The Way They Were by Mary Campisi Page A

the food arrived, Kate picked at her fries and forced three bites of burger. There was no getting around it. She’d have to convince Rourke that Julia wasn’t his child and then she’d have to confront him about the other matter. What had happened between them this afternoon was a mistake that could not be repeated. And then there was the matter of protection. They hadn’t used any. But neither had she and Clay and other than one pregnancy that ended in a miscarriage, she’d never even missed a period. She nibbled on a fry. What were the chances she’d be pregnant with Rourke’s child again? Even God would not be that cruel. But what if she’d contracted an STD? Rourke had probably slept with dozens of women. The half-chewed fry threatened to explode in her stomach. Damn , she’d have to ask him about his sexual history.
    “Hey!” Abbie stifled a squeal. “Look who just walked in! It’s them! ”
    Kate turned just as Rourke spotted her. Even in the dim glow of the diner’s lighting, she could see the dull red splashed across his cheeks. Her gaze flickered from his face to the woman clinging to his arm, a willowy brunette in three-inch heels and diamonds. Janice. The girlfriend.
    Kate turned around and picked up a french fry. That was the woman he slept with on a regular basis. In a bed. She was the one who had Victoria’s Secret underwear stashed in Rourke’s bottom drawer. She sent him flowers and bought him ties, even if he did give them away.
    “Here they come,” Julia whispered as though she were an announcer for E!
    “Watch the way she flips her hair over her shoulder when she talks,” Abbie said. “Just watch.”
    Rourke’s voice covered Kate as he spoke to the hostess. Seconds later he was facing her with Janice still clutching his arm, her waist glued to his. Rourke had a girlfriend and this afternoon had been nothing more than a diversion.
    “Well, I see you’re all enjoying Montpelier’s finest cuisine.” He smiled at them but his tone sounded forced. “Janice, this is Kate Maden and her daughter, Julia. Kate, Julia, this is Janice Prentiss.”
    Abbie had definitely made a major error in her description. Janice Prentiss was Hollywood beautiful with jet black hair, hazel eyes, and long, long legs. Whether she had the help of silicone or Botox, she was still beautiful. But then she would be, because this was the kind of woman a man like Rourke Flannigan would align himself with in life, not a woman in jeans and cotton with paint creased into her fingertips and stretch marks on her belly. Janice extended a hand and smiled. Perfect teeth, too.
    “How wonderful to meet you, Kate.” She turned to Julia. The brilliant smile faltered a half second and then she recovered, clasping Julia’s hand. “And you, too, Julia.”
    Maxine darted a glance at Kate, cleared her throat twice, and sipped her iced tea.
    “Well, we won’t interrupt your dinner any longer,” Rourke said, his voice more forced than before. “Enjoy.”
    “Yes, enjoy,” Janice echoed, her hazel eyes sweeping over Julia one last time before she smiled up at Rourke and they moved on toward their table in a dark corner of the diner.
    “Told you,” Abbie whispered. “She is such a pain.”
    “I thought she was beautiful,” Julia commented. “Like a movie star.”
    “She is, sort of, isn’t she Maxine?”
    Rourke’s secretary pierced a green bean and said, “I believe she’s involved in the entertainment industry in some capacity.”
    Abbie nodded in a knowing manner. “That means yes.”
    “Do you think he’ll marry her?” Julia whispered.
    “Julia!” Kate lashed out, “That’s none of your business.”
    “I was just wondering.”
    Abbie pointed a french fry toward the booth in the corner where Janice sat cozied up to Rourke. “She’s trying. She’s even got a Bride magazine stuffed in her Louis Vuitton bag. Rourke would flip if he knew that.”
    “Doesn’t he want to get married?” Julia snaked a quick