My First (Jason & Katie)

by Melanie Shawn

  “He's working for his dad?” Katie asked in surprise. When they had been growing up, all Jason had ever talked about was how he wasn't going to get sucked into the family business. He wanted to live, to experience the world. He wanted to spread his wings and break free of the mold.

  “He's been there ever since his dad's heart attack,” Sophie chimed in.

  Katie sat in silence for a moment. Jason's dad had had a heart attack. Katie hadn't even sent a card.

  NOPE! Can't think about that right now. FORWARD MOMENTUM was the buzzword of the weekend!

  “So, Jason is the Vice President of a successful construction company...and he spends his free time doing odd jobs for you and Mom?” Katie asked her aunt.

  “Everybody needs a hobby,” her aunt hand-waved, and Katie knew that tone. Aunt Wendy was done with this topic. “Now, let’s talk wedding details. Have you had a chance to memorize your schedule for the weekend?”

  “Memorize?”

  “Yes,” Aunt Wendy clarified, “Commit to memory.”

  Katie laughed, thinking her aunt was joking, but Wendy didn't join in. Katie cut off the laughter quickly.

  “Uh, no, not really,” she stammered, “I mean, I just...I glanced at it earlier...but I will.”

  Aunt Wendy was really taking this whole Wedding Planner thing seriously!

  “Well no time like the present, Buttercup,” Aunt Wendy said briskly, “I need you to be up to speed. As the M.O.H. you'll be hosting several of the events.”

  “Okay, I’ll take a look at it now,” Katie agreed. She was grateful, actually, to escape the odd conversation. Why was Jason still working for his father? Why was he doing odd jobs for her mother and aunt? She needed a distraction to keep these questions, and more, from swirling through her brain and taking up all of the available real estate!

  As Aunt Wendy and Sophie went over last minute wedding details, Katie opened the folder and started to peruse it. She could not believe how well-organized it was. She was impressed! Maybe Aunt Wendy had found her calling after all.

  Hunter/Sloan Wedding

  THURSDAY:

  Thursday: 10:00 a.m. Bride and Bridesmaids Fittings - Mona’s Bridal Boutique

  Thursday: 11:00 a.m. Groom and Groomsmen Fittings - Richard’s Formal Wear

  Thursday: 1:00 p.m. Bridal Luncheon – Salvatore’s

  Thursday: 8:00 p.m. Bachelorette Party - The Grill

  Thursday: 8:00 p.m. Bachelor Party – McMillan’s Pub

  Katie mentally checked off each item against her one criteria – did her path cross with Jason?

  Check, check, check, check, check. Nope.

  So Thursday didn’t seem like it would be so bad. She wouldn’t have to spend any more time with Jason and she would be kept pretty busy. Hopefully those two factors combined would also keep any thoughts of Nick from rearing their ugly heads.

  Okay. Next page.

  FRIDAY:

  Friday: 1:00 – Check-in at Whisper Lake Hilton

  Hmmmm. A hotel. RED FLAG. Hotels were universally known as places to AVOID if you were attempting to not have sexy-times with someone.

  And also...Whisper Lake.

  “Um, I have a quick question. Who is checking into the Whisper Lake Hilton?” Katie asked, trying to sound as blasé as possible.

  “Oh!” Squealed Sophie, “I can’t believe I forgot to tell you, we are getting married up at Whisper Lake, just like Grandpa J and Grandma Marie did! Isn’t that just the most romantic thing ever?” Sophie swooned, clasping her hands in front of her heart.

  Oh, God. Romantic. Yep. Exactly the word she'd been thinking of.

  “SO romantic...” Katie agreed, smiling around the knot she felt forming in her throat.

  She couldn’t count how many nights she and Nick spent planning their wedding up at Whisper Lake. She had spent every summer there since she was in 4th grade. Sometimes with her mom and Aunt Wendy, a couple summers with the Hunters, and sometimes with the Sloan Boys and their cousins the Quad Squad.

  Of course, she told herself, it makes sense that Sophie and Bobby would be getting married up there. They had spent summers together there, too. This is not about you and Nick, she reminded herself, for the thousandth time that day. NOTHING ABOUT THIS WEEKEND IS ABOUT YOU AND NICK...or Jason.

  She took a deep breath.

  Okay. So, yeah. Whisper Lake. She could handle that. It was just one weekend.

  Alright, moving on. Time to continue checking items off against her mental checklist, which only held one item – would she have to interact with Jason at the event?

  FRIDAY

  Friday: 3:00 p.m. - Facials and Massages (Entire Wedding Party) Hilton Spa

  Friday: 5:00 p.m. - Rehearsal

  Friday: 6:00 p.m. - Rehearsal Dinner – Malone Steak House (At the Hilton)

  SATURDAY

  Saturday: 10:00 a.m. - Bridal Brunch

  Saturday: 2:00 p.m. - Make-up and Hair Bridal Party - The Spa

  Saturday: 5:00 p.m. - Arrive at Church

  Saturday: 6:00 p.m. - Ceremony

  Saturday: 7:00 p.m. - Reception

  SUNDAY

  Sunday: 12:00 p.m. - Wedding Party checks out of hotel

  Katie took a deep breath. Of course, there was some Jason interaction on that list. It was to be expected. She was the maid of honor, and he was the best man. She just had to think about how to best minimize the impact.

  She thought for a moment, and then nodded to herself. Okay. So, the game plan would have to be to spend as much time with Sophiebell as possible...which, if you think about it, was technically her job as M.O.H. anyway....and avoid Jason at all costs. Simple.

  Good game plan! Go team Katie!

  --- ~ ---

  As Jason opened the door to Katie’s childhood home, a surge of nostalgia swept through him. He had been spending a lot of time here recently, trying to help Pam and Aunt Wendy save money by taking care of some repairs. But, as weird as it might be to say it, the place felt completely different since Katie was back in town. It was like even her house was breathing a sigh of relief that she was back where she belonged.

  As he walked up the stairs to put Katie’s suitcases in her room, he actually felt nervous. He wondered why for a moment and then realized that he hadn’t been in Katie’s room since the night that she left Harper's Crossing.

  As he opened the door he was surprised to see that in ten years, nothing much had changed. Her dresser still held pictures of Katie when she was growing up, Katie with her friends, Katie with her mom, her Grandma, and Aunt Wendy – and, of course, Katie and Nick.

  He did notice that one picture was missing. It was one of Katie and him. It had been taken at science camp, right before they boarded the bus, and they were making goofy faces. He knew that she had kept it in a small frame at the edge of her dresser while she was growing up because he had clandestinely looked at it every chance he got when he and Katie and Nick had hung out in here together as teenagers. He didn’t see it now, though.

  Great. That probably meant that it got tossed in the garbage on the fateful night Katie had left Harper's Crossing. Of course it did. In fact, it was probably her final act upon leaving the room for the last time.

  A sick feeling began to form in the pit of his stomach as that night’s memories started playing in his head, spreading inexorably through his torso and his extremities like a dreaded cold front that was hell-bent on taking over his body.

  He knew that it had taken him a long time to forgive himself for his behavior that night, but right now – standing in the middle of the scene of the crime – he thought that maybe he still hadn't entirely forgiven himself.

  He still wasn’t sure if Katie had forgiven him, and he wanted to find out this weekend. He was tired of wondering. As much as he knew, logically, that he should have handled things completely differently that night - he could still never truly regret what had transpired. In fact, that was a big part of what made him feel so torn and guilty when he thought about it. How could one of
his most precious memories also be one of his biggest regrets?

  He took two slow steps across Katie’s floor until he was standing directly in front of her bed. He set her suitcases down with a deliberate motion and just stood there, staring at her bed.

  He closed his eyes against the memories that were flooding his consciousness. Memories of the last time he had been there, of Katie’s naked body beneath him as he warmed her with his bare chest. How small and delicate she had felt in his arms. How alive, despite the iciness of her skin. How she melted against him. How her breath felt against his neck.

  He had never experienced a night like that before or since. It had taken on a somewhat dreamlike quality in his recollection, as if it didn’t even really happen, like it was just a beautiful figment of his imagination. But, even as he wondered bittersweetly if it might be all in his head, he remembered the taste of her lips as she sweetly touched his mouth to hers. The way her body moved beneath him as she molded into him, becoming one with him. He knew that it was real.

  Standing there reminiscing had his jeans tightening by the second, and he decided that this wasn't the best time for a walk down memory lane. Nope, it definitely was not what he needed right now. He had to focus on his brother’s wedding, not on Katie Lawson.

  He shook his head. His head was on board with that plan, but his heart and the region below his belt had other priorities for the weekend. He just needed to work on keeping his head in charge.

  Jason had really thought he was prepared to see Katie again this weekend. As soon as he saw her standing at the trunk of his car, with her back to him, that shining golden hair of hers streaming down her back...well, all of his careful preparation had gone right out the window.

  He had always known that Katie had a powerful effect on him. He had just hoped that after ten years, some of her potency would have worn off. Unfortunately, that did not seem to be the case. If anything, the power of her effect on him had been amplified in her absence.

  Now, as Jason left Katie’s room to head over to Richard's for his fitting, he realized that there were two critical things that he needed to accomplish this weekend.

  First, be the greatest Best man he could possibly be. That was a given, that was job one.

  Second, get some closure in the Katie Lawson department.

  In the time that she had been AWOL, he had tried to go on with his life. He wasn't the kind of person to dwell in the past. He wasn't a “wallower” by any stretch of the imagination. But now that she was back he could see clearly what he had probably known in the back of his mind all along – he had some unfinished business with Katie.

  Damn, maybe that was why he could never seem to maintain a serious relationship, no matter his intentions. Why he seemed to lose interest in women as soon as they showed signs of wanting to settle down. Maybe, deep down, he was sabotaging his relationships because he was keeping the way clear for Katie.

  He shook his head. One thing was for sure, he needed to deal with this, and the upcoming weekend was probably going to be his only opportunity. He was sure that, come Sunday, Katie would be hightailing it back to San Francisco. That was her M.O., and who knew the next time he would see her?

  Yep, he decided. Whether Katie wanted to or not, she would be dealing with him, and it was going to happen this weekend.

  Chapter Four

  Driving up to Mona’s Bridal Boutique, Katie took a deep breath and determined to put everything but wedding business on the back burner of her brain. She consciously refocused her attention and vowed to herself to keep it where it belonged.

  As she walked up to the door with Sophie and Aunt Wendy, she smiled as a flutter of excitement hit her. She was about to see her little Sophiebell in a wedding dress! What could be more special?

  As the group walked across the sidewalk and Katie enjoyed reveling in these new positive emotions, she suddenly felt a chill crawl down her spine. She stopped in her tracks. She felt the tell-tale tingle of goosebumps rising on the exposed flesh of her arms and the hair on the back of her neck stood up.

  Someone was watching her. She was sure of it.

  She spun slowly and looked around her, but she did not see anyone looking her way. In fact, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary at all – just a brightly lit block of the Harper's Crossing downtown street, populated with the kinds of people you might expect to see there. A mom and her two little ones were crossing the street. Mr. Anderson, who owned the Sweet Tooth Candy Shoppe, was sweeping up in front of his store. Some teenagers were hanging out in front of Dick's News Stand. Various other patrons of the quaint little shops lining 10th Street were shuffling up and down, each involved in their various errands.

  The one thing they all seemed to have in common was that none of them was paying a lick of attention to Katie, much less watching her.

  Trying to shake off the eerie feeling, Katie turned to Sophie and asked, “So, beautiful. Tell me all about the dress I'm about to see. Is it strapless or halter or spaghetti straps?”

  Sophie clasped her hands in front of her heart, which seemed to be a gesture that she had embraced since falling in love and beginning to plan her romantic wedding. She dreamily expounded, “It has capped sleeves. I’m wearing Grandma Marie’s dress but we had to make some adjustments.”

  Sophie beamed as she swept into the front door of Mona’s. She enthusiastically greeted her soon-to-be cousins, the Sloan girls AKA the Quad Squad. Haley, Jessie, Becca and Krista returned her greetings just as enthusiastically, and they all giggled and squealed as they chattered about the upcoming nuptials.

  Katie was just steeling herself to go and join the group with her best plastered-on smile, but she felt Aunt Wendy's hand at her elbow, holding her back from the crowd for a moment.

  Katie's false smile began to falter when she looked into Aunt Wendy's compassionate eyes as she said, “Baby girl, Grandpa J told me that you’ve had your eye on that dress since he first showed you his wedding pictures. I’m sorry, Buttercup. You sure you’re okay with, all of this? Is it starting to be too much for you?”

  As she spoke, Aunt Wendy ran her hand through Katie’s hair, the same way she had thousands of times before, ever since Katie was little.

  Katie put on her best brave face. Her voice only trembled a little as she said, “Of course I’m fine, Aunt Wendy. I wanted to wear Grandma Marie’s dress when I thought Nick and I were going to have a happily-ever-after. I haven’t even thought about that dress in years.”

  Aunt Wendy looked unconvinced, and so Katie bolstered the cheer in her voice even further as she continued, “Honestly, I swear, I’m great! I’m just here to be the best M.O.H. I can be. This weekend is all about Miss Sophiebell.”

  Katie wasn't sure if she were trying to convince Aunt Wendy or herself.

  “Okay, Buttercup. You just let me know if you need any little thing. I may be wearing my ‘wedding planner’ hat a lot this weekend, but you know that I never take my ‘Aunt Wendy’ hat off.”

  As she gave this sweet speech, Katie had to laugh as she watched Aunt Wendy mime putting on and taking off the imaginary hats. She almost expected her to end with a flourish and take a bow. In a spontaneous fit of affection, Katie threw her arms around her aunt's neck and squeezed tightly.

  “I know, Aunt Wendy, and I love you for that! But I really am fine, I promise. Let’s just head on in and get this wedding party started!”

  Aunt Wendy smiled and gave her one last squeeze before heading into the shop, but Katie hesitated. She paused and glanced around the street one more time, unable to shake the primal sensation that she was being observed.

  She still didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so she shook her head and turned toward the door. Oh well, she figured, it's probably just anxiety bubbling up from my subconscious, wanting to be dealt with. This being my first day back in town, and all of the ghosts I've had to face in just the last 90 minutes...it's no wonder.

  Maybe it was good, Katie reasoned, that she was being forced t
o face things now. Maybe she could finally close this chapter of her life once and for all. This would let her start fresh. She could approach life without the past weighing her down, something she had never experienced as an adult. She sighed. A girl could hope!

  As she walked fully into Mona’s, she saw that the girls were already in dressing rooms trying on their dresses. She took a seat on the comfortable deep green sofa that backed up against the storefront window and settled in to wait for her turn.

  Aunt Wendy bopped efficiently from dressing room to dressing room, making sure that each bridesmaid had everything that they needed. Katie was impressed by her Aunt’s organizational abilities, and enjoyed the chance to sit back and watch her in her element. Everything seemed to be running as smooth as silk and, as far as Katie could tell, they owed that all to Aunt Wendy.

  As Becca and Haley made their way out of the dressing rooms and onto a small pedestal at the back of the shop which was surrounded by a three-way mirror, Katie laid eyes for the first time on the dress that she would be wearing in Sophie's ceremony.

  The knee-length and form-fitted strapless lavender silk creation was as trendy as it was beautiful. Katie smiled a bit as her eyes moistened. She should have known that Sophie would choose lavender as the color of her wedding. Sophiebell had always said that lavender was her “signature color.” She had gotten that line from Katie’s favorite movie, Steel Magnolias. Even though in the movie, the Julia Roberts character favored pink instead of lavender, Sophie had made the necessary adjustment so that the phrase suited her own tastes.

  Katie and Sophie had always watched that movie. It was a staple of any Friday night that Katie was babysitting. It was a tradition.

  God, was there going to be ANY situation this entire weekend that was not chock full of MEMORIES?!

  “Alright then, honey, it’s your turn,” came the no-nonsense voice of Mona, the stout woman who owned the bridal boutique. She strode purposefully toward Katie with a dress in her hand that she had just grabbed from behind the counter.