Once and Forever Page 3

  Chapter Three

  Do your folks live nearby?” Steve asked, even though he already knew the answer.

  “No,” Jessica began, but Kendall interrupted.

  “They live in Uzbekistan. Dad works on government–funded projects that have taken us all over the world. Jess and I went to kindergarten in Thailand and spent part of elementary school in the Dominican Republic, but we stayed in the States for high school in Arizona.”

  “But what about your sister who needs the heart transplant? Is she in Uzbekistan with your parents?”

  Kendall didn’t bat an eyelash as she neatly added one more lie to the others. “No, Cassie’s here in New York at Sloan Kettering. When she was well enough, she lived here with Jessica.”

  The sisters looked at each other and a profound sadness passed between them. So, Steve decided, maybe there really is a sick sister, but the rest of it is so much bullshit.

  “The thing you need to know about Kendall,” Jessica said with an indulgent smile. “Is that she’s an actress at heart. She makes up stories and figures she has what it takes if she’s able to convince you the story she’s telling is true.”

  Kendall stood up and began to clear the table. It was her only reaction to her sister’s comment.

  “Our Dad did work for the government in AID projects, but he retired after Cassie was born. He’s an international consultant now. He travels a lot and our stepmother Annie goes with him when she can, but right now all three of them are in Scottsdale waiting for Cassie’s new heart.”

  Kendall leaned in from the kitchen. “Coffee?”

  Nods all around gave Kendall the perfect excuse to stay in the kitchen. Steve picked up the salt and pepper shakers and empty water pitcher and went to join her.

  “Tell me, Jessica, how did you discover quilting?” he heard Mike ask in his casual O’Hara style. In ten minutes his brother would know her deepest secrets.

  Kendall was grinding the beans and the noise precluded any conversation for the moment. It was one of those complicated machines he avoided at all costs. Steve preferred the classic ten–cup drip. If he wanted fresh ground beans, he would hit up a coffee shop. New York sure had enough of them.

  “Now that I know you consider telling lies practice for your acting career, I’m going to make an educated guess that you don’t actually sell diamonds for Chadwick.”

  “But it was a good story, wasn’t it?” She added water to the machine. “The truth isn’t nearly as interesting.”

  “And that would be?”

  “I work for a mega–successful author of fantasy fiction. You know, like George RR Martin?”

  He nodded. “Everyone’s heard of him now that there’s that TV show based on his books.” He paused a moment, searching for the name. “Game of Thrones.”

  Kendall nodded. “Well, it’s not him. It’s someone like him. His success sort of snuck up on him. He’s working on his fourth book now, and he hired me to go through the three previous books and write up a bible for him. All the places, character names, geography. It’s a great gig for someone who needs a flexible schedule. It leaves me free to go to auditions and take on the occasional commercial or whatever.”

  Honest to God, he was usually great at reading liars. They all had a tell, but he didn’t know her well enough to have figured out hers, and she was, after all, an actress.

  When he stayed silent she looked over her shoulder at him and narrowed her eyes. Then, with a sigh, she took pity on him.

  “Steve.” She looked straight at him and laughed a little. “I make enough money acting that I don’t need another job, especially since I don’t pay rent. At least not in dollars.”

  “So how is it paid?”

  “I take care of the house while Jess is away, which is most of the time. She prefers her house in Cooperstown. She loans this place out, and I manage the set–up and clean–up.”

  “Thank you,” he said. “That I do believe.” Even if someone loaning a house did seem generous to a fault. But it was basically what Mike did when he let college kids housesit for him.

  “I figured it out.”

  He smiled in response to her puzzled look. “I know your tell. You can’t look me in the face when you’re making something up. I bet you can’t look anyone in the face when you lie. But just now you looked me straight in the eye. It’s hard to lie like that unless you’re a sociopath.”

  She made a face, the kind a ten year old would make when she was bested. “How do you know I’m not a sociopath?”

  He leaned over and the narrow kitchen island that separated them and pinched her chin. “Cause you’re too pretty.”

  She pulled away. “And you are a sexist jerk.”

  “Yeah, so I’ve been told.” His phone buzzed and he brought it to his ear, still watching Kendall as she arranged mugs on a tray, poured the coffee, and lifted the platter with practiced ease. She might not be a waitress now, but he could tell that she had been.

  “I want your attention, boss.”

  “You got it, Jas.” Alone in the kitchen now, he leaned back against the granite island.

  “There isn’t a bit of traceable evidence. The paper could have been from any store, the same for the sharpie. What’s more telling is there were no fingerprints or trace of any kind.”

  Shit. “So it wasn’t just a kid playing a prank.”

  “No, but there’s still the possibility that it could have been aimed at someone else.” Jasmine had a way of considering all the angles, not just the worst–case scenarios.

  “I don’t know about that. A message like that wouldn’t do much to scare off a mob boss or drug dealer. No, this must be one of Mike’s damn stalker fans.”

  “Like the one who came after him every time he went to that gym in the Village?”

  “Yeah. I’ll come by and check it out after Mike is settled at home. Or at the office.”

  “Not staying over where you are?”

  “No, I just figured this would be a good place for us to hang out until we could figure out whether to be worried.”

  Jasmine laughed. “Oh sure, and the home cooked meal and the scenery were pure torture.”

  He tucked the phone away and turned to see Kendall standing behind him.

  “You’d think he was the crowned prince of some third world country.” She grabbed the cream from the refrigerator and turned to head back to the dining room.

  “He’s just as rich and powerful, and there are some people who hate him. And believe me, Kendall; they’re not nearly as scary as the ones who love him.”

  “John Lennon,” she said, naming the Beatle who had been shot down by a crazed fan right here in New York City.

  “Every security guy’s worst nightmare,” he said, nodding.

  Steve followed her into the dining room, where she plopped the carton of cream on the table unceremoniously. Before Jessica could voice the protest he could see in her eyes, Kendall said, “Get this, Jess.” She gave Mike an exasperated look. “Mike’s security consultant here just wanted a safe place to hide out while they decided if those cherry bombs were meant as something other than a joke. That’s why they agreed to come to dinner.”

  Jessica raised her hand to her throat. “It might have been a serious threat?” she asked, looking from Steve to his brother.

  “Yes, but you’re missing the point.” Kendall gave both brothers a scathing look. “I think it’s time for you to take your life in your hands and walk out the door.”

  “Kendall!” Jessica sounded scandalized.

  Steve nodded and took a long drink of his coffee while still standing. “Let’s get outta here, Mike. We’ve overstayed at least half our welcome.”

  Mike stood up, looking every bit as annoyed as Kendall still did. “You’re aces with security, bro, but about as diplomatic as Han Solo.”

  Coming up to Kendall, Mike took her hand in both of his. “Kendall, I really did appreciate the chance to meet you both. It was a welcome pause in a chaotic day. Ben gave
you the autographed photo for Cassie, right?”

  She nodded, speechless, which was a first in their brief acquaintance, apparently caught up in the Mike O’Hara aura.

  “Why not come in to the studio next Monday and see how we operate? We might have a temp spot for you as an audience coach.”

  She tilted her head to one side, and Mike nodded. “Yup, it’s a way to edge back into your good graces. Steve might not mind being an asshat, but I piss people off enough unintentionally that I like to make amends whenever possible.”

  Kendall couldn’t help but smile at that. “Sure,” she said with a shrug. “I’m not beyond taking advantage of your guilt.”

  He nodded and told her where and when to show up.

  While Mike traded pleasantries with Jessica, Steve trotted down the steps and did a perfunctory scan of the street. It was still full light and the street was empty. Of course, dozens of windows faced their car, so someone could attack them that way. It wasn’t a limo but an innocuous black sedan, the kind that provided rides to New Yorkers who couldn’t find yellow cabs.

  A few moments later, Mike joined him, and they settled in the back seat. In no time at all, they were headed toward the Brooklyn Bridge and Mike’s place in Soho.

  “What the hell prompted that job offer?” Steve asked. “You already autographed a picture for their kid sister.”

  “Ben was impressed with Kendall when he showed her around, and he suggested that she might be just the person to take over for Maddie while she’s on maternity leave.” Mike pulled out his phone and punched at a number on his contacts list. “Dinner might have been security work for you but it was a job interview for me.”

  #

  “Kendall, honey, there was no reason for you to get so upset just because Steve was honest about why they had dinner with us.” Jessica slid the dishes into the hot soapy water and turned to look at her sister.

  “Okay, yes, I over–reacted for sure. But, well, I was just beginning to think Steve might be an interesting guy, so I felt really stupid when he told me they were, like, using us.”

  “I see.” Jessica turned back to the sink to rinse out a cloth. “So that’s why you’re not screaming with excitement over the prospect of a job with Mike O’Hara.”

  Kendall shrugged. “Half of me thinks it was just a nice way to make up for his jerk of a brother. The other half is hoping he was serious. And now I have three days to over think it.”

  “Look at it this way. This is your chance to use him.”

  “Yeah,” she agreed with a smile. Kendall tossed the placemat and napkins down the laundry chute and followed her sister back into the dining room. She watched as Jessica wiped the table clean. “He said he was a security consultant. Oh please…that’s like me saying I’m an understudy for Bernadette Peters.”

  Jessica led her back into the kitchen. She pulled out a bunch of leftover containers and started to cut the lasagna into serving size pieces.

  “He’s a bodyguard, and I’m an actor who specializes in training films.” And we’re both being supported by our wealthy sibs. Ouch.

  “Now you’re just looking for ways to dis him.”

  Kendall shook her head. “But it’s true. At least I have ambition and focus. Steve O’Hara seems about as ambitious as a high school drama coach.”

  “That was just a front,” Jessica said through her laughter. “You as an actress should know that better than anyone. He reacted quickly enough when those cherry bombs went off.” Jessica labeled the containers and put them in the refrigerator.

  “Oh, okay. You know we never agree on men anyway.”

  Kendall grabbed the bar cloth and wiped the counter while her sister started to hand wash the dishes. Like either one of those guys actually appreciated or noticed the Wedgwood china Jessica had pulled from her collection.

  “What did you think of the mighty Mike O’Hara?”

  Jessica kept on washing the same dish, which was already sparkling clean. “He’s just another charmer who’s made himself rich at the expense of others.”

  Kendall winced. She hadn’t considered the possibility that Mike O’Hara would remind her sister of Lanyon. Jess’s ex–husband was super rich and, yes, he had made his wealth at the expense of others. “At least Mike’s guests are playing the same game,” she said.

  “I suppose.”

  Jessica always sounded so disheartened when Lanyon’s name came up, as though she were responsible for his convoluted but strictly legal money–making schemes.

  In an effort at levity, Kendall snapped her sister lightly on her butt with the tea towel. “Admit it, Jess, it was fun to spend a few hours with someone who’s famous.”

  “And now you might have the chance to work for him.” Jessica rubbed her butt and turned to lean against the sink, facing Kendall. “Educate me. What exactly does an audience handler do?”

  “Give the crowd an idea of how to respond. And when. Find a few people who look like they have intelligent questions and can ask them without sounding like they’re terrified to be on national TV. That part is sort of like a mini talent hunt. Do you remember Glenda, the woman who used to always raise her hand and ask that big–time comedian where she got her ideas?”

  Jessica nodded.

  “She was discovered, as it were, by a handler.”

  “Fifteen minutes of fame? That sort of thing?”

  “Exactly. Some people really get off on that.”

  “Like my sister, Kendall.” Jessica turned back to the sink to tackle the silverware.

  “Well, to be honest, I’m hoping for a lot more than fifteen minutes.”

  Jessica laughed and they finished the dishes in a companionable silence. Once the kitchen was back to being tidy and camera ready, Kendall yawned and announced, “I’m going to send Cassie an e–mail, and then it’s off to bed.”

  “Do you remember that I’m heading up to Cooperstown tomorrow? I’ll be gone for a few weeks. I love August up there and I have a quilt to finish for the International contest.”

  “Got it.” They hugged each other, a long rocking embrace.

  Kendall slipped through the door at the back of the kitchen and headed down to the lower level, well, the basement. She wound her way past the laundry and storage room and then unlocked the door to the studio apartment she called home. Kendall plopped down on the sofa and pulled her laptop from its charging station. Before emailing Cassie, there was one thing she wanted to know.

  She entered “Steve O’Hara, security expert” into Bing and hit search. There were over one hundred thousand hits. Amazed, she settled in to read the most interesting ones. After ten minutes she offered Steve O’Hara a mental apology, hoping she would never have to give him one face–to–face. He hadn’t been lying about George and Brad. His business specialized in protecting the rich and famous. She wasn’t sure whether the mighty Mike O’Hara had given his sib a boost, but even if he had, Steve had made the most of it. It looked like Wellstone Security was the go–to firm for physical security.

  She spent another few minutes on Wellstone’s website. Under “job opportunities,” she noted that there was a special category for former military personnel and an icon indicating that veterans got priority consideration.

  It was fascinating. As she clicked over to her email to write to Cassie and Annie, she paused for a moment to wonder what Steve O’Hara had learned about her.

  Chapter Four

  I think this is going to work out perfectly.” Maddie Spencer all but fell into one of the audience seats, gesturing for Kendall to join her.

  “As much as I want to hear that, I feel compelled to mention that we only met a few hours ago.”

  “Yes, and I know that’s fast,” Maddie said with a decisive nod. “But I want to bring someone on right away. We’ve only got two weeks to work together, and that’s if baby Owen is willing.” She patted her stomach, where baby boy Owen was happily gestating.

  Kendall did not want to ask about the list of applicants that wa
s no doubt sitting on Ben’s desk. That’s the way this business worked, and if you had an in, you’d be a fool not to take it. Hopefully some day she could pay it forward.

  “That’s wonderful! But don’t you have to clear it with Ben and Mike?”

  “They already weighed in. The final decision is mine. Mike has gotten really good at delegating, and Ben has so much on his plate that he’ll be relieved to hear that something’s worked out on the first try. Actually this is the third try, but that’s still pretty fast.” Maddie levered herself up from the seat and urged Kendall toward the front of the room.

  “Now you’re going to spend the rest of the day jumping through the HR hoops.”

  “Should I run home and change into something more office like?”

  “No, never. That dress is great. The scoop neck is not to low, the short sleeves show off your arms and the pale green and white seersucker is cheerful, perfect for the set and for the office.”

  “Wow, okay, thanks.”

  “Now, hurry. I want them to let you out for long enough to come up for the pre–show and the actual show. Five of the cheerleaders from five different pro teams are going to be here. It should be fascinating. And no, they will not be wearing their uniforms.” She made air quotes over the word uniform.

  Kendall nodded, trying to absorb every detail Maddie was rattling off. Her monologue was interrupted by what sounded like an explosion in the lobby. Maddie was closest to the door, and she started to run for it, but then she put a hand to her belly and stopped in her tracks. “I’m not going to take Owen out there. Would you go see what’s up?”

  Kendall ran into chaos. Someone had lobbed something through the huge glass window next to the revolving door, and it had taken out the giant sculpture that dominated the lobby. Shards of glass and marble lay everywhere, and a thick film of dust was still settling.

  After a quick scan, Kendall could see that three people were injured. One was Steve O’Hara, who was already barking into his cell phone, apparently unaware that he was bleeding all over the floor.