Reclaiming Katie

by Gardner, M. L.

  "Will, what's going on?"

  "I thought they'd be done by now," he grumbled under his breath. "Oh, well." He turned to her. "You promised you wouldn't get mad," he reminded.

  She stared at him cautiously and then her eyes traveled over the house. Freshly painted with properly hanging shutters, it gleamed pretty and very, very saleable.

  "Will, what's going on?"

  "Well, I know a guy, a friend of mine. He's a contractor and, well, he owed me a favor. I called it in. This is his crew, working on the last bits of the house. It should be ready to put on the market in a day or two."

  Still clinging to the door handle, her face was unreadable. She turned to unbuckle Jacob and exited the truck, slinging him on her hip.

  "Ready to list?" she repeated, a smile threatened to break out.

  "Yes. They've been working around the clock since Friday."

  She put her hand to her forehead and grimaced.

  "Hey, you said you wouldn't be mad."

  "I'm not mad, Will, it's just…this has got to be so expensive…I don't know if I have enough to cover it."

  "Relax. He knows that and he's willing to take five thousand now and the rest out of the profits when the house sells. C'mon, let me show you the inside." He took her limp hand and pulled her along.

  Her mouth fell open when she walked inside. It didn't, in the least, look like the house she'd known. The kitchen had new cabinets, the walls, tile and flooring, all shining and new. In the living room, it was just as she had envisioned, with ivory walls, chair rail and an equally elegant wallpapered bottom. The bathroom, completely new from ceiling to floor. Katie walked the house amidst the workers wrapping things up, speechless.

  Will followed her, making faces at Jacob who peeked over her shoulder. He giggled and wiggled, demanding to be handed over to him. Katie did, absentmindedly.

  "I just can't believe this," she said. "Will…" She circled, slowly. "This is so amazing."

  She turned to him with wide eyes. Jacob's bottom rested on Will's strong forearm and began pounding on his cheek with a chubby, wet fist.

  "Why?" she asked. It was all she could think of to ask.

  He walked to her and took her hand. "Because you need to concentrate on opening your store. Not coming here sweating and getting dirty all day. You should have enough money left to lease the space."

  Suddenly her eyes went wide. "Is it all still in the attic?"

  He pulled a key out of his pocket. "It's safe and sound in a storage unit." He dropped the key in her hand. "The contractor has the other one, he's right over…" Will craned his head and spotted him in the back bedroom and beckoned him over. "He and his men got it all moved over."

  A large man who resembled a lumberjack came over and stuck his hand out.

  "Will, good to see you again."

  "Freddy, how are you?"

  "Good. Doing good. We're just about finished here." He turned to Katie. "What do you think?"

  She blinked. Finally she found words. "I'm blown away. I can't believe this is the same house. Thank you so much."

  "No, thank you. Business has been slow, my men needed the work."

  "Sounds like it worked out well for the both of us, then."

  He nodded and turned back to Will. "We're almost outta here. It's been a long weekend, I'm gonna go buy my guys a beer. I'll call you," he said as he turned.

  Will smiled down at her, waiting for it to truly sink in. The dreaded task of remodeling was over and she was free, ever day she was more free, to begin her new life. She reached up and hugged his neck tightly. Jacob joined in, throwing his head down on Will's shoulder.

  "Well wouldn't this make a damn sweet family photo."

  Katie jerked at the sound of her ex-father in laws voice. He stood in the open doorway, his beady eyes narrow and judging.

  She stepped away from Will, glaring at him. "What do you want, Tom."

  "I came by to talk to you…didn't expect to find all this." His eyes traveled over the room. "I'm guessing you're going to sell the place."

  "Yes. What business is it of yours?"

  "None, I suppose." He took a few steps inside, not caring he hadn't been welcomed in. "A while ago you came to me with some of Tom's things. His mother has decided she'd like to have them after all."

  "I got rid of them when you said you didn't want them."

  "Got rid of them? Where?"

  "Charity."

  "Well, that's unfortunate. Adrienne will be disappointed."

  Katie looked back at Will. "We should get going. It's getting late and Jacob needs to get to bed."

  "Speaking of which…that's the other reason I came by. Adrienne would like to see her grandson." Will's arm tightened around Jacob's bottom.

  "She never cared to see him before," Katie said.

  "Well, things have changed. Jared is the only link she has to her own son."

  "His name is Jacob."

  "Tom wanted to name him Jared, didn't he? After his uncle." It was a poor cover-up for not knowing his own grandson's name. "Now, it's no secret that we never got along, Katie. But why don't you bring Jacob by for Adrienne to see. We can all be adults here. I wouldn't want to have to get the attorneys involved to force visitation."

  Katie's stomach fell and her hands shook. His words weren't a threat, but a promise. Bring him by, or deal with the attorneys.

  She put on her best poker face and drew herself up tall. "I'll call tomorrow and find out when would be a good time."

  He nodded, seeming pleased. His smile faded as he looked at Will, as if he was just now noticing him.

  "You served drinks at my birthday party." Though he was shorter than Will, he looked down his nose at him. Don't bother to come with her. I know who you are and I know what you've done. I've made it a personal goal to let everyone know you are a home wrecker. Don’t expect to get much work in these parts anymore."

  "I didn't break anything up, Mr. Johnson. You're son left Katie physically and emotionally long before I came along."

  Tom snorted and looked away. "Just don't show your face on my property, you hear?"

  Katie saw the muscles in Will's jaw tense. He looked at Jacob and then to Katie.

  "Let's go," he said quietly.

  Will put Jacob in his car seat, giving him the keys to play with while he tried to figure out the buckles. He worked with a knitted brow until Katie put her hand over his.

  "I'll get it."

  "I would have figured it out," he said with a grin as he slid into his seat.

  "I know." She put on her own seatbelt and rested her head in her hand. "I'm so sorry, Will."

  "You're sorry? For what?"

  "Here you are, dragged into my drama again."

  "Hey." He reached over and touched her chin. "Look at me." She did, with eyes that had lost all of the exictement and passion of the last few days. "You have nothing to be sorry for."

  "What about your losing work? When he says he's going to smear your name, he means it."

  He scoffed. "I'm not worried about that. I'm not thrilled about you having to go over there. Exposing Jacob to those people."

  "Me, either." She sighed and looked away. He fired up the engine and drove Katie home in silence.

  She was surprised when he walked inside with her, instead of just seeing her to the door. Jacob slept on her shoulder and he followed, nodding at Vicky and the Judge who were sitting in the living room, to the nursery.

  He didn't speak, he just leaned against the door frame and watched her as she carefully changed Jacob into a fuzzy footed sleeper and lay him down in his crib. She kissed her fingers and put them to his head.

  Will turned off the light and closed the door behind them. "Where's your room?" he asked.

  "Down the hall. Why?"

  "C'mon," he said and took her hand. She opened her door and flipped the light on. Thankfully, she hadn't left it a mess.

  He sat her on the bed and knelt down in front of her.

  "I don't want you t
o worry about me, okay? And I don't want you to worry about the Johnsons, either. I'm sure they are doing this just to goad you. It will get old, I promise. I can't see them being dedicated grandparents. Just set up a time to take him over there and act like it doesn’t bother you at all. Once they see you aren't getting all worked up, they'll forget about it."

  She nodded, unconvinced.

  "Maybe feed him a lot of prunes right before you go," he said, grinning. "With any luck he'll poop on her lap."

  Katie cracked a smile.

  "That's my girl. Chin up. Everything will be fine." He kissed her in a way that wasn't suggestive or passion igniting; but solid and strong reassurance that he was there for her.

  "Get some sleep, alright? You've got a big week coming up with the house and the store."

  "Thank you again." She put her hand on the side of his face.

  "Bring Jacob and come to my house for dinner tomorrow night, alright?"

  She nodded and with another quick kiss goodnight, he left, closing the door behind him.

  At home, Will took a few moments to pay attention to Daisy who was overly excited to see him.

  "Hey, girl. What did you do all weekend?" He usually took her with him when he went camping and she seemed to know she'd been left out. The water and food dispensers were still full. She hadn't eaten much while he was gone.

  "I'll take you next time, I promise." He scratched her behind the ears and she seemed to forgive him quick enough.

  Deciding to leave the camping gear in the truck for the night, he poured a glass of wine, got comfortable on the couch and picked up the phone.

  "Hey, Sis. It's me."

  "How's it going?"

  "Alright…actually, it's getting complicated. I think I need to tell her."

  "I thought you were going to wait."

  "I was."

  "What's the rush? What happened?"

  "Nothing directly. I just have a feeling, you know? Better to get it out now. I don't want her to hear it from someone else."

  "You mean Stella?"

  "She's gone. I sent her packing. She won't be back."

  "Do what you want big brother, but I think you should stick to your original plan. Get her to the alter before she finds out."

  He shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose. "She's coming over for dinner tomorrow night. I'll tell her then."

  "If you're sure." She sighed. "Everything else going okay?"

  "Yeah, for the most part. What about you?"

  "Managing. Me and Frank are doing a little better, I think."

  "Glad to hear it."

  "Speaking of which, I'm being paged. Call me tomorrow if you want. And Will, think hard about telling her, okay?"

  "Yeah, I will," he said, though his mind was already made up.

  Chapter 33

  Katie woke up with a dark cloud hanging over her. Life would be perfect if it weren't for the Johnsons insisting on suddenly being part of Jacob's life. She went downstairs and found her mother gazing over bridal magazines at the kitchen table.

  "Oh, Katie, you're going to have to help me with this. It's so overwhelming!"

  She sat down with her coffee and pulled a magazine over. "These flowers are pretty."

  "Too traditional."

  "You and the Judge are traditional people."

  She agreed, but shook her head. Flipping back to a page she had dog-eared, she pushed it toward Katie. "What do you think about this?"

  "Red? You're going to get married in a red dress?"

  "Why not?"

  "I don't know, it's just…different."

  Vicky sighed and slumped back in her chair. "I just never thought I'd be dealing with this at my age."

  "Mom, you have time. Relax."

  "I have a month."

  Katie's coffee mug stopped midair. "A month? I thought you guys would do it next spring."

  "So did we. But then we thought, why wait?"

  "So you have to put this whole wedding together in one month?"

  Vicky nodded slowly. "I'm really going to need your help."

  "Okay, well, I have to go list the house today, and meet with the leasing agent." Katie bit her lip.

  "Leasing agent? For what? You're not moving out, are you?"

  "No, in case the house doesn't sell. I can lease it out while it sits on the market," she said, back peddling.

  "Ah. Good idea."

  "After that, I'll pick up a wedding planning book and we'll get to work tonight…Crap, I told Will we'd come over for dinner tonight."

  "We can start tomorrow. Meanwhile, I'll keep looking over these books and try to come up with some ideas."

  Katie reached for one of her mother's blueberry muffins, sitting on a platter in the middle of the table.

  "I always pictured something simple, but elegant. Maybe right here in the backyard," Vicky said.

  "That would work. If you set up an arch, you could have the bridal runner going right from the deck doors up the aisle. With guests seated on each side. How many people do you think you'll invite?"

  "Oh, I can't imagine too many. Forty or fifty at most."

  "Then the backyard will be perfect." She nibbled at the muffin, dreading the phone call she had to make today.

  "What's wrong, honey?"

  "Nothing." She wasn't going to worry her mother with the Johnsons visitation with Jacob when she had so much else to deal with. "I'm a little tired. I didn't sleep well."

  "Everything okay with Will?"

  "Everything is fine."

  Vicky nodded, studying her carefully. "Why don't you leave Jacob here while you go take care of business?"

  "Thank you, that will make it easier. I'm going to go shower and get dressed. I've got so much to do." She rubbed her temples, feeling a headache coming on.

  By the time she pulled up to the real estate office, her head was throbbing. Digging around in the glove box she found some aspirin and took them dry. She stepped out of the car, squinting against the sun and went inside, feeling slightly nauseous.

  "Mrs. Johnson, come in. I've been looking forward to seeing you. There have already been some inquiries about your house." The bubbly agent was short and plump, wearing a pantsuit and way too much makeup.

  The appointment was confusing and when Katie left, there was a list of documents she had to provide adding substantially to her to-do list.

  She had planned on stopping for lunch before meeting with the leasing agent, but she scrapped both plans, heading home for stronger medicine for her head.

  She stumbled in, dizzy and hurting.

  "Katie, what's wrong?"

  "Migraine," Katie whispered, barely able to open her eyes. She reached blindly for the back of a chair.

  "Oh, honey, let me get your medicine."

  Katie only got two or three migraines a year. But when they hit, they hit so hard as to render her useless for a day or two.

  Vicky hurried back into the kitchen. "Your pills are expired, but here are some of mine."

  She placed the pills in Katie's open palm and fetched her a glass of water. She winced; it was painful to even swallow.

  "Let's get you to bed." Vicky took her arm and led her toward the stairs. Her eyes were fully closed now and her hands shook.

  "Please call Will. Tell him I can't make it tonight. And call the Johnsons," she whispered.

  "Why on earth would I call those people?"

  "I was supposed to call to set up a time to take Jacob over there." Katie felt her way down the hall as her mother walked slowly behind her.

  "Katie!"

  She held her hand up blindly, grimacing. "Just do it, please." She couldn't ask her to call the leasing agent or risk giving away her secret.

  Her mother guided her to the bed and pulled back the covers. "Do you want to change?"

  "No," she whispered. Laying her head on the soft pillow felt like slamming it into concrete and she whimpered, a tear slipping down the side of her face.

  "Just rest and let the m
edicine work. Don't worry about a thing."

  Too paralyzed by pain to even nod, she lay on the bed whimpering occasionally. Her mother covered her window with a thick quilt and left quietly.

  Though the room was blackened, Katie saw brightly colored lights flashing; streaks of pain she tried to shrink away from. She prayed for sleep.

  Later—it might have been ten minutes or ten hours—she felt a warm hand touch her forehead and then stroke her cheek. She was still unable to open her eyes.

  "Mom?" she whispered.

  "No, it's Will."

  She raised a hand, searching and felt him take it, lift it and kiss it gently. He sat by her bed, stroking her hand and watching her carefully.

  "It hurts," she whispered and then gagged with a violent wave of nausea. "Bathroom," she grunted. He helped her up and put an arm around her waist to steady her. Falling to the floor in front of the toilet, she threw up. He held her hair and stroked her back as she cried, holding her head. Her mother appeared in the doorway.

  "It always gets a little better after she throws up."

  Will nodded, his face pained as he watched her. When she was finished, she rinsed her mouth, panting with exertion. She wobbled and Will scooped her up, carrying her back to bed. He helped her change, as gently as she had undressed her sleeping child the night before. Once in a comfortable nightgown, she lay down again as he pulled the covers up.

  "Stay here," she whispered.

  "I'm not going anywhere, don't worry. Just rest." He pushed the hair away from her eyes and sat beside her until dawn.

  She opened her eyes a crack. The painful throb was gone and she was left with only a tense neck and shoulders. Slowly she sat up, knowing from experience that to start moving too quickly again could bring the pain right back down on her.

  She took a deep breath as her feet touched the cool floor. So far, so good. Her memories were vague and dreamlike. She remembered Will, holding her hand, talking to her, but she couldn't remember what he said.

  Opening her bedroom door she heard Jacob's giggles echoing from downstairs. She missed him and walked a little faster, following his voice.

  "Honey, you're up." Her mother hugged her and then stood back, taking a hard look at her.