First Parting
“I don’t wanna let you go,” JC murmured against Kristin’s hair as the time for her to board with Aunt Martha grew near.
“I have to go, Josh. My daughter, my career...”
“I know... I know... but that doesn’t make it easier.” Desperation clawed at his insides. “Call me as soon as you get home.”
“I’m stopping to spend time with Chelsea in San Francisco. I won’t get home until tomorrow.”
“Call me before you go to bed then. Let me tell you good night.”
“But you’re heading to New York...”
“My cell will be on tonight. Promise to call me.”
“You’ll be at a party.”
“Are you afraid I’ll party without you?”
She’d heard rumors and Karen voice her concerns with his ‘carousing’ ways. “Will you?” she asked.
“Scout’s honor – I won’t be getting drunk and I won’t be picking up girls.” He tipped her chin up so she would meet his eyes. “Not as long as I know I have my pretty baby wanting to be with me.”
“I want to, Josh...”
“Then we’re okay. It’ll work, because we want it to work.”
Kristin’s smile was tremulous. “I want it.”
“I want it.” JC promised. “I’ve never wanted anything more.”
Kristin’s flight was called, announcing the boarding of wheelchairs, handicapped, and families with small children.
“I love you, Kris. I’ll see you soon.” He didn’t wait for her words, covering her mouth tenderly with his. “Take care, boss lady.”
He went to where Martha Carpenter sat patiently. He kissed her cheek. “Thank you for coming to Chicago and bringing Kristin into my life.”
“Now you have to learn how to keep her there, Joshua,” Martha reminded him.
“I will. I promise. I will.”
“I love you,” Kristin whispered as she hugged him one last time.”
“Call me!” he called after her.
“So…. Spill all!” Chelsea demanded when she and her mother were seated in a booth in her favorite pizzeria.
“Can’t I order first?” Kristin made a show of looking over the menu.
Chelsea plucked it from her hands. “ We’ve ordered the same thing for two years.”
“Maybe I want something new.”
“Your sense of adventure is nil when it comes to pizza. Quit stalling.”
“Aunt Martha had a lovely time visiting with Karen.”
“I’m happy for her. Quit stalling, Mom.”
“Oh, there’s the waitress.”
“We’ll have a small double pepperoni pizza and two large cokes.” The girl ordered and handed the menus to the waitress.
Chelsea pinned Kristin with an impatient glare. “ Now, Mother.”
“What exactly do you want to know?”
“Everything.”
“I have no intention of telling you everything.”
“Oh, my God! My born again virgin mother got laid!” Chelsea crowed.
“Chelsea!” Kristin admonished.
“Okay, I’m sorry. It’s just…well; I thought you’d spend the rest of your life celibate… I mean, I totally understand falling for JC, although he wouldn’t be my choice—“
“Why do I need to tell you anything? You’ve already decided what I’ve done.”
Chelsea pretended to zip her lips shut.
“Oh, if only that could be permanent.”
The girl scolded her mother with green eyes.
“Okay, from the start…Josh and I were ‘fixed’ up by his mother and Aunt Martha. I thought they were nuts. My first impression of Josh was less than favorable.”
“Hung over?”
Kristin glared at the remark.
Chelsea pretended to lock her lips and toss away the key.
“He looked as if he rolled out of bed -- which I found he had.” Kristin shrugged. “We discovered we truly did like the same entertainments and we enjoyed each other’s company. We were together whenever possible. What I was feeling was so immediate…” She laughed at her daughter’s struggle not to comment. “How many shades of blue can you turn? Permission to speak is granted. Just remember, I am still your mother.”
“He’s always been the ‘grown-up’ of the group. I’m not surprised he was drawn to you. He has always preferred older women.”
Somehow, that did not make Kristin feel better.
“So…is he good in bed?” Chelsea asked with practiced nonchalance.
“Chelsea!” Kristin shushed her daughter.
“Lovely shade of red, Mom. It becomes you,” the girl said of her mother’s blush. “ So he is, huh?”
“I think I let you be far too fresh.”
“I’m gonna be seventeen soon. I’m not some sheltered little schoolgirl. You told me about the birds and the bees.” Chelsea took her mother’s hand. “ And you are the one that said sex should be good for both parties. I wouldn’t want you to be short-changed. I don’t care who he is.”
“He’s wonderful to me.”
“Straight up wonderful or did you get freaky?” the girl taunted.
Thinking of the day they had spent in bed, Kristin blushed to deep crimson.
“Ooh, that good…”
“Can we discuss something else?”
“Sure. Does he know about me?”
“Yes.”
“And it wasn’t a problem?”
“We didn’t talk about a lot of long term stuff.”
“
“He dumped you?” Chelsea sounded protective and outraged.
“He didn’t ‘dump’ me. We just haven’t figured out how it’ll all work out.”
Chelsea shook her head. “I am really surprised, Mom. I mean, not only a guy, but a famous guy –and not only a famous guy, but a younger famous guy. You do realize he’s in his mid twenties, don’t you?”
“Yes, Chels, I do – and honestly, I am not entirely comfortable with it.”
“Hey, the guys in my class say you’re a hot babe, so you must appeal to younger men.”
The waitress came with the drinks and quickly retreated.
“So, when do you see him again?”
“I don’t know.”
“He just left it at that? Sheesh, now that you’ve joined the living again doesn’t he realize he’s gonna have competition?”
“I don’t think he has to worry.”
“Is he gonna call?”
“I’m supposed to call him tonight.”
“He’s got a rep for being a party boy.”
“I know—“
“If he hurts you…”
Kristin squeezed her daughter’s hand. “ Baby, I wish you didn’t see so much. Whatever happens, it isn’t your worry – It’s mine.”
“We’re in this together, Mom. We’re a package deal.”
It was true. Since Peter died, the de Carlo women were a package deal. Get one, get the other.
“So, you really love him, huh?”
“Yes…”
“If he breaks your heart, he’ll be singing high notes the rest of his life,” Chelsea promised in a protective growl.
JC stared at the ceiling of his New York hotel room, as he stretched beneath the sheet of the bed. Damn if he didn’t miss Kristin in bed beside him – her sweet heat, the woman scent of her, the silken feel of her body curled against his as she slept. He flicked a glance at his watch. It was just before one – ten her time. How late did she keep her daughter out on a school night?
He’d left the party early, not wanting to have the noise of the crowd interfering with Kristin’s call. A couple of girls had hit on him; he couldn’t even pretend interest. He’d blurted out he was in a committed relationship.
His cell was snatched up before it could chime a second time. “Hey, Krissie!” Soft, feminine laughter greeted his ears. “How’s Chelsea?”
“She has a dire warning for you if you break my heart.” Kristin mused.
“Then I got no worries. I won’t break your heart, baby.”
“How was the party?”
“Made my appearance, had a glass of wine and left.”
“Josh...”
“I didn’t want to be there, Kris.”
She couldn’t say she was unhappy about that. “I’ll head out tomorrow morning around nine or so...”
“I miss you already, baby. I’m not due on the West Coast for weeks.”
“There’s phone, e-mail, IM...”
“You got a web cam?”
“Well, yes, Chelsea and I...”
“I’ll get one for the lap top.”
“Why?”
“Digital Get Down, Kris.”
“What?”
That’s right, JC remembered. Kristin was not an *NSYNC fan. “Cyber sex.”
“Josh!”
“I’m gonna send you our CD’s.”
“Why?”
“So you can listen to my music.”
“All right.”
“And even if you won’t do it with me on line, I’d like to look at you, see you.”
“I’d like that too.”
“Boss Lady...” he sighed softly.
“I should let you get some sleep...”
“What’re you wearing?” JC asked abruptly.
“PJ’s.”
“PJ’s? No sexy nightgown?”
“I don’t own any sexy nightgowns.”
“You need to.”
“And why do I need to? I don’t need one for seduction. You’re pretty easy in that department.”
He chuckled. “I think I’d like to get you out of a sexy gown.”
“I should...”
“Baby, I’d like to put the phone on the pillow and just listen to you sleep.”
“Darling, that’d be pricey.”
“I’ll call you – it’ll be mine dime.”
“No, we’re going to have to get used to this.”
“For how long?”
“Josh...”
“I know...I know...Love, you baby. Sweet dreams.”
“Good night, Joshua.”
“Not good enough,” he scolded.
“What?”
If she was there, he would trap her body beneath his, using sensual torture to extract the words he wanted to hear. “Tell me you love me, Kris.”
“I love you, Josh.” Her words were more than obedient. He heard the helpless catch in her voice.
“I love you, too – so it’ll work. I promise, Kris. Night.”
“Night.”
“Next time I get to go and train ‘old farts’,” Kyle Breton announced when Kristin arrived at the office of Breton and de Carlo late Monday morning. She had headed straight to her partner’ office to check in.
Kyle Breton was the opposite of Kristin. She was a tall, statuesque blonde who wore clothes that announced she knew she was a woman. How many people had taken the woman at face value only to be overwhelmed by her sharp mind and shrewd business sense?
“Fine. Have at it.” Kristin had no reason to argue.
“But I guess if they’re in Chicago, I’ll have to arm wrestle you for ‘em.”
Kristin didn’t know what her old college roommate was getting at. “Umm...no, I don’t care. You are the one who says you have no patience for training men.”
“You trained one particularly well.”
“What are you saying? Did someone send in a good evaluation?”
“Let’s go to your office, shall we?”
Across the hall, Kristin opened the door to her spacious office. “Oh—My—God!”
Bouquets of roses, calla lilies and bird of paradise littered her desk and credenza.
“Krissie has a boyfriend!” Kyle teased in a singsong voice.
Still shell shocked, Kristin walked around her desk to see several Victoria Secrets’ boxes and one box from Jive Records.
Kyle plucked a card from a large bouquet of red roses. “Till we can be together again. Love, Josh.” she read. “I understand the flowers and naughty lingerie. The Jive Records box baffles me.”
“He – he's with Jive,” Kristin stated vaguely.
“I don’t recall any of their people on the training roster.”
“Because Josh was a ‘fix up’ by Aunt Martha and his mother.”
“Is he in hot pursuit or is this mutual?”
Kristin dropped heavily onto her chair. “Mutual...”
“How mutual? Like in ‘hot sex till it burns out’ mutual or ‘wedding bells’ mutual?”
“Wedding bells.”
“You’re moving to Chicago then?”
Kristin shook her head, mainly to shake away the shock of JC’s large romantic gesture. “We aren’t that far along – and Chicago is where his parents live. He has homes on both coasts.”
“Oooh, a man with money is always good. Just make sure ex-wives don’t tie it all up.”
Kristin laughed at her friend’s dollar sign thoughts. “Cha-ching! No ex-wives.”
The telephone rang and had to be found behind a calla lily arrangement.
“This guy is a total whack job, Mom.” Chelsea’s amused voice came over the line.
“Which guy?”
“Don’t tell me you don’t have an office that closely resembles a florist shop.”
“Okay, I won’t, but you know how I feel about lying.”
“I got to my room…The biggest damn bouquet of pink sweetheart roses was waiting for me.”
“Whatever for?”
“According to the card it’s because I’m your daughter. The other girls think I scored a big one!”
“Is that good or bad?”
“Good until I tell them it’s from my mom’s BF.”
“I did tell him to be forewarned...”
“How do I thank him?”
“I’ll thank him for you. I’ll talk to you later, Chels.”
“So, your boyfriend is wooing Chelsea over to his side, huh?” Kyle asked.
“Looks that way.” Curious, Kristin picked up the Jive box. This was more than a few CDs. Opening it, she found every CD JC had ever had anything to do with as a writer or singer – people she had never heard of – and videos of concerts – and even some old Mickey Mouse Club footage.
“Umm...Kris, I don’t understand. What does all this have to do with your Jive Record guy?”
Kristin pulled out the Pop Odyssey Tour video and pointed to JC’s picture. “Josh.”
“You mean he’s a performer?”
“Yes.”
“These guys are...younger.”
“Yes.”
“He’s...”
“Eight years my junior,” Kristin confessed.
“Woo-whoo! You go girl!”
“I know you just got back, Kris...” Kyle hesitated to ask her friend if she would do another IT seminar.
“But?” Kristin asked.
“This could be a big deal. I mean we could even spin a satellite off of this if it plays right.”
Kyle and Kristin’s company had a reputation for training people for maximum growth further down the line. And no one was better than Kristin than going in cold and sizing up a need. They had talked numerous times about putting some of their top people around the country.
“Where is it?”
“Florida. The Orlando-Titusville area is screaming for IT’s.”
“Or—Orlando?”
“What’s wrong with Orlando?”
“Nothing.”
“Would you do it?”
“When?”
Kyle winced, preparing for the worst blow up in recent history. “Next week.”
Kristin shrugged. “Chelsea has nothing going on – I can size it up and see what they need. And be back for the weekend.”
“And follow-up?”
“I’ll have to see.”
Usually, Kristin was more difficult over such last minute trips...
“Mr. Wonderful in Orlando?” Kyle asked slyly.
“I don’t know where he is next week, but yes, he has a home in Orlando.”
“Might save the company hotel and restaurant charges,” Kyle announced.