Divided Hearts Read online

  That was the last time he had seen her. According to Zeke, his wife and daughter had left town shortly after that. Neither Matthew, nor his father or Zeke ever heard from them again—until he found out from Clint that Cory and her mother had moved to Sweet Creek six months previous.

  Matthew pushed away from his desk, and his memories. He was already late for dinner. In a few moments, he would join his parents at a fancy restaurant a few blocks from the office. He would have preferred to go home and watch some mindless television show, but his parents wanted to treat him to supper.

  His mother was sitting by herself when Matthew arrived.

  “How was your day?” Nancy McKnight asked as he bent over to kiss her.

  “The usual. Answer phones and calm down hysterical clients.” He frowned as he sat down. “Where’s Dad?”

  “He just called. He got caught up in a meeting. He said to order without him.”

  His mother sounded matter-of-fact. This wasn’t an unusual situation. Matthew remembered many evenings eating supper with just his mother, either in the dining room or, if they were feeling particularly adventurous, watching television in the family room.

  The fact that his mother seemed willing to accept it as the norm bothered him.

  “Are you okay with that?” Matthew asked, as an image of Mary and Nathan Stanley hugging each other slipped into his mind.

  Her puzzled frown and light shrug was almost as hard to see as her acceptance. Just another day in the life of Nancy and Clifton McKnight’s relationship.

  “I was getting ready to order,” she said, instead, nodding at the waiter who had come up to their table at her signal.

  Matthew picked up his own menu and with a quick glance over it, decided.

  After the waiter left, his mother said, “Tricia phoned the other day. She misses you.”

  Matthew stifled a sigh. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

  “She’s a lovely girl.”

  Why did Matthew’s thoughts slip to Cory?

  “I’m sure she is, but things didn’t work out between us.”

  His mother stirred her coffee, then laid the tiny silver spoon on the heavy linen napkin. “I’m sad about that, Matthew. I don’t want you to be lonely.” She laid her hand on his arm, her smile looking vulnerable.

  “I don’t want to either,” he said, covering her hand in a rare moment of affection between them. “But work has been too crazy for a serious relationship.”

  His mother removed her hand and toyed with the scarf around her neck. “Be careful, Matthew,” she said. “Don’t make the same mistake your father has.”

  “What mistake is that?” he asked.

  She looked away, her smile fading, then she waved off his question. Before he could press her, she switched the conversation to a friend of his who was moving to England for a promotion.

  Their food was served, and as they ate, the talk stayed superficial; but Matthew couldn’t let go of her warning. Tied in with that, he kept thinking about the discontent that had haunted him the past year.

  Finally, as they were eating their dessert, his father showed up. He made no excuses and gave them both a perfunctory smile as he sat down.

  “What did I miss?” he asked, glancing around.

  “Dinner,” his mother said.

  “I’m not that hungry,” his father returned, either unaware or choosing to ignore the sardonic tone in his wife’s voice.

  Their waiter returned, and Clifton ordered a coffee.

  He turned to Matthew. “How was your visit with the Stanleys?”

  Matthew’s thoughts shifted to Cory, and from there, to the offer Nathan had made.

  “It was good.” He sat back, suddenly making a decision. “Nathan Stanley approached me while I was there,” he said. “Said he needed some help over the summer months. He can’t keep up.”

  “That’s what law students are for,” Clifton said, lifting one eyebrow at his son, as if asking what this had to do with him.

  “He had one lined up, but she got a better offer somewhere else.” Matthew poked at the cheesecake he had ordered, then looked his father in the eye. “I thought I could go and help him out for the summer.”

  The eyebrow dropped. “Why would you want to do that?”

  Matthew held his father’s steady gaze, his mother’s warning hovering in the background blending with his own dissatisfaction. He decided the straightforward approach was best after all. “Nathan can’t find anyone willing to come out to Sweet Creek to work with him.”

  Clifton said nothing, his expression unchanging. His lawyer face.

  “You’d be bored stiff in a week,” was his father’s blunt response.

  “It’s just for the summer,” he said, choosing his words carefully, knowing his father would be upset. McKnight and McKnight was his father’s passion, his life. He didn’t understand why Matthew couldn’t embrace it as fully as he had.

  “It could be a nice break for you,” his mother said, laying a hand on his arm in a show of support.

  “How long would you be gone?” his father asked.

  “I’m thinking to help until August. You could hire an extra law student...”

  “I would need about three students to cover your workload,” Clifton said, ending his words with a slow sigh. He turned to his wife. “Do you agree with this scheme?”

  “Matthew can speak for himself,” was all his mother said.

  “I don’t have any complicated cases at the moment, Dad,” Matthew said, concentrating on his father. He was the one he had to convince. “Any one of them could be handed over to any of the other associates.”

  Clifton shook his head. “I don’t know if I can spare you,” he said heavily.

  “It would only be for the summer.” Matthew knew he should be more firm, but it seemed easier to work this one step at a time. Besides, he wasn’t sure what would come of this whole venture. It was a risk, and he wasn’t used to taking risks. He had never had to.

  But every time he thought of Cory, he figured the risk was worth taking. August would bring its own conclusion. “Besides, it would help Nathan out,” he continued, switching to the angle he knew he could work with the least resistance from his father. “He seemed tired at his anniversary.” It was a low blow to bring up the anniversary. His parents still felt guilty about missing it, but with his father, Matthew needed all the ammunition he could muster. “Think of it as a service project.”

  “What about Tricia? She will be so disappointed if you were to leave for three months. I think she was hoping you would get back together.” His father pulled out what he thought would be the big guns, but he didn’t seem to realize that talking about an ex-girlfriend wouldn’t change his mind. At all.

  Matthew shrugged. “Tricia and I haven’t been an item for months now. She’s not a consideration.” He thought more about Cory, who he had spent only a few moments with, than he had of Tricia, who he had dated for two years.

  “And you’ll be back in August?”

  “Nathan’s law student would only be working for the summer as well.”

  “I see.” Thankfully, Clifton hadn’t caught Matthew’s evasive reply. “Well I guess we could work with it. I don’t mind helping Nathan, though I’m not really happy about it.”

  Matthew was pleased. He was going one way or the other, but having his father agree made it much easier.

  Why was Matthew McKnight back in her restaurant? Again?

  Cory figured once she agreed to sign the papers, he would be out of her life.

  She sucked in a steadying breath, grabbed a pot of coffee, and marched over to his table to find out.

  “Coffee, Matthew?” she asked as she stopped by his table.

  He looked up and grinned at her, dimple in place, eyes sparkling. “Yes. Please.”

  “If you’re back about the will, a simple phone call would have done,” she said as she poured him a cup. She wished she didn’t have that silly jittery feeling. Two weeks ago, she had been reli
eved when he left, and now he was back mixing her up again.

  “I have nothing more to do with it. It’s in my father’s hands right now.” He tilted his head as if to see her better. “I’m here to help Nathan for the summer.”

  “Nathan Stanley?” she asked, feeling suddenly weak.

  “Yup.”

  “For the summer?”

  “Starting tomorrow.”

  “I see.” She clutched the coffeepot a little too tightly.

  “I’ll have the special,” he said.

  “Okay.” She turned and hurried back to the kitchen, her heart doing double time.

  “Hey, wassup?” Kelsey caught her as she barreled past her.

  Cory skidded to a halt and stood facing Kelsey, embarrassed at her headlong flight. “Nothing,” she said, forcing a nonchalant tone. “I’m in a rush.”

  “Why? It’s not that busy.”

  Cory ran her thumb along the edge of the order pad and shrugged. “I just...don’t want to keep a customer waiting.”

  Kelsey frowned and, leaning sideways, looked into the dining area. A slow smile spread across her mouth. “Well, well. The inimitable Mr. McKnight is back. And my friend is rushing around for him.”

  “Oh, knock it off.” A slow heat warmed her neck.

  “And she’s blushing.”

  “Stop it,” she fumed. “I’m just warm.”

  Kelsey gave her a considering look, nodding her head. “I’m wearing a sweater ’cause I’m freezing, and you’re warm.”

  This would get her nowhere but deeper. Ignoring her, Cory turned and walked back to the kitchen with Matthew’s order. She had better learn to settle down if he would be here for the summer.

  And how was she going to get through that?

  By the time Cory brought Matthew his breakfast, her cheeks were a normal pink, and she exuded an aura of fake control, anyhow.

  “Thanks, Cory. I appreciate the service,” he said as she set the plate of steaming pancakes in front of him.

  He glanced up and winked, and she managed a cool smile in reply, covering up the little bump in her heart. She tried not to rush away as if she were afraid of him.

  The door chimes jangled again, accompanied by a burst of noise as the first wave of the early-morning regulars flowed in.

  “Cory, honey, how about some coffee?” an older man called out, pushing his billed cap farther back on his grey hair as he dropped into a booth along the window and grinned at her.

  Somehow his grin didn’t have the same effect as the one previous.

  “Be right with you, Anton,” she called out, thankful for the rhythm of her routine.

  “You’re looking better and better, honey,” Anton said. “No man yet in your life?”

  “I don’t need a man,” Cory returned with a grin, filling his coffee cup. “I can manage quite well on my own.”

  “Oh, c’mon, men are a big help,” said his friend, slipping into the booth and pushing his cup toward her.

  “Well, Louis, you know what a man’s idea is of helping with the housework?” Cory asked.

  “I think I heard this one,” Anton said, pursing his lips in concentration.

  “Lifting his feet so you can vacuum,” Cory said quickly.

  “You’re a hard woman.” Louis scratched his head, frowning. “Some day, a man will come along who will make you eat those words.”

  “Or at least come up with better jokes.” Anton laughed heartily at his own retort, and Louis joined in.

  “Has Bill in the back come up with anything new and dramatic since last we were here?” Anton said. “Seems like we’re always eating the same food.”

  “Careful, Anton. The more you complain, the longer God lets you live,” Cory teased. “You come here so often, no wonder the menu never changes. Now, what’s it going to be?”

  They both ordered specials, the door chimes jangled, and Cory’s day began. People came in, and some left, but Cory knew the precise moment when Matthew stood. When he fished in his wallet for a tip. When he looked around the restaurant and caught her looking at him.

  Don’t blush, she reprimanded herself, looking away, keeping her hands busy with an idle task.

  Then he was gone, and she felt like she could breathe easier. She hoped the summer would go by quickly.

  “Most of the work is straightforward,” Nathan said, as he gave Matthew a tour of his office. “I figured you could work in here.” Nathan pushed open the door to an office that was even larger than the one he had at his father’s firm. “We were going to put the law student here, but it should work for you.”

  Matthew nodded as he walked into the office, slowly turning. Two of the walls were bare, painted a soft peach. The other two walls were mostly windows, letting in extravagant amounts of light. The desk was oak, he figured as he ran his hands along its scarred yet gleaming top. The bookcases matched it, as did the chairs. The honey-gold colors of the wood doubled the light, making the office glow. “This is great,” Matthew said, turning to Nathan with a smile.

  “The furniture is a little old. I bought that desk when I started this office.” Nathan’s voice held a note of melancholy, as if wondering how much longer he would be working.

  “I like it a lot.” Matthew glanced over his shoulder at the windows. They didn’t overlook a river, and they weren’t in one of the tallest buildings in town, but when he looked outside, he saw the park out of one window, Main Street from the other, and the mountains surrounding the town from both.

  “I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your helping me out for a while, Matthew,” Nathan said. “It will be a real lifesaver.”

  “It will be for me, too,” Matthew said, thinking of the long nights he had put in the past few weeks even after he’d caught up from his holiday.

  “I should get your dad out here someday. Maybe teach him to slow down a little.” Nathan shook his head at his friend’s folly. “He’s too driven. Too busy with things that don’t matter.”

  Matthew had escaped that. At least for now.

  “We better all pitch in and buy Mr. McKnight a cookbook,” Kelsey said, dropping the box of sugar containers from the tables in front of Cory.

  “What are you talking about?” Cory picked up one container and unscrewed the lid. She slid it over to Chris. “Here, sport. Hold this steady for me, would you?”

  Kelsey stopped short and gave Cory a wry look. “Oh, give me a break. As if you don’t know what I mean. The poor man has been here every day for the past week.”

  “Well that’s the kind of customer you want, don’t you?” Cory winked at Chris as she poured the sugar into the container.

  “I think it’s the kind of customer you want.” Kelsey leaned her arms on the divider separating the counter Cory worked at from the rest of the restaurant. “And I think you like that man with the dreamy smile.”

  “Let’s not forget the dimples you seem to be so attracted to.”

  “You can try to hide behind sarcasm, my friend, but I’ve seen you watch him.”

  Cory said nothing, knowing Kelsey would twist anything she said. Besides, Kelsey’s words hit a little too close to home. Matthew had been here for a week already, and she noticed him each time he came into the restaurant.

  Matthew was good-looking, no denying it. But looks were always deceiving—that much she knew. And men would always let you down. That much, she also knew.

  “What’s more,” Kelsey said, leaning forward and trying to catch Cory’s eye, “I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

  Despite Cory’s bravado, Kelsey’s words gave her a jolt. “My goodness, Chris,” Cory said, covering her reaction and ignoring what Kelsey said at the same time. “You are a big help. And look, it’s almost time for your mommy and you to go home.”

  “Good try, Cory,” Kelsey mocked, sauntering around the counter. “But I know what I see.”

  “You see what you want to see.” Cory set the sugar containers aside and wiped the countertop. “Doesn’t matter what I say.”<
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  “Lift me up onto my chair, Cory,” Chris demanded, holding out his arms to her.

  “Chris, Cory is busy,” Kelsey protested.

  “I don’t mind,” Cory said, ruffling the young boy’s hair.

  She picked him up and pretended to stagger as she set him in his usual chair, at the table in the corner of the restaurant. “You’re such a heavy boy, you will wallop that baseball once you start playing.”

  He grinned up at her. “Are you going to be my T-ball coach?”

  “Sure am.”

  “You don’t really want that bossy lady for a coach, do you?” Kelsey asked in mock horror.

  Chris laughed, swinging his feet. “I do. She’s not bossy.”

  “Thanks for sticking up for me,” Cory smoothed his hair as she smiled. Chris was such a cute kid. She had gladly made time when she found out Kelsey needed a coach. Kelsey had done so much for Cory by making her feel at home and befriending her, and Chris’ devotion to her warmed her heart. She turned to Kelsey. “Did you find another coach yet? I’m not too eager to handle a bunch of five-year-olds on my own.”

  Kelsey gave her an apologetic grimace. “Not yet.”

  “What? You told me I’d have help.”

  “One of the mothers backed out. But I think I’ve got someone else willing to pitch in,” Kelsey added. “If you’ll pardon the pun.”

  Cory glanced down at Chris, who was frowning. “You start phoning tonight, my girl,” Cory said to Kelsey, smiling to cover up her clenched teeth. “Our first practice is tomorrow.”

  “I’ll find someone. Don’t worry.” Kelsey patted her on the shoulder. “It’ll be fine.”

  Chapter Six

  “Coaching T-ball? Why are you asking me?” Matthew frowned up at Kelsey as she set his breakfast of eggs and toast in front of him.

  Kelsey rarely helped serve, so her delivering his breakfast had puzzled him.

  When she had asked him if he liked baseball, he said yes. Then she had zeroed in on the real reason she was here and had asked him to coach a T-ball team.

  “There’s not much to know, Matthew.” Kelsey slid into the chair across from him, settling in until she got the answer she wanted. She flashed him a coy smile, her elbows on the table. “It’s only five-year-old kids.”