Intercepting Love (Second Chances #5)(19)

“What about Luke?” I asked.

She waved me off. “Oh, don’t worry about that. I’ll take care of him.”

Opening the bathroom door, Lara motioned for me to come out and led the way to the back door. As soon as we got out, I carried Kate over to my car, gently laid her inside, and buckled her in. It was literally two minutes later when Lara came out with our food and handed it to me.

“Here’s your and Kate’s food, even though she’s most likely not going to eat tonight. She’s kind of a lightweight when it comes to alcohol. Most of the time she doesn’t drink a lot; it’s only during stressful occasions when she does.”

“Trust me, I know the feeling all too well,” I mumbled. “Thank you for the food.”

Lara nodded. “Anytime. Just get her home,” she commanded, handing me a little slip of paper with a phone number on it. “Here’s my number in case something happens. Call me anytime if you need anything. The key to her house is the one attached to the keychain with her name on it. I’m sure they’re in her purse.”

“I’ll find them … and again, thank you.”

Once in my car, I double checked that Kate was securely buckled before we left. Her blonde hair draped over her face, hiding her behind a veil of gold so I gently pushed it to the side and tucked it behind her ears. She was so beautiful, but asleep she looked vulnerable and scared. What was going on in her life that would drive her to break down?

Carefully, I drove the few minutes it took to get to Kate’s house, constantly peering over at her to make sure she was all right. Once we were in her driveway, I reluctantly searched through her purse to find her keys. It felt like I was violating her privacy, but I had no choice. After finding them, I lifted her out of the car and took her inside, only I did not know which room was hers. Sure enough, it was the last room I looked in; I knew it had to be hers because the room smelled like apples. Gently, I laid her down on the soft, yellow and light blue striped bedspread and turned on her bathroom light so it would give her room a little glow.

Her room was very feminine with a certain southern charm, consisting of floral arrangements with soft yellow walls. She had a couple of paintings depicting meadows and farmlands, along with horses running through the fields. It all showed a softer side to her, but I had yet to see it for myself.

As I was taking off her shoes, she started to wake, or at least I thought she was waking up. Whimpering, she curled into a ball and whispered, “I’m so sorry. Scott, I’m so … so sorry.”

Who was Scott? I wondered.

Carefully, I climbed onto her bed and wrapped my arms around her. “It’s okay, love.”

Kate shook her head hard. “No, it’s not. He’s gone and it’s all my fault. They tell me it’s all my fault.”

“Who does?”

I knew I shouldn’t pry while she was drunk, but she was obviously upset about something, and if I could help I was sure going to try.

“They say I killed him. They want me to suffer like them,” she cried. “And I do. I suffer all of the time because they won’t leave me alone.”

“Who are they? What do they do to you?” I asked quickly.

She was so completely out of it that I didn’t know if she was speaking the truth or if it was just drunk talk. Shaking her head quickly, she sat up and put her hand over her mouth, stumbling out of bed. “I think I’m going to be sick,” she sobbed.

As fast as I could, I jumped up and helped her to the bathroom just in time for her to dispel every ounce of wine she drank for the night. Rubbing her back with one hand, I held her hair in the other to keep it out of the way. When her body started to sag toward the floor, I picked her up and carried her back into her room, feeling her tremble against my chest. She began to shiver and shake uncontrollably so I pulled the blankets over her body and mine to keep her warm, holding her tight against me. I wanted her to talk some more so I could find out what was wrong, but instead, her breathing became heavy and deep. She was asleep. For the rest of the night, I held her in my arms but was woken up several times to her whispered words.

“I’m sorry,” she would say. “I’m so sorry, Scott.”

I needed to find out who Scott was.





Six-thirty had finally arrived and my shoulder screamed at me to take my pain pills. I wasn’t at home so I couldn’t do it, but I’d make sure to take one as soon as I got there to get ready for practice. As quietly as I could, I slipped out of Kate’s bed and sauntered into her kitchen to make her some coffee before I left.

Pulling out Lara’s number, I dialed it and prayed that she wouldn’t get pissed from the early wake up call, but I had to tell her Kate was all right. “Hello,” she answered groggily.

“Lara, it’s Cooper.”

“Hey, how did everything go last night? I was going to stop by, but by the time I got away from the restaurant it was late and I figured you two would be asleep.”

“Everything’s fine,” I told her. “I’m making her some coffee, and then I’m going home before heading to practice. Do you think she’ll stay home today?”

“Of course not,” she laughed. “Kate doesn’t let anything keep her away from work. She may be late, but she’ll be there. Don’t worry about her though, this has happened before.”