by Eliza Ellis
“How about you two go for a walk and I’ll clean up,” Mary suggested. “I’m sure you two have a lot to catch up on.”
Kat and Drew headed out and walked along in silence for a few minutes. Although they talked a lot when they were kids, there were times where they’d hike along park trails in silence, just enjoying nature and one another’s company.
His finger skimmed down the arm closest to him. “I want to show you something,” he said, he whispered into her ear.
“What?”
“The place where I want to build a home.” His teeth gleamed in the twilight.
Kat nodded. Inside, her stomach began to churn uncomfortably. So Drew and Parker were going to stay here? She loved them both, but seeing them together… Kat wasn’t so sure she wanted to know where they would live. Knowing Drew, it’d be a place Kat would hate to avoid.
Moving out of Springfield was starting to sound like a much better option.
Chapter 4
Drew was happy Mary suggested a stroll because his grandmother was in rare form tonight. Practically pushing him and Kat together. The idea was…
Well…
Crazy.
He was already engaged. And why his grandmother wouldn’t accept that fact was something Drew couldn’t understand. Parker had her idiosyncrasies, but she was a strong woman who had a fantastic career and was well-respected in her field. He thought his grandmother would’ve praised him for finding a woman like her.
He glanced at Kat. She kept her gaze on the ground, her mouth in a slight frown. That was his fault. His grandmother had embarrassed her twice; first suggesting their romance and second with the comment about Kat opening her own bakery.
“What happened with your bakery?” Drew asked, eager for the story as they continued to the spot that be the site of his future home with Parker.
“Hmm?” She looked up.
“Distracted?”
She let out a breath. “It’s been a long day.”
“Sorry about my grandmother. She means well, but she…doesn’t hold her punches.”
Kat laughed. “No, she doesn’t. I don’t remember her from when we were little.”
“Yeah, my dad… He and my grandmother haven’t gotten along in years. So I didn’t see her all that much growing up.”
“Even though you guys were in the same city?”
“Yep. She didn’t like my mother. Said she was lazy and…didn’t know how to cook.” He inwardly cringed remembering his grandmother’s comment about Parker, who definitely didn’t cook—and wouldn’t.
Kat sucked in air between her teeth. “Your grandmother is really fixated on the cooking.”
“Yeah, she is. Old fashioned. She doesn’t know—or maybe she does—that most girls don’t cook nowadays. At least, not the ones I’ve met.”
“Hmm, maybe you’ve been meeting the wrong ones?” Kat said in a teasing tone.
“Not you too. My grandmother is enough for a lifetime, trust me.”
Kat chuckled. “Truce. For now.”
“I appreciate it.” He grinned at her.
It was just as easy as he remembered, talking to her. Like they had never parted. They had their share of battles, as kids often do, but they always came back together strong and united. Kat was an anomaly compared to the women he’d dated in the past.
Definitely compared to Parker.
“How are you and Parker friends?” Drew asked, curious about their relationship. “You two seem the exact opposite.”
“I guess you could say that’s what bonded us. Our different personalities. She was the new girl at school, and I was without a best friend and being a loner because I was so sad. We met when her parents moved to the block and my mom took us to meet her when our dad was on a long shift at work and couldn’t say no.”
Gregory Kaye was the meanest man Drew had ever met. As a kid, Drew had avoided the man at all costs. He’d seen the way he yelled at Kat and her sisters, which was why Kat tried to spend as much time as she could out of the house.
“She didn’t tell you we were getting married?”
“No,” Kat said quietly. “She did not.”
“Ever wonder why?” Because he sure did. He also didn’t know Parker and Kat were best friends. Parker never mentioned Kat to him. But then again, she spent so much time at work that her closest friends—that he met—were coworkers.
Kat shrugged. “I haven’t had time to, actually. I’m sure she has a good reason, like being busy. We used to talk a lot, but ever since she got promoted to VP last year, we’ve only been able to chat over Facebook. I admit, I’ve been a little busy myself with the bakery.”
“Yeah, what happened to that? You said you opened one.”
Kat sighed heavily. “I did. With the help of my…ex.”
“Here it comes.”
“I’m sure you can guess. Not a good investment.”
“The bakery or your ex?”
They had since left their neighborhood and were on the path heading toward private property connected to a park they used to play in as kids. Kat sliced through the grass with her foot. “Both. He picked the property, and I was able to get a bank loan with the money he was going to provide as a partial investment. Well, the place was terrible. Not a bad location, but he bought it sight unseen, and—”
“Without telling you.” Drew’s blood pressure began to mount. Flipping houses was one of his businesses. He had a healthy expectation for what one could find in homes and businesses that had been on the market for days or in areas that were not in the nicest parts of town. Unless you were prepared for extensive repairs, people usually had no idea what they were getting into.
“Yes. But…I guess I felt grateful that I had a place.”
“You guess?” Drew asked. “You didn’t know?”
“Well…I didn’t want to appear ungrateful since we used his credit to buy the place. Anyway, it had to be condemned for many issues, and it took the bank some convincing, but I was able to get on a payment plan for the loan they’d provided.”
“What about your ex? He didn’t help pay for the repairs?”
“Once he realized how much it was going to be, he foreclosed and…skipped town. And since I was a co-signer…”
“Katrina!” He grasped her elbow. “Wow…I’m so sorry that happened.”
“Now I’m stuck with a loan for about one hundred and twenty thousand dollars, no bakery, and…no boyfriend.”
Drew gulped at the loan amount. On a baker’s salary? Kat couldn’t be making much. “The no boyfriend part is the best part of that story. You’re better off without him.”
“Thanks, Drew. It’s been a little hard being able to trust someone after that. And there’s no way a bank will trust me with another loan. Susie’s been great. She’s paying me a little more than what she can afford so I can pay the loan off faster. I’ve been trying to bring in as much business as we can with a more eclectic menu.”
“The menu is fantastic. I’ve already eaten seven of the dozen cupcakes I ordered today.”
Kat fell into his side while laughing. “Seven! Drew…don’t you have a tux fitting this week?”
His eyes narrowed on her. “Please don’t echo Parker.”
“Why is she so concerned? You look…”
He briefly caught her gaze before she looked away. “I look like what?” he urged. He didn’t know why her opinion mattered, other than he rarely got a nice word from Parker. It was usually, “Why are you wearing that old thing?” or “Haven’t you gone shopping yet?” and, of course, “If you’re going to be seen in public with me, then you’ve got to at least look like you care.”
She shyly looked up at him. “You look very handsome. Very fit.”
His insides warmed at the compliment. “Thank you. You can thank the military for it too.”
“You were in the military? Like your father?”
“I was. Marine.”
She grinned up at him, her eyes shining with fascination. “Andrew�
�� I don’t really know what to say other than thank you for serving. And I don’t mean that flippantly. I can only imagine what you’ve had to sacrifice.”
She couldn’t, but he wouldn’t tell her. They were having too nice of a walk. Hearing one bad story between them was enough for one night.
“Did you see combat?”
“In Afghanistan.” He didn’t really want to talk about it and kept his eyes forward. “This place I’m going to show you, I’m sure you’ll remember it.”
She touched his arm, and that drew his gaze. Her brown eyes held concern. “I don’t know what happened, but I’m here if… You don’t have to say anything, but I’m happy to listen.”
Another way she was different than Parker, but she’d soon act the same way. Parker listened—at first. Then it had been too much for her, and she had begged him to see a therapist. And he had taken her advice. The guilt from having your best friend die because he took your place on a mission wasn’t something that wen away easily. Nor was it something he could keep putting on Parker.
“Don’t want to bore you.”
She shook her head. “Don’t do that. Don’t speak for me. I offered and it will continue to stand.” She dropped her arm.
They continued to walk along the trail until they came to a clearing overlooking a picturesque lake. Twilight had settled, and the purple and orange hues in the sky shimmered off the waters. “Oh, Drew… This is incredible. This view? I didn’t know this place was for sale.”
“It’s about an acre.”
She faced him. “Why Springfield?”
“Why not?”
Her shoulders rose and fell. “I guess my sisters couldn’t wait to leave—in large part because of our father—but…I don’t know.”
“You’re still here.”
“You’re right. I don’t have an argument for that. Except maybe because of Mom. And the bakery.” She inhaled and closed her eyes, her arms outstretched. “You can’t hear anything but nature out here.”
“Exactly. Which is why it’s absolutely perfect. And it smells amazing. Just clean and fresh. I’ll need help with it though.”
Her eyes opened. “What do you mean? Financial help?”
“No, I’ve got that covered. I’ve done a lot of flips in my time, and I’ve made some pretty good investments. The help I need is…”
“Ah. With Parker.”
“Yep.”
He blew a breath out between his lips, making a fluttering sound. This place was gorgeous. Neighbors on the opposite side of the lake, and one about a quarter mile away. Perfect location to raise a family. He had always enjoyed his time running in the fields with Kat and had hoped his kids would be able to do the same.
“She’s not going to like this place, Drew. I hate to say it, but Parker has always been a city girl. She hated when her parents moved here, and the first thing she wanted to do when she graduated high school was to go to college in a major city.”
He sighed. “I know.”
“Then how do you think you’ll convince her to settle down here?”
“I’m hoping when she sees this place, she’ll feel relaxed. She’s been stressed lately with a major project her company is doing, and it’s making her cranky and short. It’s part of the reason why she’s so focused on my weight.”
Kat made a face that said she didn’t buy his reason, but he let that slide.
“Anyway, she can do her job from anywhere. She knows I want to settle down, and she feels the same way.”
“She does?”
“Yeah. She told me she wants to have a family, and that’s what I want too.”
“Okay… Well, you have to get her to see that she’ll still be connected with people. She’s an extrovert. Being out here in the wild—”
“It’s not exactly the wild,” Drew said with a laugh.
“You know what I mean. Being away from people when she needs them to thrive. You get her to see she won’t miss any of the essential elements of the city, and then this place…” Her gaze roamed around, a smile lingering on her face. “This place will do all the work.”
He watched her take in the scenery with appreciation. “You really like it out here?”
“Drew, I love it. You know I do.”
That was true. Even after the years apart, he still knew his best friend.
“Do you remember this was the exact spot we were going to build our house?” she said with a cute chuckle.
Oh. He’d forgotten about that. “Um…”
She gave him a sideways glance. “When we ran away? We said we’d build here. Look, there’s the tree where we carved our initials.”
She jogged over to a tree, and Drew hesitantly followed. The memory came flooding back. The morning they ran away after Drew had refused to accept his family’s move to Guam. His parents could take his sister if they wanted, but he wasn’t going anywhere.
He stared at the initials carved near the base of the tree. Kat traced them with her fingers. “Still there. K and K for me and A and C for you.” She smiled up at him.
“Yeah… That was a long time ago.” He turned away. All the emotions he’d felt the night before when he had made the decision, and then when the two of them had finally arrived here. It had been terrifying at first, but soon he’d felt free. He was with Kat, after all. They could do anything together. They would make it.
Now he could hear his grandmother’s voice yelling in his head that he was choosing the wrong girl. Parker couldn’t compare to Kat—a hometown girl who could bake him into diabetes, and he’d let her. He silenced that voice with one phrase: I love Parker.
Kat was chuckling awkwardly. “Well, at least one of us gets to live in that house. I hope you’ll let me visit.” Her voice held expectantcy.
He said nothing and moved closer to the water’s edge.
“When are you going to buy it?” she called from the tree.
“I bought it yesterday.”
Chapter 5
I t was stupid of Kat to mention the house she and an eight-year-old Drew had promised to build together. Drew had gone quiet the rest of the time they were out there. Soon after, he’d made an excuse about having to get his grandmother into bed, even though it was barely eight p.m. He’d said she was old and old people always went to bed early.
Her attempts at small talk on the way back to her mother’s home were met with grunts and nods. Now it was going to be awkward between them. If his grandmother’s advice wasn’t enough, her bringing up their past didn’t help either.
She was really making the stupidest decisions lately. It was a good thing he was marrying Parker. She was a smart, capable businesswoman, and Kat was failing all over again.
When she saw the spot he was going to build his forever home, it had stirred something in her memory. It wasn’t until she’d seen the tree that she had remembered the promise they’d made to each other when they had ran away. They would leave both sets of parents behind—because they had hated them at that point—and live forever in their own house. They’d swim in the lake, run through the woods all day long if they wanted to, and would only go to school if they were absolutely bored or missed their teachers.
Did Drew remember? He had stared at the tree like it had been a bad dream. It’s not like their initials were inside a carved heart. It was just two kids wanting something different for their lives.
Kat sighed and slumped her chin in her hand. She glanced at the time on her phone. Parker was fifteen minutes late and not answering texts. Kat had fifteen minutes left on her own lunch break and hadn’t ordered.
Her stomach protested loudly each time Kat watched waiters passed by her table with sizzling burgers, piles of rosemary fries, and tall shakes. Kat could smell the strawberries in those shakes. Kat stared at the menu on the table and contemplated just ordering a meal to go. She had to eat and could do so at the bakery.
“Kat! Sorry I’m late.” Parker came up to the fence separating the outdoor seating area from the sidewalk.
“Don’t tell Drew I’m doing this.” She lifted one pantsuit-clad leg over the short black, ornate fence and then the other.
Kat laughed. “That was classic you. You’ll break down any door or climb any fence to get to where you want to be.”
“True, but I’m always telling him how to behave in public.”
Kat angled her head away. “You tell him how to behave?” Then Kat recalled Parker’s behavior at the bakery and how disapproving she was of her hot fiancé’s body. He could eat every cupcake for all Kat cared.
“Uh-huh.” Parker looked at Kat like she was crazy. “You know guys. If they could, they’d act five years old all the time.”
“Um, okay.” That hadn’t entirely been true of her ex, but it seemed far less likely with Drew. He was more…composed than she remembered, and that was likely due to his time in the military.
“What’s good here? I only have a few minutes.”
“Same here,” Kat said. “Probably should order soup and a sandwich.”
“Salad. Trying to steer clear of carbs until after the wedding. Ugh, this wedding.” Her mascara-heavy lashes flipped up and she rolled her eyes. “Honestly, I love Drew, but planning this thing is really getting on my nerves. It’s too much. Too much! And I don’t know why he’s in such a rush to get married. It’s like he has nothing better to do.”
“He told me he flips homes and does investments.”
The waiter came by and took their orders for drinks, soup, and salad. Kat was determined to order rosemary fries to go—after saying goodbye to Parker.
Parker nodded. “He does. He’s made a lot of money from it too. Everywhere he’s lived for the military, he’s been able to flip a few houses and make a crazy return. He’s also part of an investment company that buys businesses and helps charities or whatever.”
“He works remotely?”
Parker harrumphed. “Yes, he does.”
“What’s wrong with that? Don’t you want to spend more time with him?”
“I do,” she whined. “But—”
“Don’t you work remotely?”
“Actually, my firm has an office here in Springfield, so I’ll be there most of the time we’re here. And I can, but I prefer to work at the office. I need face time with my employees and…I dunno. I’ve always kind of…how do I say it?”
