway.

"That's right." Linda said proudly. "ALL your clothes and our bed sheets are gone!" she pointed toward the balcony and then walked to it, opening the glass to offer Ray a better view.

The ladies watched the exchange as though they were observing a tennis match, and Ray was suddenly aware of their presence, like they hadn't been there the whole time. "Um, do you think you can give us some privacy?" he asked politely. He walked toward them and nodded, as if to say goodbye. "Thanks for making sure she's okay." He said. "But I think we can take it from here."

I never liked Ray.

***

"You think he messed around on her?" Mrs. Cummings asked as they entered the elevator. "You think he's the type?"

"I suppose we're all the type."

"Yeah, but he just doesn't strike me as a cheater, you know?" Mrs. Cummings bit her index finger nail. "He didn't even flinch when she asked him, did you see that? Most men look the other way and deny it immediately. I thought he would at least come up with a lame excuse if he did cheat on her."

"I agree. If he did it he would have had a different reaction when you told him about his clothes." Kendra said as the elevator pinged at her floor.

"What do you suppose I should do with his clothes? I can't leave them there." Mrs. Cummings asked.

"I'll help you pick them up. I've got garbage bags in my apartment." Kendra offered as they exited the elevator.

"You're a dear."

The popcorn was still all over the floor from earlier, and Kendra caught a glimpse of it after turning the door knob. "I'll just be a second." She said, hoping Mrs. Cummings would take the hint and wait in the hallway. But she didn't, and Kendra noticed her lifting a brow at the mess. Kendra ignored it and simply handed her a box of plastic bags from the cupboard under the kitchen sink and quickly shooed her out the door, following from behind.

"I'll just bring them back up to Ray." Mrs. Cummings said, but Kendra knew she was only half trying to be helpful; she wanted another reason to go upstairs and be nosey. And if Kendra was honest, she was hoping she would have an excuse to help Mrs. Cummings bring the clothes back upstairs, so she could be nosey too.

As they walked outside to the pile of clothes, Kendra immediately regretted not putting on a jacket. The air was cold but the trees offered some protection from the late winter chill. Mrs. Cummings and Kendra set to work; the older woman holding the bag open while Kendra stashed Ray's clothes inside. It was almost pitch black; the exterior light and the moon offered the only illumination, so they decided the clothes in the trees would have to wait until morning.

There were two piles of clothes, and the bed sheets lay between both piles. Just as they began to put the second pile of clothes into the bag, something caught Mrs. Cummings' attention. The main door opened and Ian appeared, holding a plastic garbage bag. Evidently he had the same idea in mind.

"Ian, how are you?" Mrs. Cummings asked conversationally.

Kendra shrank down and pretended that she was deep in thought as she placed the clothes into the bag. This time she made the extra effort to fold them so she could buy time before having to look up.

"Thought I would lend a hand and take Ray's clothes back up to him." Ian answered warmly, "But I see you've beat me to it."

In the corner of Kendra's eye she caught Ian's head cocking to the side, seemingly trying to see who she was, but he lost interest quickly when she didn't look up.

"It seems they've had a rift." Mrs. Cummings said, and Ian took the bag they'd already filled and tied it.

"They'll work it out." He placed his bag on the ground. "I'll take this up to him if it's all the same to you."

Mrs. Cummings looked over at Kendra, noticing that she was on the last item of clothing in that pile. "I'm sure you know Kendra from 302, don't you?"

Kendra's face immediately heated as she nervously pushed her glasses up and stood erect. "Hi, nice to meet you." She avoided eye contact and instead focused on opening the remaining bag. Kendra didn't offer her hand even though he'd extended his for an obligatory shake. She simply lifted it in a slight wave and took a step to her left, toward the crumpled white bed sheets.

"You're in 302? I always thought that unit was vacant."

"No, Kendra has lived there for what?...about five years, Kendra?" Mrs. Cummings quizzed.

Kendra nodded quickly but turned her back. "About that, yes."

Ian cleared his throat. "Well, it was nice to meet you."

"Thanks for helping out." Mrs. Cummings said.

"No problem."

Kendra lifted her head and watched Ian walk away. In her conscience, Kendra was pounding her head against the tree to her left. God, I'm such an idiot. It's dark out; it would have been okay to at least smile at him or say something quirky, but no, I shrunk like a violet. Classic Kendra.

He had the perfect walk; so confident yet humble. Kendra watched his modestly beefy arm open the glass entrance door as he looked back at her. For some reason Kendra didn't recoil. She didn't break her gaze. It's dark outside. He can't see what I let few people see. He can't see my secret so it's safe.

His lips curled at the sides in a tight smile and her confidence waned. Kendra looked down, as if to ignore his kind gesture. But she hadn't. I'll remember that smile. It will be enough to keep me going for months.

He never smiled at me before.

Chapter 4

Mrs. Cummings took a step closer to Kendra. "You never met Ian Wilkinson before?"

"No,"

"He's a really nice man." She added, looking at her quizzically. As Kendra looked up she could see that look in the woman's eyes; the same look almost everybody gave the girl when they saw how she shied away from eye contact. It was a combination of curiosity and concern. And she hated it.

Kendra hoped to change the subject. "I'm sure he is. The ladies seem to like him."

"Ladies? What ladies?" Mrs. Cummings waved, and then recognition came to her face. "Ah, I think I see what's going on. You have a little crush on him." she pointed upward to Kendra's balcony. "You see him coming home, right?"

Kendra felt her face heat. Thank God it's dark outside. She chose not to answer, but the silence gave her away.

"He has a big family." She explained. "Many female cousins, and a little sister." Mrs Cummings gave her a knowing look.

Her heart pounded inside her chest. A glimmer of hope rose from within Kendra and she couldn't help but grin. But she wasn't careful and Mrs. Cummings caught the expression. "Ah, so I was right." She giggled, rubbing Kendra's shoulder kindly. "You could do worse than Ian Wilkinson."

***

Ian

A little earlier that evening

"Do you want to come up for a minute? I can get you that book I was telling you about." Ian asked his cousin Vickie. She sat in the passenger seat, staring at her nails. Vickie was Ian's best female friend. Only six months apart in age, Vickie knew more about Ian than anyone.

"Sure." Vickie replied. Ian took her hand and gave it a squeeze. "Have you got any vodka?" Vickie joked.

Ian rolled his eyes as he pulled into his spot in the underground garage. Calamity Place seemed relatively quiet. Nobody was arguing in the visitor's parking lot, there wasn't a strange car in his spot, and best of all, it didn't look like Mrs. Cummings was sitting at the front entrance. Perhaps I can be spared a long and probing conversation for a change.

Ian had lived there for about six months. It was fitting that the apartment was situated on a street named 'Calamity Place'. It seemed there was always something going on. It was refreshing but at the same time a little exhausting. Most of the apartments he knew about were dull, and the people were cold and unfeeling. Calamity Place was like a little town in itself.

"Can we walk up instead of taking the elevator? I need some air." Vickie suggested. Ian took her hand as they walked out of the underground garage. There was a small concrete walkway about fifty feet from the main entrance, and they began a slow stroll to the front foyer.

As they approached the entrance, to the right of them was an Evergreen tree that reached up to the fourth floor. It had what appeared to be a pair of Tommy Hilfiger jeans hanging from it. Vickie caught the garment in her peripheral vision and looked upward. Linda, one of the neighbours, suddenly walked out of her balcony door and threw an assortment of shirts to the ground below.

"What the?" Ian snorted. "What the hell is she doing?" he said under his breath.

Vickie chuckled. "Uh oh." And then she shook her head. "Listen, I'm feeling a little tired. Do you mind if we just forget about the book? Can you take me home?"

Trying to ignore the rainfall of clothes, Ian nodded. "Sure, let's go."

Ian saw another pile of garments land on the ground. Sliding the key in to open the door alongside the garage he saw his friend Ray's vintage Honda pull up. "Looks like he's about to have an interesting evening."

"Is he that lady's husband?"

Nodding, Ian led Vickie into the parking garage as Ray arrived. He pulled into his spot adjacent to Ian's, and as his head appeared outside the driver's side door, Ian saluted him. "Ray."

"Hey, Ian." He looked at Vickie and hesitated.

"Vickie." She offered kindly, trying to hide the knowing smirk on her face.

Ian couldn't help himself. "You and Linda have a fight or something?"

A crease formed between Ray's eyes as he closed the car door. "No, why?"

Vickie's cell phone rang and she fished it out of her purse. She sighed as if frustrated when she looked at the screen. "I have to take this. Do you mind?" she asked Ian, gesturing towards the car. He hit the key fob and allowed her to enter for some privacy while he chatted with Ray.

Scratching his head Ian tried for nonchalant. "It looks like Linda's tossing all your clothes over the banister upstairs. Sorry, man."

Ray looked like he didn't understand what Ian said, and then he hesitated, craned his neck and rolled his eyes. "Crap. I knew this would happen."

"What do you mean?"

"Look, it isn't what you think." Ray explained, "I can see why Linda might think I'm having an affair, but I'm not. I can't tell you the truth yet. I don't want to spoil the surprise."

Ian pouted. "Sure, man. I get it."

"Thanks." Ray looked relieved. "What's um...what's up with Vickie? She okay?" he bobbed his head toward her.

Even though the truth would come out sooner or later, Ian knew it wasn't his place to say anything, especially since Ray and Vickie were barely on a first-name basis. "It's kind of personal. No offence." He replied, feeling slightly vindicated seeing as Ray wasn't going to bend on what his story was.

Ray held up a hand. "Say no more. I know; women are tough to crack. It's no wonder you don't have one of your own; you've got enough trouble with your family."

Ian nodded, rocking back and forth on his heels. "Yep."

Vickie opened the door. She rose out of the car with red-rimmed eyes. "Ian, do you mind if we get out of here? I've got some stuff I need to deal with."

"Sure," Ian nodded and then addressed Ray. "I'll see you later, man. Good luck."

"Thanks."

Sliding behind the wheel Ian started the car. "To your place or Ryan's?"

Hesitating, she shook her head. "Ryan's. I guess I have to get this over with some time."

"You'll be fine. You're strong." Ian encouraged. Vickie's boyfriend Ryan's house was a five minute drive from Ian's. As they pulled up to the driveway Ian saw Ryan's head peeking out from behind the curtains.

"He won't come out." Vickie warned, "Just leave, it's okay."

"Are you sure? Do you want me to stick around?"

"No. I'll be fine."

"Okay," he kissed her on the forehead, "Call me if you need me."

"Thanks."

Driving the short distance home, Ian decided to check and see if Ray's clothes were still on the ground. Pulling into the driveway he could vaguely see the pile in the darkness. He took the elevator directly from the underground to grab a couple of large garbage bags from his apartment. As he headed out the front door towards the clothing, he saw two figures in the darkness.

"Hey, Ian. How are you?" Mrs. Cummings said. She was standing next to someone Ian didn't recognize. The girl was focusing on placing Ray's garments into a bag. It was as if she was unaware of him.

"I'm sure you know Kendra from 302, don't you?"

Ian always thought that unit was vacant and he said as much, but Kendra didn't acknowledge. She only offered him a tight wave in response to his greeting. Most of the time women fawned and fussed when they were introduced to him. It was irritating. Not this girl. She seemed to be completely oblivious to what others noticed immediately. It was kind of nice. For once Ian didn't have to look for an excuse to leave.

"It seems they've had a rift." Mrs. Cummings offered, referring to the mess of men's clothes on the lawn.

"They'll work it out." Ian replied, not letting on that he'd already spoken to Ray. He offered to take his clothes up to him and then parted ways with both ladies. As he walked into the building, something made him look back at Kendra. Smiling at her he saw she was looking in his direction. They made brief eye contact but she didn't flush, blush or show him her best bedroom eyes. Instead, she simply turned away after a beat, as if deep in thought.

There is certainly more to this Kendra than meets the eye.

***

Kendra

The next morning

There was a knock at the door before she had her morning coffee. Peering at the clock on the microwave Kendra saw that it wasn't even nine o'clock. It could only be one person calling at this hour on a Sunday: Linda. Having slept in her jogging suit she simply ran a hand through her hair and fished a pair of plastic glasses out of the basket on the console table by the door.

She heard Linda's voice calling from the other side of the door. "Kendra, it's me. Let me in I'm freezing."

As Kendra pulled open the door she saw Linda standing there rubbing her arms with her hands. "Mrs. Cummings needs to turn the heat up in the hallway." She commented, walking past Kendra. Her eyes were red and her lips were still puffy from crying. Linda gauged Kendra's reaction to her appearance. "So I threw him out." She said without preamble.

Shocked, and despite seeing the evidence on the floor last night, Kendra stupidly opened her mouth and asked the inevitable and the obvious. "Why?"

Linda scoffed. "Because he's screwing around." She walked over to the coffee maker and checked to see if there was water in the reservoir. Flipping open the door she observed the fresh grains of brew awaiting. Switching the coffee maker on, Linda turned toward Kendra. "The bastard is screwing around." She repeated.

Sitting at the small bistro table on the other side of the kitchen, Kendra asked. "How do you know?"

Linda's long dark hair was tied up on her crown and she was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a zip-up sweater over top. Soiled sleep pants and a pair of fuzzy pink slippers completed her look. Linda was shorter than Kendra by half a foot. Her answer was clipped. "A woman knows, Kendra."

And Kendra was flabbergasted. Either she was deliberately being vague to keep something from Kendra, or she really didn't have a shred of hard evidence, which was shocking, considering Linda was one of the most level-headed people Kendra knew. It seemed she wouldn't throw Ray out unless she could bet money on the fact that he'd cheated. "But...how?" Kendra asked, trying to be as sensitive as possible.

Her answer was too casual. Linda shrugged and lifted both brows. "The usual: texts, strange phone calls in confidence at odd hours. He's just being too secretive, you know?" she rose when she heard the coffee maker hiss. "I hacked into his voicemail and listened to a message from a woman confirming a time and place for them to meet."

Kendra's jaw dropped. "Oh my God....I...I just can't see Ray cheating on you."

A puff of air blew out of her mouth as she poured the coffee. Kendra noticed she only poured one cup for herself. "Yeah, same here. But whatever, it's over now."

She could detect anger in Linda's voice. Kendra wondered if she would feel different after the hurt was gone. Having never experienced love, Kendra didn't know how all that stuff worked. Linda was too calm; it was unnerving.

Linda looked up at Kendra as she blew the steam over her cup. "Sorry, do you want a coffee?"

Rising, Kendra waved her off. "That's okay. I'll get it." As she poured her own cup Kendra turned to Linda. "How did he take it?"

"He denied it of course. Said it wasn't what I thought. He wouldn't even tell me who she is. When I told him to get out he was hysterical at first, but that only lasted a minute or two." She barked out a laugh but Kendra could see tears pooling in her eyes. "He didn't even take anything with him."

Kendra walked over and rubbed her friend's arm.

"Ian brought his stuff up in garbage bags but he refused to take it with him. He said he would be at his mother's place."

At the mention of Ian, Kendra's heart began to flutter. "What did Ian have to say?"

Shrugging, Linda took a sip of coffee. "Not much. He dropped the stuff off and walked out. But you know men; they stick together no matter how sleazy they are."

"So what happened after that?"

"He left. Not a fight or anything. We've had worse fights over what to watch on television." Linda sobbed. "I guess whoever she is she's worth more to him than I am."

Bending down on her knees, Kendra rubbed Linda's thighs. "You don't know that that's true, Linda. Maybe Ray is just giving you some space so you guys don't say anything you'll both regret. My parents used to do that all the time when they had an argument. They say it's harder to forgive when harsh words have been exchanged. Maybe he is telling the truth, Linda. Maybe he just didn't want to tell you because he thought you wouldn't believe him, I mean, you were so upset you threw all his clothes out the window."

Pushing a tear off her face, Linda shook her head. "I envy you."

Kendra's jaw dropped. "You what?"

"You don't know what it's like to be hurt by someone you love. You've been spared all that crap. Ray and I have been married only a couple of years but I love him so deeply and now he's crushed my heart in two. It's the worst kind of hurt when someone you love cheats on you."

Linda wasn't looking at Kendra as she spoke. It was as if she was addressing a spot on the wall. Kendra didn't know whether it was because she couldn't look her in the eye or if it was because Linda was just blowing off steam and would say this to anyone.

Either way Kendra was insulted. Just because she'd never been in love and had never been hurt the way that Linda had described, it didn't mean that Kendra never hurt at all. She hurt just like anyone else who wanted something they couldn't have. The few men that she'd been infatuated with had never acknowledged her. Although she knew much of that was her fault, she always believed deep down that some day someone would notice her, not her flaw, and she wouldn't have to fight for what she wanted in the way she knew she couldn't. This was all a moot point because at the moment Linda needed Kendra, and she knew that Linda would never hurt her, so she sloughed off what her friend was saying and gave her a hug, because Kendra knew that was exactly what she needed.

"I'm going to stay with my mom for a few days." Linda finally said.

Kendra pulled back so she could see her face. "Are you sure? You can stay here with me if you like."

Linda's mother lived in Scarborough, and the commute for her would be horrendous.

"No, I can't stay in this building. I know Ray will come back to get his stuff and I don't want to be here when he does."

"Do you think you might be willing to talk to him after you've calmed down? To at last hear what he has to say?"

"Not unless it's something really good. And I mean really good."

Patting her on the arm, Kendra got up off her knees and sat in the chair opposite Linda. "Did you know Missy went out with Tom again last night?" Kendra asked, trying to change the subject.

Linda rolled her eyes. "I certainly wouldn't want to be living in Mr. Augustus' apartment. He probably didn't get any sleep at all with all the noise coming from her bedroom."

Mr. Augustus lived in the unit below Missy's. He'd complained more than once to Mrs. Cummings about the noise when Missy had a date. Mrs. Cummings swore Missy would lose her deposit because of all the scuff marks on the wall by her bed.

"She usually comes over after he leaves to fill me in." Kendra added.

Linda took the last sip of her coffee. "Well, I sure as heck don't want to be around when that happens. I don't think I can handle that right now." Rising, Linda placed her cup in the sink. "Thanks for the coffee. I'll be in touch."

Kendra gave her another hug as she stood by the door. "I'm sure everything will work out, Linda. Ray loves you. There's probably a perfectly good explanation for everything."

Staring at the floor, Linda mumbled. "Yeah, well, I admire your naivety, Kendra. But until you're in my shoes, you won't understand. And I hope to God you're never in my shoes."

Letting that statement digest, a montage of all the times she'd been to Ray and Linda's place rolled through Kendra's mind. The man doted on his wife and it always made Kendra ache. Deep down she knew that Ray loved Linda; probably more than she would ever know, and the words 'I hope to God some day I will be in your shoes, with a man who loves me more than life itself, just like Ray loves you', came into Kendra's mind, but she didn't say it aloud.

Chapter 5

The key turned in the door and she could hear Cassandra yodelling. She was Kendra's best friend and had been since they started working together about seven years ago. Kendra didn't actually give her a key to keep, but when she needed someone in a desperate time Cassandra was the only person she could trust. Her parents were away on vacation and she needed someone to get clothes for her and grab a few things from the apartment. She'd kept a copy of that key ever since.

"So did you hear from Missy? Did she get her jiggy on last night like you thought?" Cassandra joked. Kendra had sent her a text message, updating her on everything.

"No, I haven't heard from her yet." Kendra chuckled, appearing from the bedroom. She was freshly showered and wearing a pair of jeans and a sweater.

"Wow, she must be getting her jiggy on again today then." Cassandra added, giving her a hug. She smelled like vanilla musk and her curly hair was piled on her head with tendrils hanging down the sides. Her leather jacket was cold from the chill outside and the smile she was sporting said Missy wasn't the only one who got her jiggy on last night.

"How's Christopher?" Kendra asked, referring to her three year old son. He was a dear, and she watched him for Cassandra sometimes if her parents weren't available. Christopher was a smaller, male version of Cassandra, which the girls were both equally grateful for since Christopher's father was a huge deadbeat.

She giggled just at the mention of his name. "I'll bring him later if there's time; my brother took him to McDonald's for pancakes this morning. You should have seen him! He was so excited he was jumping up and down!"

Kendra smiled. Christopher was such a joy, and Kendra's only hope was that Cassandra found someone perfect for both herself and for Christopher. They both deserved the best.

"You have fun with Mike?" Kendra asked, knowing the answer but dying to hear all the gossip.

"Fun? Oh, honey, we had more than fun." She boasted, removing her jacket and placing it on the sofa.

Cassandra thought every guy was 'the guy', the be all and end all for all men. Every time she went out with another one, which was pretty often, she bragged that she was in love. It was her thing and Kendra loved her for it. That girl had loved and lost so many but each time she got back up and dusted herself off. Also, she had no regrets. No matter what the circumstances were that caused the break up Cassandra never blamed the guy. She didn't blame herself either; she simply claimed that it wasn't meant to be.

"Better than Dan?" Kendra asked, remembering her last conquest and how she swore she passed out he was so good in bed.

"Dan was good in his own way, but Mike is tender and loving in a way I've never felt before. It's been two weeks but it's like we've known each other forever, you know?"

She did know. She'd heard this before with this guy that Cassandra dated last summer. His name was Blake. Cassandra claimed Blake and she had met in a previous life, and until he went to his high school reunion and met up with his 'soul mate', they were to be together forever. You would think Kendra would grow tired of hearing the same story over and over again, but since she pretty much never dated, she didn't mind.

"Better than Blake?" she hedged.

Cassandra lifted an eyebrow. "Blake was two thirds dreamboat, one third ready for a relationship. I was two thirds ready for a relationship. That was the problem."

"Ah,"

"So how was Linda? Did she leave for her mom's yet?" Cassandra asked, pulling one foot under the other as she joined Kendra on the couch.

"She texted me when she left. Ray had sent her a message asking if she could let him know when she was ready to talk. On her terms."

"That's rough. It would be hard enough to be cheated on by a guy you're dating, but to have it happen when you're married to the guy...geez."

Kendra told Cassandra about his reaction when she and Mrs. Cummings were upstairs with Ray and Linda. "I'm no expert on men, but I didn't expect him to be so calm."

She leaned over and rubbed Kendra's leg. "You're a true romantic. Whoever you end up with is a lucky guy."

"Thanks. Linda thinks I'm naïve."

"Well, you're that, too, but in a good way." Cassandra encouraged. "I think a lot of women tend to jump to conclusions based on how common it is for men to cheat. But in reality I think it should be treated on a case-by-case basis. Everybody is different and every relationship is different. She should have at least heard him out."

"I agree. Maybe she'll give him a chance once the dust settles."

"I hope so. It would be a shame to throw away a good marriage because of a misunderstanding. Who knows, maybe he's trying to surprise her."

"Well if it helps, it worked really well." Cassandra winked. "Couples aren't allowed to plan surprise parties for each other if one has been unfaithful in the past. That's what I heard, anyway."

"That makes sense." Kendra tilted her head, "But her birthday was in the summer."

Cassandra changed the subject. "So tell me what happened with Ian? He knows who you are and where you live now? How does that feel?" she rubbed her hands together.

Kendra hated to disappoint Cassandra but there really wasn't anything to tell. "I froze like always. He did smile at me though."

"He smiled at you?" she said it as though it was a huge deal. "Wow, I bet that made your day."

It made her year, actually, but she didn't want to seem like a total nutcase. So she shrugged. Cassandra wasn't convinced. "Come on, you've been fawning over this guy since he moved in, and he acknowledges you...that's huge!"

"I guess so." Kendra feigned nonchalance. "But that doesn't mean he'll ever do it again."

"That doesn't mean he won't, either."

***

Ian

The phone rang at an ungodly hour and Ian rubbed his eyes before turning on the bedside lamp. A glow from the digital alarm clock said it was past eleven o'clock. Checking the display on the phone Ian saw that it was his aunt Marie, Vickie's mother.

"Aunt Marie, what's going on?" Ian's voice was gravelly from sleep. He'd already been in bed for hours since he had an early morning ahead.

"Hi, Ian. Sorry to call you so late." Marie's voice was almost a whisper.

"Is everything okay?" He sat up in bed. It was odd for Marie to be calling, and even stranger for her to call at that hour.

"Vickie mentioned you picked her up from work today." Marie explained. "She's been acting weird all day but insists everything is fine. Did she mention anything to you?"

Oh, man. Ian hated getting involved with family politics. No good could come of it. The last time he got involved when Aunt Marie got remarried to some Hamish guy his mom didn't approve of, it turned into a huge family war. Mom and Marie didn't speak for nearly a year. All his uncles and his father had warned him over the years to stay out of female troubles in the family, or in any family for that matter. He knew Vickie wouldn't approve of him telling her mother what was going on. If she hadn't told Aunt Marie what was going on, she had her reasons.

"Aw, no, she didn't mention anything." he lied.

"She's been quiet and she didn't go to Ryan's place at all today. And she always goes there after supper."

"I don't know, Aunt Marie." he repeated. "Listen, I've gotta get up really early. Can I catch up with you tomorrow?"

As if ignoring him, she asked. "How come you haven't called Emma back for another date? She was perfect for you."

Yeah, in her eyes Emma was perfect for him. Marie set him up with another girl she worked with about two weeks ago. Emma was sweet and all, but by the end of the first date she was practically planning their wedding. Red flags and sirens went off inside Ian's head immediately. The girl was gorgeous, smart, and from what he understood, her parents were well off, but he was not ready to commit, especially to someone who seemingly would settle for anyone.

"It just...it didn't work out." he hesitated.

"She adored you." Marie countered. "She's been asking about you nearly every day."

Wow, she's obsessive, too. Well, hand me the phone. "Sorry, but she just wasn't for me."

"What about that girl from your mother's hair salon? Nancy, was it?"

Nancy was also gorgeous and kind of smart, but she was just too sarcastic and negative. They went out about a month ago, but he told his mom what he thought of her and she backed off. Marie, on the other hand, was relentless. "Yeah, Nancy I think went back to her ex-boyfriend." he said, which wasn't a lie; he'd heard that from his mom.

Marie sighed. "We'll get you matched up with someone. As God is my witness. You're a great guy; I don't know what my girls or your sister would do without you. Some girl out there will be lucky to have you."

Ian rolled his eyes. "Thanks, Aunt Marie. I gotta get some sleep."

The truth was he wasn't really looking right now. There was an unlimited supply of girls between his family's circle of friends, and he could get a date whenever he wanted, not that he really cared. Most of the time when he went on dates, the girls were superficial. Ian didn't think he was much to look at, but there was something about him that drew women, the wrong women, to him.

Marie hung up and Ian leaned back on his pillows with his fingers interlaced behind his head. Why do the women in my life want to hook me up so badly? Is it a competition? He was sure they had their reasons, and he knew they meant well. But sometimes, dammit, I'd just like to meet a strong, independent, simple woman who sees me for who I am. And I want to meet her on my own terms.

Just as he closed his eyes and turned off the lamp he heard a strange noise coming from the hallway. It got louder, until it was blaring in his ears so bad that he had to cover them.

Great, just great. Another calamity. It was the fire alarm.

***

He almost regretted throwing his heavy winter coat on with his sweatshirt underneath as he ran down the stairs. Ahead of him were his neighbours who tried to say hello but he couldn't hear them over the blare of the fire alarm. As they made it out the back door it took his eyes a moment to adjust to the darkness. There was a light snowfall, softly illuminating the night sky. Flakes were twirling around the moon in a haphazard pattern.

Mr. Cummings was the first person Ian saw. He was directing residents to the centre of the front lawn, away from the exit. It looked like just about everybody was accounted for. "Mr. Cummings," Ian greeted.

"Ian, my boy. How are you doing despite the circumstances?"

Mr. Cummings was a well-mannered Englishman and from the look of him he didn't even hit the pillows. He was still dressed in a fresh suit and tie, unscathed.

"Not too bad. How are you?" Ian answered kindly. "Where is Mrs. Cummings?"

"Well at least it's a nice night out." He said, as if he didn't hear Ian's question. Ian nodded and undid his jacket. It was mild. As Ian saw Mrs. Cummings appear, she approached him with a look of concern.

"Have you spoken to Ray? There isn't any answer at the door."

Mrs. Cummings was one brave woman to be inside a building that was possibly ablaze, but she seemed unbothered and cared more for the safety of the tenants. A fire truck approached suddenly, honking the horn in its wake. No sirens sounded, which made Ian relax a bit; he guessed that the situation was not serious; otherwise there would be a hail of sirens. He waited until the truck made a full stop before speaking.

"Um...yes. I believe he's staying with his mother."

Her hand went to her mouth. "My God, what about Linda?" she gasped.

A young woman, underdressed, wearing a long sleeve shirt and a pair of pyjama pants appeared. She addressed Mrs. Cummings. "It's okay, Mrs. Cummings. Linda is also staying with her mother in Scarborough."

Relief washed over Mrs. Cummings' face. "Oh thank God, Kendra. I thought maybe she was in a deep sleep and couldn't hear the alarm."

A smile crept across the woman's face and Ian remembered that this was the lady that he met last night. She was helping Mrs. Cummings pick up Ray's clothes from the front lawn. Kendra rubbed her arms with her hands.

"Here, you can have my jacket." He offered, pulling his coat from his shoulders.

Her lashes covered her cheeks as she muttered a thank you. Mr. and Mrs. Cummings left to speak with the firemen, leaving them alone.

"Have there been many alarms in this building?" Ian asked. This was the first for him in the six months he'd lived there.

"We've had a few." Kendra answered quietly. "Most have been false alarms though, thankfully."

"I think that's what it means when only one truck shows up."

"I think you're right. We'll know shortly anyhow."

Kendra was wearing a different pair of glasses than she had on last night, Ian noticed. He was on her right and she was careful not to turn around to face him. She seemed really shy and Ian found that intriguing. Usually the women he met were blunt, in-your-face, and had their hands pawing all over him within five minutes of being acquainted.

"So do you know Linda well?" Ian asked, trying to start up a conversation.

"We're pretty good friends. She comes over for coffee most Sunday mornings."

"Oh yeah? Ray and I hang out a lot, too." He wanted to bring up their recent relationship troubles, but he was pretty sure that would be inappropriate.

"I'm glad they're not here for this." Kendra said.

Then something occurred to Ian. If everyone else was accounted for and Ray and Linda were the only two not present, could the fire be coming from Linda and Ray's apartment?"

"Jesus. Is Ray and Linda's unit the only one vacant?" Ian asked, trying in vain to mask his alarm.

She sensed the tension and turned to face him. "No, no. Mr. Catchman in 202 is away as well."

As he sighed with relief she smiled at him. Ian noticed a fine line or something on the left side of her face, just behind her glasses. "And I don't see any smoke, so chances are this is just a false alarm." She added, turning away from him.

Her pyjama pants had a strange font that he couldn't decipher in the dark. Ian bent slightly to the right and noticed that they had F*R*I*E*N*D*S stamped all over them. "Is that from the show?"

Kendra lifted her right leg and giggled. "Yeah, I know, corny, huh?"

"Not at all. I have the entire CD collection. Which friend is your favourite?" Ian asked, knowing that he was only kind of leading her on; the CD set was a gift from one of his cousins. He hardly ever watched them, but figured it was a nice ice breaker.

"I love Joey." She answered. "He's stupid but sweet and loyal, and I think he's the funniest."

"I like Rachel." Ian supplied. "She's got a nice...err...she's funny too." He joked.

That got another giggle. Ian didn't know why but he loved her little giggle. It was very child-like and genuine, not forced and fake.

"So do you want to bet on whether this fire is a false alarm or the real thing? I'll give you really good odds..." Ian said playfully.

She pursed her lips and rolled her eyes. "Seeing as no other trucks are showing up and no ambulance, I'm gonna say that this is a false alarm."

"And no smoke." Ian added, inserting the point she made earlier.

"Yes."

They watched other residents milling about. Another woman, with very dishevelled hair, waved at Kendra, and Kendra reciprocated. She had her arm hooked into a man's arm. He was about her age and his hair was standing up on one side as if he'd smashed into a wall and stayed there for a while. The woman, whom Ian recognized from the building, began walking towards them.

"Kendra! You remember Tom, right?"

Kendra gave a slight nod but didn't move her feet. Then the woman looked at Ian and offered him her hand. "Hi, you must be Ian. I'm Missy and this is my boyfriend Tom." She introduced the guy like he was someone really special. Ian guessed Missy was the type of woman he'd dated about a hundred times; the kind that treated her man like he was her prize. He was immediately turned off and hoped they would go away so he could keep talking to Kendra.

"That's right. Ian Wilkinson." He said cordially, giving Tom a quick handshake. Tom looked about as thrilled to be there talking to Missy as Ian did. Judging from his hair, though, he had some fun with Missy earlier. So at least his night wasn't a total bust.

Missy released Tom's arm, taking a few steps towards Kendra. They spoke quietly for a few minutes as Tom and Ian stared at the empty building in front of them. The fire engine almost completely covered the entrance, and it wasn't until Ian saw Mr. Cummings a few minutes later, that he realized he was glad he didn't make that bet with Kendra.

"False alarm, folks!" Mr. Cummings howled in his English drawl. "There's a glitch in the system. You're all safe to head back to your units. Sorry for the inconvenience."

Ian grinned as he stared at his feet. Thank God. As they walked back into the building, Kendra stopped Ian before they reached the stairwell. "Here's your jacket. Thanks for letting me use it."

In the overhead light Ian noticed she was wearing a different pair of glasses than she'd worn earlier; she must have changed them when she and Missy were chatting. These ones were slightly tinted and had a thicker plastic frame. She gave him a warm smile as she handed Ian his coat. "You're welcome. It was no problem." he said, offering her a warm smile of his own.

She walked with Missy up to their floor and Ian hoped that there was another reason for him to run into Kendra soon. When he reached his apartment and draped his jacket over the kitchen chair, something lightly clinked to the floor. As he bent over to pick up the glasses Kendra had been wearing earlier, he realized that there was his reason to see Kendra again. And he smiled.
Chapter 6

Kendra

Earlier that evening

Her eyes darted open in sheer panic as she looked at the alarm clock glowing in the dark. It was just past eleven o'clock and she'd barely had an hour of sleep, as she realized it wasn't her alarm going off...it was the fire alarm. Kendra could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she sat right up in bed and turned on the bedside lamp.

Not bothering to check her attire she grabbed the nearest pair of glasses and patted the pocket in her pyjama pants to ensure she had a spare pair. With trembling hands she made quick work of pulling her feet through her moccasins, and she headed out the front door without locking it.

There was nobody in the hallway, which meant she was either the first or the last to escape, and she worried that her neighbours might not have made it out yet. Stifling the urge to knock on doors Kendra listened to her gut instinct and got out of the building via the nearest stairwell.

Running into some of her neighbours, Kendra ended up outside in the chilly winter air. Standing beside Mrs. Neville in 204 she ran a mental tally of all her neighbours and noticed there was one missing: Ian. Maybe he's gone out? She hoped. Desperately, she had a look around, surveying the people that surrounded her, realizing that she definitely didn't see him. And then as she turned around to face the front entrance, she spied Ian popping out of the side doorway, and allowed herself a sigh of relief.

He was wearing a pair of black jogging pants and a white sweatshirt, and she couldn't help but picture him sleeping in that. Hugging her arms to protect herself from the cold, she overheard Ian talking to Mr. Cummings, and then moments later, Mrs. Cummings appeared. She immediately approached her husband with a pained expression and shared her worry about Linda.

Kendra stepped forward, rubbing her arms, and let Mrs. Cummings know that Linda was at her mother's house. Ian appeared confused as he looked at Kendra; like he didn't know who she was. Such a shocker. They all forget me. But then he offered her his jacket and she gladly took it since she couldn't feel the skin on her arms or hands.

The jacket smelled divine; a combination of light musk and Ian filled her nostrils, and it was warm with his own body heat. Kendra melted into a million pieces. Breaking her from her reverie, a fire truck arrived, and before she knew it, Mr. and Mrs. Cummings left her and Ian alone. As if he'll talk to me. She pulled the jacket closer, and to her surprise, he did talk to her.

"Have there been many alarms in this building?" he asked.

So he's making casual conversation just to be a gentleman. Plus, he probably wants his jacket back soon. "We've had a few." She managed, making sure he stayed to her left. "Most have been false alarms though, thankfully."

"I think that's what it means when only one truck shows up."

"I think you're right. We'll know shortly anyhow."

Ian was quiet for a minute...probably thinking about how much he'd rather be talking to the big busted Missy over there instead of me.

"So do you know Linda well?" he asked, as if he was genuinely interested.

"We're pretty good friends. She comes over for coffee most Sunday mornings."

"Oh yeah? Ray and I hang out a lot, too."

"I'm glad they're not here for this." Kendra added, feeling kind of bad that he seemed to be putting all the effort into the conversation. Then she heard a faint gasp from his mouth.

"Jesus. Is Ray and Linda's unit the only one vacant?"

"No, no. Mr. Catchman in 202 is away as well." she turned and said quickly, feeling guilty for pegging him as the usual scumbag when he was showing genuine concern for their friends. "And I don't see any smoke, so chances are this is just a false alarm." She said, turning away from him again.

Is he checking me out? She could see him looking at her pants from the corner of her eye. "Is that from the show?" he asked, and she realized he was observing her lame 'Friends' pyjama pants that Cassandra bought for her for Christmas last year. They were her favourite; she had two pairs.

"Yeah, I know, corny, huh?" Kendra giggled, thinking how much of a loser he probably thought she was.

"Not at all. I have the entire DVD collection. Which friend is your favourite?" Ian asked, and she had to stifle the urge to crane her neck in disbelief. Hey, maybe he isn't so bad after all. Either that or he's lying through his teeth just to have more to converse about.

Ah, what the hell. "I love Joey." She said, "He's stupid but sweet and loyal, and I think he's the funniest."

"I like Rachel. She's got a nice...err...she's funny too." Okay, he gets a point for that.

"So do you want to bet on whether this fire is a false alarm or the real thing? I'll give you really good odds..."

So he's trying to be funny. That's not so bad. "Seeing as no other trucks are showing up and no ambulance, I'm gonna say that this is a false alarm." Kendra countered.

"And no smoke." He added coyly.

"Yes."

Off in the distance she saw Misty and Tom, both looking like they'd just finished frolicking, or perhaps the alarm interrupted the frolicking, and Kendra wanted to die since they were coming towards them. She gave Missy a weak wave and prayed that she would walk right past them, perhaps to the parking lot, but they both stopped.

"Kendra! You remember Tom, right?"

Staring at her feet, Kendra gave a little nod and as Missy addressed Ian, she took advantage of the opportunity to glance at him, and she couldn't help but notice the look in his eyes; it was like he was recoiling from Missy. Smart, Missy took the hint and walked over to Kendra.

"So what's going on?" Missy whispered, as if she guessed Kendra had been up to no good. Honestly...

"Nothing, really." Judging by her hair she's got nerve asking, and frankly I resent the insinuation.

Missy gestured her head in Ian's direction. "What are you guys talking about?" she murmured.

"Just stuff."

And Kendra decided she wasn't terribly fond of Missy in Tom's company. She was like a gitty schoolgirl and it was annoying. Her maturity level seemed to have slipped ten years.

"What kind of stuff?" she probed, and Kendra realized her intelligence level had also suffered some. The old Missy would have been more concerned about the fact that their building was possibly on fire, but instead she was behaving like they were in the middle of an after school special. Then, as if Mr. Cummings was answering Kendra's subconscious prayers to silence Missy, he bellowed that all was safe inside the building.

Missy and Kendra walked together into the building, but Kendra let go of Missy's arm when she saw Ian beside her. "Here's your jacket. Thanks for letting me use it." She said, unable to avoid the grin that erupted from her as he looked at her.

He smiled back, warming her to the bone. "You're welcome. It was no problem."

And Kendra began to wonder if maybe Ian wasn't like all the other guys after all.

***

Ian

The department meeting was as boring as Ian feared it would be. However, he was up for a promotion, so he paid attention and made the best of it. Working his way up the ladder hadn't been easy, especially having a female boss who was constantly on a power trip; Lilian Vanderbilt was in her seventies—Ian was sure of it—but she wouldn't survive a day in retirement. He started working at the Eaton Centre straight out of college, and took menial job after menial job but finally made it to property management.

Looking after the leasing agreements for all the stores along their large strip of Yonge Street hadn't gotten any easier since they began refurbishing the older stores. Overseeing the refurbishment opened up more doors for Ian than would have ever been possible. Also, it looked like this summer he was going to be bumped up to director of property management. Peter Giles would be leaving for England to develop land he invested in near Heathrow Airport a couple of years ago, creating a vacancy in that department.

There were so many messages left on his voicemail and email after the meeting that Ian prayed once the promotion was set that he would finally get an assistant. As he listened to the few messages marked urgent he heard his cell phone ring from his jacket pocket. Reaching into his jacket hanging on the back of his desk chair he read the display and saw that it was Ray calling. He paused the voice message and answered the call.

"Hey, man. Am I catching you at a bad time?" Ray asked.

"No, I just came out of a meeting. What's up?"

"Listen, I need you to do me a favour, if you don't mind."

Ian cringed. The only thing Ray could possibly need Ian's help with must have had something to do with Linda. He hated getting involved in other people's drama, but Ray was a good friend, so he had to bite the bullet and help out. "Sure. What can I do for you?"

"I need some way to get Linda to talk to me. I've got a surprise for her and she's not willing to discuss anything. I've got to fix this. I miss her and this can be all over if I can just get her to meet me somehow."

Ian thought about what he could do to help. All the female interaction he'd had with family should have given him some inkling as to what to do, although he couldn't help but wonder whether or not Ray already had an idea in mind. "Sure, what can I do?"

"None of her friends or family will talk to me or help me arrange a meeting with her. And I'm pretty sure almost everyone in the building knows about me and Linda breaking up, but I wondered if maybe Mrs. Cummings or even Kendra might be willing to wiggle a little for me. But I don't want to press my luck. Do you think you might be able to talk to either of them and gauge how they feel about me? Maybe if one of them isn't ticked off with me they might be willing convince her to meet with me?"

Ian pondered that for a moment. But thought it might seem obvious if he just showed up at Kendra's apartment, asking for a favour, or just started talking about a situation that neither of them really had anything to do with. And Mrs. Cummings would just grill him for more information; plus, Mrs. Cummings didn't really have direct interaction with Linda the way that Kendra did. And then Ian remembered that he still had Kendra's glasses. "I think I might be able to help. I can't make any promises though."

"Hey, I'll take what I can get." Ray said. "Just let me know what happens. And thanks a bunch, dude. I owe you big time."

"No problem, man. I'll be in touch."
Chapter 7

Kendra observed Cassandra entering the lunchroom at Langley, Briggs, Courtney & Ho, the law firm where they both worked; Cassandra for the last eight years, Kendra for the last seven years. Cassandra almost walked into the wall because she was paying more attention to her cell phone than she was watching where she was going. Pecking away at her iPhone, she didn't even notice Kendra sitting alone at the large, boardroom sized table.

"Man trouble?" Kendra asked as she took a bite of salad. Somehow they were both taking their lunches late, and hadn't expected to run into each other.

Cassandra began working there when it was just Langley Law Firm, as an assistant to Mr. Langley, but when it became Langley & Briggs, Kendra then started as Ms. Briggs' assistant. Both Cassandra and Kendra had been working towards their law degree part-time; Cassandra more on a casual basis since her social life craved more attention.

Placing her cell phone in her mouth, Cassandra muttered affirmation as she grabbed her lunch out of the refrigerator in front of them.

"Who is it this time?" Kendra asked, almost not wanting to know, but she realized that if she didn't show any interest that Cassandra would just pile on the drama later.

"Billy. The guy's totally hung up on me." Desmond, a co-worker Kendra once dated, walked in, interrupting. "Billy? Sounds like a jerk. I'd dump him." He said.

Both girls ignored the sarcastic jibe. "So? I thought you liked him." Kendra asked.

Desmond was clearly eavesdropping, being extra quiet as he grabbed his lunch out of the fridge. But he remained silent.

"I do but I don't." Cassandra sighed, opening up her pink lunch sac. "He's hot and sensitive but dumb as a rock. Billy is the type of guy you call when you haven't had good sex in a while, you know?"

No, I don't know, but I don't want to get into that with her now, especially with the mood she's in. So I go for devil's advocate. "But don't you think you're leading him on if you keep calling him?"

"You wouldn't know anything about leading a guy on, now, would you, Kendra?" Desmond blurted. Kendra shot him an angry glare but otherwise ignored him, not taking the bait.

"I'm not calling him." she argued. "He keeps texting me, but I'm going out with Rick tonight."

"So tell him the truth." Kendra said, deadpan.

"I know. You're right. It's not fair to make him think I'm into him when I'm not." Cassandra whined. "But I better not hear any flack when I want a girls' night out so I can get some, okay?"

Sometimes Kendra didn't understand female hormones. Somehow she felt like she wasn't born with the same ones as Cassandra and Missy. She hadn't had sex in so long she thought she probably forgot how to do it, but she never brooded over it, and she was glad she wasn't needy like some of her friends. To me, I think with the right guy, you want it all the time...with him. But if you don't have anyone in your life, sure you crave male attention, but perhaps not to that extent and not in that context. I wouldn't know a one-night-stand if it hit me in the head.

"Sure," Kendra answered nonchalantly, although both Cassandra and she knew that every trick in the book had to be used whenever anyone invited Kendra out. Socializing wasn't her thing; try as they might, her excuses could be rather elaborate if the occasion called for it.

"Is Rick into you?" Kendra asked, hoping to change the subject. Desmond took a seat beside her, a little too close, and she nonchalantly shifted over, pretending like she was doing him the favour.

"I think so." She answered honestly. "But I don't really know for sure. He's kind of quiet." Then she changed tack. "You want to double date? His friend Kevin is perfect for you."

Here we go again. The excitement in her voice was almost annoying. All she needed was a pair of pom-poms and a high ponytail and Cassandra would officially be Kendra's biggest fan.

"Na, I've had a really busy day and I probably have to work late tonight."

Then she blindsided Kendra. "This again? When are you ever going to just let go?" You could cut the tension in the air with a knife. It wasn't often, but when Cassandra lost her temper she went from zero to ten in seconds. "I wish to God that you would stop living under your damn rock and get over it! It's been six years for Christ sake!"

Desmond scoffed, as if in agreement with Cassandra, and he smirked at Kendra. The salad in front of her was barely half-eaten. Rising from her chair Kendra picked up what was left of her salad, even though her appetite disappeared, and she stormed out of the lunchroom. She could hear Cassandra calling from behind but she chose to ignore her. Pressing the button to get to the third floor, knowing her friend wouldn't come after her, Kendra entered the elevator and choked back the tears, keeping them in check until later, when she could be alone.

Focusing on work, Kendra managed to make it through until about six-thirty, when she was too tired and hungry to do any more. Ms. Briggs had been in court all day and wasn't expected until late the next morning, so she packed up what was left of the paperwork she had to make notes on, and left for the day. But just as she was about to leave, she was unpleasantly greeted by Desmond in the downstairs corridor.

"She's right, you know." He said matter-of-factly. But the tone in his voice was cutting. "You'll never be with a guy properly until you get off your high horse."

Kendra blinked rapidly. "Desmond, the only reason why I didn't sleep with you is because you're a jerk. And you're still a jerk. It's not my problem, it's yours."

He feigned irritation by theatrically waving his hands in front of him. "Oh, Kendra," he mewled, mocking her, "please love me, please have me," he spat, and then glared at her, "I wouldn't have slept with you, anyway. Nor did I want to. You're such a mess up here," he pointed to his forehead with his index finger, "you can't even begin to pay attention to what's going on down there," he grabbed his crotch and squeezed.

Opening her mouth wide in shock she slapped him across the face. "Pig!" and got away from him as quickly as possible.

Downtown Toronto was not a place for cars, really, unless you didn't mind paying substantial parking fees. Most of Calamity Place's residents owned cars, including Kendra, however, most Torontonians only used them for local jaunts up the street and out of town trips. Taking the subway home was a welcome outlet for de-stressing, and Kendra enjoyed the walk home from the subway station to Calamity Place.

Today, Kendra needed to de-stress. And it seemed she wasn't the only one.

***

Ian

"I was just at your place looking for you. Your mother's been trying to call you all day." Ian said to his cousin Vickie. As he arrived home from work she was sitting on the bench at the front of the building, waiting for him.

"I saw you pull up and I wasn't sure if you would see me from the garage." Vickie answered, ignoring his comment. Her eyes were red from crying, clearly, because she was still sniffling.

"Did Mrs. Cummings see you?"

"No," she shook her head, "It's late. I think they've rolled up the carpets for the night."

"Hey," Ian pulled her chin toward his face, so he could get a better look at her, "What happened?"

Pulling away, Vickie looked at her feet. "I saw him today. I went to the mall for lunch and he didn't know I was there."

"You mean you saw Ryan today?" Ian clarified. She wasn't making sense.

"Yeah," she confirmed as she took a step away from the lighting in the foyer. Ian thought it was a vain attempt to mask her tears, but the dribbly sound in her voice gave her away.

"So what happened?" he probed. He hadn't spoken to her since he dropped her off at Ryan's place on Saturday night. "Did you talk to him about everything?"

"No," she shook her head emphatically, "And I'm glad I didn't."

"But why? Vic, you have to talk to him." he admonished.

"I...can't." she sobbed. "I don't want to lose him."

"Why would you lose him?" He pulled her towards him. "Come on. Let's walk." Vickie walked over to Ian's building from her house less than two blocks away, and Ian observed her thick winter jacket, hat and gloves. "I don't want my neighbours knowing your business. That's all I need." I can think of one particular nosey English woman who would delight in learning about my cousin's latest scandal.

A small park was situated next to the building, so they strode slowly over while Vickie composed herself. No snow lay on the first bench, so they sat there while Vickie spilled the beans.

"While I was in the food court, you know, where that miniature carnival is? They have little rides and stuff?" Vickie looked at Ian to make sure he was on the same page. He nodded; he'd been to that mall near her work at least a hundred times.

She continued. "Anyway, that homemade French fry place that's in the carnival area is Ryan's favourite. And you know how popular it is; people are lined up outside during lunch and dinner time. Well, I was at that gift store adjacent to it today and I saw Ryan in line with his brother, waiting to order some fries." Vickie was almost fumbling over her words they were shooting out so fast. Ian placed a hand on hers to calm her.

"There was this kid having a tantrum near that little train that's next to the French fry place, and I heard Ryan and his brother making snide remarks about the kid." Vickie's hand found her belly and she sobbed. "We've never even talked about having kids before, and I've seen him look at other children strangely, not seeing how cute they are like most people, but staring at them as if to pray he never has one or has to experience that."

Ian let out a gentle laugh. "Vic, that doesn't mean anything. You're jumping to conclusions." And suddenly he was aware of how fragile female hormones could be when a woman was expecting. "I'm sure Ryan doesn't feel the way you think he feels. If you would just give him a chance, I'm sure he'll be very happy to become a father."

Vickie and Ian were the eldest among all the cousins in the family, and this would be the first grandchild for Aunt Marie. So Ian couldn't vouch for Ryan's behaviour around nieces and nephews in the family, but he had a gut feeling that Ryan was a family man; he had two younger brothers and a sister, and he was just as protective of his family as Ian was with his. But convincing Vickie of that might prove difficult, Ian realized. She was almost hysterical.

Looking at her cousin as if he'd grown two heads, Vickie barked. "I don't want to take that chance! What happens if he finds out and breaks up with me, or worse, doesn't want me to have the baby?"

"What are you suggesting? To have an abortion? To not even tell him about the baby? Vickie, that's insane!" he shouted.

The woman was not thinking clearly, and she was about to make a decision based on a silly, unjustified assumption. "Ryan has a right to know, Vickie! You can't just go and make that choice without telling him. It's his baby, too."

Shaking her head as if not wanting to hear the truth, Vickie rose, but Ian didn't back down; he rose with her. "What happens if you go and have an abortion and he finds out that you were pregnant, and then he tells you that he wanted the baby after all? What then?"

As if pained, Vickie pinched the bridge of her nose. "He doesn't want kids, Ian. I know it. It was a stupid mistake. I know he doesn't want kids." She repeated weakly, like she'd run out of steam.

Pausing, it suddenly hit Ian. "He doesn't want kids or you don't want kids?"

Her chest lifted and lowered in a huff, but she didn't look at him. He couldn't gauge her response. Vickie hesitated, as though thinking of something to say, and then she simply walked away. Ian didn't try to stop her; he knew better.

***

Kendra

As she walked along the path leading to the building, Kendra saw Ian and the same girl he was with Saturday night. It was dark but the interior lights in the foyer illuminated her quite well as she stood directly in front of him, with her back to the building. In the distance Kendra could tell that she was crying. Slowing her pace, she audaciously hid behind a pair of bushes just past the underground garage, and did what she knew was going to send her to hell one day: she eavesdropped.

Wondering if Mrs. Cummings was right; that Ian hadn't been dating a lot, rather, that these women were family, she strained to hear what they were talking about. She heard him say that he didn't want anyone knowing her business and then she saw them begin walking towards the park next door. Quickly, Kendra followed, hiding behind bushes and keeping a safe distance so that she wouldn't be discovered.

Clearly this was not a girlfriend of Ian's. And as she listened, Kendra learned that she was pregnant and her boyfriend was unaware. Shamefully, she continued to snoop, and couldn't help but completely understand what the girl was going through, and it brought her back to when Cassandra was pregnant with Christopher. But she didn't want to go there yet; she needed to focus.

Kendra got a sudden jolt of guilt as the woman stood there crying, with her strength lost. Finding her way back to the front entrance, Kendra decided she needed to walk more, and she strolled past Calamity Downs, heading back onto the sidewalk. All she could think about was how she misjudged Ian. Here she was thinking he was just a pretty face, dating women after women, having no substance to his personality, and no heart, like most men who were drop dead gorgeous. But perhaps he was not like that at all.

Pulling her iPod out of her purse, she turned it on and looked forward to clearing her mind of all the happenings of the day. Barely getting through one song she was suddenly hit from behind and forced to the ground, by a figure that all but landed on top of her. Kendra's heart was in her mouth and her body immediately went into fight or flight mode, remembering what happened six years ago.

Several expletives escaped from her mouth as she jumped quickly to her feet and braced herself for an attack. The iPod was hanging from the clip on the outside of her jacket, but the ear buds were dangling in the air as she looked downward and saw the defenceless clump that lay at her feet. "I'm so sorry." The person said, and as Kendra looked closely, she noticed that it was the same girl she saw crying in the park with Ian just moments ago.

The heel on the girl's boot was hanging from its intended spot and Kendra bent down to help her up as she observed her designer footwear. "I'm really sorry." She repeated. "I think my heel is broken. I must have scared you to death."

"That's okay," Kendra lied. "My mother's always warning me not to listen to my iPod when I walk alone at night. I should have heard you approaching from behind."

Adjusting her jacket, the girl sniffled and pulled her woollen hat down closer to her head and then she looked down at her feet. "I don't know how I'm going to walk home now." She looked back to see how far away Calamity Downs was from their vantage point, and it was only about six houses away. "I suppose I could try to go back and get my cousin to drive me; he's just over at that building."

"I live there, too." Kendra supplied, and then she played dumb. "Who's your cousin?"

"Ian Wilkinson. I just live around the block."

Kendra introduced herself. "Kendra Michaels."

"Vickie Lawson."

"Do you want me to go get Ian?" Kendra offered, but judging by her face she was clearly against that.

"No." Vickie sniffled, "He's pretty much the last person I want to see right now."

Kendra nodded, feeling unsure of what to do next. Pulling her scarf off, she placed it on the ground and gestured to Vickie's broken boot. "How about we see if it can't be forced back in or something? You can rest your foot on my scarf."

"Thanks." Vickie said, pulling her knee-length brown patent leather boot off. Kendra took it from her and inspected it in the exterior light while Vickie leaned on Kendra to keep her balance.

The heel was completely broken off and just hanging by a thread. It wasn't an expensive boot, obviously, and the glue had clearly given way. She tried to push the heel back onto the boot and hold it in place, hoping maybe it would stay, at least long enough for Vickie to walk home, but after about ten seconds it slid off again.

"That's what you get for buying knock-off boots at a buy-one-get-one-free sale, I suppose." Vickie commented. "I could try to walk with just the one heel on."

"That would be a little dangerous." Kendra advised, and then something changed in Vickie's expression. She suddenly turned pale. "Are you okay?"

A car drove by and Vickie abruptly turned away from the car, to the grass beside them, and vomited. Standing next to her Kendra grabbed her hair and swept it away from her face. It was over quickly and Vickie sniffled as she thanked Kendra for her help. "I'm pregnant." She blurted. "I get my morning sickness at night."

Kendra tried for comical. "Well, that's good. I thought maybe you had something that I might catch."

Vickie let out a small chuckle, but Kendra couldn't tell if it was forced or not. "Believe me; I'd take the flu any day over this mess."

"It can't be all that bad." Kendra said gently. "When my best friend Cassandra was pregnant, she was a walking vomit machine; she couldn't keep a thing down until the second trimester, and even then she had so many food aversions she practically lived on unsalted crackers and tea for the rest of her pregnancy." Then she shut up, figuring she probably wasn't helping.

"So she had the baby? W...was she single?"

Kendra shrugged. "Yeah. It wasn't easy though. But she did it. I'm so proud of her, and Christopher is just about the cutest kid in the world."

"Did she tell the father? Did he want the baby?"

Measuring her words, Kendra answered gently. "They were only together one night but she told him. He didn't say whether he wanted it or not but he left it up to her, claiming he would support her decision either way. But while she was pregnant he kind of drifted away and after Christopher was born he only saw the baby once or twice. He's been out of the picture ever since." Vickie was paying careful attention, so Kendra continued. "But Christopher has been the love of Cassandra's life. She's never loved anyone as much as she loves her son, she says, and I believe her. You should see the two of them; Cassandra and I work together and she could have the worst day ever, but one minute with Christopher and she lights right up again."

"She tells me all the time that it doesn't matter who she's with now, because in the end that child is all that matters."

Vickie smiled and nodded softly. "Was she that natural-born-mother type? It sounds like it."

Kendra laughed. "No, it was a complete disaster in the beginning. She once slipped on a poopy diaper that fell on the floor and twisted her ankle. Thankfully the baby was in the crib."

That got a chuckle out of her. "After her boyfriend faded out of the picture while she was pregnant, she actually considered giving the baby up for adoption."

"Really?"

"Yeah, but she said she only thought of that because she was afraid of being alone. Later she confessed she was thankful she didn't consider adoption because of the outpour of support she got after the baby came; even now Christopher and Cassandra are so happy and well looked after." She paused and glanced to her left. A figure was walking toward them and Kendra considered gesturing for Vickie to shift over so the person could pass, but then she recognized who it was.

"I was just about to walk over to your house." Ian said, eyeing them both equally, "What's going on?"

Vickie showed him her broken heel. "Your neighbour Kendra was kind enough to help me out."

Ian searched his cousin's eyes but from what Kendra could see, she didn't look upset anymore. In fact, after their little talk, she looked rather settled and content.

"How about I go get my car and drive you home?" Ian offered.

"Sure, that would be great, thanks." Vickie said, giving him a warm smile. And it was as if a silent apology had passed between them.

When Ian walked away, Vickie gave Kendra an imploring look. "Did your friend Cassandra ever consider abortion?"

"She did. For a couple of weeks she was a mess trying to decide what to do. But I guess she thought it was just unthinkable...you know...the idea of," she was so careful how she said it, "killing a baby," she whispered respectfully.

"But she didn't love her boyfriend." Vickie said, "I love Ryan. We've even talked about getting married in a couple of years. But I know he doesn't want to have children."

Kendra chose her words carefully, "I know it's none of my business, but has he ever said pointedly, that he doesn't want a family?"

Vickie hesitated. "Well, no, not exactly. But he just doesn't connect with them the way a guy who wants children would, you know?"

Kendra felt brave. "Have you ever come out and asked him if he wanted a family?"

"No. I don't want to scare him away. I didn't even bring up marriage; he did."

Kendra smiled. "So how do you know he's not just easing you in? Perhaps you've discussed marriage, and then after a while you'll discuss having a family? Maybe he's just as scared to bring up children as you are."

She considered that for a moment. "Maybe." Then there was a long pause. "Can I tell you something? Without judgement?"

"Sure."

"I don't know if I want to have this baby."

And somehow this statement made Kendra feel a lot better. In Kendra's opinion, it was always better to come to terms with the truth, and voice it, especially when making difficult, life-changing decisions like this. Once you acknowledge the true problem, you're on your way to making a clear and appropriate choice. Kendra wanted to hug her, but she wasn't sure if the ten minute personal yet random discussion they'd had deemed it appropriate. "I can understand that." She answered warmly. "Becoming a mother, especially by surprise, is a difficult place to be in. Don't feel like you're alone. My mother told me that when she found out she was expecting me she mulled it over for weeks, and my parents planned to have me."

"Wow," she said, "I thought there were only two kinds of women in this world; ones that want to have babies and ones that don't. I never knew there was a grey area."

Kendra patted her shoulder. "It's completely natural to feel that way, especially if you come from a big family."

"Three sisters, countless female cousins. Plus Ian and his brothers." She supplied with an affirmative nod.

"Well just think of all the support you'll have then," and Kendra quickly added, "if you do decide to have the baby."

Just as Kendra said that, Ian's car pulled up beside them. "And here comes some of that support now." she said, helping Vickie over to the black Ford Fusion.

"Listen, thanks a lot for your help, Kendra."

"Any time." Kendra said, and Ian watched her stuff Vickie into the car. He offered her a wink as thanks and she smiled.

Perhaps this day hasn't turned out so bad after all.
Chapter 8

Ian

Earlier that Evening

Vickie stormed off in the distance and Ian sat back down on the bench, wondering what he should do next. Sometimes women want you to go after them, but in this case, it was best to give her some space, Ian thought. This was a critical time for her, and he didn't want to be overbearing or force her into something she didn't want to do, and at the same time he knew that she was a big girl and could make her own decisions. Ian just hoped that she would make the right one.

Deciding to head back to his apartment, Ian pulled his keys out of his pocket and walked up to the building. He was thankful he'd saved Vickie the embarrassment of having anyone in Calamity Place know of her troubles. Walking up the stairs seemed more appealing to him somehow, with all the nervous energy, and as he reached his floor he hesitated. This was a very safe town and Vickie lived less than a ten minute walk away, but something prevented Ian from sliding the key inside the lock.

Sixth sense told him that something was wrong and he turned back, heading down the stairs. Stuffing his hands in his pockets he began walking down the street, and he didn't get more than three houses away from the building when he saw two figures standing in the semi-darkness. Vickie was listening intently to his neighbour, Kendra, as they conversed about lord only knew what.

As he approached, Kendra saw Ian first, and she froze. Vickie appeared much more relaxed than she had looked ten minutes ago, even though she was holding her boot in her hand and standing on a crumpled scarf. Surveying the situation, Ian offered to go get his car and was rewarded with that special 'all is ok with the world' grin that Vickie was famous for; and it occurred to Ian that he had Kendra to thank for that.

When he returned with his car, he winked at Kendra as she assisted Vickie into the vehicle sans left boot, and he got a ten thousand watt smile in return. Pulling away from the curb, Kendra gave a small wave and he nodded back, not taking his eyes off her until the last second. She was less shy in the darkness, especially since this was the third time they'd met, Ian observed, and now that she and Vickie had seemingly bonded, he couldn't help but feel a connection to her.

"Listen, I'm really sorry about what I said back there. I had no right. This is your decision." Ian said to Vickie as he took her hand in his.

She cut him off, "No, Ian, it's okay. I shouldn't have walked away like that. Running away isn't the answer. I need to face this like an adult."

And it seemed like in that ten minutes that she had with Kendra, his little cousin had grown up.

Ian changed the subject. "Are you sure you're okay? Did you twist your ankle or anything?"

"No, I'm fine. But I think Kendra has to go change her underwear. The poor thing. I must have scared her to death." Vickie was genuinely remorseful. "I'd like to take her to lunch or something, just to thank her for helping out."

I'm thinking the same thing. Only I'd like to take her out to lunch myself. Not just for helping Vickie, but for helping me, too. And because I'd like to get to know her better.

"I never even thought to get her number." Vickie added. "Do you have it?"

He could feel his cheeks burn. "No, I don't."

"Can you go knock on her door later and ask her for it?"

"Sure," Ian said, and then he remembered that there was yet another reason to go see Kendra. The universe sure wants me to see her.

Maybe I should listen.

***

Kendra

The picture of Ian's wink stayed inside her head for hours. As she sat at the kitchen table recording Ms. Briggs' notes from a recent deposition, she heard her cell phone ping, and she knew it was Cassandra. Nobody else would text this late. Ignoring the message she turned the notifications off and finished her work before heading to bed.

Floating between a state of wakefulness and sleep, Kendra could see Ian's face in front of her. His crystal blue eyes were warm and round and his mouth was curled up slightly at the sides. She felt warmth on her cheeks and realized it was his palms gently grasping her face. Closing her eyes his lips slowly connected with hers. He tasted like mint and warm bread, an odd but dreamy combination, and his skin was so soft and full around hers.

His kiss was quick yet soft, like a butterfly's wings. Then he paused as her eyes remained closed and she felt another kiss; this time it was deeper and more urgent. When he pulled back he whispered her name and his expression changed. A crease formed between his brows as he examined her face. Kendra turned abruptly before he could see. She couldn't bear to lose him. She began running away and suddenly awakened, stock still, and breathless with her head against the pillows.

The clock read five o'clock and Kendra decided to get up, knowing she wouldn't get back to sleep. Reaching work early she made a point of finishing the deposition notes before Ms. Briggs arrived. As she saved the last paragraph to her hard drive she heard the glass doors open in front of her and Cassandra entered with an indifferent expression on her face.

"Did you get my text message last night?" she asked, as if she already knew the answer.

"Yes," she pointed to the work in front of her, "but I was busy."

"Do you want to talk about what happened yesterday?" Cassandra's voice was flat.

"Now is not a good time."

She rolled her eyes. "Don't be obtuse, Kendra. I meant at lunch or after work."

After the dream and the unprovoked attack from her best friend yesterday, Kendra wasn't sure if she was ready to talk, not unless Cassandra apologized first. "Don't you have a date or something tonight?"

Her head cocked to the side. "Are you really that mad at me? Are we going to go down this road again?"

Cassandra and Kendra had had many fights over the years, mostly to do with stupid, petty stuff; teenage crap that somehow tended to rear its ugly head during adulthood, but Cassandra's insensitivity was what drove a wedge in their relationship. She and Cassandra were very different people, and sometimes Cassandra forgot to respect that.

Kendra's voice was firm. "Yes, I am, as a matter of fact."

Cassandra sighed and shifted her weight, "Come on, Kendra. You know I mean well."

Kendra looked directly at her and said pointedly. "Do you?"

And just as she was about to answer in a condescending retort, as she frequently did, Ms. Briggs walked in. "Good morning Kendra, Cassandra."

"Ms. Briggs." Cassandra said, checking herself. "I'll talk to you later." She addressed Kendra, and then proudly stuck her nose in the air like an errant child, and exited.

***

Ms. Briggs piled a bunch of work onto Kendra's desk and she was partially thankful for it. At least her thoughts wouldn't keep roaming back to Cassandra or the fight. At two o'clock she realized not only had she not eaten lunch, but her bladder was about to explode. Reaching the washroom a girl about her age was in front of the mirror. She offered Kendra a tight smile and Kendra observed the leather portfolio on her left, sitting on the marble countertop.

When Kendra finished doing her business she was still there, applying lip gloss and adjusting her up do. It was as if she was in her own world; paying no attention to Kendra watching her through the corner of her eye. Her skin was flawless; just the right amount of colour on her cheeks, with lashes that went for miles, and her cat-like eyes were accentuated perfectly with a tiny squiggle of eyeliner that ran just past the outer corners of each eye.

Picking up her bag and portfolio Kendra watched the girl exit the washroom and she glanced at her hands through the mirror in front of her. She didn't feel brave enough to look at her face, so she left.

***

Sitting for the final hour at work, Kendra tried to focus on getting the summary done that Ms. Briggs had asked for. She also wanted to print off the next lesson for her law course, so she tried to be swift with her tasks. Kendra was so involved with what she was doing that she didn't notice Desmond walking in.

"Hey," his expression was unreadable, and it was usually a fifty-fifty chance that he would have something rude, arrogant, or completely inappropriate to say, unless he was just bringing her mail that ended up on his desk instead of hers. It was tough working in this environment where all the lawyers tended to work together at times, swapping cases. Desmond was very smart, she would give him that; he was way closer to writing his bar exam than she was, but he was also very hot-headed and had a terrible attitude. Fortunately, that might work to his benefit if he ever gets in front of a jury, Kendra surmised.

"Hey, Desmond." Kendra said, hedging that maybe he would be nice.

"Briggs asked for this, so I thought I'd bring it up." He said, handing her a thick folder.

"Thanks," she said, taking the folder and placing it in Ms. Briggs' inbox. She avoided eye contact and remained working to hopefully avoid his arrogance.

He sighed and rolled up and down on the balls of his feet, "So, Briggs runs a tight ship here, huh."

"Yes." she answered, not looking at him. Still working.

Desmond sucked his teeth, "Well, I guess I'll go. I've got a date tonight."

"Have fun." She said, but that seemed to agitate him. His eyebrows rose under his high forehead.

"Are you being facetious?" he asked, adjusting his right cuff link.

She looked up, "Not at all, Desmond." Then she looked back down and continued working.

He mumbled something under his breath and walked out. "Have a great evening, Kendra." He said before the door closed, but his tone said that he wished the exact opposite.

Kendra had avoided Cassandra for the day, thankfully, and Cassandra seemed to have taken the hint to leave Kendra alone for now. But the trouble was, having Cassandra as a best friend was sometimes like a double-edged sword. She was the one who kept Kendra company; filling that void of loneliness with her wit, her sense of adventure, and best of all, with Christopher. But when she got like this; when she tried to change Kendra, it reminded her all the more of how alone she really was and the fact that that would never change. And just when Kendra started to dive back into a depression that she'd been precariously heading towards in the last six years, her phone rang. And it was the other person who was second in line to bring Kendra back to planet earth: her dad.

"How's my little Kendra tonight? Been a while, pumpkin." He chuckled. And just like that, a smile spread across her face.

"Hi, dad. I'm good, how are you?"

He seemed to ignore her question. "You must be busy at work; I haven't heard from you since last week."

"Yeah, I have, actually. How's mom?"

"Worrying as usual. You know your mother."

"Yes, I do. What is it this time? Has granny Mary got her helping out at the church bizarre again?"

Her dad laughed out loud. Clearly her mom wasn't home. "No, nothing like that. She's coming by your place later tonight, so this is fair warning. Your mother thinks you need more plants in that apartment of yours. So she's gone and picked up a bunch of hideous potted things. They look like spiders to me, frankly. Creepy, but anyway, she thinks they'll be nice for you."

Kendra rolled her eyes. Her mother was relentless but she loved her all the same. Mom always showed up unannounced despite her dad telling her to call first, but Kendra didn't mind. I think deep down he expects, or hopes, that I'll meet someone some day, and will need privacy, but clearly mom either doesn't care or doesn't believe that that will ever happen. "It'll give her more reason to visit."

"And that's probably the point, knowing your mother." Her dad remarked, "Always checking up on you, I suppose."

Kendra didn't bother pointing out that he was doing the same. "I don't mind."

"Hey, if ever you feel like moving back home, we'll be happy to have your beautiful face here again, pumpkin." Her dad added, like always, but this time the word 'beautiful' struck a chord deep within, and it was as if her breath had been cut off.

"Err...I gotta go, dad. Someone's at the door." she lied, knowing that if she kept talking to him she'd lose it, and her dad was much too intuitive; he would sense something was amiss immediately, and she didn't think she could handle that tonight.

"Okay, love. Keep in touch." He said and hung up.

Kendra's hands steepled over her nose and the tears began to pour. Pulling her glasses off she reached for the tissues and realized she was out, so she went for some toilet paper from the bathroom, and there it was, staring at her. Her face. Her ugly face. As she wept endlessly while trying desperately to find her best concealing glasses, her cell phone pinged. It was Cassandra.

Throwing her phone onto the bed she tore open the drawer to her nightstand in search of her thick-rimmed glasses with the tinted lenses. She hadn't worn them in days because she'd felt so brave. Maybe it was because of Ian, or maybe she had made some progress, but that was all erased now, because of her dream and because of Cassandra's insensitive outburst yesterday.

The crying didn't stop as she continued lifting every pillow, every blanket on her bed, and tossed each item of clothing from its place in the drawer onto the floor, she even patted down all her pants and shirts with pockets, and she found nothing. When she was done, her face was swollen and her bedroom looked like it had been ransacked. Falling to the floor she hugged her knees and cried until a knock at the door interrupted her.

"God, mother, of all the times to show up," she said as she headed for the door, blowing her nose and wiping her eyes.

But when she opened the door it wasn't her mother.

Chapter 9

His face went from warm and welcoming to twisted and pale in a nanosecond. "Jesus, Kendra. What's wrong?" Ian asked. His voice was dripping with concern.

"Oh, it's nothing." she lied, leaning on the door so only half her body was exposed.

He was completely unconvinced. "Come on. I have ten female cousins and a sister. I've seen that look. You're not okay." His voice was soft yet direct, like he was a therapist in a previous life. "I know it's none of my business, I know, but, do you want to talk about it?"

Damn me for not looking in the peephole before opening the door. I'm a complete mess, I don't have any glasses on, and the guy who could break my heart into a million pieces is standing at my door, feeling sympathetic. I'm utterly mortified. "No, I'm fine, really."

Crossing his arms over his chest, Ian shifted his weight so he was leaning on one leg and stretching the other leg out in front of him. "Prove it." he said with a slight smirk. "Smile for me."

And she couldn't help it. A grin formed on her lips. "There. Are you happy?" she said, avoiding eye contact.

"Beautiful." He said, as if congratulating her for smiling. "I knew you could do it."

And her face dropped again.

He saw the change in expression and took a step towards her. "Hey," he whispered, and she recoiled back slightly. "Are you hurt?" he asked, reacting to the change in her stance. To him it must have looked like she was trying to hide a black eye or other evidence that she'd been in a fight, as he began looking her up and down in a protective manner. "Did somebody hurt you?"

"No, nobody hurt me. I just..." And a tear escaped down the right side of her face.

He saw it and his eyes changed to grave concern. "Do you need me to call someone? Seriously, Kendra."

"Oh, God, Ian." she hid her face behind the door and let out a gasp, and then she took a deep breath and looked at him again. "You wouldn't understand."

His chin rose slightly. "Try me."

"Not tonight. I can't. Really." she insisted. "I just need to be alone." Which is the exact opposite of what I need. Why do women do that?

"Okay, I'll go." He said gently. "But only after you look me straight in the face and tell me you want me to leave."

He's good. Kendra swallowed. It took every ounce of strength, but she drew in a deep breath and summoned the courage. And just as she did that, the elevator opposite them opened, and a dog came tearing out. He was on a leash, but the person with him seemed to have no control over him. The dog seemed almost half Kendra's height and the owner was definitely a stranger to the building. Kendra let out a small squeal and quickly closed the door, almost taking Ian's foot off in the process. Her heart hammered against her chest and she slid down the door, feeling light headed and seeing white spots in front of her eyes as her behind reached the floor.

A moment later she heard a voice on the other side of the door after a soft knock. Rising, she peered out the peephole and saw the one person she needed to see so desperately: her mom.

***

Kendra didn't even get the door opened and her mom, Lilly, had her in her arms. Wordlessly she soothed with her touch. Caressing her hair and rubbing her back in a manner only a mother could, within minutes, Kendra was calm and relaxed. Her mom smelled of cinnamon and her short blondish/grey hair was tickling her daughter's nose.

"A young man was out there and said you were very upset." Lilly said. "What happened?"

Kendra sniffled and blew her nose with the same moist, crumpled up tissue she was using earlier. "I've had a horrible day and then this dog came flying out of the elevator."

"I thought there were no dogs allowed." Lilly commented as she placed her handbag on the console table.

"There aren't. I guess it's someone that's visiting."

Observing Kendra, Lilly lifted a brow as she saw her daughter's face. "You're not wearing any glasses."

"No," she answered. Her voice was laced with frustration. "I lost the black ones and I thought it was you at the door a few minutes ago, so I didn't bother grabbing a pair."

Lilly pondered that for a moment. "So you weren't wearing glasses when you went to answer the door?"

Kendra shook her head no.

Lilly's eyes lit up; she seemed delighted, but she didn't make a big deal about it. "I've got some plants in the car downstairs. Do you want to come and give me a hand bringing them up?"

The telling look on Kendra's face prompted Lilly to purse her lips. "Your father called you, didn't he?"

Kendra grinned and Lilly pinched her cheek playfully. "Don't worry, Kendra, you'll love them. They look like little spiders. Remember how you used to love to play with spiders when you were a child?"

She ignored her mother's question and thought to herself that as long as they didn't look like dogs she'd be fine.

***

After visiting with her mom, taking a bath, and eating the delicious Sheppard's pie Lilly left for her, Kendra felt invigorated and comforted. Thankfully her mom wasn't the prying type. If she sensed her daughter didn't want to talk, she didn't press. Tonight was one of those nights that she didn't feel like talking about anything. Lilly and Kendra had a unique relationship where just being in each other's presence was enough. Sometimes they sat and played cards together or when it was warm outside they sat on the balcony and munched on cookies or enjoyed tea, but tonight they discussed recently read books and articles.

Watching another episode of Friends, Kendra lay on the couch, snuggled in a quilt her grandmother made for her years ago. It still smelled of the cedar chest where Lilly stored it until Kendra had her own place. And suddenly she heard a knock at the door. Pushing her hair behind her ears she adjusted her glasses and pulled her sweatshirt down to its rightful place.

Looking into the peephole she saw that it was Ian. She considered not answering it but realized that she'd left the television volume up pretty high and the light in her small foyer had been switched on so she could see who was calling.

Opening up the door Kendra managed a weak smile. He fluttered his eyelashes somewhat playfully and held up her thick-rimmed black glasses; the ones that she thought she'd lost. "Sorry it's late but I thought you might be looking for these." He handed them to her and saw the relieved look on her face. "You left them in my jacket pocket the night of the fire alarm."

He seemed to be glossing over what happened earlier, which she was so grateful for. And Kendra couldn't help but notice how yummy he looked. Moist curls fell onto his forehead and down the sides of his ears, and his face was freshly shaven. He smelled divine.

"Thanks. I was looking for them." she answered kindly. "My room looks like I was ambushed after searching all over the place."

He chuckled. "Mine looks like that on a regular basis, so don't feel bad." Then he changed tack. "Listen, I want to thank you again for helping my cousin Vickie out yesterday. She wanted me to ask you for your number so she can take you out for lunch or something as a thank you."

Her eyes widened when he asked for her number, but then she dialled it down a notch when he said it was for Vickie. "Sure, let me get a pen."

And suddenly he was one step inside her apartment. Ian Wilkinson is in my apartment. She could feel her cheeks heat.

"Wow, you're place is much neater than mine." He commented, looking around. Then he snaked his head over to where her bedroom was. "I thought you said your room was a mess."

She waved. "I cleaned it up."

He guffawed. "Really? I don't think I've ever used that sentence before."

There was a writing pad on the dining room table with a header that said 'scratch pad' and a doodle of a woman scratching her behind. Kendra jotted down her name and cell number and tore off a sheaf of it. "I'm a neat freak. I get it from my mom."

"I'm a slob. I get it from my dad." Ian said, taking the paper from her. And he laughed out loud when he saw the funny image. "Nice,"

"My best friend gave me that for Christmas. She said it was so me, but I don't know where she got that idea from."

"Sure, sure," Ian joked, turning towards the door.

Having Ian in her apartment was making her nervous. As much as she relished his presence, she wasn't used to it. The living room light was off and just the lamp on the side table was illuminating the room, so that was a help to ease her nerves.

"I'll get her to give you a call tomorrow. Are you free for lunch or dinner? Just so I can give her a heads up?"

"I think I'm free lunch and dinner. But it's not necessary. I don't mind getting to know her better; she seems like a really nice person. I'll have dinner with her or something just to hang out. But I don't feel she owes me anything."

"Sure. I'll let you women figure it out."

Following him to the door she snuck a peek of his rear end and chided herself, but she just couldn't help it. He was perfect. "That's always best." she said, trying not to make a fool of herself by saying something stupid, but half of her wanted him to stay and the other half wanted him to leave.

Turning around Ian glanced at her and cocked his head sideways. "I like those ones better."

"What? The glasses?" she asked, touching the frame.

"Yeah. I can see your eyes better in those." He answered and then bowed his head slightly. "Good night."

She watched him walk to the stairwell while she bit her lip. He likes my eyes. Well, there's another point won for Ian Wilkinson.

***

Cassandra had a scheduled day off so Kendra managed, yet again, to avoid her. Vickie called just after Kendra's morning break and arranged to have dinner at a small pub about ten minutes from the law office where Kendra worked. She brought a change of clothes, knowing she would be working late.

When Kendra arrived at the Squire and Firken Pub at seven o'clock as planned, she was thankful for the dim lighting and semi-romantic ambiance. Vickie walked in only two minutes after Kendra was seated. Vickie saw Kendra right away since Kendra had asked for a seat by the door.

"Hi, Kendra. Nice to see you." Vickie greeted. Kendra rose and Vickie air kissed the side of her cheeks as Kendra blushed.

"Nice to see you too." Kendra gestured towards Vickie's footwear. "Nice boots."

She giggled as she removed her jacket and draped it over the back of her chair. "These ones I paid full price for. Hopefully I won't regret it."

"They're nice." Kendra took a closer look as Vickie sat. "I have no eye for fashion at all."

"I could take you shopping some time." Vickie offered. "It's my favourite thing to do."

"Sounds like fun."

The waitress brought menus and Vickie perused hers. Her face scrunched up as she read. "God, I hate being pregnant. Everything looks and sounds disgusting."

"I think their soups are pretty basic. Maybe try the chicken noodle."

Vickie's head tilted. "Hmm. Well, my stomach didn't clench when you said that, so maybe I'll give that a try."

"I'll have one, too. Do you want me to get a plate of fries for us to share? That way if you don't want them they won't go to waste?"

Vickie was impressed. "I would never have thought of that. That's perfect."

Kendra flagged the waitress over and she took their orders. When she left, Vickie leaned inward, as if to tell Kendra a secret. "I have a confession to make," she looked to her side as if someone might be eavesdropping, "I still haven't told Ryan about the baby."

A 'v' formed between Kendra's eyes. "Really? How come?"

"I've never been so afraid of anything in my life. I mean, I've given a lot of thought into what I'm going to say and all, but when I'm with him or when he calls me, I just...I can't do it." she peered at her stomach, "I know it won't be long before I'm showing so I haven't got much time, but I don't know...I just can't tell him."

"Are you afraid of him?"

"No, I mean, Ryan is one of the most tender, sensitive, thoughtful guys I've ever known. He wouldn't hurt a fly. But I'm just afraid of how he's going to react. If he freaks out I'll just die, I know it."

"Have you considered putting it in a card or a letter or something? That way you don't have to actually tell him in spoken words?"

The waitress brought glasses of water and Vickie took a sip from hers, and Kendra didn't know if she was buying time or if she really was thirsty. "Maybe. That might work, but I don't know. I'm just so scared that he's going to tell me he doesn't want the baby, or that he does and pulls the same stunt on me that your friend's boyfriend pulled on her, you know?"

Kendra lifted a finger. "He wasn't her boyfriend. It was a one night stand."

Vickie waved as if that was irrelevant. "I know, I know, but you know what I mean, right?"

"I think so." Kendra lied. Part of her was at least glad she hadn't brought up the word 'abortion' in the conversation, but the other part of her was thinking she might just do that to avoid having to tell him. Kendra treaded carefully. "So do you think you're going to tell him, or do you think you might, um, just go ahead and end the pregnancy? Have you decided if you want the baby?"

She hoped Vickie would recoil at the insinuation, indicating that that was not at all on her mind, but she didn't.

"I don't know. I still need some time." she admitted, "That's part of the reason I wanted to meet with you. You're the only person who hasn't freaked out on me yet."

"Who freaked out?"

Vickie rolled her eyes and took another sip of water. "Ian flipped out, and my friend Rita. Both of them think having an abortion would be the worst decision ever. They both say that Ryan isn't worth sacrificing a baby for; nobody is, for that matter."

"Well, if you want the baby, that is." Kendra added.

"I don't know. I'm not getting excited flutters or thinking about names or anything that expectant moms do. Maybe I don't really want the baby."

Kendra felt brave. "Maybe if you tell Ryan and he gets excited, you'll get excited too."

She lifted her brows. "That's something I hadn't considered."

Kendra's cell phone pinged in her purse and she fished it out. Checking the screen she saw that it was Cassandra. Her veiled apology didn't warrant a response, so Kendra dropped her phone back inside her handbag.

"Boyfriend?" Vickie asked, lifting her chin.

Kendra guffawed. "No, that was my friend Cassandra I was telling you about."

"Oh, do you need to answer her? I don't mind."

She shook her head. "That's okay. We kind of had a fight. I'm not talking to her right now."

Vickie puffed out air. "I guess I'm not the only person with problems. Misery loves company I suppose." The waitress brought their food. Vickie looked at the bowl in front of her but didn't lift the spoon. "So, what are you guys fighting about? If you don't mind me prying, that is."

Kendra spooned up a mouthful of soup and ate it. "No, I don't mind. Cassandra is wonderful and a great friend, but sometimes she tries to change me and it's frustrating."

Vickie ate a spoonful of soup. "How is she trying to change you?"

Kendra decided not to dance around the topic. "She wants me to double date with her, or more specifically, she wants me to meet someone and go on a date. I'm guessing it's because she likes challenge, and she hasn't had any competition with me for a while." Kendra knew that sounded far-fetched, and part of it was untrue, but it helped to avoid the other burning question that always came up: why don't you want to date?

Vickie pursed her lips. "Well, that answers my next question."

"Which was?"

This time, Vickie's cell phone, which was on the table, pinged. She picked it up to see the message and then asked. "Are you seeing anyone?"

As if it was the most ridiculous question, Kendra answered. "Of course not."

A smirk appeared on her face and Kendra wondered what she was thinking. Vickie keyed in a response to the text and placed her phone back down. "Why do you say it that way? You sounded a little...defensive." She lifted her hand. "But it's none of my business, so you don't have to answer."

Kendra hadn't noticed the tone in her voice. Why did I respond like that? "It's okay. I just...I, I work a lot...and...I, I don't know. Nobody has interested me in a while." She was careful to avoid eye contact. I'm such a terrible liar.

"Nobody?" Vickie asked, unconvinced.

Kendra shook her head and began spooning soup into her mouth. Vickie took the hint and began to eat as well. When the food was finished the waitress took their plates and delivered the bill. Vickie paid it, refusing to take Kendra's money, and they walked to the subway station together.

The digital screen above the entrance showed that their train was out of service due to a malfunction. Looking to their left they could see shuttle buses collecting passengers that would have otherwise been on the train. "Jesus. That thing is packed." Vickie commented. As they walked towards the buses, they saw that there were three more behind it, also packed. "There must be a hockey game downtown tonight or something." Vickie checked her watch. "At this rate we won't be home before ten o'clock."

"That's okay." Kendra said, not wanting to stress Vickie out. "We'll catch the next one."

"No, it's not okay. I get my morning sickness at night." Kendra could hear the anxiety in her voice. There was no way Kendra was calling Cassandra to pick them up, and her parents were probably in bed. Missy was probably also in bed, but likely not sleeping, and she didn't want to interrupt her; she would just die.

"I'm going to give Ian a call." Vickie said, pulling her phone from her purse. "He's home. He was the one who texted me earlier."

Really? Then what was that funny look on her face when she responded to him? What did he say to her? Was she talking to him about me? Did he say something about me to her? Suddenly Kendra was paranoid and overreacting, but she checked herself and went for nonchalant. "If you think he won't mind."

"Not at all. I pick him up sometimes too." She said, dialling his number. The buses began to pull out and Vickie turned her back so she could hear Ian.

"He'll be here." She said a minute later. And when he pulled up what seemed like an eternity later, his grin was contagious.
Chapter 10

Kendra was thankful Vickie took the front seat; she just couldn't bear being on his left, even in the darkness inside his car. It was a quiet drive home. When they arrived at Vickie's she suggested the girls go shopping together on the weekend. Kendra agreed and told Vickie to give her a call.

Ian didn't offer for Kendra to sit up front when Vickie left, which she found strange, but was nonetheless grateful. Ian looked back at Kendra as he pulled away from Vickie's driveway. "You girls have fun?"

"Yeah, Vickie's pretty nice."

"So you know about her situation, right?"

Kendra pushed her lips together in assent. "It's a tough situation to be in."

Ian hesitated. "You, um, have you ever, you know...been in that situation?"

"No, but my best friend Cassandra was."

"And if you don't mind my asking; did she keep the baby?"

"Christopher is three years old now."

"And everything worked out? I mean, did she marry the guy?"

"No. That part didn't work out, but it wasn't a shock; they barely knew each other."

"Well, that's a relief. Vickie's stressing about telling her boyfriend Ryan, but he loves her, so I think it'll work out if she can just get up the courage to tell him."

He was silent for a moment as they pulled up to the underground parking garage. "She's not sure if she wants the baby. Did she mention that to you? She won't talk to anyone else."

"She did mention that. But I told her that it's perfectly natural to feel that way."

"Really?"

"Of course." Kendra's voice rose an octave.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be insensitive." Ian stated, "It's just that I come from a big family, so it's difficult to understand someone not wanting a child."

"I get that." Kendra replied, hoping her tone demonstrated indifference. "And I can understand where Vickie is coming from, too."

Ian parked the car and slid out of the driver's seat. As Kendra was about exit, he opened the back door, where she was still seated, and a frisson of anxiety flooded through her. The lighting in the underground was very bright and she kept her head down slightly while slipping out of the car. "You had a great effect on her, you know? I really appreciate that." Ian said, blindsiding her.

The car door closed and she froze. Ian glanced at her and for a split second Kendra thought he was going to kiss her. Her body went rigid and she stopped breathing. But it was not one of those moments in romance novels where the girls' body turns into liquid honey and she melts while she awaits his touch. No, she suddenly felt the urge to vomit, and he sensed the anxiety. He stopped searching her eyes and his expression changed. He looked like Kendra's dad used to whenever she would say something sweet as a child. A small smile formed on his face and he gestured towards the door leading to the elevators. "Ladies first."

Allowing herself to breathe again, Kendra managed to say thanks and walked into the building. They stood in silence as the elevator door closed and she pushed the button for her floor. As he leaned in to push the button for his floor, since I'm such a dolt and didn't think of it myself, he smiled at her again, in that strange way, and she wondered if he'd figured it out yet. Feeling naked and exposed, Kendra was grateful when the elevator pinged, indicating its arrival on her floor.

He was about to say something but he seemed to stop himself. Kendra caught him biting his lip and she cleared her throat. "Thanks for giving me a ride home."

Ian bowed his head gallantly. "My pleasure."

Lowering her head, as if feeling shame, Kendra walked towards her door while the elevator door closed behind her. Something inside her wanted so badly for him to ask to come in for coffee, but he didn't. I want so badly to not be afraid of him, and I want so badly to know whether or not he's seen me the way I think he has, and if he's afraid of that, because so many others have been, but I know deep down that I'm not strong enough to find out yet.

***

Ian

Walking into his apartment it occurred to Ian how out of control he'd gotten with keeping the place tidy and organized. Remembering how neat and clean Kendra's apartment was, a thought crossed his mind: she would be disgusted if she ever saw the place; anybody would be for that matter. So he took advantage of the second wind of energy he had and began cleaning. As he picked up dirty dishes and placed them in the sink, his phone rang, interrupting him. And as he checked the screen he saw that it was Ray, and he suddenly wanted to kick himself.

"Hey, man. How's it going?" Ian asked, feeling the guilt wash over him. They both knew why Ray was calling, and Ian knew he'd failed his friend.

"Not so good, not so good. Linda's still not answering my calls. I'm running out of time, man. Can you help me out?"

So much for small talk. Ian rubbed his forehead, trying to come up with a justifiable reason for why he hadn't spoken to Kendra about Linda yet. "I'm sorry, Ray. I'm working on it. There's been so much going on around here since you last called. The fire alarm went off and some mangy dog got loose in the apartment..." he half lied, but he couldn't tell Ray the truth.

"Have you seen Kendra?" Ray probed.

"Not much. She's been busy."

Ray paused. "Do you think you can talk to her before tomorrow night? I've got something worked out for Linda, and there may be a chance of not screwing it up if I can get her to meet me some place tomorrow night."

Ian winced. "I'll do my best."

"I really appreciate it, man." The pathetic tone in Ray's voice struck a chord. "Call me if all goes well and I'll give you the address."

"Sounds good."

***

Kendra

Laying on the couch Kendra was doing what all girls did when they couldn't sleep after a chance encounter with a crush: she watched a cheesy romance movie. Tonight's choice, and forgive me for being so stuck-in-the-nineties, is Nine Months. Because it was not too romantic, and she was feeling a bit of sympathy for Vickie, and she hoped to garner some wisdom from the Hugh Grant flick.

But as the movie ended and she realized it was way past her bedtime and she was still not even close to being ready for bed, Kendra rose to grab a magazine from the scant selection of back issues her mother brought over last night. If her mother's girly magazines didn't bore her to sleep, nothing would. Plopping back down on the couch, Kendra's phone rang from her purse on the couch, scaring the pants off her, and her heart skipped a beat. The display read Ian Wilkinson.

When she answered his voice was hesitant. "Hi. I, um, I came down and saw your light was on, but I figure since it's late that I should call first. I hope you don't mind me calling you."

"No, i...it's okay. I'm still up." she squeaked. He sounded weird and awkward. Clearly he had something on his mind but it was too serious to talk about over the phone.

"I need to talk to you about something, but I'd rather do it in person. If that's not cool with you or if it's too late we can do it tomorrow. But I really do need to talk to you as soon as possible."

There was no mistaking the urgency in his voice. But Kendra could also detect a hint of remorse. It was like he felt bad for calling, but it was more than that. It was like he was intruding. It was like he knew...that she was hurting? Kendra remembered the same tone in her father's voice when he spoke to her mom right after her maternal grandmother died.

What on earth could he need to talk to me about? And why didn't he bring it up earlier when he had the chance?

"Um, yeah, we can talk. Sure, c...come on down." Kendra said, the words felt alien on her tongue.

Pushing her hair behind her ear and adjusting her thick-rimmed glasses, Kendra did a quick scan to make sure the place was tidy; no underwear hanging from the doorknob, and no bras draped over anything. And she switched off the main living room light, opting for just the small lamp to be on. When she figured the coast was clear she went to the door and watched out the peephole for him...like a loser.

When she saw him come off the elevator she didn't wait for him to knock; she just opened the door, and she thought she startled him a bit. His eyes flashed surprise as her face appeared from the other side of the door. "Come in." she said, feeling her stomach flutter.

"Can I offer you anything? Coffee? A glass of water?"

He smirked but shook his head no, and Kendra couldn't help but wonder what his funny expression was all about. So she asked him. "What can I help you with?"

Sighing, he sat on the couch. Oh my goodness...Ian Wilkinson is on my couch! And I feel like such a teenager for thinking this, but I can't help it.

"I really don't like getting in the middle of other people's business, but Ray is a good friend of mine, and he's asked me to talk to you about Linda." Ian's tone was sincere but deadpan.

"What about Linda?" Kendra asked, "I haven't spoken to her since Sunday."

Ian lifted both hands and cocked his head. "And she's okay?"

"Yes. She's staying with her mother. But I think you knew that. And probably Ray knows that too."

He nodded, licking his lips. "Linda isn't talking to him," he raised his hands again, as if preparing to defend himself, "and I understand why and all," when he lowered them, he interlaced his fingers together and rested them on his knees. He was sitting with his legs in a 'v' and it looked so sexy. "but he wants me to ask if you can talk to her about meeting up with him."

A crease formed between her eyes. "Why me?"

He bobbed his head up and down, as if to say 'I asked him the same thing', "Nobody else will talk to him, and apparently he's got something planned for her. Evidently he's going to prove to her that he didn't cheat, and he's got some kind of surprise for her. But it's time sensitive."

"Time sensitive?"

"He needs her to meet him at some place tomorrow night or according to him the surprise will be ruined."

Kendra's neck craned backward. "What on earth has he planned?"

Blurting out a soft chuckle, Ian said, "I have no idea. All I know is he's desperate; otherwise he wouldn't have asked me to ask you. He says he's out of options and now he's out of time."

Kendra shrugged. "Well, I can't promise anything, but I can try to talk to Linda." Looking at her watch, she added. "It'll probably have to be tomorrow though. I know Linda's a nighthawk but it may be wiser to talk about this in the morning."

Rubbing his hands together, Ian looked around, "Do you have any idea what you're going to say?"

"I'll have to gauge her mood when I talk to her." Kendra said honestly. "But essentially I'll just reiterate what you've said to me."

With that settled, Kendra offered Ian something to eat or drink again. He once again declined. "What was with the look you gave me the first time I asked you that?"

He waved, "Oh, when you said 'can I get you something?' I was going to ask if you had a spare pair of shoes, you know, like as though I could live in your shoes instead of my own? It didn't sound as corny in my head but I thought better of it since I had to ask you for a favour."

"Oh," Kendra giggled. "I was afraid you were going to ask me for my body or something." I did not just say that! Okay, Kendra, shut up now!

Ian's face turned pink. Oh God, I've embarrassed him! Quick! Change the subject, Kendra! "Do you like scones? It's my mom's specialty and she brought some over yesterday."

"Sure, why not?" Ian said, quickly recovering.

Her hands were trembling as she pulled the plate of scones down from the inside cupboard. She placed them on a plastic tray and added two cans of pop from the refrigerator. When she returned, Ian was perusing her mother's Cosmopolitan magazine that was sitting on the coffee table. "I guessed that you like 7UP."

"You guessed correct." Ian grinned. "Thanks."

Kendra managed to take a bite of scone without missing her mouth, and Ian did the same. Somehow she sensed that he was nervous about being there, just like she was. Even so, it felt kind of good having him there. He had a great giggle that was contagious, and every time she smiled at him he smiled back.

"So where do you work?" he asked, nibbling on his scone.

"I work at a law firm downtown. I'm a legal assistant."

His eyebrows rose. He seemed impressed. "Oh yeah? Are you thinking about becoming a lawyer?"

Kendra nodded, catching a crumb from her chin before it fell on the floor. She'd brought a chair over from the kitchen table so they were sitting almost in front of each other. "Absolutely, yes. I'm studying part-time with my friend Cassandra. She also works with me at the firm."

She feigned ignorance, as if she hadn't creeped on his Facebook page a hundred times, "Where do you work?"

"At the Eaton Centre. I'm in charge of property administration, and very much looking forward to my promotion to Director this summer."

Wow, he must not update his page often. Kendra was pleasantly surprised but not at all shocked. He seemed really smart. "Really? Congratulations."

He nodded a thank you and took a sip of pop. "How long have you got until you write your bar exam?"

She rolled her eyes and waved. "Oh, a while yet. I'm only in my second year of law school. My parents wanted me to live at home until I got my license to practice law, but I couldn't wait to get out of there." She sensed she went over the line, so she back pedaled a bit; not wanting him to think she was ungrateful. "I mean, they're wonderful and all, but I just needed to be out there on my own. I couldn't imagine becoming a lawyer while still living with my parents."

"I can relate." Ian agreed. "Although I had no choice but to get out; there was no room for me once my grandparents moved in."

"Sleeping on the couch sucks hard, huh?" she laughed.

"Pretty much."

Then he hesitated and cleared his throat nervously. "Kendra, um, do you...do you mind if I take you out to dinner some time?"

He asked her this as she took a sip of pop. Oh, yes, it shot out of my nose and I choked! Gasping, Kendra reached for the stack of napkins on the kitchen table as Ian rose to pat her back. "Are you okay?"

"I'm...fine." she lied, trying to take in air. "Happens...all the...the time."

"Really?" he giggled as she slowly regained composure. "You should get that checked."

"I have," she shook her head, "I will," she rolled her eyes, "I am."

And they could both sense the elephant in the room. "So, um, can I? Um...take you out some time, that is?" Ian repeated.

Good God, he likes me! That's insane! "Err...sure. Yes." she managed a smile, but avoided eye contact.

"Great," he clapped his hands together, "are you free Thursday night?"

That's the day after tomorrow! Wow! "Um, I think so."

And part of her wondered if maybe he didn't see her the way she though he did. But maybe it was for a different reason. Maybe he saw who she was but it didn't matter. Could that be possible? Nobody else had, but somehow she believed Ian wasn't like everyone else. He was sweet, charming, and very respectful. As she unconsciously pushed up her glasses, she looked up at him and he was staring at her. It was like he could see right through her. Surely he knows...but why hasn't he asked? Usually that was the first thing people asked when they noticed.

Feeling very self-conscious, Kendra leaned away from the light and pointed to the magazine beside him. "Did you see the article on ear-candling?" she scrunched her nose, "It's pretty disgusting if you ask me."

"No, I didn't." he looked at his unfinished scone. "But I think we're done with the pastry now." He giggled.

Kendra laughed as well and he slowly rose. "I should go. We've both got to go to work tomorrow."

"Yeah, I need to get some sleep, and so do you."

He turned around before he reached the door. "So I'll call you tomorrow? About Linda? And...err...about Thursday?"

Kendra stared at her feet. "Sure,"

"Thanks for the scone, Kendra." He said and before she knew it, his cheek was on hers as he pecked her softly before opening the door and walking out.

She watched as he entered the elevator and offered her a quick wave and a wink. Her heart lurched as the elevator door closed and her hand found the spot on her skin where his lips touched her. It wasn't a lustful kiss, it was more obligatory; like a good-bye gesture. Whatever it was she wouldn't soon forget it.

Chapter 11

When Kendra awoke the clock read seven-thirty...crap! I slept past my alarm! Bolting out of bed she scrambled into the shower and spent a whole three minutes in there. Her skin was red from scrubbing it so fast, and when she got out she threw on whatever she could find first. Thankfully the skirt she wore yesterday was still clean and draped neatly over the chair in her room. Kendra simply picked out a different blouse and sweater, clipped her wet hair up with a jaw-clip, and was out the door with her lunch and purse in tow. As she sat on the last available seat in the subway car she fished her cell phone out and checked the battery level. There was enough charge left to call Linda before getting to work.

Part of Kendra hoped she was still sleeping so she could avoid talking to her, but just as she was thinking that, Linda picked up.

"Kendra?" She sounded like she hadn't been up long. "Shouldn't you be at work?"

Kendra sighed, "I'm running a little late. I slept past the alarm."

Linda giggled, "That's one of the beautiful things about working from home."

"So how's life with your mom?"

A breath of air puffed out of Linda's mouth. "Hang on a sec." Linda said quietly.

Muffled footsteps and then the sound of a door closing came before Linda hissed, "She's driving me crazy! I can't get a moment's privacy. She's all over me...when the phone rings, when I leave the house for anything. I'm suffocating here."

Kendra smiled. This could work to my benefit. "Have you talked to her about it?"

"Are you insane? Have you met my mother?"

Actually, no, she hadn't; other than at Linda and Ray's wedding. And that was during the five seconds while she was in the receiving line where Linda's mom simply smiled and thanked Kendra for coming. But she'd heard lots about her. "She's really that bad?"

"Yes," Linda growled. "I feel like I'm twelve years old again."

Kendra paused and then treaded carefully. "So, how long are you going to stay there?"

"I don't know. I was thinking about going to stay at my sister's place on the weekend; but she's like an hour from here."

"So you're never coming back to the apartment again? Have you even talked to Ray yet?"

She exhaled quickly. "Oh, I don't know, Kendra." She breathed, as if all her energy had left her. "I really don't know what to do." Then she blindsided Kendra. "What would you do?"

She considered this for a moment, but knew deep down what she would do, and Kendra decided to be frank with her. "I would at least hear him out. I mean, did you even hear his side of the story?"

Linda answered so mutely Kendra could barely hear her. "No. He just left when I told him to. It was like he didn't care. It was like he was admitting that he did it and had no defence."

"Maybe he didn't want to make it worse by fighting about it." she ventured. "Maybe he thought it would be best to let you calm down first and then discuss what happened."

Or maybe he had something planned and he couldn't tell you the truth without ruining it. Kendra thought in her head but kept to herself; she didn't know how Ray was going to prove his innocence, and it wasn't her place to say anything.

"Kendra, maybe he did this because deep down, he really doesn't want me." Linda said finally.

"Why would you say that?"

"Well, I haven't told anyone, but Ray and I have been trying to have a baby for a while now. And...just...nothing seems to be working."

Kendra was exasperated. "And you think that's why he didn't put up a fight?"

"I don't know." She cleared her throat. "Either he's sick of trying or maybe he wants to sleep with someone he knows is fertile."

"That's ridiculous, Linda." Kendra argued. "Besides, that's not the guy thing to do. It doesn't make any sense. How do you know it isn't him that's the reason you can't get pregnant? Have you looked into it?"

"No, we haven't." Linda admitted.

"I think you should talk to him, Linda." Kendra squeezed her eyes shut and crossed her fingers. "He wants to meet with you."

Linda was shocked. "What? When? Did you talk to him?"

"No, but Ian did. He asked me to talk to you about meeting up with him tonight."

"Tonight? Why? Where?"

"I don't know. But I'm supposed to get back to Ian and he'll give me the details for you."

A strange noise came from Linda's throat. "What the hell has Ray got up his sleeve? This is so unlike him."

Part of Kendra believed Linda was very intrigued, and that this might work. "So are you willing to meet and talk with him?"

Linda paused, drawing in air. "On one condition: I want you to come with me."

Kendra looked up to the ceiling. I so don't want to be a part of this. But I guess I already am and there's nothing I can do about it. But before Kendra could answer answer, Linda added. "I want a witness in case he has some convoluted story."

"Oh, geez....Linda....I don't know—"

"That's the only way I'll go, Kendra." She interrupted.

"Fine." The subway pinged and halted at Kendra's stop. "Linda, I've got to go. This is my stop and my phone is ready to die."

"Call me later."

***

Kendra chose to eat lunch at her desk since there were no clients expected and her boss was in court. Well, those were the secondary reasons, if she was being honest with herself. The primary reason was to keep hiding from Cassandra. Yeah, I'm being stubborn and immature, but so is she. As she sat there, cramming the last of her mother's scones into her mouth, her cell phone beeped, and it was Ian asking if he could call her. She messaged him back that it was fine. As her phone rang she felt a pitter-patter in her chest and a grin formed on her face.

"Good afternoon," Ian said, and his words made her feel as light as air.

"Hi," she managed, noticing that her voice made her sound like a cockatiel.

"How was your morning?"

"I was late for work, but so was my boss, so it went unnoticed thankfully."

Ian giggled, "That always helps."

There was a pause and Ian added, "Ray caught me on the way into work; right when two managers were having a yelling match in the front lobby. It gave me a great excuse to let him go. So it looks like we're both having some luck today."

So he's going to bring up the Linda and Ray thing first. Part of Kendra was a little jealous that he wasn't asking about their pending date, but then she shook it off; obviously Ray's favour was much more important at the moment. "Yeah, I spoke to Linda this morning. I think she's game to meet up with Ray as long as I agree to go with her."

"Wow, they're like two peas in a pod." Ian commented. "Ray asked me the same thing. In fact, he begged me to go with him."

"Really?" That was odd.

"Anyway, he'll be relieved that she's agreed to this. He gave me the address, if you've got a pen handy."

"Sure," Kendra fished into the plastic cup on her desk. He read off the address and time to meet.

"So what are we supposed to do? Be referees? Sit in the corner and be silent? This is so awkward."

"I know. I'm not too happy about this, either. But if it helps to get them back together, I suppose it's worthwhile." Ian said, and then he switched gears, making her heart pound. "So, where do you want to go tomorrow night? Dinner? A movie? Both? Neither?" he chuckled.

Kendra heard the glass entrance doors squeak open and then Desmond appeared. Turning away from him, facing the wall, she tried to continue without letting him overhear too much.

Is this really happening? "Um...I don't know. Whatever you like." she said, feeling a tingle throughout her body. But then, she didn't want to seem difficult; he was asking for her input, and she didn't want to be the submissive, pushover type. "How about dinner?" and then she played it smooth, "Somewhere casual like East Side Mario's?" she suggested, knowing that place was low-key and family oriented. Plus, there was one about twenty minutes walking distance from their building.

"Sounds good. What time works for you?"

"I should be off work by five-thirty or six. How about you come to my apartment at six-thirty and we can walk over?"

"That works for me. I'll see you later then."

She said goodbye and was about to hang up when Ian interrupted. "Hey, do you want to ride over with me to meet up with Ray and Linda?"

Kendra blushed. "Um, sure." she shook her head. Wow, he really wants to spend time with me. What's wrong with him?

"Cool. I'll pick you up say around six-thirty?"

Her face was burning. "Okay."

"Have a great day, Kendra." He said and hung up before she could tell him the same.

She turned back around, wishing that Desmond had taken the hint to leave and give her privacy, but he was still there, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet again. "You're allowed personal calls on your cell phone?" he asked, as if he knew the answer was no.

"Ms. Briggs doesn't mind. I'm on my lunch anyway." she wanted to add 'as if that's any of your business', but didn't. She was aware of how much of a jerk he could be when provoked.

"So who's picking you up at six-thirty? Your boyfriend?"

She half-chuckled; despite the past, somehow this prying behaviour surprised her. "I don't have to answer that."

"Well, if I can have a girlfriend, you can have a boyfriend." He said, as if he was giving her permission.

"Desmond, not to be rude, but frankly, it's not my business to know what goes on in your private life. Just like it isn't your business to know what's going on in mine." What's wrong with this guy?

He acted like he didn't hear, "Because she's really hot, you know. Waaaay hotter than you. And she doesn't have, you know," he circled his ear with his finger, "problems up here, you know?"

Kendra laughed without a trace of humour. "Desmond, if anyone has problems up there, it's you." she stated, rising to file a stack of papers into the filing cabinet to her left. "What did you come up here for, anyway? Do you have something for me?" she tried to act professional to throw him off, even though the exchange called for him to be told off.

"Yeah," He answered, sucking his teeth, "you got that file I gave you before? Boss man wants it back."

"Sure," she said, unlocking Ms. Briggs' office.

Grabbing the file from her desk she saw Desmond take a step inside her office. "What are you doing in here?"

He shrugged. "Just waiting."

"Do so from behind my desk, please."

Surprising her, he actually listened. When she handed him the file he stalled. "If you wanted privacy, you should have gone into her office." He gestured with his head behind her, into Ms. Briggs' quarters.

"That isn't necessary." Kendra countered, "Besides, that isn't proper protocol." And I know Desmond already knows this.

He lifted up the file and sniffed. "Thanks for the file." And he walked out of the office.

Kendra blew out a puff of air, making her fringe rise and fall quickly. Desmond Lithgate won't get the best of me today, simply because I have a date with Ian Wilkinson.

***

It turned out that the address Ray provided them with was just a ten minute drive further from the city. It was amazing how quaint the area could become if you drove away from the downtown core. The street was full of small bungalow-style homes, and in the semi-darkness they could see the park at the end, just off a cat-walk.

"Maybe he wants to talk to her in the park?" Ian suggested, craning his neck around so he could better observe the surroundings. The engine was off and it was so quiet Kendra could hear him breathing.

She peered at the sheaf of paper Ian had given her earlier, with the address on it. "Maybe his family lives here. Perhaps a helpful aunt?"

"Maybe it's for private marriage counselling." Ian smirked. Kendra was about to giggle when she saw Linda's car pull up. That's when Kendra noticed that Ray hadn't arrived yet.

"What the hell is this?" Linda said as she reached the car. "Ray isn't even here? Is this some kind of joke?" She opened Ian's car door and slipped into the back seat, rubbing her hands together seemingly for warmth.

"How are you doing, Linda?" Ian asked, bending his neck around so he could see her with his peripheral vision.

"I'm fine. I'd be better if I knew what the heck was going on." She was nonplussed. "Who lives here anyway?"

"Whoever they are they don't like it here much." Kendra said, pointing at the for sale sign staked into the front lawn.

"Well, I'm waiting five minutes and then I'm leaving." Linda stated firmly.

Neither Ian nor Kendra responded. A minute later, another car pulled up. "Who is that?" Linda asked, and then recognized Ray's face as he peered at her from the front passenger window. He offered her a tight smile and bowed his head slightly. She gave him a weak wave.

"Are you going to be okay?" Kendra asked, opening the door.

"I guess I'll have to be." Linda said, as they all exited Ian's car.

The woman who stepped out of the car immediately came over and introduced herself. She was tall with short brown hair and an expensive-looking overcoat.

"I'm Gail." She gave everyone a handshake.

As she reached Linda, the hand shake was reciprocated and then Linda craned her neck over at Ray. "What's going on, Ray? Why did you drag us all out here?" she demanded.

The expression on his face said he expected the question. Ray stepped toward Linda with his phone in his hand and showed her the display as he stood beside her. Scrolling down with his finger on the screen, he touched a spot and looked at Linda. "Do you recognize this?"

She nodded. "Yeah, those were the messages I found before I threw you out." Her voice was tinged with veiled anger, like if she wasn't overly curious at the moment, she would punch him in the face.

He touched the screen once more and glanced at his wife. "You see the name? That's Gail." He pointed at the brunette now known as Gail.

"Yeah...so?" Linda shrugged abruptly, like she was not impressed and still very agitated.

"Gail is a real estate agent." Ray said pointedly and gestured with his head at the house with the for sale sign on it.

A 'v' formed between Linda eyes. "And?"

"The house just went on the market on Friday. I've been talking to Gail for weeks about finding us the perfect place, and this one just became available. I wanted to look at it before the open house this weekend. There's a good chance there will be an offer made and we'll lose it if we don't act now." Ray explained.

Linda shook her head and Kendra couldn't tell if her friend was confused, angry, or unconvinced. She finally looked at him and opened her mouth, hesitating. "So...you want to buy a house? All this time...you wanted to buy a house?" She said, as if testing the words first.

He nodded. "I wanted it to be a surprise, but then Gail strongly suggested that I bring you to see it before placing an offer. Evidently it's too big of a decision for me to make without including you, no matter how good my intentions are." Ray said, glancing over at Gail, who nodded assent.

Ian and Kendra looked at each other. He frowned and then lifted his eyebrows, as if impressed. Kendra was relieved; her instincts were accurate about Ray: he was not such a bad guy after all.

Linda took a step closer to Ray. "So...you weren't having an affair?"

He guffawed warmly and snaked his arm around his beloved. "No, my love. I wasn't. I love you more than anything and that's the last thing I would ever do to you." He lifted his hand, turning towards the house, "I want us to have a family some day, and I think this is the best way to start. This house is not too big but also not too small. We can start out with just an entertainment room and a spare room for guests, and later we can turn those extra rooms into whatever we want. Whenever we want. No pressure at all."

She frowned and looked at her feet. "I'm so sorry, Ray."

"Shhh, now." He said, hugging her close. "No tears. Let's just forget the whole thing and go look at this house before someone comes and snatches it from us."

Linda sniffled and wiped a tear with her index finger. "Okay."

The couple walked hand-in-hand towards the house, following Gail, as Ian and Kendra remained behind. "Should we go too or stay here? I'm not sure what to do." Ian said to Kendra under his breath.

As if she heard them, Gail turned her back and gestured over Ray and Linda to Kendra and Ian. "Come on in, guys."

"There's your answer." Kendra said to Ian, and he lifted his hand gallantly, indicating for her to go first.

As she began walking, Ian was behind her, and Kendra heard a strange sound. Looking back she saw that Ian stumbled and had nearly fallen. He had one knee on the ground and the other in front of him, as if he was about to take off at a race. "Are you okay?" she said, taking a step towards him.

"Yeah," he replied. His pant leg had risen up with the tumble and he quickly covered it back to its rightful place. The material was wet from the melted snow beneath his feet. His face was red with...embarrassment? It was hard to tell.

"Are you hurt?"

He waved her off, adjusting something on the leg that was not on the ground. The shoe on that foot looked new and unscathed. "No, I'm fine. Happens all the time." He answered lightly, focusing on the pant leg that had been tucked into his shoe by the fall. "You go on ahead, I'll be right there."

"O...okay," Kendra said, feeling a combination of reluctance, confusion, and guilt. As she caught up to Linda and Ray she looked back at Ian and had to do a double-take.

What the...?
Chapter 12

Ray and Linda were still on Kendra's mind as she reached work. She didn't hear from Linda at all since looking at the house. It was bright, simple, and in Kendra's opinion, perfect for them. Something was bothering Kendra about Ian, though. Last night, after he dropped her off at her apartment, he was kind of distant. She didn't mention anything about his fall at all, and he was quiet, so she was not really sure what to think. Secretly she wondered if their date was still on. I hope so.

Making a mental note to call Linda later for an update, Kendra approached the street where she worked, and she suddenly heard someone calling her. When she turned around she saw Cassandra striding quickly towards her. Her footsteps were quick and her eyes were focused on the ground. She huffed. "Are you still mad at me, Kendra? How long is this going to last?"

This was the last thing Kendra needed first thing in the morning. "Well, good morning to you, too, Cassandra." She turned her back and continued down the street, acting like Cassandra wasn't there.

"Why are you being such a little sissy about this? So I mentioned something that happened six years ago...big deal! I was only speaking the truth, and frankly, Kendra, sometimes I think you need a little dose of tough love."

Turning around to face her, Kendra lifted her hand. "Frankly, Cassandra, I think you need to be a little more sensitive about certain matters; especially when others are present." Kendra retorted, underscoring the point that Desmond, the man who seemed to loathe her based on one marred date, was there to witness Cassandra's attack on Kendra.

Cassandra sighed quickly, exasperated. "Oh, grow up, Kendra! You know, you and Desmond are very much alike. Both of you can't get over something that happened years ago!"

I can't believe she said that. Desmond is the biggest loser in the history of losers. Her comparing me to him is such a slap in the face. "How dare you! You know how much I can't stand that guy! What is your problem?!"

"What is your problem, Kendra!" She shouted back. And suddenly they realized that they had an audience. People standing at the bus shelter fifteen metres away were staring, and a couple walking their Labrador Retriever across the street, were also gawking.

Kendra lowered her voice. "I have no problem, Cassandra. It's you. You can't seem to accept the fact that we are different people. The way I live my life is different from the way you live yours. We have different goals, different lifestyles, and we've both made different choices. The fact that we're best friends, well, frankly, sometimes it shocks me because we're so different."

She pulled on Kendra's arm to slow her down, but Kendra lifted her arm, fending her off. "I'm not stupid, Kendra. I know we're different. You're just so darn stubborn!"

"Yeah, well, you're stubborn too!" she growled, walking faster. "I've had enough of you for one day. Leave me alone."

"God, Kendra! You so need to get laid!" she yelled. "Maybe then you'd get that pole out of your butt!"

Kendra kept her distance and fought the urge to scream something back, but didn't give her the satisfaction. I can't believe she said that, especially in front of the onlookers. What the heck has gotten into her?

As Kendra reached the glass doors to the front office, she didn't bother holding them open for Cassandra, even though she was less than five feet away. The elevators were straight ahead and Kendra wasted no time pressing the call button. Thankfully they opened immediately and she stepped in, waiting for Cassandra to spit out something else in distaste, but she didn't, and the doors closed before she reached them.

If Cassandra didn't shake off this mean streak Kendra would consider ceasing conversation with her entirely. She'd never known her to be so negative or insensitive for this long. The last fight the girls had ended as quickly as it started. It was admittedly brutal and they both said things they didn't mean, but this was just ridiculous, which was a shame. Kendra wanted nothing more than to tell Cassandra about her date with Ian tonight, and she knew that her friend would be revelling in the news. Kendra almost wished she had told her, despite it being in a heated moment, but she didn't want whatever happened with Ian to start off on the wrong foot.

After all, the last time she dated anyone, it was about a year and a half ago...and it was Desmond.

***

Ian

Smack in the middle of doing a report for upper management, Ian's cell phone rang and it was his Aunt Mary; Vickie's mother.

Without preamble, she simply blurted. "So she's pregnant. Why didn't you tell me?"

Dragging a hand down his face he answered bluntly. "Because it wasn't my place. And she begged me to keep it a secret."

"She can barely keep it a secret with all the puking she's been doing all morning." Mary scoffed. "She didn't even go to work today. Claims she has the flu. Same flu she's had for three days yet she's eating bananas like they're chocolate cake. Gone through three bunches since yesterday. It's a good thing I've got a good plumber."

There's an image.

"So is it Ryan's?" Mary asked.

Ian was flabbergasted. "Of course!"

"Good. It's bad enough she's pregnant. I don't want word getting around that she's a whore, too."

It was so unlike Aunt Mary to curse. "Everything will be fine, Aunt Mary."

"Yeah...well, over my dead body is she having an abortion. We're a Christian family."

"Again, it's not my place to say."

"She hasn't even told Ryan yet." Mary volunteered, "I don't know what she's waiting for. It's not like she can keep it a secret unless she plans on wearing her father's clothes."

Still? She still hasn't told Ryan? Ian squeezed his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm sure she's going to tell him soon. She's just scared."

"Scared of what? If he doesn't want the baby she knows we'll help her...if her father doesn't kill Ryan first, that is."

Get in line. "Aunt Mary, maybe reminding her that we're here to help will make her feel better." Ian suggested, just as his office phone began to ring.

"I can't tell her that."

"Why not?" Ian asked, looking at the display.

Mary said quickly, as if Ian should have figured it out. "Because she doesn't know I know."

Then it all came together. "So you were calling me for confirmation?" Mary has sunk deeper than I thought.

"Not exactly. I know how close you two are. I just needed to know for sure so I could put my mind at rest. A mother knows these things, Ian. When her daughter is pregnant, hurting, sick, or needing a swift kick in the keester." She paused as his office phone call went into voicemail. "I'm going to tell her I know though. But I think she's already guessing I do. And don't ask how I know about her not telling Ryan."

Frankly, I don't want to know, anyway. "Aunt Mary, I really need to go. I just missed a call, and I think it's important."

"Sure, love. Why don't you come by for supper tonight? Your mom and dad will be here, too."

"No, thanks, Aunt Mary. I appreciate it."

"What? No time for your favourite Aunt?"

"I...I have a date."

She was excited. "With Kendra?"

"H...how do you know?" Ian asked, squinting in disbelief.

Mary hesitated. "You don't want to know."

***

Kendra

Ms. Briggs came in the door carrying her leather briefcase, looking dishevelled. Her normally tight chignon was unusually loose; even tendrils were hanging down the sides of her face. Her cheeks were pink but despite her unsettled appearance she had a grin on her face.

"We won the case." Ms. Briggs said as her face broke into a grin.

Kendra rose from her seat. "Congratulations!"

She smiled and put her briefcase down beside one of the chairs in the small waiting area to the left. Pulling off her overcoat and scarf she rolled her eyes in delight. "Oh, Kendra, next time I'm taking you with me. It was thrilling! I had the defence eating out of my hands! It was such a wonderful feeling!"

Approaching Kendra, she gave her a brief hug. "Oh, and I owe a lot of it to you, my hard-working girl."

Waving her off, Kendra allowed herself a small giggle, despite the twinge of discomfort she was feeling. She'd never seen Ms. Briggs this happy. "I was just doing my job, Ms. Briggs."

The woman was at least three inches taller than Kendra and about twenty years her senior, so in some ways Kendra guessed she saw her as a child. Tapping her nose cheerfully, Ms. Briggs added, "Kendra, you've been calling me 'Ms. Briggs' since the day you started. Why don't you start calling me by my given name...Catherine."

Kendra frowned, considering it. "If that's what you want."

"Ms. Briggs is my ex-mother-in-law's name," she supplied. Kendra had no idea she was married...or divorced for that matter. She kept her private life exactly that...private; which was why Kendra never went into her office without her knowledge or unless it was absolutely necessary. "I have to keep 'Briggs' since it's the name I use for business, but please, if you don't mind, call me Catherine?"

"Sure," Kendra nodded, smiling. Her glee was contagious. "Do you want me to take your briefcase into your office?"

"Sure, dear. And there's a bottle of wine in my mini-fridge, if you want to join me in a little celebratory toast." She suggested, leaning over Kendra's desk and checking her calendar. "I have no more clients until ten o'clock tomorrow." She leaned over to look at her as she unlocked her office door. "Do you have any plans tonight?"

Kendra almost said no by rote, but stopped herself. "Um...yes, I have a date."

"You dooooo?" she chirped. Really, I've never seen her this happy.

"Yes, besides, don't you want to go home and rest? You've been going non-stop for weeks."

Placing the briefcase on the desk, Kendra walked over to the miniature refrigerator by the closet and opened it. The bottle of chardonnay lay on its side, chilled and awaiting the next toast. Catherine walked into the office and chided. "Kendra, I've been fighting the Stetler brothers for years, and this is the second last case in the litigation process. It's almost over and the next one will be a walk in the park compared to this one. I'm too excited to be tired. I want to use this positive energy."

Lifting up the wine bottle, Kendra asked. "Do you have a glass?"

Catherine gestured to the empty coffee mug on her desk and fished a corkscrew out of the drawer. "Just use that. It's clean. Do you want some?" she asked, heading to Kendra's desk.

"Sure, I guess a glass can't hurt." Besides, it'll calm my nerves. I'm feeling a bit of apprehension about going out with Ian.

Hearing Catherine rinse the mug in the bathroom, Kendra unscrewed the bottle and poured her boss half a cup while she waited until Catherine returned with Kendra's mug. Catherine looked at the half-full cup and lifted a brow. "Do I look like a lightweight to you?"

Kendra giggled. "Of course not. But half a glass is all I'm having."

"That's a good idea, dear." She agreed. "What time is your date?"

Kendra told her and Catherine walked over to her briefcase and opened it in front of her. "Good. That gives you just enough time to go over these notes from court today. I'll need them typed up and processed with that special 'Kendra touch' by tomorrow."

Trying not to widen her eyes, Kendra simply stared at the fat folder of papers she was handed. "Now I don't want them riddled with mistakes, not that you would do that, but," she gestured to Kendrea's mug, "under the influence, you might. So be careful." She said pleasantly and walked to her desk.

That, Kendra guessed, was her queue to get started. Turning towards the door, she felt like her feet weighed a hundred pounds each. "Oh, and Kendra? Desmond will be by to pick them up for Mr. Stratton before he leaves, so you might want to touch base with him and let him know how you're progressing."

Way to go, Desmond. Somehow I knew that rat bastard was behind this. He would do just about anything to mess up my first date since dating him over a year ago.

I believe in karma. I believe in karma. I believe in karma.

***

Luckily, Ian was more than understanding and suggested picking Kendra up from work instead of walking, since the weather wasn't so conducive to the original plan. This wasn't the greatest solution since it meant Kendra would have to wear the same clothes out for dinner, but it was better than cancelling.

Reluctantly, Kendra emailed Desmond to let him know her status and he ignored her until she emailed him a second time, letting him know when she would leaving and that she'd drop the file off on his desk if she hadn't heard from him by then. Wouldn't he love that? He always seemed to find a reason to chase her around; it would probably suit his ego wonderfully if she came down to him for a change, Kendra guessed.

And just as she was about to hit send she got an instant message from the after hours security service, saying that she had a visitor. She told them to let him upstairs and moments later, Ian's head popped into the office from behind the glass door. He knocked quietly and called Kendra's name. I love that. He says my name so tenderly.

"Hi, Ian. Come on in, I'm just finishing up." She said, gathering all the work for Desmond. "I just have to bring something downstairs to a co-worker and we can leave."

"No rush," he said, pushing a hand in front of him. "I made reservations so we won't have to wait."

"That was thoughtful." Kendra complimented. "How was your day?"

"Not bad. The guy I was telling you about who's moving to London was in my office today."

"Oh yeah? How did that go?" She asked, pulling the last of the documents off the printer and stuffing them inside a folder.

"Good. He's just waiting for some final paperwork from Immigration and it's all settled. It's all in the hands of the Board of Trustees."

"Your promotion, you mean?"

"Exactly,"

"Well, good luck. I know you'll get it."

The phone rang and it was an unknown number. "Sorry, Ian. I have to take this."

"No worries." He said, perusing the watercolour prints on the walls.

The person on the phone was looking for representation, so she had to take down all his information so Catherine could call him back tomorrow. As she was doing so, Desmond walked into the office and Kendra tried to concentrate on the call, but her heart began to pound. Desmond had such an explosive personality, and they both knew that the guy standing in the waiting room was here to take her out on a date.

Kendra watched Ian move to the side to let Desmond in. "Excuse me," Ian said politely as he shifted to his right.

"No problem. Have you been looked after?" Desmond asked.

"Uh...actually, I'm here for Kendra." Ian said.

Desmond sized him up, scanning his entire body, as though grading him, and badly, for a Mister Universe contest. "Oh, so you're...the date, are you?"

Kendra eyes widened. How dare he!

Ian scrunched his eyes. "and you are?"

Desmond offered his hand for Ian to shake. "I'm her last date. Good luck." He said, chuckling.

Kendra moved the potential client along quickly and ended the call. As she hung up she made a point of slamming the phone down into the cradle, being careful to ensure she pressed the end button to avoid deafening the caller. Both Desmond and Ian looked her way and she rose, handing the file to Desmond roughly, as though he'd been bothering her for it for weeks and she'd finally given in. "Desmond, here's the file you're waiting for. See yourself out, please." she gave him her best you-better-listen-to-me-or-else glare.

Ian was confused. "Is there a problem, Kendra?" As he spoke, he was looking at Desmond.

"No, there's no problem. This is Desmond. He works downstairs. He was just leaving." she said, holding her glare.

Desmond boldly lifted his hands up in mock defence. "Okay, okay," he chuckled, "have fun on your date, kids." He said as Ian held the door for him and gave him a look that could've cut glass.

When the door closed, Ian pointed in Desmond's direction. "What's his problem?"

"He's just a jerk who works downstairs. I dated him once over a year ago. Long story." she explained. "Don't let him bother you. He likes to get under everyone's skin."

"How did he know about...um...about our date?"

Taking her coat off the back of her chair she pulled it onto her shoulders, "He likes to eavesdrop. He sneaks up on people when you least expect it."

"Sounds classy."

"Yeah," she sighed facetiously, "are you ready to go?"

Gesturing towards the door, Ian said, "After you,"

Putting the phone on night service and turning out the lights, she followed Ian out the door. As they took the elevator downstairs to the lobby, Ian gave her a tight smile. "Are you hungry?"

"Famished."

"Me too."

His car was parked in one of the five empty visitor's spaces at the front of the building. Opening the passenger side he gallantly gestured Kendra in and closed the door. Watching his backside as he walked in front of the car Kendra bit her lip. God, he's so perfect. Small tendrils of his curls blew in the winter breeze as he looked to his left and right before opening the driver's side door. "I'm glad we didn't walk."

"Yeah, it's pretty cold out there." she licked her lips. "Hey, did you hear anything from Ray? Did they put an offer in on the house?"

Putting the key in the ignition, Ian answered, "Yeah, he sent me a text message. They're just waiting to see if the offer was accepted."

"So they made up?"

"Looks like."

Sighing a breath of relief she changed the subject. "Have you heard from Vickie? Did she talk to Ryan yet?"

"My Aunt Mary, Vickie's mom, called me earlier. According to her, no, Vickie hasn't told anyone yet...even Aunt Mary."

Her eyes widened. "Geez...talk about a web of trouble."

They pulled out of the parking spot and headed straight down the road. The restaurant was only a ten minute drive by highway. Ian cocked his head to the side. "Yep. Aunt Mary's no fool, though. She knows what's going on."

"Oh, dear. I hope there isn't going to be too much trouble in your family over this."

Ian placed his hand over Kendra's and she felt his warmth envelope her from head to toe. "Don't worry. Us Wilkinsons always work things out. We've been through way worse than this." she felt him stroke her skin with his thumb, sending shivers down her spine. "She'll do what's right. Vickie's a strong girl, this is just a little too sensitive compared to what she's used to. Normally, the problems we have in the family arise from arguments and semantics and crap from the past; this is just a change in gears is all. It's been a long time since somebody's gotten unexpectedly pregnant in the family. It'll be fine once it's all out in the open."

"Well for your family's sake I hope you're right." She said, praying he wouldn't move his hand. And he didn't. It stayed there the whole trip to the restaurant. And when they arrived in the parking lot, he opened the door and took her hand again, while it was still warm from his touch. He didn't let go until they were seated in a spot close to a window.

"Even though it's a pain, the snow is so pretty." Kendra commented as the waitress passed them menus. Kendra noticed her bat her eyelashes at Ian and it sent a cold chill through her veins. She just reduced her tip by fifty percent. "My name is Connie and I'll be your waitress tonight." She addressed Ian only, and added. "If you need anything at all, just call me." Her simpering made Kendra narrow her eyes. Ian seemed unaware and so she let it go as Connie, the waitress, walked away.

Looking at the menu, Ian lifted his head, "Do you like wine or are you a pop kind of girl?"

Remembering the wine she had earlier she decided to stay straight. "I'm fine with ginger ale or 7Up."

When Connie returned with water glasses, Ian ordered two ginger ales and the waitress made a point of touching his arm while asking if he was ready to order. Kendra's foot immediately began to tap the floor under the table. He told her they needed a few minutes and she stroked his arm down to the cuff link as she said she'd be right back. He was oblivious to her advances. Do women always throw themselves at him? Is he used to this? Kendra felt a comment coming on her tongue but refrained from vocalizing it.

"So, do you come to this restaurant often? Do you have a favourite dish?" Ian asked, placing his menu on the table.

"I usually order the Angel Hair Primavera. It's really good." Kendra answered, shaking off the prickly feeling she had for Connie.

"Mmm....yeah, that does sound good. I think I'll have that, too." He clasped his hands under his chin and she couldn't help but melt; how handsome is he? "So, tell me about this Desmond character. He's charming."

Kendra giggled at the way he said 'charming', like he was completely convinced Desmond was the exact opposite. "We had a company picnic two summers ago, which he asked me to be his date for, and it was a complete disaster." Taking a sip of water, Kendra tried to relax. The lighting was not too bright and she was wearing her hair down, covering the sides of her face. Her darker glasses were a nice compliment to the burnt orange colour on her sweater.

"What happened?" Ian prompted, completely enthralled. "Did he get totally wasted and make an ass of himself? And I guess, you too, since you were his date?"

"Well, I guess nobody really considered us as 'dating', and since it was a company picnic, we were all there together. Nobody even noticed that we came in one car. Desmond, on the other hand, felt the need to set them all straight. He was very lewd with me the whole time; putting his hand on my thigh whenever we sat together, putting his arm around me while we waited in line for the games and stuff, he even tried to kiss me when we won a game."

Shaking his head while Kendra filled him in, Ian seemed genuinely amused. "I'm surprised you didn't slap him."

Kendra smirked. "Well, that's the best part. I did. In front of everyone."

"He had it coming."

"He absolutely did, and he made a disgusting comment about it to try and cover it up. Something like 'oh, you like it rough, don't you, baby?" She stuck her tongue out to emphasize how gross it was. "He tried to make more moves on me afterward when he drove me home. The guy's a sleaze ball."

"So he's made your life difficult ever since I take it?"

"Every chance he gets." she said plainly.

"So he pulls this stunt whenever you have a date? I guess me showing up at your work was a pretty bonehead move on my part then."

Oh, God! Do I tell him I haven't dated since? Shut up, Kendra!

"So is the guy full of it or was he telling the truth when he said that he was your last date?" Ian asked casually, as if he believed the latter to be true.

Uh oh.

Up until now they'd maintained good eye contact, but suddenly her eyes darted to her fingers, as she tried to avert her guilt. "The guy's the biggest scumbag there is." She said, since she wasn't actually lying, even though she wasn't telling the truth, either. If Ian picked up on her discomfort, he didn't show it. And then Connie returned and Kendra was almost glad to see her...almost.

Connie placed her hand on Ian's arm again. "Are you ready to order?" she asked in a tone that suggested she would serve herself to him on a platter if he made such a request.

"Sure, we'll both have the Angel Hair Primavera, and two 7Ups." Ian said, handing the menus to her.

She winked at him and it made Kendra want to take the mini pencil she had in her apron and stab her in the eye with it. "Oh, thank you." Connie purred.

Ian took no heed to her flirty gestures, and Kendra didn't know whether or not that bothered her. He was the first to speak after Connie left, swaying her hips unnecessarily in her wake. "So, what was your impression of Ray after the whole 'clothes over the balcony' fiasco? Did you believe that he was faithful to her?"

"Truthfully, I have no idea. But now that I know what really happened, I can see why Linda would misconstrue things."

"Would you have reacted the same way?"

Kendra shook her head. "No, I believe in hearing a person out. I would have let him tell his side of the story, especially considering how elusive he was. If he was the one freaking out, I suppose it would have been best to postpone things until the dust settled."

"That's fair." Ian frowned. "I personally didn't believe that Ray would cheat. I've known him for a while and he's never be one to draw outside the lines. He's a guy who plays by the books." Kendra was about to add something when she heard Ian's phone ring. He rolled his eyes and apologized before pulling it out of his pants pocket and checking the screen.

"It's Vickie," He said, "do you mind if I answer it? She knows where I am so this must be important."

"Absolutely. Go ahead."

He answered and his face immediately dropped. "Jesus. Okay, I'll be right there."

Chapter 13

Kendra had never seen a man drive so fast in her life. "Dammit. I hope to God she didn't do anything stupid." Ian said, weaving in and out of lanes on their way to Toronto General Hopsital.

"I'm sure she didn't. Is she by herself?" Kendra placed her hand on his knee to try and comfort him.

"No, Aunt Mary's with her. She insisted on not calling Ryan or my Uncle Paul. Dammit, Vickie, why do you have to be so stubborn!" Ian lightly pounded the steering wheel.

Stroking his leg, Kendra half wondered if she should worry that the contact may be inappropriate, or keep going because it may be deemed necessary under the circumstances. He seemed to calm a bit, and he even took in a deep breath.

"Hey, her stubbornness is going to come in handy some day." Kendra declared. "The stubborn live longer than the docile, as my dad always says. And he should know."

He lowered his hand onto hers. "Yeah, I know. Hey, I'm so sorry this had to happen tonight. Are you sure you don't want me to drop you off at home?"

Kendra's mouth curled at the sides. "That's okay. I'm not going anywhere. And if I'm person two of three who knows about Vickie's pregnancy, I should be there. And I want to be there."

Squeezing her hand, Ian raised it to his mouth and kissed the back of it. "You're a sweet girl, Kendra."

"Tell that to Desmond." she joked, and that got a chuckle out of him.

As they arrived at the Emergency department waiting room, Aunt Mary saw them and rose. However, she didn't have the 'concerned mother' look on her face that Kendra had expected. Mary's expression reminded her of the time Lilly got called in to speak to the principal when Kendra was caught writing on the walls in fourth grade. Mary's arms were folded in front of her and her lips were pursed. "Well, did you at least get to eat?" she asked in a somewhat chiding tone.

"No, we'll get something later." Ian said and then turned to Kendra. "This is Kendra. Kendra, this is my Aunt Mary."

Kendra shook Mary's hand and she seemed to soften. "Sorry we have to meet under the circumstances." Mary said. "It's nice to meet you all the same."

"Likewise." Kendra nodded.

"So, how's Vickie?" Ian asked. "Where is she?"

Mary's hands went back to her chest as she breathed in and out again. "She's having an ultrasound right now. We don't know if she lost the baby or not. It wasn't much blood, but after all the vomiting, I figured she needs to be checked out."

Gesturing to the three empty plastic chairs in the waiting room, Mary invited them both to sit. "She should be back soon. They took her right before you got here. The technician said it won't be more than about five minutes."

"Has she been seen by her doctor?" Kendra asked.

"No, her doctor's been notified though. He's still at the office. It doesn't close until eight o'clock tonight. We might see him. She just saw an on-call doctor who examined her," Mary sucked her teeth, "do you believe he made me leave while he did the examination?"

Kendra's neck craned back. "Was there a female nurse present? Isn't that the law?"

"Well, of course." Mary said, "But I'm her mother for God sake."

"Mary, Vickie's an adult. It's standard." Ian interjected.

She waved him off. "It's ridiculous."

They waited in silence. Ian leaned back in the chair and stretched, and then sat with his legs in a 'v' with his hands interlaced between his knees. Kendra couldn't help but stare at him. He looked so sexy in that position. Her mind began conjuring up naughty images despite the circumstances, and she had to shake her head to break the reverie, just when a doctor appeared and called out Vickie's name.

"I'm her mother." Mary responded, lifting her arm. She instructed them to come along while the doctor led them past a pair of metal double doors into a corridor full of rooms; some with the doors closed, and some were open. When the doctor opened one of the doors, the room was large, but shaped in a square with two sets of retractable drapes on overhead tracks. One set of drapes was closed tight with just a pair of plastic wheels peeking out through the bottom. Kendra assumed the other side would be for Vickie when she returned from her ultrasound.

The doctor invited them to sit but there were only two chairs. Ian gallantly offered Mary and Kendra the chairs and they obliged. The doctor stood beside them as Kendra realized that the patient in the next bed was very silent. It gave her an eerie chill down her spine.

"Victoria is fine. She's got a nasty flu bug, hence the constant vomiting and abdominal upset." The doctor explained. "However, she does have a bleeding haemorrhoid thanks to the pregnancy and all the forcing she's been doing. We'll have it banded shortly and she'll stay here overnight so we can fill her with intravenous fluids. She's rather dehydrated."

Mary visibly relaxed. Her hand went to her chest as she exhaled. "So the baby is fine?"

The doctor nodded. "Yes. It's still rather early in the pregnancy. Only about ten weeks, so I can understand why she thought the vomiting was because of morning sickness."

"Oh, thank God." Mary said, and thanked the doctor as he left.

"Well, that's a relief." Ian commented as the door closed. "So she had the flu all along."

"I just figured since nobody else has it..."Mary added when the door suddenly opened again. Kendra expected it to be Vickie, but an unfamiliar face entered.

Ian's gaze immediately darted to Aunt Mary and then to the stranger. "Ryan. What are you doing here?"

Ryan was tall with a very slender build. A strong wind could probably knock him over easily, Kendra thought. He had striking green eyes and soft, downy ash blond hair that he kept short. His smile was tight but when he spoke, Kendra could see that his teeth were perfectly straight. "Err...Mrs. Wilkinson called me."

Smirking, Ian rose to shake Ryan's hand. "That was my guess."

Ryan glanced at Mary, and Kendra could automatically sense the tension. "I..is she okay?"

"She's fine, Ryan." Mary said unceremoniously.

"S...so, what happened?" he stammered, and just then he looked at Kendra blankly.

She held off on introducing herself so she wouldn't interrupt whoever chose to answer Ryan's question. Sensing Ryan didn't know Vickie's predicament yet, Kendra was sitting on the edge of her seat...literally.

"Vickie's pregnant," Mary answered before Ian could intervene. Ian's expression turned dark; like if he could he would punch the wall behind him. Mary was definitely the audacious type. She caught Ian's movement and raised her hand; silencing him. "I know it's not my place to say, but for whatever reason, she's terrified to tell you."

Ryan was shocked. His face went pale as he blinked slowly. Twice.

He cleared his throat. "H...how far a...a...along?"

"Only about ten weeks." Mary answered. "She's sick with the flu and has to have a small procedure done to stop some minor bleeding, but she'll be okay."

Swallowing, Ryan looked like he was about to pass out. His reaction to the word 'blood' and perhaps the rest of this situation was akin to when Kendra's father sliced his finger open with a hacksaw once. Her mom keeled over and they had to spray her with water from the rain barrel to get her to come to consciousness.

"Here, man, sit here." Ian offered, rising and grabbing Ryan by the shoulders. "You okay, man?" he asked as Ryan sat.

He nodded but both Ian and Kendra were not convinced. "Put your head between your knees." Kendra instructed. And within ten seconds the colour seemed to come back to his cheeks.

I guess this is one expectant daddy who won't be in the delivery room.

Raking a hand through his hair, Ryan remained in that position until the door opened and Vickie was wheeled into the room on a bed. The side rails were up and her head was reclined fully down. Her eyes were closed. "We're just going to get her hooked up to an I.V." the nurse accompanying her explained, in a whisper, while closing the drapes so they surrounded her and the bed entirely. "It won't be a minute."

They waited in silence while Ryan seemingly composed himself and they prepared Vickie for her overnight stay. There was still no movement from the bed beside Vickie's, nor had any doctor or visitor come to check on the patient. Kendra wanted to mention this to the nurse but it was so quiet she couldn't find her voice. Trying to look as though she was fixing her boot, Kendra bent down to see if there was anything hanging from the bed. Like a limp arm or leg, from the lifeless body on the bed, perhaps?

When suddenly the drapes on Vickie's side opened, startling Kendra. She was still asleep and Kendra couldn't help but think that that nurse must be good. How many people can sleep through having an I.V. put in? The nurse gave Vickie a gentle tap on the arm. "You have some visitors."

The nurse held an open palm up, indicating that they were only allowed to stay for five minutes. Mary darted up immediately and went to her daughter. Vickie's eyes fluttered open and she swallowed. "God, that was unpleasant."

"What was?" Mary asked, pushing a stray hair behind Vickie's ear.

Vickie sighed. "You don't want to know."

Reluctantly, Ryan rose, but Ian remained with Kendra. Vickie glanced at Ryan and immediately sprang to life. Her eyes widened in what—terror, embarrassment, shock—Kendra couldn't be sure.

"Ryan, w...what are you doing here?" Vickie's eyes darted to her mother but Mary pretended to be straightening the blanket. Vickie then looked at her feet and saw Ian, who lifted a hand in defence and shook his head as if to say 'this isn't my doing', but said nothing.

"I heard you were here and I wanted to make sure you were okay." Ryan said, and then he looked at the three of them.

Ian was the first to take the hint. "We'll give you guys a minute." He took Kendra's hand and reached for Mary's shoulder, directing her out of the room despite her reluctance. She kept her eyes pinned on Vickie and Ryan until the last second when the door closed behind them.

"He better be good to her." Mary said, her tone was warning.

"Aunt Mary, he's a good guy. He'll take care of her." Ian stated. "If not, there are plenty of Wilkinson boys to take care of him." He winked, although there was a hint of 'I'm not kidding' in his voice.

"Please," she scoffed, "there are many Wilkinson girls, too, and they're tougher than the boys."

"Then we haven't got anything to worry about." Then Ian addressed Kendra. "You must be starving."

"Not really." She lied. Her stomach began grinding into her spine about an hour ago. They never even got to eat the appetizer salad before leaving to come to the hospital. "We'll get something soon, after we make sure she'll be okay for the night."

"You two go on, now." Mary urged. "I'll be fine here. I'll stay with her if they'll let me sleep on a cot in her room."

Ian looked at Kendra for approval. "You want to go get something to eat?"

"Sure." Kendra nodded and Ian took her hand, leading her into the parking lot.

"Thanks for being such a good sport about all this." Ian said as he opened the car door for her. She slid in and clicked her seat belt into place.

"Hey, this is the most interesting date I've ever had." she chuckled.

"More interesting than the one you had with Desmond?" he jibed good-naturedly.

Spreading her arms out in front of her, she guffawed. "Waaaay better!"

He started the car, put it into gear and then reached for her hand. It was so warm despite the winter wind, and she couldn't help but look down at their hands interlaced. It looked so natural, like they were meant to be like that. Ian caught her looking at their hands. "Do you mind?" he asked gently.

She gave him a look like he'd just said the sweetest thing. "No, not at all."

Winking, he took off into the street, stroking her hand with his thumb, and they were completely silent as they drove toward Calamity Place. "Do you want to pick up a pizza or something?" he asked.

"Sure, I'm so hungry I'll eat just about anything." she admitted. So they pulled into a pizza place and grabbed a large before driving into the building.

As they entered the underground garage, the pizza smelled so good Kendra's mouth was watering. Exiting the car, Ian came over to the passenger side, and Kendra assumed he was going to get the pizza, since it was in the back seat on her side, but instead he opened her door and waited for her to get out. The last time that happened, Kendra almost vomited from nervousness, but somehow this time she was calm. But he didn't have that longing look on his face like the last time. It was like he knew he would make her nervous if he made a move towards kissing her.

"My place or yours?" he said. He was so close she could feel his breath on her cheek.

She turned her head sideways and smiled, as if she knew the answer, "How clean is your place?"

Ian bowed his head in mock embarrassment and when he lifted his head, his gaze met hers. His eyes lingered slowly down to her lips but then they went back up to her eyes again. "We'll go to yours."

She smiled and suddenly his lips were on hers.
Chapter 14

His kiss was soft and tender, not hungry. Their lips parted. "You got any of those scones left?" he asked against her skin.

Her face cut into an ear to ear grin. "No,"

He kissed her again, and their lips made a smacking sound. "How about 7Up?"

"Um...we got some with the pizza."

"Oh, yeah," he giggled softly, and kissed her once more. It was as if they'd kissed a million times before. Although Kendra's heart was pounding loud enough she swore he could hear it; her stomach was settled, her breathing, while a little ragged, was fine, and her lips and mouth were not dry like the desert. Reaching behind Kendra, Ian opened the back door, and scooped up the pizza box and the bag full of pop. "Better eat these while they're hot."

He punched his key fob and locked the car while Kendra took the pizza from him. She let him walk ahead to the elevator since her knees were weak, and she watched his rear end as he proceeded to press the call button. She couldn't help it. His eyes were bluer than the ocean, his hair looked softer than a baby's bottom, and his rear end looked tight enough to squeeze. He was utterly delicious; even more so than the pizza.

"You want to use regular dishes or have you got paper plates?" Ian asked as Kendra slipped into the washroom when they reached her apartment. Her bladder was about to explode and she desperately needed to check her hair. With all that wind she was certain her hair was all over the place, and not where it should be.

"There are paper ones in the cupboard above the stove." she shouted from the washroom. Luckily, her hair was fine and she quickly checked her breath, thinking she would be mortified if it wasn't fresh when mere minutes ago Ian kissed her. But it was fine, too.

They sat opposite each other at the small bistro table in her living room and ate in near silence. "So did you grow up here?" Ian asked finally, wiping his face with a paper napkin.

"Yes. My parents still live in my childhood home. It's in a secluded area around High Park." she took a bite of pizza and chewed it. After swallowing, she asked him the same.

"No, we used to live on a farm up North, just outside of Barrie." Ian explained. "When my grandfather died we sold the farm and moved here. I was about twelve years old. I started high school when we moved to Toronto."

"So it was a family farm, then?"

"Yep. We lived in the guest house. Well, it was once a barn, but you would never have known that other than the fact that it was on farmland...and beside another, larger barn." Ian giggled, but his tone was matter-of-fact.

Kendra's eyes glanced downward, towards his leg. He caught the look. "Yep, that's how that happened."

"Did it hurt?"

"I don't remember. I was only about six or seven. That's what happens when you hijack a tractor and try to outrun it."

"Wow. Well, be thankful you weren't hurt way worse...or killed."

He winked, holding up a finger, as if to say 'you've-got-that-right-Pontiac', and then he suddenly leaned forward and gently pulled Kendra's glasses off. He placed them on the table in front of her. She immediately flinched but recovered quickly as he smiled. "Well I know that didn't happen on a farm..." his voice was warm and soft, almost soothing.

She felt naked and vulnerable, but otherwise calm. He must have known all along, and she kind of sensed it. And because he'd revealed his own flaw and appeared to be fine with hers, it felt almost natural and right to share with him her past pain.

"Dog," she managed, looking downward.

He lifted her chin and searched her eyes. "Hey," he whispered. "We've all got scars. Some of us have them on the inside, and some of us have them on the outside. Some of us even have them both inside and out. We're human."

She felt a tear pooling in her right eye. When the tear fell, Ian kissed it. "I don't know what it is about you, Kendra. But you've somehow got a hold on me."

Breathing in a long puff of air, she sighed. "You've had a hold on me since the first time I saw you."

He looked up at her. "But we only met last Friday night."

"Yes, we only met last Friday night. But I saw you the day you moved in and just about every day since then. You just didn't know."

Ian swallowed and kissed her tenderly on the lips. "Well, then I've got some catching up to do."

He was kneeling beside her and he snaked his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, burying her hands in his unbelievably soft hair. When their lips met, it was like fireworks had exploded inside Kendra's veins. Even her toes tingled. His touch was so tender, and he refrained from slobbering his tongue all over the inside of her mouth. Just his lips were enough contact for her to get the message: I like you. She sent him the exact message with her lips. There was no pressure, no expectation, they just enjoyed the moment. When their lips parted, he whispered. "You have the most beautiful blue-green eyes."

Blushing, she smiled at him. "You have irresistible eyes. In fact, there isn't a thing about you that isn't irresistible." she chuckled.

"Gosh," Ian said, "I was about to say the same thing to you." He swept the hair away from the sides of her face and hooked it all behind her ears. "You should never hide your face. It's just too beautiful, Kendra." And he was not being phoney; he didn't have a hidden agenda to get her into bed, she could sense it from the look in his eyes. They looked like dinner plates; enlarged with sincerity. And she believed that it was only Ian who saw her in this light, and probably he was the only one who ever would.

The scar on the side of her face reached from just above her right eyebrow to her cheekbone on the same side. "It's faded over the years." she said, pointing to the blemish. "It happened about six years ago. I was taking a walk by myself one day and this stray dog came out of nowhere. He was calm and docile as he approached, and he had a tag on his collar. I looked around for the owner but there was nobody in sight. Just as I leaned forward to see if there was a number on his tag so I could call the owner, he attacked me. It was a Shepherd-cross of some sort." The tears poured from her face as she described the horror to the only man she'd ever described it to. He wiped the tears away with his finger, but otherwise listened intently.

"Through the blood I could see the owner running towards the dog. I was thrown to the ground and thankfully I was wearing denim pants and a denim jacket with leather gloves, which acted as protection, otherwise he may have eaten me alive." she sniffled, gulping back a sob, "The owner said the dog had never attacked anyone before. The leash had broken free and he got away from his master. The dog was put down the next day."

Ian stroked her hair as she spoke, and he didn't prompt her to say more, but for some reason, she wanted to. "Plastic surgeons could do little for me because of where the scar is. The skin is too tender and thin, and mine unfortunately is naturally transparent. I did have some skin grafting done the first year after the attack, but that's all they can do."

"Kendra, I barely noticed it. The first time I saw it was that night when I drove you and Vickie home." Ian said and she believed him. "You're a very attractive woman and I don't think you should let anyone ever tell you different."

She smiled and he kissed her again. "So, can I see your leg?" she asked, feeling somewhat intrigued.

"You really want to?" he asked; his voice was laced with a tinge of excitement.

"I've never seen one before. It's kind of cool."

He frowned as if to say 'okay then' and lifted his left pant leg. The shoe was completely smooth and new-looking compared to the shoe on his right foot, which was normally worn. There was a short metal bar affixed to what looked like a rounded suction cup running from the platform replacing his foot. "They took it off past the ankle for fear of gangrene." He explained. "I was lucky that it happened when I was really young. Adult amputees sometimes take years to learn how to walk again with a prosthetic."

Bending down she touched the bar. "It's warm."

"That's because the leg stump is covered in a nifty little sock. It's really warm, too warm sometimes during the summer."

"Can you run?" she asked, completely astounded with the technology.

"Yes, but not with this foot. I have a special foot for when I go to the gym."

"Wow, you work out with this?"

He flexed his arm, squeezing his bicep with the opposite hand. "How do you think I keep this feminine figure?"

"I'd hardly call that feminine." she laughed, testing the muscle out with her own hand. "Impressive."

He lifted a brow. "Wanna feel my abs?"

She laughed. "You're enjoying this way too much. So, can you walk without the foot on?"

"Not far. Like to the bathroom during the night, but that's about it. I don't shower with it on, either."

"Is that phantom pain thing you hear about real? Do you sometimes still feel like you have a foot there?"

"I don't now, but I've been told that I might feel it when I get older. It was only amputated at the ankle; some amputees who have their leg separated right up to the knee feel it more. I was lucky."

"You were."

"So, how about we give going out on a date another try?" Ian suggested, changing the subject. He lifted himself back up on the chair and picked up another piece of pizza out of the half-eaten box. "I'm positive there will be no more family drama."

"Sure," then she remembered something, "do you mind doing a double date?"
Chapter 15

Walking into the law office seemed different to Kendra. Somehow she felt lighter. The watercolour pictures on the wall were brighter, the coffee tasted better, she found she had more energy, and best of all, she felt like no matter what happened, it would be a good day. I think this is how Snow White felt after Prince Charming kissed her. Yeah, I know...puke.

Reaching the office a little earlier than usual, Kendra chose to have breakfast at her desk. Lilly had baked a batch of muffins last week and froze them, so she brought two of them with her to have with her coffee. As she perused both the office email and her personal email, she saw a figure approaching from behind the glass door. It was way too early for Catherine's client, and there were no other appointments until the afternoon.

Then the door opened softly and a very morose-looking Cassandra walked in. She tapped the door respectfully, as if asking for permission to enter. "Come in." Kendra said.

"Good morning." Cassandra's expression was unreadable.

"Good morning."

Cassandra cocked her head and seemed to be observing her friend. "There's something different about you." Then her eyes lit up. "Kendra, where are your glasses?"

Kendra couldn't help the smile that permeated across her face. "I left them at home today." She never really needed them anyway, they were never to aid her vision; they were solely there to aid her heart. "I was told recently that I have beautiful eyes and shouldn't try to hide them."

Somehow she'd forgotten about the fight Cassandra and she had had mere days ago. Kendra had been so mad at her, and had been since then, but after last night it seemed like nothing could ever make her angry like that again.

Cassandra folded her arms in front of her chest and mirrored her friend's smile. "Really? And who told you that? Because I've been telling you that for years and you've never listened to me." Her tone was matter-of-fact, but good-natured.

Kendra looked at her and said, deadpan. "Perhaps I should have listened."

They exchanged a look that said 'I'm sorry, I love you, and I didn't mean to say the things I did' all in one. Cassandra took the seat in front of the desk and Kendra handed her the extra muffin. "So do I get to guess who paid you the long overdue compliment, or are you going to tell me?" she asked, pinching a piece off the top of the muffin and popping it into her mouth.

"You get to guess." Kendra teased, rising to get Cassandra a coffee from the carafe in the waiting room.

Cassandra turned and followed Kendra with her eyes. "Was it Ian?"

Turning to face the carafe, Kendra's mouth lifted on one side as she tried in vain to hide the smile. "No, way!" she squeaked. "When?"

"Last night." Kendra answered, pouring her coffee. "He kissed me, too."

"Shut up!" she shouted. "On the mouth?"

Kendra rolled her eyes. "No, my feet, stupid," she laughed, "Where do you think?"

Both girls laughed as Kendra handed her the coffee. "And it wasn't just once, either. We like...made out."

"What?" Cassandra slapped her upper thigh and squealed. "Oh, man! I'm dying! Tell me everything!"

Kendra sat back down and leaned in, as if she was going to tell her a secret. Cassandra did the same, so they were almost nose-to-nose. "His lips are so soft, Cassandra. They're like silk ribbons. He smells so good I could melt every time I'm near him. And his voice, oh Lord, the way he says my name," She looked up at the ceiling, as if she was about to speak to an angel, "Kendra..." she uttered seductively, as though answering a call from one of those after hours one-nine-hundred numbers.

"Oh, wow, Kendra!" Cassandra slapped Kendra on the hand. "I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks." Kendra popped a piece of muffin into her mouth. "So, how's...err..." and she blushed, embarrassed, but unsure if she was embarrassed for herself for forgetting what her friend's last date's name was, or embarrassed for Cassandra because she had so many dates Kendra couldn't keep track.

"Nobody right now." Cassandra lowered her eyes.

"What happened?"

"They're all jerks."

Kendra placed her hand on Cassandra's hand. "No, they're not. There is someone out there for you. I just know it."

Cassandra guffawed. "Great, now you're the romantic." She said good-naturedly, and punched her playfully in the arm. "As if. Hey, you wanna go out on a double-date with me and Ian?"

She looked at Kendra as if she'd just said the stupidest thing. "Did you not just hear what I said? I'm not dating anyone right now."

Kendra cocked her head to the side. "C'mon, you can't find one person in your whole arsenal of dates? That's pretty much the only way you're getting to meet Ian."

A second later the front door opened and they both looked up. It was Desmond. "Well, lookie-here." He teased. "Isn't it a little early for hen-pecking?"

"Good morning to you, too, Desmond." Cassandra said, avoiding eye contact.

"What do you need?" Kendra asked, although her tone wasn't as nice as Cassandra's. She was still mad at him from the previous night.

"How was your date last night?" He probed. Even though he knew he was not going to get an honest answer.

Pasting on an ultra-sweet smile, Kendra answered him. "It was wonderful and thank you for asking."

He seemed rattled. "Oh, so you didn't go all psycho on him, then."

Kendra popped the last piece of muffin into her mouth and grinned, satisfied. "Nope."

Guffawing, he responded. "You're the world's worst liar, Kendra."

Cassandra piped up. "She's not lying. She was just telling me how great of a time she and Ian had. Not that it's any of your business."

"Yeah, right." Desmond snorted.

"How about she proves it to you?" Cassandra said; Kendra looked at her and lifted a brow. Where is she going with this? "Do you want to go on a double date with us?" Cassandra asked.

Desmond's neck craned and Kendra and Desmond both shouted together. "What?"

Cassandra lifted her eyebrows at Kendra. "Well, that's the only way to prove that you're not a psycho, and for us to go on a double date like you suggested."

I didn't think it was that big of a deal. "Ooookay."

"Yeah, isn't that a little twisted?" Desmond asked, addressing Cassandra. "I mean, go out on a date with...you?"

She turned and looked at him down her nose; as though he'd better have something to add to that. Kendra sensed that Desmond knew how ruthless Cassandra could be. Among other incidents, he'd witnessed Cassandra as she tore Kendra a new one in the lunch room recently. "Um...I just mean we've never even spoken outside of work. Isn't that a little bit weird?"

Cassandra frowned. "No weirder than you asking Kendra to be your date at a company picnic when you never had the inclination to do so prior to that."

"Yeah, and look how that turned out." Desmond guffawed, folding his arms on his chest.

Kendra rolled her eyes at him. "Enough, already. It was ages ago. Can you please just get over it?"

Cassandra's patience began to wither. "Look, do you want to go on a date or not?"

He shrugged. "I guess." It felt like he was going to finish that sentence with 'I've got nothing better to do', but he didn't.

"Great. How about tonight at that pub off Yonge Street? Seven?"

He hesitated, but reluctantly answered. "Alright."

Kendra shook her head at the two of them. Of all the hair-brained ideas. "Desmond...before you go...was there something you actually needed, or were you just coming up to look for yet another reason to make my life miserable?"

God, I'm on fire today...

He was shocked. "Err...um...no, nothing. I actually forgot."

Kendra rolled her eyes at him again. "Goodbye, Desmond. Cassandra will email you her cell number."

He walked out calmer than he ever had before.

As soon as the door closed, Kendra rounded on her. "What were you thinking? Why did you do that?"

"Desmond's kinda cute, don't you think?"

Kendra's face twisted like she'd just eaten a lemon. "I think he's my least favourite person, so no!"

"I saw him come in. I left my computer screen on. I bet he came up here looking for me."

"You're delusional."

"I might be. But I also have a date tonight." She winked, rising from the chair. "Gotta go. Meet you in the lunchroom later?"

"Sure."

When she left Kendra breathed a heavy sigh. What have I gotten myself into?

***

Kendra called Ian to tell him about their double date tonight and he laughed, thinking it was a joke. When she told him she was serious, he asked just how crazy her best friend was.

"She's a little loony, but she has a big heart. Do you mind?"

"I suppose not." He cleared his throat. "But can we hang with them for a bit and then go somewhere else?" Kendra could almost hear him cringe, "No offence, but, this is kind of our first official date. And I'm a sentimental guy."

She chuckled. "No problem."

"So is this that Desmond guy that was in your office? The 'jerk' as you called him?"

"Yes." She answered, knowing what was coming.

"Does Cassandra know he's not cool?"

"I think that's the point." She admitted. "She likes a challenge."

"Ah,"

"If it's too weird I can call it off. Honest." Kendra crossed her fingers. She was kind of torn; the last thing she wanted was to set Cassandra off again, and this would likely instigate that, but then again she also didn't want to start a relationship like this, either. "I don't want you thinking the wrong thing of me or my friend."

"Give me some credit," Ian said good-naturedly, "remember, I've had females around me all my life."

"That's fair. So, is this okay? I promise I'll make it up to you; how about dinner at my place on Friday night?" She hated to beg, but felt like she didn't have a choice.

"Yeah, it's fine. But...perhaps you can make it up to me in another way."

She was almost afraid to ask, "How's that?"

"Let's just say my Aunt Mary has a big mouth."

"Uh oh..." Kendra chuckled.

"There's a big family dinner at my Aunt Mary's house on Friday night. Everyone's invited...including you."

Whenever Kendra had pictured going to dinner at a guy's house, she always thought that she would be so anxious she would throw up, but for some reason, Kendra found herself completely thrilled. "That sounds great. Can I bring anything?"

"No, err...actually, bring flowers. We'll bring flowers." Ian corrected.

Glancing at her watch, Kendra realized that Catherine was due in any time and she still had to finish something for her. "Listen, Ian, I've gotta get back to work. Can we talk at lunch?"

"That's okay. Yeah, actually, I've got a business meeting at lunch, so I'll catch up with you later. Can I pick you up at six?"

"I'll text you when I get home."

"Bye, sweetie." Ian said, and her face split into an ear-to-ear grin.

"Bye..." She answered, searching for something endearing to call him, but she couldn't think of anything, and instead just hung up. God, what an idiot!

***

Cassandra was in the lunch room before Kendra, but she was sitting with another legal assistant and two other girls who Kendra believed were temps, so she didn't interrupt. "Kendra, come on over and join us."

Kendra was somewhat disappointed because she wanted to get caught up with Cassandra before their double date tonight, but the temps were really chatty and they ended up having to cut their lunches short so they could talk for a minute before heading back to work. "Is Ms. Briggs in?" Cassandra asked under her breath, "Can I come up and talk to you for a minute?"

Kendra scrunched her nose, "Yeah, she's in and in major work mode, so I wouldn't suggest us being up there gossiping or anything."

"Good idea," Cassandra agreed. "Can I slip by your place tonight? I have to tell you something I didn't get to tell you this morning."

"Can you tell me now?"

She shook her head. "No, this is a glass of wine and phones on silent mode kinda thing."

Oh geez, "Is everything okay?" The drama never ended with that girl.

"I think so," she shook her hand in front of her, "Nothing serious like me being sick or anybody dying in a horrific crash or anything, but it definitely warrants a conversation."

Now Kendra's curiosity was piqued. "I'm not sure what time I'm going to get home and Ian's picking me up at six, so we won't have much time. How about tomorrow at lunch? We'll go out?"

She nodded. "Okay. It'll have to wait until then I suppose."
Chapter 16

"Wow," is all Ian said when Kendra opened the door. He scanned her up and down, but she noticed he concentrated the most on her eyes. "You look incredible."

She chose a frilly, chiffon-like red blouse that was open in the neck just enough to frame a simple crystal drop pendant. Her dress pants were cream and elegantly flared at the bottom; but the most impressive, and what caught Ian's attention first, was her hair and make-up. Kendra's damp hair was tied up in a bun all day, and as she let it out, soft waves formed as her hair pooled down her shoulders. A light dab of red lip gloss and a hint of eyeliner and mascara finished her look. Ian was stunned. "I could stare at you all night."

A light scent of musk wafted from Ian's face; he was wearing delicious aftershave. Kendra could tell that he had just showered because his damp curls were falling sexily over his ears, neck and slightly down his forehead. He'd chosen a white linen button-down shirt and fitted black jeans. Kendra had to close her mouth; she could feel a line of spittle inching its way down her tongue...oh my God, I'm drooling!

He lightly brushed a tendril of hair from her face and gently leaned down. Their faces were so close she could feel his breath on her cheek. He planted a soft kiss on her mouth and slowly backed away. Lip gloss residue remained on his skin and it looked so damn hot, Kendra thought. She had to stop herself from straddling him right there in the doorway. A montage of all the sexy movies she'd watched ran through her memory and none of them involved her standing there with her mouth half-open, gawking at the beautiful man before her. But she knew she had to restrain herself...why, exactly?

"We better go," Ian suggested, but she could tell by his seeming inability to move that he really didn't want to leave. Their bodies were still touching; they could easily kiss again, but then Ian's cell phone rang. He leaned his forehead against hers, as if in surrender. "Why now?" he whispered.

"You better get it. It could be Vickie."

He fished the phone out of his back pocket and mouthed 'Ray' before answering. "Hey, Ray. I'm just with Kendra; what's up?"

A big smile formed across his mouth, and Kendra could only guess what Ray was saying. "That's great news, man. Congratulations."

He paused and listened to what else Ray had to say, and then he spoke again. "Sure, that sounds good. Listen, we're just heading out, can I give you a shout tomorrow and we'll arrange everything?"

Ian ended the call and snaked his arms around Kendra's waist. They were nose to nose and he kissed her softly before saying. "You might have guessed, but Ray and Linda got the house." Another kiss, "They want us to come over and celebrate this weekend."

Oh, so we're an 'us' now? How thrilling! Kendra didn't know if her ear-to-ear grin was because she was so happy for Linda and Ray, or because Ian had titled them as a 'couple'. "That sounds great."

He kissed her once more, letting his contact linger slightly longer. Kendra's heart started to pound and she could feel herself wanting more in a way that she'd never felt before, but she restrained herself. "We should really go. I don't know how much I trust Desmond. Cassandra may be a spitfire but she's also really sensitive, and as you've witnessed...the guy can be a real treat."

Ian picked up on the sarcasm and loosened his grip on her waist. After she locked the door he grabbed her hand as he pressed the button for the elevator. As he stroked the inside of her palm, Kendra's body flushed with tingles. If we weren't headed into the elevator; a place where we can be caught, I'd be canoodling with him like nobody's business. But her self-control took over once again and she simply walked inside and waited—like the well-groomed lady that she was—to reach the underground parking.

They held hands during the entire ride to the restaurant. Just as Ian turned off the engine, before sliding out of the driver's seat, he leaned over and planted yet another yummy kiss on her lips. Kendra had forgotten all about her lip gloss by that point. She was flushed as they entered the pub, and she saw Cassandra and Desmond sitting at the bar, waiting for them.

Strangely, it looked like they were involved in a serious conversation. It almost felt like they were intruding when Kendra and Ian approached. Judging by her empty glass of wine spritzer, Kendra guessed that Cassandra and Desmond had been there a while. "Hey, did you drive here?"

Looking at Desmond with an odd expression that Kendra had never seen on Cassandra before, she answered. "Desmond picked me up."

Trying to stifle the shock, Kendra glanced at Ian. "Shall we get a table?"

Kendra was dying to take Cassandra to the side and ask her what was going on, but as Ian approached with a hostess, it looked like there wasn't time unless Kendra suggested a trip to the ladies' room. They were seated at a table and ordered drinks, and that was when Kendra seized the opportunity. "I'm going to powder my nose. Do you care to join me?" She asked Cassandra.

"Sure," she said, pulling at the leather strap on her purse. Cassandra draped it over her arm and followed Kendra around the corner into the door marked with the silhouette of a lady's head.

They didn't even close the door and Kendra rounded on Cassandra. "What are you doing? Are you hitting on Desmond?"

"No!" she hissed, pulling a tube of lipstick out of her purse. "We were talking about some serious stuff out there. This guy has had it rough, Kendra. Really...there's a reason why he acts the way he does. You have no idea." She explained matter-of-factly as she painted a layer of reddish-brown across her lips.

Kendra considered this for a moment, and then she folded her arms across her chest. "And you believe him? This is the same guy who's called your best friend a 'psycho' for the past year, and goes out of his way to get under my skin and yours. Have you ever considered the fact that maybe he's pulling your leg? Perhaps this is how he's going to get you into bed? Guys...especially jerks like Desmond...pull that kind of crap all the time."

Pausing, Cassandra placed the cap back on her lipstick, and shrugged. "I think he's telling the truth. But maybe you're right. I guess the only way to tell is to get to know him better."

"And to not sleep with him." Kendra added. "Remember what happened when I refused him? Let's see if he pays you the same disrespect."

"True."

"Did you really need to use the washroom?"

Cassandra giggled. "No, you?"

"No. But we better get back there. If Desmond's veil of 'nice' comes down anytime soon, we could be heading back to a fist fight. Desmond hasn't exactly earned a spot on Ian's good side yet."

"After you." Cassandra said.

Luckily, when they reached the table, the guys seemed to be enthralled in a conversation about sports. And then their drinks arrived. A frisson of relief passed through Kendra as she took her seat next to Ian. He immediately grasped her hand into his. So he's a hand holder and a kisser...wow.

They chatted a little bit about work and Ian mentioned a few things about his pending promotion, so they all congratulated him with a toast. As dinner was served they all ate in utter silence because the food was so delicious. Once their plates were empty they engaged in light conversation about family, and Desmond seemed to shrink in his seat. They all had nice things to say about their loved ones, but Kendra noticed that Desmond became twitchy at the mere mention of fathers and mothers. I wonder if he's orphaned. Maybe Cassandra is right...

Sensing his discomfort Kendra tried to change the subject, although she couldn't help but keep one eye on her co-worker. His personality seemed to have shifted. He hadn't had one snide comment or one snarky remark...nothing. He even complimented Kendra on her appearance sans glasses. Is he just putting on a show? Perhaps he feels guilty for being such an ass around me and Cassandra for so long. Maybe our being out together after hours is having a positive effect on him.

"So, Desmond," Ian said, after taking a sip of 7Up. "Are you a legal assistant too?"

"Yeah, just like the girls. I'm taking my bar exam probably next year."

"Really?" Ian asked, but it was more of a 'wow, that's cool'.

"That's awesome, Desmond." Kendra said, "I'm much further behind than you." she supplied.

"That goes double for me." Cassandra snorted.

Somehow Desmond was deflated. "Yeah, well. It isn't all it's cracked up to be." He commented as he straightened his tie that Kendra noticed didn't need straightening.

"What do you mean? Do the courses get really hard?" Kendra probed.

"No, nothing like that." He explained. "It's not really what I want to do is all. It's a lot harder to study and stuff when your heart's not in it."

"Why are you doing it then?" Ian asked. "Did you lose a bet or something?" he joked good-naturedly.

"I wish." Desmond's expression softened slightly. "My dad. He's a real ball-buster if you'll pardon the expression," he said, addressing Kendra and Cassandra. Kendra had to blink twice. Desmond is actually being a gentleman? He continued. "He threatened to take me out of the will if I don't go through law school and pass the bar."

Ian's face scrunched. "Why?"

"Seeing as my father's a doctor and I fainted the first time I fell and scraped my knee, he told me I had to become a lawyer. In my family we're all doctors, lawyers, or in Parliament. Since I hate politics, being a lawyer is all that's left."

"So what if you're not in your father's will." Kendra said.

"It's not about the money." Desmond explained. "I'd be a black sheep in the family. It's just the way we are."

"Are there any other 'black sheep' in your family?" Cassandra asked.

Desmond snickered. "Nobody else has been dumb enough so far in my lifetime. But I've heard the stories." His tone was warning.

"It's not dumb." Kendra interjected. "You can't put a price on happiness. If being a lawyer makes you miserable then you shouldn't do it."

"You wouldn't understand."

Perhaps not. But Kendra didn't respond because the dessert menus were being delivered by the waitress. Ian looked at Kendra and cocked his head sideways. She knew he wanted to take the opportunity to leave so she nodded assent. "Hey, do you guys mind if we head out? Kendra and I have something to do tonight." Ian said.

And Kendra caught the look the second it came from Cassandra. Her eyes lit up as she wiggled her eyebrows, and Kendra knew what she was thinking...that they were going to have sex...but Kendra was not like Cassandra. Kendra's eyes widened at her and Cassandra smiled so Kendra knew she was joking.

"Sure, man. Thanks for coming." Desmond said, rising from his chair. Ian was about to pull his wallet out of his pocket but Desmond held his hand up. "It's on me, guys."

Shocked, Kendra and Ian thanked Desmond, and then they walked out of the restaurant.

As soon as the door closed, Ian snaked his arms around Kendra, pulling her close, and he kissed her deeper than he'd ever kissed her before, as they slowly walked down the path leading to the parking lot. His mouth opened and their tongues met briefly as her heart beat violently inside her chest. They stopped walking and Kendra had to put her arms around his neck, partly because her knees had almost given out, but also because she suddenly felt the urge to grasp all of his sexy curls. Kendra never knew kissing could be so delicious, and she never knew she could feel so insatiable. The moment their lips touched it was as if she couldn't live another moment without kissing him. Like his touch was as necessary to her as air.

They parted, breathless. Suddenly Kendra had forgotten all about Desmond, Cassandra, Ian's leg and her scar, and all that mattered in the world was him.

"Sorry for ravaging you like that," he panted. "I don't know...I just couldn't wait to touch you again. It felt like it had been weeks."

Kendra giggled. "No need to apologize. However, we should probably get out of here. We're drawing an audience."

He blushed as two older couples walked past them to go inside the restaurant. Kendra took his hand and they went to the car. Every stoplight was another opportunity for them to kiss, but Ian kept them gentle and soft, not nearly as hungry as the one outside the restaurant. And as they approached Calamity Place, Ian looked at Kendra. "I'll try my best to be a gentleman, Kendra. But if you invite me to your apartment the way you look tonight, I can't make any promises." He said sincerely.

Every cell in her body wanted to be with him. And every inch of her skin craved his touch, but she knew that if they slept together tonight, that it may change everything, and she didn't know if they were ready for that. Kendra's instincts told her that it was much too early to be as intimate as they wanted to be with each other. "So, why don't we go to your place?" she suggested. "Perhaps I can help you clean it." she added, giggling.

He playfully punched her in the arm and then exited the car. The grin on Kendra's face told him that she knew what he was thinking as he let her out of the passenger side door. "That's enough hanky-panky for now, Mr. Wilkinson." she warned gently, fending him off as he came toward her for another kiss.

"Ah, shucks." he snorted.

Being true to her word, Kendra helped him tidy his living room, so at the very least, they could watch a movie together. As they snuggled on the couch, Ian's behaviour remained strictly PG rated, as was the movie, and strangely enough, they ended up falling asleep. When Kendra awoke at around three o'clock in the morning, Ian was slumbering soundly with his arm still around her shoulder and his head leaning on the raised arm rest on his side of the couch. Pulling herself up off his body, Kendra tried not to wake him, and she removed herself from his grasp. He didn't flinch. Gathering her shoes and purse, Kendra quietly left his apartment, scrawling a little thank you message on a Post-It note and sticking it on the door so he would see it.

"This should be fun." Kendra said to herself. "I can tell Cassandra that we actually did sleep together."
Chapter 17

Looking through her closet Kendra picked out a conservative outfit. A pair of black linen pants with a chunky red cowl neck sweater was her final choice. She clipped her hair up, leaving selected tendrils to fall down the sides of her face, and she straightened her bangs so they were off to the side. Finishing off with a light layer of coral lip gloss and a swipe of black mascara she was all ready for dinner at Ian's Aunt Mary's house.

Sitting on the couch and watching television, she waited for Ian to come and pick her up. They opted to drive over instead of walking, because they hoped to catch a movie afterward. Butterflies fluttered about in Kendra's stomach as she anticipated going to meet Ian's family for the first time. She was almost thankful when her phone rang, since she needed a distraction from obsessing.

"Kendra," Cassandra greeted. "Am I catching you at a bad time?"

"Not really. I'm just waiting for Ian to pick me up. How did it go with Desmond after we left last night? I didn't get a chance to talk to you today."

"I know," Cassandra sighed, "I was swamped all day. Things went well. But more importantly, how did things go with Ian after you guys left?"

Kendra contemplated whether or not she should tell Cassandra about the heated kiss outside the restaurant, or if she should just jump in and tease her. She opted for the latter, "We slept together." she said, trying not to giggle.

"Shut up! You did not. I know you're lying." Cassandra said bluntly. "I know you too well. If you'd slept with him I would have known by now. And you wouldn't be telling me over the phone, either."

"Okay, well, we didn't sleep together the way you think I mean. But we did actually sleep. Just during a movie...on his couch." she admitted.

"Ah-ha!"

"Oh, shut up." Kendra muttered, "So did you make the beast with two backs with Desmond?" she jibed.

"Of course not." Cassandra chided. "But I do like him."

"How much?"

Cassandra took in a deep breath, "I don't know. It isn't that simple."

Wow, this isn't like Cassandra at all. Usually dating involves little to no thought at all. "What's up?"

"I really need to talk to you in person, Kendra. Are you busy later?"

Suddenly Kendra was overwrought with guilt. That's one thing I'll give Cassandra credit for. I've always come first over any guy...well, except Christopher, of course. But then his needs are a high priority for me, too. "Kind of. I'm going to Ian's Aunt's house for dinner and then we're probably going to a movie. Do you want me to ditch the movie and meet up with you instead?"

"I don't really want you to give up spending time with Ian for me. Do you have some time to talk now? I really don't want to do this over the phone, but I'll take what I can get."

"I'm really sorry, but Ian should be down any second." Kendra bit her nail. "How about you meet me at my place for eight? I'll skip the movie. Have you got a sitter for Christopher?"

"Yeah, do you mind? I really need to talk to you."

"Of course not." Kendra confirmed. "I'll see you later." She said as she heard a knock at the door. "I've gotta go."

Kendra hung up with Cassandra and got up to answer the door, dipping her head into the bathroom to quickly check her appearance. She glanced at the scar in all its glory and paused. Is Ian really okay with this? Maybe I should wear my glasses tonight so I don't scare off his family. Then she chided herself...don't do this...not now, Kendra.

When she opened the door, Ian's face lit up. "Hi, you." He beamed.

"Hi yourself," she said, leaning into him.

"I saw your little note...very cute." He said, kissing her chastely on the lips. "Can I ask you something?"

Suddenly she was nervous and her smile slipped a notch. He caught the change in her expression. "It's nothing bad." He said as he kissed her again. "It's just...I'm not sure how you want me to introduce you to my family." He snaked his arms around her waist. "Do you want me to say you're my friend...or my girlfriend?" The way he looked at her when he said 'girlfriend' made her heart skip a beat. Kendra's face warmed and she couldn't help the gushy smile that erupted on her face.

"What do you want to introduce me as?" she teased, tracing her finger down his chest. "I'm not anybody else's girlfriend." Nor have I ever been, but I'll leave that part out. "I don't honestly think we're friends...for one simple reason."

"What's that?" he asked, cocking his head to the side in the cutest imaginable way. Kendra wanted to pinch his cheeks and kiss him all over.

"This," she said, kissing him very deeply, surprising herself. Their tongues touched briefly as her mouth opened with his. She heard a small yet electrifying groan come from his throat, and he pulled her closer. When their lips parted, his eyes opened and Kendra noticed that they'd deepened in colour.

"Well, I have to agree with you there." He commented. His voice was hoarse. "So you're my girlfriend." He said, as if testing the words on his tongue.

"Are you okay with that?" she asked, searching his eyes. She felt a twinge of nerves.

His eyes lingered to her lips and he enveloped her mouth with his, dipping his tongue in and out of her mouth. It was so soft yet needy, and Kendra couldn't help but run her fingers through his soft, curly hair. He smelled so good; lightly musky from his after shave, and his face was so smooth she wanted to kiss all of it.

As his hands found their way to the top of her buttocks, Kendra wanted so badly for him to squeeze both cheeks, but he maintained control, and simply rubbed the lower part of her back, but somehow that was even more of a turn-on than if he touched her behind. Her fingers weaved in and out of his hair as they stood in the doorway, making out like high school kids. Kendra couldn't even remember if she closed the door behind him, but she didn't really care. Ian was kissing her in a way that she'd never been kissed before.

After several minutes she could feel her lips begin to swell, and she could feel his hands roaming up the inside of her sweater. His hardness was pressing into her thigh and she could feel his heart beating fast against hers. It took all the restraint she had, but she managed to pull away from him. "We better stop." she panted.

He bit his lower lip. His voice was husky with need. "Why?"

Touching the tip of his nose Kendra smirked. "Because if we don't, you're not going to be able to walk...or sit."

Embarrassed, he looked away, but then he turned and hugged her tenderly. "I suppose you're right. But does that answer your question?"

"What question?"

He pulled back so they were face to face. "You asked if I was okay with me calling you my girlfriend."

She'd forgotten, like an idiot. "Oh," she smirked. Now I'm embarrassed. "Yes, that answers my question...rather clearly." She checked her watch. "We better get going."

His hands slipped away from her and he was about to turn away, but then he came back to face her. "One more thing." He arms reached around her again. "I hate to ask you this. But...do you mind if I go hang out with Ray after we're done at my Aunt's? He wants me to check out the drawings for his new house before the home inspection tomorrow."

Relief flooded through her. "Sure, actually, I was about to ask you the same thing. Cassandra wants to talk to me about something. I told her to meet me here at eight, so that works out fine."

His face was pained. "I'd really rather be with you. I can't seem to stay away from you for more than a couple of hours. I missed you so much today."

Caressing his face with her hand, Kendra kissed him on the nose. "You're just about the sweetest man I've ever met."

That comment was rewarded with a body-enveloping hug that was so tender and warm that it almost made her want to cry. At that moment, Kendra didn't think she'd ever been this happy. Those three special words clung to her tongue, but she held back. As much as she desired to tell him how she felt about him, she thought it was too early, and the last thing she wanted to do was scare him off. Besides, she wasn't sure how he felt about her, other than that he wanted to call her his girlfriend.

"I feel the same way. It took everything in my power to leave you last night. But I knew it was the right thing to do."

Ian drew in a deep breath and pressed his forehead against hers. They were nose to nose and he was rocking them from side to side in a soft, swaying motion. It was like they were dancing. It was like he was trying to telepathically tell her something, and she could almost sense his message. Slowly, she rubbed the hairline around his neck with her finger, and his eyes closed. I love it how he responds to my touch in such a subtle way.

"It was the right thing to do." He said, after a beat. "I don't want to mess up what we have, Kendra. This is the best thing that's ever happened to me."

She was almost shocked that he said that. It was strange how they had only truly known each other for about a week, but it felt like they had been together forever; like they were once lovers in a past life or something. Okay, back to reality, Kendra!

"This is the best thing that's ever happened, to me, too." There, that sounds more human. "We should really get going. I don't want your family to accuse us of canoodling or anything; I'll just die." she giggled

He guffawed. "Oh, dear. You're in for a surprise."

"You're joking, right?" she said, placing a hand over her chest. "They wouldn't actually say something like that, would they?"

Ian scrunched his eyes and said unconvincingly. "Err...no." he waved. "Well...not at first."

"Great."

***

They arrived at Aunt Mary's house, and it was like a wall of Wilkinsons greeting them at the door. They could barely get in the house before they were taking their coats and offering them hugs hello. Kendra was introduced to so many people at once there was no hope that she would ever remember a single name. Finally, when the family strayed apart and gave them some breathing space, Kendra was formally introduced to Ian's parents.

Ian was a spitting image of his mother, Greta. He had her dark, curly hair; only she wore it long. The blanket of long hair pooled around her shoulders in waves and Kendra couldn't help but think just how beautiful a little daughter Ian would make. His father, Charles, was where Ian got his low, seductive and charming voice. Charles kissed Kendra quickly on the cheek and offered her a drink.

When his father left, Greta followed her husband to the kitchen, but she winked at her son as they left the room. His siblings had also been graced with dark, curly hair, except for his youngest brother, Leonard, who had Charles' straight, copper-coloured locks.

The foyer was a long hallway that led right into the large dining room, with the kitchen to the left. To the right was a smaller hallway that led to a bank of what Kendra assumed was bedrooms. The house was massive. The living room alone could probably house about thirty people without anyone touching shoulders. Aunt Mary was in the dining room arranging loads of platters and dishes. Vickie was beside her, but Kendra saw Ryan off to the side with some of Vickie's siblings.

The dining table was akin to something stolen from the Royal Family. It looked like it could house all of Jesus' disciples or a football team. But since the chairs were haphazardly placed and being used as extra seating, Kendra guessed most meals in that house were done buffet-style. The food aroma immediately made Kendra's stomach growl and she was thankful there was so much of a din of conversation in the room, that there was no way anyone could possibly hear her stomach.

Ian took Kendra's hand. "Do you want to have a seat?" he gestured to the sofa and love seat by the fireplace on the other side of the wall.

"Sure."

As they sat, Vickie came to join them on the couch. "How are you feeling?" Kendra asked.

"Oh, I'm fine now. Man, that was scary, though." She admitted, placing a hand on her chest. Then she leaned in. "I hope you don't feel awkward, but tonight is when I'm going to announce that I'm having a baby."

Kendra's face brightened. "Not at all. I'm so glad you're doing that. It's important." She said, placing her hand on Vickie's. "Did everything go okay with Ryan?"

As Kendra spoke to Vickie, Ian was rubbing Kendra's back, and it was sending tingles through her body, making it difficult to concentrate on what she was saying.

"Oh, yeah, he's fine. We talked everything through, and he's really happy about the baby."

Kendra sensed she was holding something back because of the lack of eye contact. Her eyes were focused on a spot on the couch cushion, and she was careful to keep her voice down and not look in Ryan's direction. Kendra glanced over and saw that Ryan was deep in conversation with a girl who resembled Vickie, but Kendra estimated the girl was a couple of years older. "That's my older sister Patricia. She and Ryan are pretty good friends."

Kendra nodded. "Well, it'll all work out." Will it? Her expression was tinged with apprehension. She wanted to ask if she was okay, but another girl came over to chat. She looked more like Ian but she was definitely younger, judging by her concert t-shirt and strand of pink hair peeking through her otherwise crimson locks.

"Hey, Ian." She said, ignoring Kendra. "Can I talk to you for a sec?"

Ian grunted as he rose. "This is my little sister Melanie. She's the rude one in the family." He said matter-of-factly. Melanie rolled her eyes and pulled him to the hallway leading to the bedrooms.

"She's tough on the outside but a teddy bear on the inside." Vickie explained. "Trust me. It takes her a while to warm up to outsiders. She still can't stand Ryan."

"That's comforting." Kendra said as Greta approached and handed her a glass of 7Up.

"Where's Ian?" Greta asked, looking around for her son.

Vickie nodded toward the hallway, where Ian and Melanie were no longer visible. "She's got some dirt for him, I guess."

"Shall I go rescue him?" Greta offered.

"Give them a few minutes, Aunt Greta. It'll be fine." Vickie said. Then she turned to Kendra. "So, here's a bit of background. Melanie and Gwen are the babies on Ian's side. Melanie's the trouble-maker and Gwen's the no-show." She looked around. "Gwen isn't here and usually isn't unless it's her birthday or Christmas."

"Okay,"

"Melanie and Ian are always at each other's throats, so I usually give them only a minute or two alone, because Mel ends up running from the room bellowing something obscene." Greta supplied.

"And Gwen, the older one, runs off at the mouth to Ian whenever Mel gets home and tells her what happened."

"Poor Ian." Kendra smiled.

Greta waved. "He's used to it. He means well."

Aunt Mary suddenly shouted over the din in the room that dinner was ready and everyone could take up their plates and sit wherever they were comfortable. Kendra felt strange going to get food without Ian, but Vickie dragged her up to go with her. Kendra was a little worried because Ian and Melanie hadn't reappeared, but she tried to pretend that she was fine.

Quickly grabbing a plate with roast beef and gravy, a large dollop of mashed potatoes, and a dinner roll, Kendra found her way back to the couch and sat, feeling ostracized since nobody was sitting with her. All the Wilkinsons were chatting amongst themselves, and she couldn't help but wonder if she would ever fit in. Kendra came from a very small family; while close-knit, they did not get together as one unit very often, and they didn't have any cute little quirks like this family.

As Kendra slowly spooned the delicious food into her mouth, she watched everyone around her helping themselves to the food, and conversing, and suddenly the hairs on her arms stood up as Ian came storming out of the hallway with Melanie in his wake. The room was instantly quiet. You could have heard a pin drop.

"Ian! You can't just abandon her!" Melanie screamed as her arms flailed about.

His face was red with anger. She'd never seen him like that, nor had she dreamed he would ever look so angry. As his chest rose and fell, he turned on his heel and stalked back over to Melanie, who remained at the mouth of the hallway.

"I've had enough of you and your lies, Melanie! I told you it was impossible and I meant it!" he hissed at her. His back was to Kendra, but she could see him pointing his finger at her.

What? What's impossible? Who is he abandoning? Kendra's heart began to pound. What the hell is going on?

Melanie's hands went to her waist. "Really? Is that what you tell the girls that you date? That it's impossible?!" she seethed.

Kendra dropped her fork on her plate and it sounded like a boulder had just fallen on the floor. All eyes were on Kendra, including Ian's. It was like he'd forgotten about her and just now he'd remembered her being present. He looked at her and his face softened. Kendra watched him lick his lips and turned back to Melanie.

Ian shook his head, looking at the floor. "You're unbelievable, you know that? Why? Why do you have to do this every time, huh?"

"Don't make this out to be my fault." Melanie's tone was deadpan. "You're the one who got her in trouble."

Kendra suddenly felt faint. Rising, she put her plate on the empty seat beside her and walked towards the door while everybody watched. If she ever had the option to choose what moment she could die, this would be that moment. Had there been a hole in the ground she would have gladly jumped inside so she could get away from this mess faster.

"Kendra," Ian called after her. But she left, without her jacket, and went home.

***

The walk home was freezing, she admitted to herself. Although with the pace she kept until she reached Calamity Place, her armpits were actually wet with sweat. Kendra had expected Ian to come after her, but he didn't. Judging by the way things were left at his Aunt Mary's house, she could only imagine the explaining he had to do. No tears were shed until she reached home and stood in the exact spot that Ian and she had been standing in only a short time ago, making out like teenagers.

Then it hit her, and the tears didn't stop until she had the sense to call Cassandra and tell her to come over, to not wait until eight o'clock, since she was home already. That was the tip-off. Cassandra knew something was wrong and like the great friend that she was, she brought a bottle of wine with her. When Kendra heard the door lock disengage about twenty minutes later, she saw her walk in and remove her shoes.

Leaning up against the wall, Cassandra simply cocked her head, holding the large wine bottle in her hand and asked. "So, who goes first, you or me?"
Chapter 18

Cassandra saw the redness in Kendra's eyes and shook her head. "It looks like you need this as much as I do. I'll get the wine glasses and we'll get a shot or two in before getting down to business. Sound good?"

Kendra looked at her and nodded, wiping away another tear. "Glasses are in the top cupboard by the sink."

"Yeah, like I don't know where your arsenal is."

That got a laugh. God, I love Cassandra. "What about your arsenal? Your entire kitchen is equipped solely with sippy cups and wine glasses; there is no in between."

"That's the way I like it." she stated firmly, walking into the living room with two goblets laced between her fingers, looking like a pro-bartender in her prime. Pouring the wine and taking the seat beside Kendra on the couch, Cassandra wiped her brow and breathed a heavy sigh. "Okay, since it looks like your wounds are still pretty fresh, how about I go first...fair?"

Kendra took a sip, which Cassandra took as assent.

Gulping down the first portion of her wine, Cassandra swallowed and smacked her lips. "You remember Luke?"

Luke, Christopher's biological father, left Cassandra following Christopher's birth after having a one night stand nine months prior. He stuck around during the pregnancy, but it seemed that once the baby came, he was quickly out of the picture. As far as Kendra knew, Cassandra had never heard from him since.

"Yeah, I remember Luke."

"I never told you, but I had it pretty bad for him."

"I can imagine. It's not unheard of to form a close bond with the one you make a baby with." Kendra said conversationally.

"No, I mean, before I got pregnant. I knew him."

Kendra's neck craned back. "You knew him before the night at the bar? Why didn't you ever tell me?"

Hooking a foot under her body, Cassandra shifted her weight. "No offence, Kendra, but with my track record for men compared to yours, sometimes I'm afraid you're going to judge me. The last thing I would ever want is for you to think of me as some kind of a whore."

Cassandra and Kendra just had a fight about this last week. They were very different people and sometimes their lifestyles clashed. "I'm having a deja-vous. Didn't you just come out and judge me last week? Because I don't date enough?" Kendra argued, "I've never heard anything so ridiculous. Why would you think I would judge you for knowing Luke? I'm aware that we lead different lives."

"I know, I know." Cassandra agreed, lifting her arms up, parallel to the floor in a 'calm down' motion. "I met him at a bar but we didn't sleep together until about a month later when we met up again. We talked on and off and we even went out for dinner together a couple of times. The reason I didn't tell you is because I was seeing another guy too."

Kendra lifted a brow. "Do you know that Luke is definitely Christopher's father?"

Cassandra rolled her eyes. "Of course. I never slept with the other guy, we just dated."

Kendra folded her arms on her chest. "So what about Luke?"

"Well, it's kind of a long story." Cassandra looked down and pressed her lips together. "He didn't just disappear when Christopher was born. I just wanted everyone to think that so they would hate him like I did, for leaving."

Kendra waited. Cassandra bit her lip and took another sip of wine. Kendra began to wonder if by the time it was her turn to spill the beans about what was on her mind, if Cassandra would be in any condition to listen.

"Luke was in training to become a police officer. That's one of the things that drew me to him. I always wanted to date a cop, you know? I mean...how sexy is that?"

Kendra gave her a 'get to the point' look and she sighed.

"So, he applied to Toronto Police Headquarters and didn't get in. They told him to apply again in a year. He did, however, in the meantime, he got hired in Brandon, Manitoba." She slowly made eye contact with Kendra, whose eyes were wide with shock.

"And that's the real reason he left? Because he got a job out in Manitoba?"

Cassandra nodded. "Yep,"

A 'v' formed between Kendra's eyes. "Am I missing something? Why is this a problem now?"

Pulling her legs out from under her, Cassandra tipped her head back and emptied her wine glass. "He applied to Toronto again a couple of months ago and got hired. He's coming back, and he wants to be a part of Christopher's life."

Kendra rolled her hand around in the air, prompting her to continue. "And? What's the problem?"

"Well, I don't know if I want to get my heart broken like that again. Plus, what if he breaks Christopher's heart, too? He hasn't seen his son much since he was born. How do I know he's for real or just doing this out of guilt?"

"Christopher is still really little, Cassandra. He won't remember what happened way back then. And Luke didn't have to tell you he was coming back, but he did, and from what you just told me, it sounds like he's not a bad guy to have around."

Kendra began to wonder how much communication Cassandra had actually had with Luke. But she didn't press.

Watching as Cassandra refilled her wine glass, Kendra waited for her friend to respond. Kendra could guess that she was considering her comment because Cassandra had this intense look on her face that she was familiar with. Finally, after taking another sip and offering Kendra a refill of her half-empty glass, Cassandra continued. "I don't know, Kendra. He's been gone for over three years. What if he's changed? What if he isn't that 'Knight in Shining Armour' type anymore?"

Kendra guffawed. "How much communication have you had with him? You just said yourself that he hasn't seen Luke in three years. Is that a lie, too?"

"He was in town a couple of times." She admitted. "But I knew he was going back so I only let him see Luke while we went out to dinner. I never let him come to the house, and I never let him be alone with Christopher."

"Jesus, Cassandra! Why the hell have you kept this all from me?" Kendra shouted, startling herself. "I thought I was your best friend! Why did you think I wouldn't understand?!"

"I'm sorry...I'm sorry...you're right." She pleaded. "I should have told you. But then if I told you he was coming you would find out the truth, and I didn't want to have to tell you I lied to you—"

Kendra cut her off, unable to hold back the rage. "Until it was absolutely necessary, right?!" she yelled, placing her wine glass on the table. The liquid swished around from the force, and she rose, raising her arms in the air. "So you lied to cover up all your other lies?! What the hell is the matter with you?!"

Cassandra was silent. She let her friend vent her anger. "So you didn't have a one night stand? Why wouldn't you tell me that? I would rather you have had a relationship, no matter how brief, than a one night stand! And then the guy gets a job out of province and you tell me he simply left for no reason? And now he's been back a couple of times to honourably see his son, and you don't even tell me that? Why, Cassandra, why?"

Cassandra spoke so mutely Kendra couldn't hear her the first time. "What?" she demanded, standing a few feet away.

"I said I don't know." She said slightly louder. "I think..."

Kendra tried to calm herself. It was clear that Cassandra was trying to articulate something difficult, and Kendra was very interested to hear what it was. Sitting back down on the couch, Kendra was silent.

"Being your best friend is sometimes really hard."

Swallowing, Kendra shook her head. "Why is it hard?"

"Because you're so perfect, you know? You have great parents, a perfect family, you're on your own, and you're a survivor. You had your accident and look at you...you're so strong and you have great morals and you stick to them. Plus, you don't take crap from anybody." She lifted her head, as if trying to gauge if it was safe to look at Kendra again. "Me, I still live with my parents, I got pregnant by accident, I'll be lucky to write the bar exam before I'm forty, and I've had so many boyfriends my best friend can't keep track of them all."

Digesting this, Kendra grabbed her wine and took a sip. "It's hard being your best friend, too, Cassandra. I might appear strong on the outside but on the inside I'm just as scared as I was ten years ago about everything; I'm just better at hiding it now. When I look at you and see how freely you live...it makes me ache. I'm so nervous around men and then I see you with them and I'm so envious I want to cry. And you have Christopher. He's such a great kid and he's yours. I don't have any kids, hell, I don't even think I know how to make a kid anymore it's been so long." Kendra couldn't help but laugh at that last comment.

Cassandra laughed too and a moment later her hand was in Kendra's. "I guess opposites do attract, huh."

"Either that or it's the wine." she joked.

They looked at each other and laughed so hard they were in tears. "Oh, God, Kendra! What are we going to do?"

Kendra sighed and laughed again. "About what?"

Cassandra gestured towards the bottle sitting on the coffee table, as though it was mocking them. "We only have half a bottle of wine left and still so much to talk about."

"Ah, hell. We can go across the hall to Missy's. She'll have a load of it there."

"So do you want to tell me what happened tonight or do we need to get the wine from Missy first?" Cassandra asked.

"We need more wine."

Chapter 19

After they polished off the first bottle of wine and discussed mundane things like work and family stuff, they headed to Missy's apartment just up the hall from Kendra's place. She answered the door after two knocks, dressed in a bathrobe. Her fair skin was pale and parched-looking, and her nose was pink. Swollen eyes greeted them at the door.

"Hey, guys." She sniffled. "I'd invite you in but I'm sick as a dog."

"I can tell." Kendra said. "You got a cold?"

"I don't know. I picked it up from work. Everybody's sick there. It hit me like a ton of bricks. This morning I was fine and by lunch time I couldn't breathe my nose was plugged up so bad."

"You mean your man didn't give it to you?"

Missy rolled her puffy eyes. "No, that's over." She waved. Kendra thought she might care more if she didn't feel so dreadful. "He's too much of a mama's boy. But I'll come over and spill when I'm not dying."

"Sorry to hear that." Cassandra said. "Can we do anything for you?"

"Na, I'm just going to bed. What's up with you guys?"

Kendra felt her face heat with embarrassment. The guilt was too much to bear. "Nothing, really, we were just chatting at my place. We thought we would come over and see what was going on with you and your man."

Missy guffawed. "Yeah, right! What, did you guys run out of wine or something? You both look like you've already polished off a bottle."

Cassandra and Kendra looked at each other. "Busted."

Walking back into her apartment, Missy gestured towards the refrigerator. "Take your pick. I've got chardonnay, some red wine, I think there's even a couple of wine coolers in there somewhere." She flopped onto the couch and switched the channel on the television with the remote. "I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?" Kendra asked, as Cassandra opened the fridge, pulled out a bottle of red wine, and held it up so Kendra could see it. She gave Kendra a 'is this okay?' look and received a nod of assent.

"Yeah, I've just taken some NyQuil. Just waiting for it to do its thing and I'm out."

"Okay," Cassandra handed Kendra the bottle. "Come over or call me if you need anything. And if you're feeling up to it, pop by in the morning and tell us what happened with Mark."

Without looking in their direction, Missy waved them off, as if to say 'it ain't worth talking about'. They closed the door and walked back to Kendra's apartment. "Jeez...poor Missy."

"She's so strong, though." Cassandra commented. "I thought she had it really bad for Mark."

Mark was a teacher, and a Clark Kent look alike. Missy was head over heels in love with him from what they could tell.

Opening her apartment door, Kendra added. "Apparently mama's boys are a no-no for Missy."

"For me, too...ugh!"

As they entered the apartment, Kendra could hear her cell phone ringing, and her heart skipped a beat. Intuition told her that it was Ian...she had almost completely forgotten about what happened tonight, and her cell phone had brought her back to reality. Taking one quick stride to her purse on the console table, Kendra fished out her phone and checked the display. Confirming her guess, she pressed the 'end call' button to forward Ian to voicemail.

Leaning on her shoulder from behind, Cassandra witnessed her action. "You wanna tell me what's going on there?"

In her toughest, 'I don't really care' voice, she stated, "According to his cousin Melanie, he got a girl pregnant."

Without checking Cassandra's reaction, Kendra walked to the couch and lifted her empty wine glass. Cassandra took two steps toward her and without a word, poured Missy's wine into Kendra's glass, until there was a mere finger-width of room left at the top. "Start talking, girl."

Taking a big gulp, Kendra sat on the couch and explained the abridged version of what happened at Ian's Aunt Mary's house earlier. "She took him off to the side and minutes later they both flew out of the bedroom screaming at each other. Melanie said something about him abandoning this girl and blurted something about him doing this to all the women he dates."

Cassandra's mouth opened in shock. "Did you talk to him about it?"

Craning her neck, Kendra's eyes widened. "Are you crazy? I picked myself up and got the hell out of there as fast as I could. I was so quick I even left my jacket behind!"

"Well, how old is his sister? Is she like a teenager?"

"She's a few years younger than Ian, for sure, but she's no teenager."

"So, how do you know it's true?"

Kendra gave her a 'how-stupid-are-you?' look. "Cassandra, I've told you how often he dates. Before we met, I mean, yeah, some of the girls were family, but some weren't."

"So?"

"So, how do I know he wasn't being all sweet and nice to me just to get me into bed? Maybe that's his M.O. Go after the vulnerable ones...they're easier to get into the sack."

Cassandra's face twisted like she'd just eaten a lemon. "Okay, aren't you the same person who witnessed Linda's little 'throw the cheating husband's clothes over the balcony' incident last week? Weren't you the one who said you would at least hear his side of the story before jumping to conclusions?"

She shook her head like an errant child. "They're married."

"So? A relationship is a relationship, Kendra. People are people. It doesn't matter what the circumstances are; if you trust the person, you owe it to them to give them a chance to explain."

"I think the wine is talking." Kendra commented snidely. "Aren't you the 'dump first and ask questions later' type?"

"Hey, that's not fair."

"Well, aren't you? Since when do you defend the guy?"

"Since I saw you date a guy for the first time in years. Since I saw you take off your phoney glasses, wear your hair tied back, and smile for the first time in six years." Cassandra blurted. "Kendra, you were happy with Ian. Why did this make you run? How do you know his sister wasn't just making things up or got the story wrong? Maybe she's one of those types who likes to stir the pot? Don't we all have one of those in our families?"

Well, Aunt Mary did say something like that, but she wasn't about to tell Cassandra.

She lifted her arms in a defensive gesture. "And what if it's true? That he did get a girl pregnant? Then what?"

"Worry about that if it's true, Kendra. Seriously, there's no point in speculating. And yeah, if he did get a girl pregnant, sure it complicates things, but it doesn't make things impossible."

Kendra recalled the part of her favourite television show, Friends, where Ross got Rachel pregnant, and then he started to date Mona, a girl he met through his sister, Monica. It was a complete disaster and it ended very abruptly. "It would never work."

"Really? You don't know that, Kendra." Cassandra looked at Kendra's face and Kendra knew she could tell what she was thinking. "And don't even cite this to an episode of Friends...because that isn't reality."

Kendra smirked. She knows me too well and sometimes I hate it.

"You should call him...right now...and tell him to come over so you two can talk it out." Cassandra ordered.

"Are you nuts? I've been drinking. And how do I know he isn't off talking to this girl he knocked up, anyway?"

She waved towards Kendra's purse. "Did he not just call you? Do you think he would do something like that if he was with her?" Cassandra shook her head. "You're cut off, Kendra." She said, scooping up Kendra's glass of wine. Walking into the kitchen, Kendra saw her dump the wine down the sink. "Call him. I'm not leaving until you do." She said firmly.

"Fine."

"Make sure you make me your Maid of Honour." She added facetiously as Kendra fished the phone out of her purse and scrolled to Ian's number.

Sticking her tongue out at Cassandra, Kendra rose to go into the bedroom for privacy.

Ian answered on the first ring. "Hey," he practically whispered in greeting.

"Hey,"

"I didn't think you were going to call me." he said, carefully choosing his words.

"Well, I did." Kendra tried to keep her heart from beating out of her chest.

"I understand how you must feel. That was a lot to take."

"Yes, it was."

He cleared his throat nervously. "Um...I'm home. Are you?"

"Of course."

"Do you mind if I come down so we can talk?"

Her first instinct was to tell him that it was a bad time because Cassandra was over, but then she remembered that she'd threatened Kendra to tell him to talk things out in person. "Yeah, give me a few minutes though, okay?"

"Sure. Thanks." He said, and the way he said 'thanks' tore at her heart.

She ended the call and opened up the bedroom door. Cassandra was standing in the hallway. "I'm going over to Missy's. If anything happens and you need me, that's where I'll be for the night. I've had too much to drink for driving home or being a mom tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. My dad's with Christopher anyway. If I interrupt them I'll never hear the end of it."

"Okay."

"Good luck." She said and gave Kendra a cautionary wink.

As soon as she left Kendra went to brush her teeth to get the booze smell off. She threw the dirty wine glasses in the sink with some water. She also quickly placed the bottles in the refrigerator and ran a brush through her hair before she heard the knock at the door.

He was standing tall as she opened the door. A small and polite smile stretched across his face. "Hi,"

"Hi. Come in." Kendra said, moving to the side to give him room.

"Thanks." He entered and removed his shoes. Kendra invited him to have a seat in the living room and he slowly sank into the couch as she chose to sit in a chair from the dining room table.

Ian wasted no time. "I'm really sorry about all that happened tonight. You have no idea how bad I feel. If I could take it all back I would. In fact, if I could erase everything that went on I'd do it in a heartbeat."

"Is it true?" She blurted, "Did I hear correctly? Is um...did you get someone pregnant?"

He cut the air with his hand and said firmly. "Absolutely not, Kendra. I swear to God."

"Well, then why did your sister say that? She seemed pretty upset."

"Her friend Lucinda, a girl I dated about a month ago, says that I got her pregnant. And it's completely impossible because we never even slept together." He paused for thought. "Lucinda could have been joking around with Melanie, and Melanie could have taken it the wrong way. Lucinda is one of those types, which is why we didn't hit it off. It could have been something really innocent that Lucinda said and Melanie's the melodramatic type, so it probably got blown all out of proportion."

"The joking type?"

Ian nodded. "She made an off-colour joke about my foot, and that basically ended the date right there. Also, she has this big cross tattoo on the inside of her left arm." He touched his wrist and the inside of his elbow, demonstrating how large it was. "I don't mind small tattoos but big ones are a turn-off for me. Really, I don't know why Melanie thought we'd be a good match."

"So why did Melanie choose to tell you this tonight?"

"Because Melanie is jealous. First it was me moving out of my parents' place, and then it was about my promotion, and now, you and I. She's always pulling stunts like this to try and set me off. Normally I just humour her and play along, but this was way overboard...even for Melanie. She and I aren't going to be square for a while after this."

"Have you spoken with this...Lucinda?"

"What, tonight?" he gaped. "No. I don't need to speak with her. I know this is all Melanie's doing."

Kendra was still unconvinced. "Look, Ian. I'm not sure about all of this."

He leaned forward and grasped her hands. "Kendra, if it means forgetting about this whole thing, sure I'll call Lucinda...right now if you want. But I can promise you that I never touched the girl...or any other...girl for a while, for that matter."

She blushed when he admitted that it had been a while for him. It had been a while for her, too. It was strange to think of a guy not having sex regularly. Especially Ian. I mean, he's just too beautiful to not be desired. The warmth from his hands penetrated to her chest and she couldn't stop the smile that formed on her face. "So Melanie doesn't like me, huh."

"You've got nothing to worry about." Ian stipulated, rubbing her hands with his soft fingertips. "You missed the show after you left."

"What happened?"

"Melanie has all but been disowned from the family until she apologizes to you. She's apologized to me for creating a huge scene, but until she can make it up to you, Melanie has been blacklisted from the Wilkinson family. I assure you."

"She apologized to you?"

Ian nodded. "She cried and everything. My mom threatened to take her to see a psychiatrist if she doesn't smarten up and learn to control herself. Personally, I think she's been coddled too much, but I'm not a parent." He lifted his hands into the air and frowned. "I suppose everyone is used to her, but you're new, so I can understand what kind of a shock this must have been."

"Yeah." she admitted, wishing his hands were still on hers.

He interlaced his hands between his knees and looked down at his feet. "Again, I'm really sorry about all this. Can we just forget about it and move on?"

Still feeling a twinge of trepidation, Kendra found her courage nestled underneath all the wine still flowing through her veins, but she chose her words carefully. "So you're not the type to sleep around and leave? You're not just being all sweet and kind to me to get me into bed?"

Ian's head cocked to the side but his expression remained soft. "Why would you think that?"

"At the risk of sounding like a stalker, I know you date a lot. I just wondered if I was going to be another notch in your bedpost based on what happened tonight."

Leaning back onto the couch, Ian drew in a deep breath. "I get the feeling that this is more about you than me." He looked at her from his vantage point. "You said that while we met only a week ago, you've known about me for months. That being said, I understand why you might think that I 'date around' a lot." He paused. "But I told you the truth, Kendra. I haven't been with anyone for a while. Yeah, I've been on a few dates, but none of them worked out obviously."

Shifting his weight forward, closer to her, he glanced toward the balcony door, as if in deep thought. "To be honest with you, I only went out with them to keep my family happy. None of the girls I dated ever meant anything to me other than to have peace at the next Wilkinson gathering."

"So am I another 'get out of jail free' card to you?"

Licking his lips, he searched her eyes. "I've never brought anybody home to meet my family before." They were silent for a few moments, and then he slowly lifted his left pant leg up, exposing his artificial ankle. "Nobody has ever seen this unless I showed it to them to scare them off." Lowering his pant leg, he bit his lip. "And I've never yelled at my baby sister before. But I feel like if anybody, including family, does anything to jeopardize what could be one of the most important relationships I'll ever have, I'll do whatever it takes to stop that from happening."

All Kendra could do was blink in silence. Words had escaped her. She wouldn't know sincerity if it jumped up and smacked her in the face. All this sounded wonderful, and her body was saying she should believe him, but somehow her heart wasn't getting the same message. Maybe if Cassandra and Kendra had never known each other, and she'd never witnessed the heartache of being loved and then left behind, she might wrap her arms around Ian like her body was telling her to do. But she didn't. Was it all because of what happened with Melanie tonight? Or was it because all the hearts and flowers that had happened in the past week had been brought to a grinding halt because reality kicked in and the fearful, insecure female inside Kendra had run past the romantic, wanting-to-be-loved woman, telling her to run for her life?

In the silence, Ian swallowed and took in a deep breath. "I don't know what else to say, Kendra. Do you just need time to think all this over? Because that's perfectly okay with me." he said kindly.

"Maybe," she said, after a beat. And the word felt alien on her tongue.

"Are you sure that's what you want?" his tone was pleading. "I meant what I said when we were at the restaurant the other night; that minutes without touching you feels more like hours." He looked at his hands. "I don't know if I can live without you."

His words were crushing. She knew if he said anything else that deep or sweet that she'd give in, and Kendra didn't know if she was ready to do that yet. Avoiding eye contact, she rose from the chair, and walked towards the door. "Look, I need to go check on Missy and Cassandra." she lied. The quiver in her voice betrayed her. "I'll call you tomorrow."

Exhaling, Ian shifted his head sideways, as if staving off the impulse to beg or argue; she couldn't tell which one. He lifted himself up off the couch and walked slowly to the door. She couldn't look at him, so as he approached, he gently lifted her chin up so their eyes met. "Don't let one unpleasant moment ruin all the other wonderful moments we've had in the past week, Kendra." He kissed her softly on the head. "I'm not going anywhere. Whenever you're ready to talk, call me."

And with that, he left. Kendra shut the door and placed her back against it. Sliding slowly down, the metal felt as cold on her skin as her heart did inside her chest.
Chapter 20

The knock at the door just above her head scared the daylights out of her. Cassandra's voice calling afterward nearly made her jump out of her skin.

"Jesus, you scared the crap out of me, Cassandra!" Kendra shouted. "What the heck is your problem?"

Cassandra shrugged. "I was watching out the peephole at Missy's place. I saw Ian leave. How did it go?"

"He said he didn't get anyone pregnant. It was just a misunderstanding."

"And you don't believe him." Cassandra said, deadpan.

"I think I believe him." she said, as if trying to convince herself. "He says his little sister is the dramatic type and this girl he dated, the one that supposedly says she's pregnant by him, is the jokester type. Apparently those two types together spell trouble."

"Sounds about right." Cassandra agreed. "So what's the problem? Did you tell him to leave?"

Sighing, Kendra plopped down on the sofa. "I'm just not sure about all of this. He dates a lot, but he claims it's only to keep his family happy." she looked up at Cassandra as she joined Kendra on the couch. "How do I know I'm not just another one of those girls?"

Cassandra shook her head. "Man, that dog took more than your skin away when he bit you."

A 'v' formed between Kendra's eyes. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Ever since you were attacked, it's like you're so unsure of yourself. You lost a lot more than skin after the accident, Kendra. You lost your self-confidence."

Stung, Kendra pushed herself higher on the couch. "And how would you know? You didn't know me when I was younger."

Cassandra lifted a brow. "Did you date?"

Crossing her arms over her chest, Kendra huffed. "Some."

"Some is better than never."

"Yeah, well, life got in the way, Cassandra."

Cassandra faced Kendra and rested her head on her hand with her elbow against the top of the couch. Inhaling deeply, she licked her lips. "Kendra, guys like Ian only come around once in a lifetime. I'm telling you, if you screw this up because of some ill-conceived notion that you're not good enough for him, just because you've got some old wounds that keep popping up during times like these, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

Darting her head towards her, Kendra commented back. "And when did you become the expert, huh? How do you know Ian's one of those guys?"

"I don't." She admitted, shocking Kendra. "But you'll never know, either, unless you let him in and give yourself the chance to figure it out."

***

As much as she hated to admit it, Kendra missed Ian. Part of her wondered if he missed her, too, like he said he would. She hadn't heard from him since last night, after he left her apartment. Trying to stave off the looming depression building inside her, she rolled herself out of bed just after ten, and got showered. Cassandra slipped out around eight to go home and have breakfast with Christopher. They planned to meet up later at her place so Kendra could catch up with the little guy, who she hadn't seen for a week and a half.

The day passed by slowly, and Kendra found herself constantly checking her cell phone for texts or voice messages. There were none from Ian, however, at about six o'clock in the evening, while Cassandra and Kendra were just having dinner with her family, Kendra received a text from Missy.

"Is she feeling better?" Cassandra asked.

"Apparently," she chuckled, "she wants to go out to a bar tonight. She says she wants to drink away her sorrow over Mark."

"Sounds healthy." Cassandra commented facetiously.

"I was thinking about taking Christopher out to a movie tonight," Cassandra's father offered, "He keeps going on about this new Nickelodeon film that's out."

Christopher had eaten his dinner earlier, so he was in the living room watching television, and not privy to the conversation.

"Sure, that works for me. I'm taking him to the indoor playground in the morning anyhow." Cassandra interjected.

"I'll go with you," Kendra added. "So do you want to go out with Missy?"

"Sure. If you want to."

Cassandra's mother chimed in. "Now, no heavy drinking, you two." Her tone was teasing.

Kendra slapped Cassandra on the back. "Don't worry; I'll make sure she behaves herself."

"Please. Why bother going out if I'm going to behave myself?"

***

Missy's outfit was extravagant. Her black stretchy skirt barely reached the bottom of her thighs, showing off her rather long legs and small behind. A pair of black six inch heels followed her bare legs, but the piece de resistance was her white sheer oversize blouse and black bra underneath. Cassandra and Kendra kept a modest look; they were both wearing blue jeans. Kendra opted for a tasteful blue wrap-around shirt with a slightly plunging neckline, and Cassandra decided on a tight-fitting Toronto Maple Leafs v-neck t-shirt.

They were all wearing more make-up than they would wear to the office; however, most of it didn't show under the disco lights inside the bar. Other than Missy's black liquid eyeliner, they could have dived into the eye shadow and lip gloss and nobody would be able to see it under the poor lighting.

"Who wants a drink?" Missy shouted over the music. "I'm getting a beer."

"Classy." Cassandra commented sarcastically, "I'll have one, too."

"I'll have a wine spritzer."

"The girl scout here will have one of those." Cassandra shouted to the male tending the bar. She pointed at a glass-enclosed refrigerator facing her from the opposite side of the bar.

The bartender gave her a tight smirk and pulled the glass bottle out, handing it to her with a wink. "You want the beer on tap?" he asked, gesturing to the five decaled handles facing him.

"Sure." She said and told him which one her and Missy wanted. She handed him a fifty and he slid the change to her on the counter. Cassandra slid a twoonie back to him for a tip, and winked.

"Wow, this place sure fills up fast." Missy said. "It's not even ten o'clock."

"It's Ladies' Night." the bartender indicated, waving his arm towards a handwritten whiteboard banner behind him. "We do it once a month here."

"I wonder what else he does once a month." Missy commented softly enough so he couldn't hear her. She lifted a brow seductively and guzzled a mouthful of beer as he watched her.

He scrunched his face slightly but gave her a good-natured grin before turning to serve the next customer.

"I don't think he likes you." Cassandra said. "Maybe the outfit's too much."

"This is Toronto," Missy argued. "Nothing is too much."

A man walked by wearing a tank top with holes all over it, and matching holey jeans. The girls noticed a hole strategically placed where his zipper was. "I suppose you're right about that." Cassandra huffed.

"It's for quicker bathroom breaks." Missy interjected.

"He must be pretty small if—" Cassandra added, but Kendra interrupted.

"Enough, that's just gross." She giggled. "Let's go dance."

They headed to the dance floor, and the music was surprisingly enjoyable. As six or seven songs played, all three of them gyrated and moved to the pleasant beats while drinking their beverages. So far nobody was putting the moves on them, to Missy's chagrin. Suddenly, a party of about eight girls squished themselves onto the dance floor. One of them was wearing a white banner across her body that said 'bride to be', and the others had pink feather boas draped across them in the same fashion.

"Poor thing." Missy whined. Kendra detected a hint of jealousy in her voice. "Hopefully she's not marrying a scum bag. But never mind, most of them are scum bags, anyway."

"That's not true." Cassandra argued. "Hey, I need a bathroom break."

"Me, too." Missy said.

"I'm fine. I'll get us some more drinks." Kendra offered.

The two of them headed to the bathroom while Kendra made her way through the crowd to the bar. It was packed so she had to get in a line-up that had formed in the same spot where they were seven songs ago. The bartender, up close, was kind of cute. But just as Kendra was checking him out from behind, when he turned around, she saw Ian's face and gasped. When she realized it was just her overactive imagination and the alcohol playing tricks on her, she abruptly turned to face the dance floor, so she didn't have to keep looking at him.

As she turned around, a girl bumped right into her, nearly spilling her drink. "Hey, sorry, girlfriend." She said. The girl was around Kendra's height but skinnier and with what looked like natural red hair.

And that's when Kendra noticed the pink feather boa. "That's okay. You're part of the wedding party over on the dance floor, right?"

The girl was slightly out of breath and from what Kendra could smell of her breath, she'd already had a few drinks. The one she was holding up, what was left of it, was brown and smelled sweet like cola. "Yeah...You know the bartender?" she asked. "I need another rum and Coke bad."

"No, sorry."

Leaning over Kendra to catch a glimpse of him, she cocked her head to the side. "He's hot. I think I can handle him. You're with those other two girls, right?

"Yeah, my friend Missy tried to flirt with him, but he didn't take the bait."

"The slutty one?" she asked, and Kendra felt a bit stung, even though she knew that Missy did look slutty.

She didn't wait for Kendra to answer. "That's okay," and then she shouted, "he's probably gay anyway."

The bartender turned toward her and Kendra wanted to shrink into the floorboards.

"That got his attention." She bragged, smiling sweetly at him. "Can I get a rum and Coke? I was just kidding, honey."

The left side of his mouth twisted upward in an expression of frustration, but he got her a drink quickly, Kendra guessed so he could get rid of her, and then he didn't accept her tip in return.

"Tight ass." She said, pressing the change into her pocket. "He probably walks out of here five hundred dollars richer each night in a place like this. You would think he'd have a better attitude."

Kendra observed the girl while she sipped her drink. The girl rolled her eyes. "Jeez, he gave me twice as much rum in the last shot." And as she played with the straw, giving her drink a stir, Kendra noticed a tattoo on the inside of her left arm. It was a large, black cross.

About fifty feet from them, on the large speaker in the middle of the dance floor, were the girls in the wedding party. The girl next to Kendra was paying no mind to them, until the bride-to-be began twirking on the speaker, while the others took turns slapping her behind. Then one of the girls stopped and it looked like she was searching for someone in the crowd. When she saw the girl standing next to Kendra, she tapped the others on the shoulder, and as they were all turned around they started chanting loudly, "Lucinda! Lucinda! Lucinda!"

And Kendra's heart stopped.
Chapter 21

"What's the matter? You look like you've seen a ghost." Cassandra said as she and Missy approached the bar.

Kendra tipped her chin upward. "That's Lucinda."

"Who's Lucinda?" Missy asked, looking in the direction that Kendra had just pointed at.

"The girl who Ian supposedly got pregnant."

Cassandra's eyes widened. "She looks real pregnant. What with the rum and Coke in her hand, and swaying her hips towards that guy over there."

"Yeah," Kendra muttered.

She raised a brow. "I hate to say I told you so."

"So don't." Kendra looked directly at her.

Lifting her arms in defence, Cassandra let the subject drop. "You want another drink?"

"No. I need to get out of here."

Missy batted her eyelashes at the bartender, giving him another chance to flirt back. He seemed to ignore her, but when he finally turned in her direction a few seconds later, his glance was transparent and all business. "Yeah, let's get out of here." She said.

Cassandra decided to stay at Kendra's place, so they all took the subway home together. When the elevator signalled their floor, the door opened and Kendra's unit came into view. A shiny, cone-shaped thing lay on the doorstep. "What the heck is that?" Missy asked.

Cassandra trotted over, and as the thing came clearer, it was quite obvious that the 'thing' was a bouquet of flowers. The vile of water was sticking out the bottom, and the shiny stuff was actually a cellophane wrapper around the arrangement. When Cassandra lifted it up, she handed it to Kendra, removing the tiny white envelope sticking up from a plastic holder in the centre. "I miss you." She read off the card.

Biting her lip, Kendra smelled the flowers, and a small grin grew on her face. It was a combination of roses; both white and red, with baby's breath, surrounded by soft green ferns. Cassandra looked at Kendra, knowingly, and said, "I won't wait up."

***

"Can you put them in water for me?"

Missy shooed her away. "Don't worry about the flowers, girl! Go say thank you..." and she was implying to say thank you the way that she would, given the salacious tone in her voice.

Kendra ignored her and turned to press the call button on the elevator, as Cassandra pulled out her key to Kendra's place and used it. Both girls entered the unit; Missy winked at Kendra while Cassandra lifted a brow and gave a little wave as the door closed slowly. Suddenly Kendra had visions of returning to her apartment, only to learn that they'd toilet-papered it and sprayed silly string all over the place.

Listening at Ian's door, Kendra heard nothing but the television on in the background. Giving it a soft knock, she straightened her shirt and fluffed her hair, trying to forget that her heart was pumping a mile a minute. A shadow emerged from behind the peephole and she knew that he could see her through the tiny looking glass. He opened the door and leaned his head on the door frame. The expression on his face and his stance was so cute she wanted to squeeze him.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey yourself,"
Meet Cassandra and Luke, a duo that started out as anything but dynamic.

Will Cassandra see Desmond as her knight in shining armour, or will she and Luke find a way to make what was once a casual love affair turn into the relationship they've both dreamed of?

Read more about them in 'Decisions'

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Cassandra has never known romantic love. Her son, her parents, and her friends love her...but no man ever has. Until she's torn between two.

Luke and Cassandra conceive Christopher after they meet at a bar. Months later, Luke is given a rare opportunity: to join a prestigious police force; a dream he has had since he was a young boy. However, this means leaving his son to move to a different province.

Desmond comes from money, has an attitude and a mysterious edge; traits that Cassandra finds appealing. Kendra, Cassandra's best friend, can't stand Desmond, and her approval means a lot to Cassandra. But is Kendra's support as valuable to Cassandra as falling in love?

After four years in Western Canada, Luke drops a bomb on Cassandra: he's moving back to Toronto. At this point, their relationship is friendly at best. But one night can make the tables turn.

Tragedy hits, and Cassandra realizes that what she once thought was a painful decision, really wasn't a decision at all...the answer was with her, in her heart, the whole time.

A warm-hearted, wholesome romantic story about love, personal choices, and the desire to do the right thing, even if at the time it doesn't seem right at all.

Decisions is the second book in a light-hearted, page-turning romantic trilogy that has a cliffhanger ending.

Pick up a copy today!

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A Word From Sandy

Thanks so much for reading _Misunderstood_. This book was such fun writing. The whole series, in fact, was a lot of fun. So different from the suspense novels I've written. It was a nice break from the harder, more twisty bends.

In the next book of the series, _Decisions_ , Cassandra can't decide between the father of her child and the man she's started a romantic relationship with. The newness and excitement of the new romance sometimes trumps the old, comfortable flame that still flickers for the man she once loved.

The third book, _Complicated_ , features Lynda and Ray. A couple whose love for each other is so thick it makes most people jealous. Until Lynda has trouble conceiving a child. Ray doesn't seem as dedicated to the challenge as Lynda is, and it causes much friction between them. Can they survive the trying times?

Tap the links below to grab the books:

Decisions

Complicated
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