Retribution

Chapter Four

        “You seem to have been avoiding me lately.” Wesley’s pouting words fell with the rain as, in his shiny red convertible, they sped through a downtown bustling with couples armed with brightly colored umbrellas strolling slowly along window shopping, and a few parents with frayed nerves trying to keep track of their wandering children. Katherine ignored his comment and shivered, pulling on a white scarf and knotting it underneath her chin as the soft rain stung their faces. “Are you cold? Want me to put the top up?” Wesley queried anxiously, noticing her shiver. She sat small in her seat, cringing as he braked sharply for a dog.

“No, I was just reliving that awful scene.” She let out a little shudder. It took all of Wesley’s iron determination to keep himself from pulling off the road and putting his arm around her; only the bitter memory that she wasn’t his girl to comfort, that she had chosen Johnny’s arms over his kept his hands on the wheel, his foot on the gas pedal.   

            “So what have you been doing? You haven’t seem to have had any time for me lately.” Wesley resentfully tried his line again.

“I’ve been busy.” She responded honestly. “Searching for work is a job in and of itself.” She forgot the horrible scene and the pestering detective; she enjoyed teasing Wesley. “Some of us do need to work to sustain ourselves, you know.”

            His laugh revealed perfect white teeth in his tanned face. “I got that . . . you’re implying I don’t do any work.”

            She wrinkled her pert nose at him. “Well, I imagine being a playboy does take up most of one's’ time. Must be exhausting to have an inherited business to run.”

            He chuckled in response. “I’m picking up what you’re throwing down; I guess I do make growing my empire seem easy to everyone else. It takes a lot of dedication improving my golf game to impress clients.”

            She rolled her eyes; even though she teased him about it, she knew very well it had taken a good amount of hard work, drive, and business savvy to take his father’s business from a small shop on Main Street to an internationally recognized brick and steel company: “I’ll bet. Johnny is so jealous. Apparently he’s seen you on the way to the golf course several times.” Her mood darkened a bit, the events of the day coming back to her—Johnny was still back at the Police station . . . was he done being questioned yet?

            Wesley studied her averted profile a moment before returning his eyes to the road, knowing when he did that she was brooding about Johnny. He could always tell when her finance claimed her thoughts. “Stop feeling guilty about leaving your fiancé. It’s my turn to have you for a while anyways. I have seniority on Johnny, after all. I found you first.” Should’ve never allowed that creep to start hanging around her in the first place, he added to himself.

            She forced her attention back to the present. “But you didn’t get to keep me.”

            “I tried to . . . the dashing and handsome Johnny took my place. What does he have that I don’t? Not money, that’s for sure. You know you don’t have to live like this, always searching for another job . . . you could have a permanent one, with me.” And with that said both parties lapsed into their own thoughts. Money. Wesley’s brow puckered slightly as he thought about it: What good was his money if he didn’t have someone to show it off to? A bit ironic that the one girl he wanted to impress with his wealth was the one girl was wasn’t moved by it. What the hell?

            Katherine’s gaze focused out the car window, his words winding in her head. She didn’t know how to put her feelings into words, how to express to him that their relationship had been more of a fun friendship to her. Wesley was light and charming whereas Johnny was admittedly moodier, but also more attractive in a dark sort of way. “It’s hard to explain, Wesley. You know I’ve always thought highly of your friendship.”