2 comments/ 20316 views/ 2 favorites A Match Made In Heaven Ch. 01 By: Match Made In Heaven Katherine Banks could feel the hot wind blowing through her hair as she sped along in the red convertible. She couldn’t believe it when she arrived at the airport, the car that her publishing company had rented for her was not her style at all. Something practical and less showy would have suited her far better. But now that she was on the freeway, she could see that everyone was driving convertibles with the tops down, and she could certainly see why. The beautiful California weather would have made it insufferable to be boxed into a tiny little car being blasted with air conditioning. As much as she despised the West Coast and all that it stood for, she had to admit that the temperature was just about as perfect as she’d ever experienced. After nearly two years, she was coming to claim her inheritance. Well not so much to claim it as to deal with it. She had been avoiding this moment for so long. Katherine remembered, vaguely the day that she had attended her aunts will reading. Her head had been so full of guilt and grief that the day past in a fog. Katherine had always loved her Aunt Aimee. More than that, they seemed to have a special bond, a closeness that Katherine had never been able to find with her mother, Aimee’s sister. Peal was such a closed off woman, stern and steady above it all. Aimee had been the fun one, the mystical crazy dramatic one who just seemed to bring everything else around her alive. Aimee never had children of her own, and Katherine had a feeling that her Aunt had spiritually adopted her. There was a spark in her as a child, a glimmer of mystery and drama and adventure. But time and a heavy dose of her mothers influence had drawn Katherine to more practical concerns. After all, following pipe dreams and tilting after windmills had been the downfall of Katherine’s father and the tragic end to his and Pearls marriage. A hard life as a single mother had certainly left it’s effect on Pearl Banks, and she had been careful to impart upon her daughter the that life was an uphill struggle, not a field of wildflowers. She had never been particularly fun or affectionate, but that’s where Aimee came in. Aimee Blanchard, the spinster aunt, who always took her on adventures of the imagination, who was always so much fun in her childhood, seemed to transform during Katherine’s adolescence into something of a crazy odd-ball. And that, in a teenager’s mind is something to avoid at all cost. No longer was pretending to read each other’s futures or dancing around singing show tunes going to make the grade- literally or figuratively. Pearl had insisted that Katherine dedicate herself to her studies, almost to the exclusion of any kind of social life. Not that Katherine, a shy but serious teen, had much interest in a social life, or any hope of having one even if she did want one. Katherine found her true friends in the novels she managed to smuggle through along with all of the serious reading matter that helped her get the grades that almost seemed to please her seemingly unreachable mother. Throughout her 27 years, books had been both a blessing and a curse. On the one hand, they seemed to indicate to the other kids her age that she was not interested in the same things they were, and on the other as she felt herself increasingly ostracized, they were the best and only comfort she seemed to have. Especially after Aunt Aimee left the cold Midwest to take up life in the carefree coastal life in southern California. Pearl thought that her sister had gone off the deep end, moving out there with all those cooks and reprobates, and Katherine had been inclined to agree. She loved her aunt, but like her mother, she had no use for California or the freewheeling anything goes lifestyle that seemed to flourish there. Over the years, Aunt Aimee had extended many invitations to Katherine to come and visit her in her lakefront home on Shell Beach. At first, Katherine had her adolescent embarrassment to blame, but as she outgrew that she just seemed to find excuse after excuse to put it off. “Maybe next time” became her mantra. She urged her aunt to come back to Michigan to visit her instead, and Aimee did make an occasional trip, but she often insisted that there was so much of California that she wanted to share with her niece. She spoke enthusiastically about her home, her neighbors and the especially the scenery. Still, thinking of all that she had been taught to believe about the west coast, Katherine found herself literally cringing at the thought. The last few years, Katherine had had the best excuse of all. Between odd jobs, she was working hard on a novel. She had spent every spare hour either in the library doing research or writing, rewriting and self editing. Her aunt had been extremely understanding and supportive, saying only, “Maybe you’ll come out when it’s finished.” No one expected Aimee’s sudden death, least of all Katherine. She had always thought that she would see her again. Aimee had kept her illness a secret, preferring that friends and relatives visit her out of joy rather than pity or grief. Katherine had no way of knowing that by the time her book was finished, it would be too late. The day of the will reading, Katherine had vaguely remembered wondering what, if anything had been left to her. Likely, a bracelet or a locket. Maybe a box of old photos. She felt a sense of guilt for even thinking about it when she had wasted her chance to spend her aunt’s last days with her. Did she really deserve to inherit anything? She did want something to help her to feel connected with her memories of Aunt Aimee, although she didn’t believe in an afterlife. She knew she had lost her only chance, and besides anything that was bequeathed her would only remind her what she hadn’t done, but should have. She definitely felt conflicted about the whole thing. Through her fog of grief and guilt, she remembered being aware that the attorney had said her name, and the next thing she knew, he was telling her that she had inherited her aunts entire house and everything left inside that had not been passed specifically to someone. What? Katherine had thought. Her house? Whey would she leave me her house? It’s too much… it’s too big… it’s too far away! Afterwards she had spoken to the attorney in a panic. How was she to handle the affairs of the property from Michigan when there was no way she could leave town? The attorney had assured her that everything was being taken care in California until such a time as she’d be able to get out there and not to worry. At least that had been the gist of it, Katherine had felt at the time as though her head were being held underwater. The whole time period was a blur. Since she had been assured that the house was in good hands, it made it easier to avoid dealing with it. Time past and she had practically forgotten it was even there. She finished the book she had been writing and began sending it out to publishers. It was daunting as publisher after publisher politely rejected it. Finally, instead of the usual, ‘no thank you’ letters she’d been getting, StageCoach Press informed her that they would be delighted to publish her book as part of there new ‘Exotic Adventures’ romance series. Katherine had been overjoyed. The only caveat, they informed her, was that she would need to be an integral part of promoting the book. And that meant meeting with the publisher and doing some TV spots and print interviews. The publisher, and the media outlets they had in mind were located, where else but California, only miles from her late aunts property. So now she had the thing she had been dreaming of, coming face to face with the thing she had been dreading. Katherine figured that it was time to tie up the loose ends, and put the house up for sale. In the meantime she would stay there while she took care of her book business and make sure everything really was in order as had been promised. Katherine could feel herself tensing behind the wheel of the flashy rental car. It was going to be a stressful couple of weeks, and although it seemed success had finally found her, she wasn’t relishing her immediate future. In fact, she couldn’t wait for it all to be over. Promote the book, sell the house, and get back to Michigan were I belong, Katherine kept telling herself. It will all be over before you know it. She tried to relax as she pulled into the curving drive. At last she had reached her destination and she gave the exterior a cursory inspection. The sun and the beach lay behind the two story home which cast a long evening shadow over her car. The light of the day was dimming and Katherine herself felt stretched beyond her limits, worn out and ready for sleep. Knowing her aunt as she did, she imagined the inside would be as welcoming and comfortable as it seemed from the outside. Katherine parked the car and took a deep breath. There’s no use putting it off any longer. She turned the ignition off and removed the keys. Stepping out of the car and approaching the front door, she could hear a voice inside her head pushing her forward. Time to face the music. After fumbling for a minute or two, Katherine slid her key into the lock and felt the knob turning. The door swung open and she found herself standing face to face with a buff young man with sandy blond hair and ocean blue eyes. “Who the hell are you?” two voices rung out in unison. The two of them stood mute, staring each other down. The man seemed write at home, hardly as if he were a burglar. Sandy blond curls fell, Superman style, over his forehead, stopping just shy of his dancing blue eyes, which traveled unabashedly over the entire length of Katherine’s body. His snug jeans hugged the outline of his leg muscles and a white pirate shirt lay untied to expose an equally exquisite chest, covered in a soft layer of golden curls. He seemed to find her equally acceptable, in her too warm chocolate brown ribbed and short sleeved sweater dress, and matching brown tights and pumps. Katherine knew that she had a decent body, feminine but not entirely overtly sexual. Her breast, but and hips gave gentle sloping curves which could be described as a little more than a handful on all counts. However, she wasn’t really comfortable with the lecherous way that this strange man seemed to be sizing her up. “I said, who are you?” she repeated in a steely voice. A Match Made In Heaven Ch. 02 Vic Valentine didn’t know whether to be amused or annoyed at the angry young woman standing outside of his door. He guessed from the key in her hand that she was Aimee’s prodigal niece, finally come to claim her inheritance. He also guessed from the look of shock and confusion on her face that she hadn’t been paying much attention at the will reading, nor during the two years since. Although Vic had spent much of the past two years building up an intense dislike of the woman, whom he had never met, he had to admit that even in her current state, she had an attractiveness that made his natural male instinct rebel against that inclination. Still, her aunt had adored her, and she had refused to visit, even refused to visit the home her aunt had left for her. Vic had had a deep admiration and respect for Aimee Blanchard and he wasn’t going to let her negligent niece off the hook easily. His initial instinct to dislike her won out. The roguishly hansom blond reached a hand out to her. “Welcome to my home, would you like to come in?” The brunette seemed confused. She checked the address on the door, and then the one in her hand. Finding that they matched, she resumed being irritated rather than confused. “Whatever is going on here, I do not find it amusing!” she snapped. “This is my late Aunt’s house, and the property of me. Just what are you doing here.” “You must be Katherine then,” he said easily, his hand still outstretched. “I’m Vic, Vic Valentine. I was a friend of your aunts, and I have been the caretaker since her death. It was all spelled out in the will, but I’ll explain it to you again if you’d like to come inside and calm down some.” The suggestion to calm down didn’t seem to set well with the woman on the doorstep, but she entered the house grudgingly. “You can hardly blame me for being upset. I expected an empty house.” Vic could feel his jaw tightening. “I can blame you. “How long has it been since the house became yours? You could have at least taken the time to find out what was becoming of the place.” “Look, I don’t know you and I don’t need a lecture, either. The fact is, the house belongs to me, I’m here now and your services will no longer be needed.” Wow, Vic thought, this woman is a piece of work. He had no idea why she needed to be so rude. Her aunt had been such a delightful woman, obviously Katherine was nothing like her. “So your staying then?” he said in a cold flat voice. “Not that it’s any of your concern, but I will be staying here until I take care of some business, and then I will be selling the house.” “What! Selling it, you can’t-” “I assure you I can, Mr. Valentine. I have no use for a house in California. My home is in Michigan and I will be staying there, where people are sensible and civilized.” Vic didn’t know whether to be offended or to laugh. Sensing that the latter would irritate his new guest more, he chuckled in an admittedly patronizing way. “I fail to see the humor.” “The humor, Miss Banks, is that you make too many assumptions. I am not going anywhere. Your aunt appointed me as a live in caretaker and this is my home.” “Well sir, I’m sorry to hear that. Because I am here now, it belongs to me and I planned to stay here while I’m in town. Clearly we can not both stay here, so I am afraid you will have to go.” Vic looked her square in the eye and said, quite simply, “No.” Her color was rising now, “No?” “That’s right. No.” “Didn’t you hear anything I just said?” Vic found himself amused by the flash in her eyes. For a moment he found himself wanting to grab her like a hero of an old movie and kiss her hard, if only to shut her up. “I heard what you said,” he replied calmly. “But you can’t just throw me out. I have rights and I’m not going anywhere. You could go somewhere else or you could stay here. It’s your choice. But I’m staying.” “This is insane!” Katherine exclaimed. “We can’t both stay here!” “Why not, there’s plenty of room.” “I don’t think a mansion would have enough room for the both of us,” she stormed. “Besides, I have values.” “What does that have to do with anything?” “It has everything to do with everything. I do not stay overnight in houses alone with men. It’s just not done.” Vic could not believe his ears. Was she from Michigan- or the Dark Ages? “Give me a break! It’s not like I’m going to take advantage of you. I can barely stand to talk to you.” The ridiculousness of this conversation was really getting under his skin. “That is certainly not the point. I would never let you touch me in that way. It simply wouldn’t look right.” That last statement gave Vic cause to laugh- and laugh and laugh. “Look right?! To who?” he managed to choke out between guffaws. Clearing his through he added, “No one around here know or cares who you are spending your nights with.” “And that is just what is wrong with this place. Far to morally lax. The point is, I would know and I certainly care. I have certain standards of conduct, and I uphold them no matter who is watching.” “Good grief,” Vic sighed. “Do you always talk like this? I can’t believe that you are related to Aimee. I’ve never met anyone as uptight as you.” Katherine flared. “I am not uptight!” she insisted. “You however are incredibly rude. I simply cannot believe your lack of decency.” “Well, I’m sorry I offended you, miss,” he said snidely. “But you’re just going to have to put up with my boorishness unless you’ve got some other place to stay. You have no grounds to toss me out without notice and I don’t have anywhere else to stay tonight, so I guess your stuck with me.” Katherine could feel her entire body filling with frustration. He was impossible, simply impossible. There was nothing whatsoever that she could do about this situation at this moment. She was stuck. And she hated that. She hated backing down too. She looked around for the first time to see a spacious open air living space. The kitchen was an island design directly across from the living area and opening out to a huge deck. There seemed to be no inside walls anywhere on the ground floor. Katherine spotted the stairs to her right. Despite her 24 years of life and her view of herself as a rational mature person, Katherine Banks, sensing that she had lost the argument, tossed her adversary a disdainful look, stamped a foot and ran off, rather childishly up the stairs and out of the room containing that hateful man, Vic Valentine. A Match Made In Heaven Ch. 02 Pt. 02 [Author’s note: A reader pointed out that Katherine’s age changed from 27 in Chapter 1, to 24 in Chapter 2. Katherine’s age is 24, the age of 27 was a misstatement. Thank you, and sorry for any confusion.] Chapter Two- part 2. At the top of the stairs, Rachael found herself looking at a short hallway with three doors and two hall closets. From the hallway, the upstairs seemed much smaller than the ground floor. She opened the first door and gasped. It was a bathroom, but it was more spacious than any bathroom she had ever seen before. There was a separate shower and bath, a two sink vanity and even a couch. Imagine, Katherine thought, a couch in a bathroom! Only in California. The next door opened into a room with a perfectly made bed, stately furniture and few personal effects. It was obviously a guest room, and seemed to be where Vic was staying. At least he has the decency not to stay in my Aunts own bedroom, she muttered inwardly. Opening the third door, Katherine heard herself gasp. There was no doubt who this room belonged to. Even though she had never seen it before, Katherine got the impression that the room had been virtually untouched since her aunts death. The large vanity was cluttered with knickknacks, pictures and jewelry draped over the mirror. The chair itself, was a Queen Anne style made of dark cherry wood, with a cream colored embroidered cushion seat. Over the back of the seat, there was actually a flamingo pink feather boa. Katherine laughed, feeling certain that she’d discover high healed Malibu slippers in the closet as well. The bed was made of a dark ornate wood and was clothed in the bright colors and patterns of a middle eastern design that didn’t really match with anything else in the room. The pictures on the walls all seemed to be large posters representing the natural world. On one wall, a large window gave a glorious view of the ocean below. To the left of the window, she had a poster of a water fall shown in slow motion, and to the right was a travel poster of the Cascades in Jackson Michigan. The giant water fountain backlit with bright reds, greens and blues seemed to glisten right off the paper. The wall that held the bed and nightstand boasted a picture of the burnt orange waves of sand in a desert somewhere, a grouping of smaller framed prints including a lizard, a scorpion, and a beetle, another large print of revelers around a bonfire, and one of a bright yellow painting of a smiling sun. Except for the concept of dry heat that made Katherine feel vaguely thirsty, there seemed to be no real pattern to the wall. The vanity wall, besides being home to a closet who’s only door was a beaded curtain, showed a snowy mountain top, several wolves in a winery setting, and a sky diver in a clear blue sky. Turning to see were she had entered, the door with the wall on it was also festively decorated. The back of the door sported a very long poster of an apple tree in full blossom. It’s white flowers made the tree almost look as if it were covered in snow, but from the greenery all around it was clear that the picture had been taken after the last frost. Another poster showed a girl in a field holding a daisy, and there where several pictures of baby animals in the woods, fawns, rabbits, birds nests, even a mother and baby bear. The room itself was quite large, and filled with surfaces. There where two tall dressers, and one bureau style dresser and several cabinets, tables and stands all loaded down with knickknacks jewelry, picture frames, cosmetics and other odds and ends. She had several bookcases which held a few potted plants, stuffed animals, and assorted pottery in a addition to the magazines, binders, and books that not only made there home in there rightful place, but could be found scattered on nearly every surface as well. The room, was not remotely tidy, didn’t give an impression of being dirty or messy but rather one of business. There was simply too much going on everywhere to take it all in. Everywhere she looked, Katherine discovered something she hadn’t seen only moments before. Now, she realized that the vanity was not up against the wall at all, but moved forward quite a bit, and behind it was not only plenty of room to stand, but also a door. Katherine walked to the door which it seemed had been hidden in plane sight, but was distracted when she thought she saw something moving out of the corner of her eye. She turned and moved quickly, only to realize that it was a glint of sunlight dancing off one of the glass beads her aunt had used as a closet door. Once in front of the closet, however she couldn’t resist going inside to look for those Malibu slippers she had predicted would be inside. She didn’t find the feathery shoes, but what she did find was nothing short of amazing. The closet itself was a spacious walk in, nearly as big as the room. There were racks and racks of clothing, boxed on shelves, and even a few more dressers. One dresser, nearly as tall as Katherine was solely for jewelry, it seemed and was especially made for that purpose. The inside of the closet was just as busy as the rest of the room. Katherine had brushed against no less than four wind chimes- in a closet!- and seen every type of clothing from elaborate Halloween costumes to formal wear, to beach wear, to professional and casual. There where hats, shoes, belts, scarves and accessories of every kind. Her aunt seemed to have a large collection of different styles of sunglasses from silly to practical to glamorous. Katherine knew that her aunt had done well for herself as a media consultant, and she knew that her aunt had eclectic tastes and was somewhat of an eccentric but the scope of what she was looking at took her by surprise. Hadn’t her aunt ever thrown away a single thing in her life? Compared to the airy openness of downstairs, the bedroom and closet resembled a museum of her life, or maybe a flea market. The colors and patterns in the closet where beginning to overwhelm her so Katherine made her way back into the room and sat down on the bed to clear her head. She had to admit that a small part of her was impressed by the luxury her aunt had been accustomed to. On the other hand, she couldn’t help but think of the waste. In practical terms, no one needed more than they could use and enjoy in one lifetime and her aunt seemed rather to err on the side of extravagance. Perhaps the ocean air had effected her, or the climate of waste and access that was all around her, here on the west coast. She wanted to think the best of her aunt, but it was beginning to seem as if Aimee had traded in her good old northeastern values for the godless bohemian lifestyle her mother had always warned her of. Katherine loved her aunt and immediately decide to forgive her. It wasn’t her fault, she decided. It was the influence of those around her that had tempted her into this carefree and careless lifestyle. People like the young man downstairs, who even now was living off her aunts generosity of spirit like some later-day Kato Kaelen. She would show him. First thing in the morning she would be speaking with her aunts attorney and she would get this no account loafer out of her aunts house once and for all. Then she could get to the business of boxing up her aunts things for charity and putting the house on the market. The sooner she sold this property and got herself back home, the less likely it would be that she would succumb to the same temptations as her wayward relative. Certainly there was no danger of that, Katherine attested, as long as she stayed focused on what she came to do, and kept her head on her shoulders. Katherine Banks would be back home in the real world in no time. Author's note: Thanks for the feedback and votes so far. A Match Made in Heaven is the working title for the romance novel that I am working on. It's been in my head for a good long time, and it's about time I did something to get it out, and share it with someone. I hope that you will enjoy it. I am looking forward to your feedback, but remember it's a work in progress so please be gentle. I could use all the encouragement I can get at this point, and I promise to try to keep the installments coming at a fairly steady rate. A Match Made In Heaven Ch. 03 While Katherine was sitting on the bed, considering her surroundings, she noticed that the room was beginning to fill with pleasant smells. At first she wondered, but quickly she realized that it was food, and probably coming from downstairs. She followed the scent back to the kitchen, and sure enough, there was Vic standing in the kitchen over a large skillet looking almost comical in a white apron and with a spatula in his hand. Vic glanced over, and seeing her standing at the bottom of the stairs, spoke to her. "I was just fixing an early supper. Would you care to join me?" She had to admit that whatever he was cooking smelled heavenly. And she realized to her chagrin that she was actually quite hungry. Trying to put aside her animosity, she shrugged her shoulders and said, "Sure. What are we having?" Vic and Katherine headed to the table, moving toward each other in the process. Katherine pulled out the nearest chair as if to sit as far from Vic as possible. Vic, however moved to the chair directly next to her and held out the skillet for her to see what he had made, announcing, "Seafood pasta caliente- you do like sea food I hope?" "Yes, I do but I'm not overly fond of spicy foods. It smells spicy." "Yes, it's spicy," Vic told her. "But I had a feeling about you, so I made it milder than usual." Katherine didn't like his easy manner as if he had always known her, or his acting as if he could read her mind somehow. Who knows, with the kind of freaky people they had out her, maybe he thought he could. But Katherine found it rude and presumptuous- even if he did make the food more to her liking. It still left her feeling irritated. What other assumptions would he be making about her? With an obvious air of irritation, she began to eat. She had to admit however, that the food was utterly sumptuous. She had to force herself not to verbalize how delicious the meal really was, still a soft mmm, escaped from between her lips, as soft and nearly unperceivable as the purr of a cat. Vic made no comment on it, and Katherine chose to believe that it had gone unnoticed. "You know, where I come from," Katherine said pointedly, "we aren't so familiar with people we hardly know." "Yes," Vic admitted. "That's one of the many things to love about this place. It's so open and friendly. Maybe it's the beach, I don't know. But I'm glad I didn't grow up in some stuffy place all former and proper. It would be just stifling." Vic paused and gave her a sideways sort of glance. "No offense," he added not sounding a bit like he actually meant it. Katherine was just about to throw down her fork and head straight for the door. How dare he talk to her like that! But she was hungry and the food was there in front of her, so she took a deep breath and calmed herself. "Where I come from, it's called manners." She said icily. "And upbringing." "And where I come from, we call it snobbery," Vic shot back. He had meant it teasingly, but it came out harsh and mean. They finished there meal in silence, shooting each other ugly looks now and then over their plates. Katherine finished her dinner and washed her own dishes. Then she went back upstairs to be alone. Once in her aunts room, she realized that she could never sleep here. This seemed to her to be her aunts sacred space. A space she did not feel comfortable invading. And yet there was only one other room. One room, and two people who laid claim to it. She looked at her wristwatch. The glowing arms read 7:30. She would be ready to turn in soon- but she had another dilemma to solve first. And this wasn't going to be fun. *** Vic Valentine set his dishes in the sink. He'd get to them later. He already knew that he was in for another fight. He also knew that it was rude of him to think it but that Katherine Banks was quite adorable when she got herself all worked up. Vic didn't think he had ever met anyone as uptight as her, and he had had the misfortune of dealing with a wealthy snob or two in his day. Vic didn't get the impression that Katherine came from money, however. Quite the contrary, she seemed as if she were somebody who had brought up to behave extra well to avoid anyone getting the idea that she might be little more than poor white trash. Sort of like Eliza Doolittle insisting, 'I'm a good girl I am!" when she found herself in the immodest position of being cleaned up by a team of female maids. Vic figured that to someone like Katherine, a young man such as himself knowing about the play 'My Fair Lady' would seem a bit strange, or at least not entirely heterosexual. However, Vic was lucky enough to live in a place where gender rolls where a bit more relaxed, and he had been able to savor much of the best of both worlds. Besides his friend Aimee Blanchard had been quite a cultured lady and had insisted that he would enjoy many of the things she did, if he gave them a chance. Which of course he did. Aimee was a difficultly person to say know to, she was so full of enthusiasm, she just carried everyone along with her. Vic really didn't know how her own niece had resisted her for so long- even it seemed- to the end. It was sad really, Vic thought. Aimee spoke so highly of her niece. She must have changed since Aimee had seen her last. Vic could see a spark of something there that Aimee would have loved, but most of what the older woman had described to him seemed absent from the prim and even prudish girl that had only just arrived on his doorstep. As he was bracing himself for it, the next round began. Katherine once again flew down the stairs speaking in measured but demanding tones. "I don't knew where you are expecting to sleep, Mr. Valentine. I am here now and this is my house after all, so I do expect to have the guest bedroom back. You certainly can't stay in my aunt's room and so I suppose you knew what that means. It will have to be the couch." "Sorry darling," Vic drawled, "that just won't work for me." He could see her expression tightening, her eyebrows drawing dangerously close to one another. "Regardless of how you feel about it, that's just the way it's going to have to be." Vic chuckled. Katherine looked like she wanted to throw something at him. "You're more than welcome," he told her languidly, "to *share* the guest bedroom with me. I promise I won't make a single move on you while you sleep." She didn't seem to know that he was teasing. "Our of the question," came her clipped reply. "the room is mine." It was settled. It wasn't a question and she wasn't taking no for any answer. "Actually, as a matter of technicality- the room is mine," he reminded her. "But if you want to sleep in there surrounded by my things with the smell of me lingering in the air- well, I really can't blame you. I am known as quite a catch around here." "I assure you-" "Oh, I understand," he continued with a smirk, "that you don't want to admit that's the *real* reason for wanting to sleep in there. I could tell right away you weren't the type to where your heart on your sleeve. I understand. I'm a very understanding guy. It's part of my charm." Katherine did not look amused in the least. "Mr. Valentine-" "Must we treat each other like strangers?" he continued on. "Call me Vic. Mr. Valentine is my father. He's very handsome too of course. It's where I get my looks. Way past his prime though. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't be interested in him. He'd like you though-" "I'm not interested in you!" she insisted, sounding quite exasperated. "The only thing I want from you is for you to get out of my house!" "Sure darlin' just as soon as you serve me with the court papers." "Stop calling me darling!" she demanded. Vic knew that he had gotten under her skin and for some reason it made him extremely happy. "I'm sick of this discussion, I'm sick of you. I'll have your court papers first thing in the morning! But right now I'm tired. So you win- are you happy?" Vic did his level best to keep a straight face although he was laughing and smiling heartily on the inside. "I will sleep on the couch tonight- but I'm exhausted, and I want to go to bed right now. So if you just run along to your so called room, we can end this conversation right now." That was just what he did. He left the dishes in the sink for tomorrow, locked the front door and went up to his room. Halfway up the stairs he said in a soft slightly mocking tone, "goodnight darling." If she heard it, she made no mention of it. *** Morning came and sunlight streamed though the room. Unnecessarily bright rays of light beamed across Katherine's face, giving her cause to squirm and turn. She felt the sheets tangle beneath her and remembered where she was. With a groan she opened up her eyes to see a rumpled young man standing uncomfortable close by who had apparently been watching her sleep with some interest. The idea was not comforting. His expression changed quickly and he tried to divert his eyes. She let him think that she was convinced and stole a moment to observe him. His blond hair was messy, sticking up ever which way and reminding her more of Dennis the Menus than of the blond Superman of the day before. His white cotton pajamas were wrinkled and the thin gray stripes did not lay neatly as they should have. She allowed herself to stereotype him based on the way he looked at this moment- immature, irresponsible, disorganized, sloppy. Somewhere a sleepy part of her brain was whispering that he wasn't really like that, that she was being unfair. The other sections of her brain gagged this part and started singing loudly to drown out even the memory of those thoughts. Katherine herself slept in pajamas that matched the simple men's style of Vic's pajamas in form if not in content. Her own sleepwear was a deep wine colored silk that looked elegant even in the early waking hours. Her hair was, or course, in a tight French braid that kept every hair in place while she slept. Even in her sleep she was elegant and composed. In Katherine's world, their was just no room for sloppiness, and being asleep was no excuse. You never new when you might be called out of bed for an emergency, and it would never do to be standing outside a burning building in your birthday suit, clutching whatever sheet or towel was on hand to yourself for modesty. If her mother taught her anything it was to consider all the possibilities and be practical and prepared. Whatever was to befall her, Katherine was not going to be caught unaware. And yet, here she was, clutching a sheet to her chest despite her already modest covering. She had forgotten that she was sleeping on her late Aunt's couch, and she had certainly not expected to wake finding her unwanted guest staring at her. Vic Valentine had caught her off her game. This would not do. Katherine was careful to keep any emotion from her voice. "Your still here?" she drawled, congratulating herself at sounding bored rather than startled. Vick just chuckled. Nothing seemed to phase him. "Breakfast is ready," he informed her lightly. She shot him a meaningful look and he looked confused and then realized that she wanted him to leave so that she could get up. When she joined him in the kitchen, he just shrugged to himself. "So what's on the menu this morning?" she asked him. "Apricot Crepes," he said producing the plate with a flourish. The table itself was set with coffee, orange juice, toast, butter, jam and a bowl of fresh fruit. "Your kidding?" "No why?" "Nothing." She ate in silence. Vic tried several times to engage her in conversation, but she just buried herself in her coffee cup. Occasionally Katherine would acknowledge his half hearted attempts with a grunt that seemed to end the conversation rather than extend it. Finally he simply gave up. Katherine did have a lot on her mind. She needed to run by the attorney's office before the meeting with the publisher today, already an early appointment. Straighten all of this mess up about Vic staying in the house. It just wouldn't do to have him here a moment longer. And yet, the fact that breakfast was waiting when she woke up was extremely convenient for her. If he where to stay, would this always be the case? She brushed the thought aside. He was not staying at that was that. Besides, he was probably just doing it to make her change her mind. If she where to relent and agree to be temporary room-mates, he would revert back to his natural slobbish ways, she was sure. Unless- Katherine had heard of such things, but she had never met anyone. Was it possible? The fancy food the, thoughtful table setting, the fact attention to detail and seemingly good fashion sense- his current outfit not withstanding- could she be dealing with what her mothers friends all politely referred to as a 'confirmed bachelor'? "What?" he asked her quizzically. "Nothing," she answered quickly and lifted her coffee mug to her face. *** Author's note: Thanks for the votes and feedback so far. Apparently, I'm an even worse speller than I think I am, lol. No hard feelings. I'm glad that you are enjoying the story so far and I promise that the errors will be fixed at some point. Thanks for bearing with me thus far, I am taking all your advice and comments into consideration.:)