Chapter One

Sayerville, New Jersey, 1988


Kimberleigh Cartwright was what they called a 'flair bartender', long before Tom Cruise made them famous in the movie Cocktail. Her dad had taught her how to throw a bottle of 'Jack' behind her back and over her shoulder before she was six years old. She'd been the top attraction and the best bartender at Gino's Bar for 8 months, since she turned 21. Gino was tickled to death to have her; she could really pack them in on a Saturday night. Gino liked the fact that no matter what band was playing on the stage Kimber never got distracted, but the patrons usually paid more attention to her than they did the bands. Gino told her all the time that she was good enough for one of the big bars in New York City, but he was tickled that she had walked into his joint.

On any given Saturday night, the regulars at Gino's knew they'd find Kimber in skin tight jeans, and a t-shirt with some smart ass slogan on the front, with her long chocolate brown hair streaming wildly down her back, her strange green eyes with a yellow starburst in the center flashing with every smile she bestowed on some lucky guy, and she'd be barefoot. She owned the behind the bar area when she was there. She'd never dropped a glass or a bottle so the barefoot thing was never an issue with her. The other bartenders were always careful when they worked with her because they knew the lack of shoes was a necessity. The specially made mat on the floor behind the bar was just as important. They didn't serve food at Gino's so the Health Department hadn't been too picky about it, especially knowing the circumstances. The inspector understood the reasons for her going without shoes and looked the other way.

Behind the bar, Kimber had a commanding presence, and you couldn't help but notice her, even if she was only 5' 5". However, if she wasn't behind the bar, she was quiet and shy. This particular Saturday night she was in rare form. The smart ass slogan on the front of her black t-shirt said 'It's not my job to say I'm cute...It's yours". The shirt itself was tucked into skin tight black jeans that hugged her tiny waist and cupped her firm ass lovingly.

She'd noticed the two long haired men sitting at the other end of the bar the moment they'd walked into the place. Something about them tugged at her memory, but she couldn't quite put her finger on where she knew them from. Tommy, the other bartender, was working that end of the bar and seemed awful familiar with them, so he must know them. One was tall, at least 6 foot, with long dark hair and warm chocolate eyes. The other was a bit shorter, perhaps 5' 10" or so, with long light brown hair, sparkling baby blue eyes, and a disarming smile. Even as she made an Alabama slammer for a guy in a tight black t-shirt and a blue bandana, her eyes kept straying to the two men at the end of the bar. Maybe it was because she knew they were talking about her, and maybe it was just because they were the best looking men in the place.

At the other end of the bar, Richie shoved Jon's shoulder. "Why don't you ask her out, Kidd?"

"I just might before the night's over," Jon answered. "Have you noticed that she's barefoot?"

"Yeah," Richie nodded, "quite sometime ago."

"I think that's hot," Jon said, smiling.

"Somehow, I knew you would," Richie commented. "That's kinda scary actually."

"What? That I think it's hot, or that you knew I would?"

"Both," Richie laughed.

Smiling warmly, Tommy walked up to them. "You two doing okay? Ya need anything?"

"Information," Jon answered.

"What kind of information?" Tommy asked warily.

"I noticed a sign at the other end of the bar when we came in," Jon told him, "the one that says 'If Kimber's behind the bar alone, push the red button for service'. Is she Kimber?" he asked nodding toward the woman in question.

"Yep," Tommy nodded, "that's the famous Kimberleigh Cartwright. Just wait 'til she gets up on the bar in about an hour. She'll blow you guys away."

"She's already blown my friend here away," Richie told him. "Is she single?"

"Yeah," Tommy answered, "but she's real particular. Can't say as I've ever seen her with a guy. Turned me down flat right after I went to work here."

"Do ya think we could get an introduction?" Jon asked softly.

Tommy answered quickly, "Sure." But, he didn't move to get the woman. Tommy took a drink order from a woman who walked up and was quickly making her drink.

When Tommy was finished with the customer, Jon asked, "About that introduction?"

Tommy laughed. "I don't have to go get her. She reads lips. If she wants to meet you guys, she'll be over here in a second."

"She reads lips?" Richie asked in astonishment, as Jon groaned in embarrassment.

"Yeah," Tommy nodded, "so if she was interested enough in meeting the two of you, she was watching and knows you want an introduction. If she isn't interested and wasn't watching, you two are just shit outta luck." Tommy turned and walked a few feet down the bar to take a drink order from another patron.

Jon and Richie watched the woman as she made a drink for a muscle bound man in a red tank top. Gracefully, with her left hand down by her waist, she threw the bottle of liquor behind her back and over her right shoulder, catching it quickly with her left hand, before turning it upside down to pour the dark liquid in the shot glass in front of her, then slid it forward towards the man. She sat the bottle down on the counter behind the bar and quickly made her way over to them.

Sticking out one hand to Jon, she said with a strange accent, "I'm Kimber, and you are?"

Jon shook her hand. "I'm Jon, and this is my friend, Richie."

Richie reached out to take the small hand that he was offered and pumped it once. "Nice to meet you," he told her, smiling.

"Nice to meet you two as well," she answered. "You guys from here?"

"Yeah," Jon replied. He was wondering about her accent; he couldn't quite figure out what kind of accent it was. and it bothered him. "You?"

"Actually, I'm from Perth Amboy, but I moved here a few months ago," she answered.

"That doesn't exactly sound like a Jersey accent," Jon pointed out.

Used to that kind of comment, she said patiently, "Jon, this isn't an accent," she paused for effect, "I'm deaf."

Prolog

Present day....


This was probably his least favorite holiday. Until this year. Since the divorce, it had gotten harder and harder to see his kids. The combination of his busy schedule and his ex-wife's mercurial mood swings had made it very tough, but she'd agreed to let him take Jake and Romeo trick-or-treating. Steph and Jesse were back at his place handing out candy, but his precious daughter was going on a hayride with some friends in about two hours. So, he had to hurry up and get this whole trick-or-treating thing over with his two youngest sons, or he wouldn't get to spend any time with Steph. He'd tried to talk her and Jesse into coming with him and their brothers, but the two of them had steadfastly refused, insisting that this part of Halloween was for babies, and that they were too old for it.

He steered the boys up the walk-way of a pretty little yellow cottage style house. What was this about the 20th house tonight? How many were required before he could take the boys and just go home?

"Trick or treat," his two youngest chorused in unison, when the door opened, jerking him out of his ponderings.

"Aren't you two just the cutest?" a pretty brunette with the most beautiful green eyes asked.

She seemed somehow familiar, but Jon couldn't remember where he'd met her.

Looking at Jake and dropping candy in his bag, she said, "Okay, I get that you're a transformer," then she turned to Romeo giving him his fair share of the goodies, "but what are you?"

Jon smiled at the question that had been asked repeatedly all night. Romeo had insisted on making his own costume, and Jon had made a promise when Steph was born that he would never try to stiffle any of his children's artistic talents. So, he'd allowed his youngest to make his own costume.

Romeo shouted eagerly, the same thing he'd said over and over tonight, "Guess!"

The woman took in the small boy. He wore regular clothes but had a small, square, box type hat perched on his small blond head that had some type of wire coming off the side with a styrofoam depiction of the Earth hanging from it.

"Uh," she glanced helplessly at Jon then back at Romeo, "can I get a hint?"

"Sure," the little boy grinned up at her, and reached out and slapped the Earth, making it spin around him. "Dere ya go!"

"Ok, I have no idea," she admitted after a few seconds.

"I'm da center of my daddy's you'verse," the boy smiled proudly. "See how da whole wold 'volves 'round me?"

The woman's laughter was infectious, and Jon joined in even though he'd heard his son's explanation over and over again. Then his eyes met her's and he noticed the unusual yellow starburst in the center of her green eyes. He'd only met one woman in his entire life with eyes like that.

"Kimber?"

She seemed startled that he'd recognized her, but she quickly recovered, reaching out and taking his hand to place a single Hershey's kiss in his palm. "And I suppose you're a pirate? Huh, Captain Kidd?"

"Kimber, I..."

She interrupted him, "You two boys are just the cutest. And," she looked at Romeo, "I think your costume is by far the best I've seen all night! You two have fun now."

She turned to go back in the house, and the boys began to tug at Jon's hands. "C'mon Daddy, let's go to the house with the spooky skeleton out front," Jake pleaded.

"No, Daddy," Romeo begged, "dat place looks scary. Let's go see da big pum'kin," he said pointing at a house with an inflatable jack-o-lantern as big as a hummer in the yard.

"Jakey," Jon explained, "let's go see the 'big pum'kin'."

Jake looked at his younger brother and nodded solemnly. The trio started off toward the house, but Jon looked back over his shoulder one last time at the little house. He'd go now, but now that he'd found her again, he would be back!

Welcome...

Jon meets Kimber in a bar and discovers his usual come-ons aren't going to work. This time his music and celebrity aren't going to get him very far; he'll just have his charm and smile to work with.

If you're just starting this story, it begins here. But, if you've been along for the ride, the latest chapter is here.