The dining room table is covered in bags. As I look through them, I realize they’re all shoes. There are probably twenty different pairs. There are at least ten different dress bags. Okay, maybe I’ll look at the shoes. I spend the next two hours going through the shoes. I try each pair on, then put them back, so I don’t mix up the boxes. One of the last pairs I try, are multi-colored glitter, sling-backs with a red sole. They fit perfectly. I glance at the box. They are Louboutin’s. Designer shoes, which means they cost way too much. I take them off and set them on the table; they’re so pretty, I may not wear them but that doesn’t mean I can’t admire them a little longer. I’ll just wear what I planned.
I grab the bag of licorice out of the cupboard and sit at the counter looking at the shoes, then around at the rest of the bags, just shaking my head. I walk back to the glittery shoes. I can’t do it. I open the box to put them back when the villa phone rings.
“Hello.”
“Who’s this?” says a gruff, demanding voice.
Sheesh, what happened to ‘hi how are you?’ This guy is not nice. I’d like to hang up the phone on him. “I think you have the wrong number.”
“No, I don’t. I want to talk to my grandson.” Oh—man! He gets me with grandson, even if he is so damn demanding. I have a soft spot for grandparents.
“Who’s your grandson?”
“Coulter Holt.”
“What? What is your name?”
“Who’s this?”
“This is Kate. Who’s this?”
“Kate, who?”
Oh boy, what do I say? “Kate H—Holt. Mrs. Kate Holt. Cole’s wife.”
“I’ll be damned. That son of a bitch finally grew up.” I can’t help but laugh. “You’re Cole’s Grandfather?”
“Boy, oh boy! He lets you call him Cole? Hot damn, woman! How’d you do it?”
“How’d I do what?”
“You tamed the wild stallion. Never thought that boy would settle down. I’m Alan Prescott.”
“It’s nice to meet you. Cole’s still at the office; I can give you his cell phone number.”
“Ah hell, that’s not going to do me any good. Both him and that damn father of his won’t tell me what in the Sam hill is going on.”
“What do you mean?”
“What I mean,” Alan yells into the phone, “is what is going on with my company?”
“Your company?”
“Yes, dammit, my company! Prescott-Holt.”
I need to sit down. I glance around. Oh—holy hell, I am sitting down. The strings of Cole’s life continue to tangle and trip me.
“Kate?”
“Yes,”
“Tell me what you know.” Cole’s grandpa and I have a very interesting conversation. I tell him about Cole and me, about Preston and about what I know is going on between Cole and Preston, which unfortunately isn’t much.
“That’s it!” Alan’s voice is vibrant and energetic through the phone. “I’m coming out there. I’ll be there Monday sometime.”
“All right, I’ll tell Cole.”
“NO!”