He seemed to ingest that. “Ryan will fight a custody suit. He’s got power behind him.”
And here was the meat of the meeting. Simone’s back tightened. “Well, you can reassure Mr. Harrison that if it comes to that, Kate has power behind her too.”
A slow smile spread across his face. And that damn dimple winked at her. “I like you, Counselor.”
He liked baseball. He was sexy as hell. And she’d gone way too long without. She shouldn’t care what Mitch Mathews thought of her, but she did. Dammit, she really did.
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table, his hand so close to hers, if he moved just a fraction of an inch, they’d be touching. But she didn’t need to touch him to feel the heat rolling off him in waves. The same heat was rolling off her. “I’d like to take you out to dinner. In a real restaurant.”
For a split second, she was tempted to say yes. Then reality settled in. “I don’t think that’s a wise idea.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m you sis—” She stopped herself just in time, but she saw the way his brows lifted in optimism.
“Kate’s attorney,” she corrected, hating that a part of her now hoped Kate turned out not to be Annie. It would make this…what was happening between them…a whole lot easier. “It would be unethical to have a personal relationship with you.”
“Is that what we’re doing here, Counselor? Starting a personal relationship?”
Big red warning flags went off in her mind. The way he was watching her, the sinister smile, those sexy eyes. If she wasn’t careful, she’d get herself disbarred.
“I think it’s time for me to go, Mr. Mathews.”
He didn’t try to stop her as she reached for her purse. And she was thankful the lust was gone from his voice when he asked, “So you think we’ll find out tomorrow?”
“I’m hopeful, yes. But it might be as late as next week.” As she pushed out of the booth, he was right there, reaching for her arm, helping her up. Tingles rushed over her skin where they touched, and she looked up into mesmerizing green eyes. Eyes any woman could get lost in without much effort.
“So maybe tomorrow I’ll be calling you for that dinner.”
Heat slid through her veins, warming her from the inside out. She fought it though, working for that professionalism she’d perfected over the years. She held out her hand. “Perhaps. Thank you for the drink, Mr. Mathews.”
“Mitch,” he said with that damn sexy, lopsided grin, caressing her hand in both of his, giving her just a taste of what it would feel like to be caressed elsewhere by those big, masculine fingers.
“Mitch,” she heard herself repeat.
She swallowed hard as she let go and exited the restaurant, telling herself the whole time no matter what happened tomorrow, Mitch Mathews was a man who wouldn’t take no for an answer. The question was, what would her answer be next time?
***
Kate sat at her desk Tuesday afternoon, trying to edit a piece about geoscientists working in conjunction with the Peace Corp. Easing back in her chair, she glanced out the window toward the bay. The article wasn’t enough to hold her interest.
Not today.
With a huff, she tossed the article on her desk, unable to read anymore. It was more sociological and political fluff than out-and-out science.
Not that she’d be able to read it even if it was the most compelling article on the planet. She scrubbed her hands over her face and tried to calm her frazzled nerves. She was sitting on pins and needles waiting for word from Simone, wondering what Ryan Harrison was doing and thinking.
Her pounding head signaled a need for caffeine.
She rose, headed to the lounge where she poured herself a thick mug of black goo, then took a big drink. It tasted awful, but if it would help her headache, she didn’t care.
She slipped into her office without looking up and closed the door softly behind her. When she turned, she was surprised to see Simone standing behind her desk, looking out across the bay.
“Nice view,” Simone said.
“Hi. I didn’t expect to see you today.”
“I know. We need to chat.”
Oh, man. Something in her gut signaled this wasn’t good. On a deep breath that did nothing for her now frantic nerves, Kate wove around her desk and sat.
Simone sat across from her. “Okay, first of all, I need to share something with you. I had drinks last night with Mitch Mathews.”
Kate’s brow lifted. “Really?”
“Yes, really.” Simone straightened. “It wasn’t personal. I mean, okay, it could be personal. He called, I think, to talk about you, but there was a spark there. Nothing happened but…I’m only telling you this because I’m your attorney, and I want you to know you come first. I told him flat out that I wasn’t going to see him again unless the test results came back negative. And I won’t.”
Kate didn’t know what to make of that news. “Wow. You believe in being blunt.”
“It’s the only way to get the point across. I like Mitch, but he’s not the first man I’ve met that I like. I just didn’t want you to hear this from him later or for it to come up out of context.”
“I like Mitch too,” Kate said. “What I know of him so far. He seems like a nice man. If you’d told me you had drinks with Ryan, well, I think I’d have a problem with that. He hates my guts.”
“He doesn’t hate you, Kate. He’s confused. There’s a big difference.”
“Doesn’t seem like a big difference to me.” She studied Simone. “You’re allowed to have your own personal life, Counselor.”
Simone’s brow wrinkled, and Kate sensed she wanted to say something but didn’t.
“So is that why you came by today?” Kate asked.
“No.” Simone extracted a folder from her briefcase and drew in a long breath. “I got the DNA report back. I wanted to talk to you about it first. I called Ryan earlier. He’s meeting me at my office this afternoon.”
Kate swallowed the lump in her throat. Here we go. “Okay, let’s have it.”
Simone passed her the file, waited and watched as Kate scanned the page. “It’s a preliminary report, Kate. But it’s a pretty good match. They’ll want to take samples from Mr. and Mrs. Mathews to match parentage. I’m told they live in Seattle. I don’t believe they’ve been informed of your possible identity yet.”
Kate set the file on her desk. Rising, she walked on shaky legs to the window and crossed her arms over her chest where she blew out a calming breath. Then another that did little to slow her racing pulse.
It was true. She was Annie Harrison. Ryan was her husband. Julia was her daughter. The reality of the moment cut right through her, grabbed on to her heart and squeezed tight. She’d lost five years of a life she didn’t even know. And now she was left with…what? A family she couldn’t remember and a future that didn’t look any brighter than it had five minutes ago. If anything, that future looked a thousand times more confusing.
Swallowing the lump in her throat, she forced herself to speak. “I had a feeling it was going to work out this way.”
“I think everyone did. If it’s any consolation, I think they already know. I got that sense from Mitch last night. Maybe that’ll make it easier.”
“I expected it, but it doesn’t make it easier.” Wiping the tears from her face, she turned. So many thoughts, scenarios, questions swam in her mind, but she couldn’t focus on those yet. Pain lanced through her chest at what would inevitably come, but she tried to breathe through it. Knew she just had to get it out there. “Okay, Counselor. Time to earn your retainer. I have a son.”
Simone looked up sharply.
Kate’s lungs felt three sizes too small, but she forced herself to go on. “He’s four and a half. When I woke up from that coma, he was almost three years old. I didn’t bring it up before because I had to be sure before I pulled him into this.”
Kate closed her eyes to block the tears. “When I asked you for legal advice
, should I turn out to be Annie Harrison, it was with Reed in mind. I think it’s probably a safe bet he’s Ryan’s son. He looks a lot like him. I’ll want to have him tested as well, just to be sure.”
“Of course.”
“And I want to tell Ryan about him. I’d appreciate it if you’d not say anything today.”
“Of course not.” Simone jotted a few notes on her legal pad.
Kate massaged the scar on her head, thoughts of Ryan circling in her mind. Of Julia’s reaction to her. Of what they would both say and do when they found out about Reed. “He’s going to want to get to know Reed, in the same way I’m going to want to get to know Julia. It could get sticky with visitation issues, etc. He already doesn’t like me. I don’t see this making things any better.”
“We’ll work it out. Don’t worry about that. Ryan is a fair and honest man. Regardless of what the press says, regardless of how he’s feeling right now, he’ll cooperate.”
“I’m not so sure.” Kate ran her hands through her hair as tears filled her eyes. Why did this hurt so bad? She should be happy. Ecstatic that she had her answer. She finally knew who she was. Why wasn’t that enough?
Simone skirted the desk between them and wrapped her arms around Kate. “Just breathe. We’ll get you through this. I promise.”
Kate closed her eyes. Focused on the push and pull of air in her lungs. Centered herself on that one small thing she could do now. Everything else…everything else would work itself out. She had to give it time. Her head knew that even if her heart didn’t totally understand.
She pulled back and wiped her eyes. “Thank you. I…I appreciate everything you’re doing for me. I appreciate your help and friendship. I didn’t realize how much I missed having a friend around until now.”
Simone smiled. “I liked Annie a great deal. We were good friends. But I like you a lot, too. I’d be your friend whether I’d known her or not.”
“I appreciate that too,” Kate whispered. She dried her face and looked at Simone again, this time knowing she could get through the emotional fallout from this so long as she stayed focused on her goal. “There’s one more thing I’d like to discuss.”
“Okay, shoot.”
“I’ve been doing some research, trying to find answers. It was only speculation before, but now that we know for sure… I don’t know if it will make a difference in the long run, but I need to know what happened to me. Jake knew something. He had to. There has to be a reason he lied to me. Was I living a double life? Did someone intentionally try to hurt me only something went wrong? Did I run away from my family? I can’t go through life not knowing the truth.”
Simone leaned back against Kate’s desk. “Go on.”
Kate paced in front of the window. “Well, from what I can deduce from the crash records, my body was never recovered, obviously,” she added sarcastically. “But there was a body in my seat.”
“Correct.” Simone went back to her briefcase, flipped through her file on the crash. She’d obviously done some research herself. “The manifest shows you checked in on the flight, which means the stewardess did a head count and your seat was accounted for after the bulkhead doors closed. You’d made it through security with your boarding pass and ID. And your personal belongings were recovered after the crash—your suitcase, but also your purse, specifically, found wedged under a seat. Ryan identified it.”
“Do you think he still has it?”
“I don’t know. I could ask. What’s on your mind?”
“I don’t know. Maybe I’m just hoping seeing it might bring back a memory. I’ve had no luck at that nursing home. They won’t even let me through the door anymore. But I really feel like that’s a starting place.”
“They haven’t returned my calls, and I don’t have enough here to get a court order to go through their files.”
“I know.” Kate pinched her throbbing forehead. “If I could just get in their record room myself.”
Simone reached back for her file and opened it on her lap. “Where is it? San Mateo?” She skimmed the information she’d jotted down. “You know, I think I’ve got a friend whose mother is in this home.” She bit her lip as if pondering their choices. “I might be able to get inside, go in to see her.”
Kate’s brow lifted. “You wouldn’t be suggesting something illegal now, would you, Counselor?”
Simone frowned. “Why do you call me that?”
“What?”
“Counselor.”
Kate shrugged. “I don’t know. You are one, aren’t you? Does it bother you?”
“Yeah, I am one. And no, it doesn’t bother me. It’s just weird that you and Mitch use the same word.”
“Not so weird. Not anymore.”
Simone stood and tried to smile. “No. I guess not anymore. Tell you what. I’ll make a call, talk to my friend and find out if her mother’s really there. If she is, I’ll let you know, and we’ll decide what to do from there.”
“Okay.”
Simone gathered her things. “I’m going to meet with Ryan. You take some time and figure out what you’re going to tell him. If you want me to be there, we can set it up in the office. However you want to handle it.”
“Thanks, but I think I need to do that on my own.”
“Okay.” Simone shot her a quick smile. “I’ll call you after I speak with him today.”
Chapter Eight
Simone’s gaze snapped to the door when it pushed open. Ryan and Mitch stepped into her office, presenting a unified front.
Brothers.
Regardless of their individual characteristics, they were brothers at heart, and it showed. Ryan with his sharp, clean, good looks, and Mitch with his rugged, outdoorsy ones. They were roughly the same height and build, but so different in every other way.
She rose, stepped to Ryan, hugged him quickly. “I’m sorry for all of this.”
“Thanks.” He pulled back. “I’m sorry about Steve too. I…I should have called you.”
“It’s okay. I understand. These things are hard. They bring up emotions we don’t always want to deal with.”
He nodded. Her gaze cut to Mitch. He’d gotten a haircut and shaved off the goatee. He looked good, but she missed the wispy curls near his collar.
Dragging her gaze away from him, she rubbed her hands together. “Okay.” She moved back behind her desk, switching to lawyer mode. “Have a seat, and we’ll get started.”
“She’s not coming?” Mitch asked.
“No. I’ve already spoken with Kate. We felt it best to do this separately. She wanted time to absorb the results before she spoke with either of you.”
Mitch and Ryan exchanged glances. She noticed their apprehension and took out the test results. No sense prolonging their misery. She handed a copy to each of them. “These are the preliminary DNA reports. It’s not entirely conclusive, but I think you’ll see it’s close enough. We’ll need to get samples from your parents, Mitch, but I think we can say with ninety-eight percent accuracy, Kate Alexander is Annie Harrison.”
Ryan leaned back and closed his eyes. Heartache raced along his features, but she could tell from his quiet reaction he’d already expected this news. As Kate had said, however, knowing didn’t make any of this easier.
Mitch took his time studying the report. When he glanced up, Simone saw the pain in his eyes, too. This was hard on both of them.
She rose and moved around the desk, leaning back against the mahogany surface where she picked up another folder and handed papers to each of them. “Here are copies of her medical records. She wanted you to see them. The accident she was in damaged her face. She went through several reconstructive surgeries to both her nose and cheek areas, which is why she doesn’t look exactly like she did before.”
She waited while they each flipped through the files. “I know it’s one thing for her to say she can’t remember anything. It’s another for you to see it in black and white. She was being treated by a neurosurgeon in Houston. I’ve tried
to track him down but am running into a wall. It seems like each of our leads are ending that way.”
Dismissing the thought, she added, “As far as her brain trauma, her records indicate there was some sort of damage to the lateral cortex of her anterior temporal lobe, the part of the brain that deals with long-term memory, specifically that area which focuses on personal memories. So things she learned say, in school, haven’t been affected because they’re stored in a separate part of the brain—or so the theory goes. Where she learned those facts, though, is a different story because that would be a personal memory, like where she went to college. It explains why she does so well in her current field, remembering technical information about seismology and geology, even though she doesn’t know what sort of degree she holds. As I’ve learned through research on this case, most of what the medical community knows about the brain is pretty inconclusive, especially those parts of the brain that deal with memory.”
“So she really doesn’t remember anything?” Ryan asked in a weak voice.
“No,” Simone answered. “And there’s one other major thing you should be aware of.” When they both looked up, she said, “That portion of the brain is also responsible for personality.” She wanted to make this part perfectly clear so they both understood. “She’s not the same person she used to be. If you spend time with her, like I have, you’ll notice similarities—gestures, looks, that sort of thing. But there are some very glaring differences as well that you need to be prepared for. Kate’s personality now was developed after the accident. She reacts differently to situations. Whereas Annie was emotional and quick to respond, Kate is more reserved. She thinks things through before jumping to conclusions or voicing observations. That’s a minor point, but it becomes important when you get to know her. I don’t want either of you thinking you can just pick up where you left off five years ago and everything will fall in line.”