Reclaiming Katie

by Gardner, M. L.

  "A little, yes."

  He looked visibly let down and not a little afraid. "I'm sorry." He sighed and handed Jacob back to her. She stood in the kitchen for a moment with her eyes closed. She did not want this to fall apart. Outside of outright asking him, and by doing that it would expose the fact that she'd been snooping, she didn't know how to get it out of him where he'd really been this last week. And why he'd been there.

  When she returned to the deck, he was at the table, cutting his steak. The little white present was gone.

  Chapter 35

  If Katie ever had a bad night's sleep, it was this night. Three a.m. and she stared at the ceiling of her room, still willing herself to relax. He had been so quiet over dinner; disappointed even. He had smiled at Jacob every time he did something terribly cute, but his looks to her were desperate and unsure. Not like Will at all. He looked worried. To lose me? she wondered. Or lose the opportunity that might come with the antique shop? Thinking back, he had been practically pushing her towards it since she had the idea. And what about asking her to move in. What were the motives there? Paying half the bills? she thought grudgingly.

  Unclenching her fists and rolling to her side, she stared out the open window and tried to concentrate on the soft, cool breeze wafting in. The curtains billowed every few moments and she sighed. She loved Will so much it hurt. That hurt bubbled up and tears filled her eyes. Just a short time ago, everything had been so perfect. He had been so perfect. And now, here she lay, her mind full of questions. Questions she was all too familiar with. She thought of a thousand ways to confront him, and shot down every one. Her traitorous body ached for him, even as her mind took a step back, trying to make sense of it all.

  Sleep finally came near dawn, and only after the decision that she simply had to ask him, point blank, where he'd been, and why. She knew it might bring answers she didn't want to hear, but she couldn't live a lie again. She simply couldn't. She'd come too far to go back to that. She'd found a future and a purpose and while she prayed that Will would be part of that future, the difference between now and those dark days with Tom, was that she knew her life would go on without him. The heartbreak would be enormous and take months, if not years, to recover from.

  Slow down, she told herself. You don't know it will end up that way.

  The world had been up and awake for hours before Katie finally dragged herself from bed. Her eyes stung from lack of sleep, her shoulders tight and sore. A hot shower, pointing the pounding jet of hot water between her shoulder blades relaxed them a little, and she found she was at peace with her decision to lay it all out on the line with Will. Which ever way it goes, that's what's meant to be, she told herself.

  She went downstairs and it was quiet. Pouring a cup of coffee, she picked up the phone and dialed Will's number. He picked up on the second ring.

  "Hey, Will, it's Katie. Are you going to be home today?"

  "Yeah. Do you want to come over?" He sounded hopeful.

  "Yeah, I do. I need to talk to you."

  "I need to talk to you, too. Is everything okay?'

  "Yes, but I have some questions for you, Will. I think it's time that we get everything out on the table.

  "You've read my mind. I was thinking the same thing all morning. I'll see you in an hour." She could hear him smiling.

  As soon as she sat down, the phone rang. She smiled, assuming it was Will and was surprised to hear the real estate agent's perky voice on the other end.

  "Katie, did you get the papers I sent over?"

  She glanced around the kitchen and lifted her mother's piles of bridal magazines.

  "Umm, I don't see anything here. What did you send?"

  "A few forms I need filled out. There's been a serious offer on the house. Before we can go forward, I need your signature on a few things."

  Katie grimaced and rubbed her forehead. "Right, sorry, I've been busy with the store lease and business license and…some other stuff. I'll look out for it."

  "Can you drive the papers over to me after you sign instead of mailing them back?" She sounded anxious.

  "Of course."

  She hung up the phone and pulled her to-do list out of her purse. It was ever growing and she sighed, re-prioritizing everything. Half way down the list was, "Call Satan." Shoot, she almost forgot, again, to call her ex father in law. He'd be fuming mad that he hadn't heard from her in over a week. She dialed his number and steeled herself. After ringing forever, it went to voicemail. She hung up and tried again, this time leaving a message.

  "Oh well." She shrugged and went back to her list. Her eyes wandered over to a checklist that her mother had made—lists must run in the family—and found the first few things checked off. Dress, Flowers, and Hair. She smiled when she saw that Vicky had hired Erin at Haute Hair. Slipping the paper aside with the thought that snooping had become much too easy for her recently, she saw that she and her sister would stand for her mother and Stephen and—her eyes went wide—Will would stand for the Judge. Had they already asked him, she wondered? She grinned thinking how awkward that was going to be with Stephen interested in her and suspicious of Will. And then her heart sank. What if things didn't go well with Will today and she had to endure this wedding with him?

  Don't go jumping to conclusions, she warned herself. She preferred to think instead of what a romantic evening it could prove to be. The sharp knock on the door broke her from that daydream.

  The postman looked at the package and then asked if she were Katie Johnson.

  Chapter 36

  Katie signed for the envelope and closed the door. She turned it over and found it taped, with no return address. Most likely more paperwork from the realty office, she figured. There was so much involved in selling a house it made her head spin. She tossed it on the table and refilled her coffee. Jacob's giggling echoed from the yard as Vicky pushed him in his new swing. She smiled as a soft breeze moved in and moved the chimes near the window. The Judge waved at Jacob from the lounge chair and he waved, uncoordinatedly, back.

  Katie sat down and enjoyed the quiet, the clean smells of the freshly mowed yard that floated in through the window. Despite the peace and comfort of the moment, her eyes kept floating back to the manila envelope on the table. "Business can wait." She pushed it further across the table.

  But it wouldn't wait, and after a moment, she picked it up and ripped the seal. It was a stack of papers and she blinked a few times before diving into the legal mumbo jumbo. "Too bad houses aren't sold on a handshake anymore," she grumbled as she focused on the paper. She didn't recognize the attorney’s name, but she recognized hers. With a furrowed brow forming, she scanned the top half of the document. Her blood ran cold when she saw Tom Johnson Sr.’s name, and that the attorney listed above practiced family law.

  "What the hell?" She squinted and read the first paragraph. Her eyes went round and she gasped in disbelief. Tom's father had filed for custody of Jacob, citing that she was an unfit neglectful mother who refused him visitation.

  She dropped the paperwork as if it had scalded her. Like an act of violence, she couldn't keep from looking, or reading the accusations against her.

  "No job, no income, cannot provide Jacob with an independent home, away from Jacob for extended periods of time, sometimes days, keeps company with deceptive characters…What!" She walked a few steps in the other direction, holding her forehead, her face beginning to crumble.

  "Oh, my God. Oh, my God," she whimpered.

  Mr. Johnson had the means to hire the best team of lawyers. He had the ability to take Jacob and ruin her life. Her heart beat so fast she became lightheaded. She sat down and bent her head between her knees.

  "Is everything okay, honey?" Her mother glided into the kitchen with Jacob on her hip.

  "No, everything is not okay." The dam burst and she began sobbing, handing her mother the paper she'd just read. What lay beneath it gave her a bigger shock and she stopped breathing for a moment; the tears stopped abruptly.


  A small stack of photos, the top one of her and Will in a heated embrace inside her house, the first day they started the renovation. It was blurry around the edges, as if someone had taken them from a distance. She pulled it aside by the corner.

  The second revealed her and Will again, inside the antique store before she'd rented it. When he'd lifted her up onto the counter and told her he loved her. The angle of the photo made it look like they were doing a whole lot more than talking.

  She gathered them up, clutched them to her chest and ran out of the room.

  Hiding in the bathroom, the pictures were obscured through her tears. Pictures of the two of them nearly everywhere they went, and all taken at a moment and angle that put her in the worst light possible.

  She thought it was the most horrible thing she had ever seen, until she reached the last few.

  Those were of Will alone, boarding a private jet in a black suit and sunglasses, dinner with a blonde at a posh five star restaurant in the city. Getting out of a limousine in front of a grand house. Several coming and going from this house. A picture of a document listing him as the owner of the Cedar Hollow Examiner. And another with what looked like the same blonde following him over the threshold of a place she knew very well. His cabin door.

  She recognized the khaki pants and crisp white shirt, too, and she realized why he had been late to her mother's barbeque.

  She stared blankly ahead, in complete shock. She dropped the pictures and they scattered over the tile.

  She felt sick, covered her face and sobbed, ignoring the repeated taps at the door.

  "Katie…Katie, honey, we'll get a lawyer. We'll fight this. I'll mortgage my house if I have to."

  "Mine, too." The Judge spoke up from behind her. "Not to mention, I'll vouch for your character under oath. He may have money, but we have the law and truth on our side."

  She looked at the door in near astonishment. She had no idea what the truth was. Who Will Anderson was and now, her involvement with him had threatened her son. Violent protection of Jacob shoved aside her broken heart and she gathered the pictures, wiping her face with the back of her hand. She sniffled and pulled herself together as quickly as she could.

  Exiting the bathroom, Vicky and the Judge stood waiting expectantly. She held out the photos to the Judge.

  "There's been no truth with Will Anderson," she said numbly. "He's done nothing but lie from the start."

  He flipped through them, quickly past the intimate ones and dread washed over his face, seeing Will living another life.

  "Katie, I'm sure he has a good explanation."

  "Whatever it is, it won't be good enough." She looked at her mother. "Will you watch Jacob? I'll be right back." Without waiting for an answer, she walked past her, grabbing the pictures from the Judge's grasp.

  "Katie, give him a chance to explain, please?"

  "Don't do anything you'll regret!" her mother called after her.

  She slammed the car door and sped out of the driveway, leaving a plume of smoke behind her. Hitting the steering wheel with her palm several times, she gulped air, trying desperately not to cry.

  She stopped at a four way stop and gave way to a few tears. Better to get them out of the way now, instead of in front of Will. She glanced at herself in the rearview mirror.

  "You never should have believed you'd have a happy ending."

  The brokenhearted woman stared back at her. She didn't deny it.

  She stomped up Will's steps so loud she really didn't need to knock when she got to the door. He opened it with a smile that quickly faded when he saw how upset she was.

  "Katie, what's wrong?"

  She held out the photos, glaring at him.

  He didn't tear his eyes from hers for a moment, and then slowly took them from her. Placing one behind the next, he held a hard unreadable expression and then looked up. He blew out a breath and shoved a hand through his hair.

  "Where did you get these?"

  "It doesn't matter."

  "Will you come inside?"

  She shook her head.

  "Please, Katie. Give me a chance to explain."

  "Explain what? That you've lied to me since day one?"

  "I didn't lie."

  "Yes, you did!" she yelled. "Look at these!" She yanked them from his hand and held one up. "A jet? A limo? You own the goddamn paper? And the blonde! She's in every other picture. Are you married, Will? Is this your little home away from home?"

  She held up the one of him leaving an elegant brick home.

  "No. I'm not married and this is my home. My only home."

  "More lies. Or is this her house? Is this where you go when you go out of town? Is this the reason you went to New York?"

  "Will you please come inside? I need to explain."

  She turned to leave and he grabbed her arm. "Katie, please," he whispered. "Just hear me out. Then if you want to leave, I won't stop you."

  She shook his hand off, glaring and stepped past him. He tried to sit next to her on the couch, but she moved to the chair.

  He rested his elbows on his knees and hung his head. With a deep breath, he raised it and looked at her.

  "That was my jet. I do own the paper. I bought it after those nasty articles about you came out. It's a rented limo and that is my sister’s house. I stay there whenever I visit Michigan."

  "To see her?"

  "To take care of business. The woman in those pictures is my ex-fiancé. She's history."

  "Must have been pretty recent history. She's on your doorstep the day of my mother's engagement party."

  "She showed up unannounced, I swear. I didn't let her in, she followed me in. She had hired someone to find me. The black car that was tailing me for a few weeks, remember? She's been chasing the money. Look at the picture, Katie, I'm turned around but my hand is on the door, ready to close it in her face." It was true, his right arm was stretched across his chest, gripping the door.

  Her head was spinning, nothing made sense and she just wanted to go home, go back to sleep and wake up from this nightmare. She leaned forward to stand up.

  "Wait, please."

  "Wait for what, Will? For you to make up more stories to change my mind?"

  "They aren't stories. It's the truth."

  "You haven't told me the truth since the day I met you."

  "That's not true." He pointed a finger, standing his ground. "I may not have told you the whole truth, Katie, but I never lied. I honestly answered every question you've ever asked me."

  "You lied about your humble upbringing…" she laughed without humor. “Poor little farm boy. That was a cute story."

  "It was true. I didn't grow up with money. I inherited it. Me and my sister both. We had no idea Dad had put so much money into cattle and investments. They died and we got this windfall and we had no idea what to do with it."

  "There's nothing more you need to say, Will. I've seen everything I need to. I did this once before with the lies and the deception. I can't do it again. Goodbye."

  She walked to the door and when she touched the doorknob, he put his hand over hers. "Please," he begged. "Don't do this."

  "Tom's father is suing me for custody of Jacob." She looked at him with a stone cold face. "Those pictures were inside the legal paperwork. Those plus a bunch of me and you in every compromising position possible. I look like the worst mother in the world."

  "We can fight him, Katie. He won't win. No court in the world will take your son and give him to that bastard."

  "Yeah, well, he has high priced lawyers and I don't."

  "I can get them for you," he blurted out. "I have three on retainer."

  She gave him a sharp look up and down. "Who are you, anyway?" With that, she pulled the door open and left. He followed her slowly, not trying to catch her but racking his brain trying to think of something to stop her from walking out of his life forever.

  "I love you, Katie Emery. That was the truth then and it's the truth now."

  She
stopped, but didn't look back. With her bottom lip quivering and the car blurred from tears, she slammed the door.

  Will watched her drive away. He reached in his pocket for his keys to go after her but stopped on the first step. No, she wouldn't listen. Not yet. Maybe if she had time to cool off…He put his hands on his head and closed his eyes, trying to figure out what to do next. He couldn't lose her. He wouldn't. She was the only real thing in his life. No one had ever meant so much to him, and no one ever would. He took several deep breaths and went inside. He paced, part of him wanting to strangle Mr. Johnson, the other wanting to go over to Vicky Emery's house and drop to his knees in front of Katie, begging her to listen, forgive him for hiding the whole truth and please, please, don't forget what she had promised him in the woods. That she would love him forever, no matter what.

  His eyes misted and he swiped at them. He cleared his throat, picking up the phone. It seemed to ring forever. Finally, she picked up.

  "Hey, Sis, it's me. I've got a problem and I need help. How fast can you get here?"

  "How fast can they fuel the jet?"

  Chapter 37

  Katie could barely see the road through her tears. She pulled over and cried, gripping the steering wheel and cursing the day she ever met Will Anderson. She thought she was out of tears when she merged back onto the road, but more came.

  Slamming the front door so hard Jacob startled, she pointed to her mother.

  "Uninvite Will Anderson to your wedding!" she demanded, and stomped up to her room. Sitting on her bed and curling up into a ball, her face hurt, her eyes stung and she wanted to run. She had to get out of this town.

  On an emotionally fueled whim, she decided to break the store lease, sell everything in the storage unit and take off with Jacob. Start a new life somewhere else. Something she should have done long ago. Throwing open her closet door, she pulled out two suitcases and began packing.

  The day after the wedding, she promised herself. I'm leaving this horrible town and I'm never coming back. She threw clothes in, not thinking that it was a bit too early to pack. The act itself made her feel good. In control.