Hell, this was all he needed—the last thing he needed. He’d spent several months avoiding Candice as much as possible. Sneaking out the back door seemed like a damn good plan, although he might have to explain to Erica why he didn’t want to be in the same room with the woman.
Candice whisked into the den on a cloud of expensive perfume and an air of supremacy, wearing too-tight jeans and a cleavage-revealing sweater, not a blond hair out of place. “Hello, Erica. Stormy said you wanted to talk to—” Her words died in her open mouth when her gaze fell on Kieran. “What a surprise. I wasn’t expecting to see you here, Kieran.”
“He’s my personal trainer,” Erica said, before Kieran had enough presence of mind to respond.
Candice raised a perfectly manicured hand to her throat. “I see. I didn’t realize you could afford Kieran’s services.”
“We have a deal,” Kieran said without thought. “I oversee her fitness program, she gives me massages in exchange.”
Kieran wasn’t sure which of the two women looked more shocked.
Erica cleared her throat. “What time do you think you’ll be through, Candy?”
“I’ll drop Stormy off here after dinner, around seven.”
“We’ll be at the club,” Kieran said, before Erica had a chance to answer, or change her mind. “You can drop Stormy off there.”
Candice’s expression brightened. “Not a problem. I’ll come prepared to work out. Maybe you can give me a few pointers on the new elliptical?”
Lighten up on the mascara was the only pointer he cared to give her, unlike Erica, who wore next to nothing on her eyes and looked damn good regardless. “I’ll be busy. Joe or Evie can help you.”
She didn’t bother to mask her disappointment. “I suppose that will have to do, at least for tonight. I’ll find a time to pin you down later.”
He sure as hell didn’t want her to pin him down in any shape or form. “Have fun shopping, Candice.” He had no doubt she’d greatly enjoy spending her husband’s fortune.
“We’ll have a marvelous time, as always.” She flipped a hand in Erica’s direction. “And don’t worry, Erica. I’ll make sure the girls stay with me.”
“Thank you,” Erica said. “You know how I worry when they’re in a crowd.”
“Yes, I know. You’ve reminded me every time I take them out.” With that, Candice turned on her spiked leopard-print heels and strode out of the room.
“Don’t go anywhere,” Erica said to Kieran as she backed toward the hallway. “We have a few things to discuss after I tell my daughter goodbye.”
Kieran started to remind her that she still needed to get ready for work but reconsidered. He figured his immediate future held a good chewing out, and he might as well take it like a man.
A few minutes later, Erica returned to the den sporting a serious expression. Assuming this could take a while, Kieran dropped down onto the sofa and waited for the lecture.
Erica stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed over her midsection while she nailed him with a hard stare. “Don’t get me wrong. I do appreciate your generosity, and I realize you’ve probably always had money to toss around on a whim.” Her tone indicated she didn’t appreciate it one damn bit. “However,” she continued, “I can provide for Stormy, even if it doesn’t seem that way to you. Therefore I’d prefer you not undermine my authority with my child.”
Time for Kieran to set her straight. “I’m sorry for overstepping my bounds, but you’re dead wrong about one thing. I haven’t always had money. I grew up less than two miles from here in your average, middle-class neighborhood. My father’s a retired postal worker, my mom stayed at home to raise her kids. They worked hard for a living and I’ve worked equally hard for every damned dime I’ve ever made.”
Her features softened somewhat. “I just thought that—”
“I was born with a set of sterling silver weights in my hands?” He came to his feet, battling his own anger. “Not even close. I wore my brothers’ hand-me-downs until I was old enough to get a job and buy my own clothes. I also learned early on what it’s like to be around the Candice Conrads of the world. If I hadn’t given Stormy the money, Candice might have taken it upon herself to buy the shoes just to feed her own superiority by making you feel like you can’t give Stormy what she needs.”
She raised her hands, palms forward, before dropping them to her sides. “Okay, I understand what you’re saying.” She studied him for a long moment. “I may be making another wrong assumption, but it doesn’t sound like you care too much for Candy.”
A definite understatement. “She’s not my favorite person.”
“But didn’t you used to be her personal trainer?”
“Yeah, for a few months. It didn’t work out.”
She crossed her arms once more. “Let me guess. She didn’t like you telling her what to do.”
According to Candice Conrad, no one told her what to do to any extreme, something he’d discovered five minutes into their first training session. “We had different goals. I wanted to get her into shape, she wanted to get me into bed.” And that was way too much information to hand to Erica, someone who had a social relationship with his former client. Normally he’d never be that open with a current client, but something about her made him want to confess his sins.
“Did either of you reach your goals?” she asked. “Not even close.” And not for Candice’s lack of trying. “I’m sorry for being blunt. I forgot she’s your friend.”
She released a caustic laugh. “She isn’t my friend. She’s Stormy’s friend’s mother, and that’s the extent of our relationship. I appreciate the fact that she’s willing to watch Stormy while I’m at work, but we’re not close enough to have afternoon tea or go out for happy hour together. We don’t run in the same circles, and that’s fine by me.”
He found Erica’s attitude very welcome. Many of the women he’d trained before cared more about scaling the social ladder than mastering the stair climber. “She doesn’t strike me as the kind who’d get along with many women.”
“Or men,” she added. “Stormy told me yesterday that she’s getting divorced.”
That was news to Kieran, not that he cared aside from the fact that it would only feed her determination to worm her way back into his life. “Great. Now she can live happily ever after with her husband’s money.”
They shared in a laugh before Erica checked the clock on the wall. “It’s getting late. I need to—”
“Wash your hair.” He smiled and she smiled back. “I’ll get out of your hair then, pun intended. But first, one more question.” One that had piqued his curiosity as well as his concern. “Why are you so set against Stormy playing sports?”
“It’s complicated,” she said as her gaze wandered away.
He roosted on the arm of the sofa. “I’m a fairly smart guy, so I can do complicated.”
Kieran could tell Erica wasn’t too keen on explaining, but after a few seconds she said, “Stormy was born with a heart defect. She’s had four corrective surgeries in the past ten years.”
Damn. He hadn’t expected that. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“Because Stormy doesn’t want anyone to know she’s anything but normal, so please don’t mention it to her.”
He could certainly understand why a child would feel that way, but he couldn’t fathom why someone as nice as Erica Stevens had had more than her share of problems. It damn sure wasn’t fair, not that life always was. “What’s