Sage was behind the bar when he took a seat on the center stool. “You knew?” He hated that his voice sounded so accusatory, but she was the one pleading with Katie to tell him.
She shook her head. “No, I found out two minutes before you came in.”
“Found out what?” Cannon came out of the storage room with a full bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand.
Bowie reached for the bottle and twisted off the cap. “Katie has Brandy’s heart.”
Sage lined up a few shot glasses.
Cannon stumbled back and leaned on the back bar. “She what?”
The bell above the bar door rang, and in walked Doc. “Saw you running across the street. Thought you might like to chat.”
Bowie turned to face Doc Parker. “You knew and didn’t say anything to anyone.”
He slid into the stool next to Bowie. With his hands held in the air, he said, “I didn’t know, son. She didn’t know. No one in town knew. So if you’re feeling you’ve been duped, you best tuck that feeling away because no one lied to you or kept anything from you long term.”
Cannon pushed off the counter and came forward, taking the open bottle from Bowie to fill up the shot glasses. “You want one, sweetheart?” he asked Sage.
“No, I think I should go hang out with Katie.” She pulled a bottle of wine from the cooler and turned to Doc. “Can she have a glass?”
“A glass won’t kill her.”
Sage swiped two stemmed glasses from the rack above the bar and walked out, leaving the three men alone.
“So let me get this straight,” Cannon started as he pulled beer chasers for the group. “Katie, the girl you love now, has the heart of the girl you loved before. Am I close?”
Bowie tilted his head back and drank what would be the first of many shots. “Spot on.” He turned to Doc. “Did you know Bea had donated her organs?”
Doc sipped at his whiskey. “Nope. She never said a word except to say Brandy lived among us. I always thought that was a figure of speech. Like she surrounded us in spirit.”
Cannon poured Bowie another shot. “So for real, Katie has a donor heart, and that heart is Brandy’s.” Cannon laughed. “How damn lucky are you to fall in love with the same heart twice?”
“Lucky?” Bowie tossed back the second shot and shivered as the heat of it ribboned through his body. “It’s a freak show.”
“Now, now, young man. I won’t put up with you calling Katie a freak. I always knew that girl was special. Just didn’t know she was extra special.”
“Tell me this. Do I love her because I love her, or is it some cosmic thing? Does my heart know that heart?”
Doc rubbed at his bushy brows, making them point straight to the heavens. “Did you love her yesterday when you didn’t know she had that heart? Did you ever ask her about the scar?”
“Yes, I loved her, and no, I didn’t ask her about the scar, it didn’t matter.”
“But it matters now?” Doc asked.
“It’s different now because I know she has the heart.”
Doc finished his shot and turned the glass over on the table. “She’s the same girl as she was yesterday. Let me ask you this. What if you needed a new engine for your truck, and the one that was available came from your dad’s truck? Once it's fixed, is it your truck or your dad’s truck?”
“It’s my truck.”
“That there heart is Katie’s heart. It stopped being Brandy’s when she died. It’s just a part, son. We’re a sum of all our parts. It’s Katie’s blood that runs through that heart, not Brandy’s. It’s Katie’s brain that keeps it functioning. Somehow, Brandy’s heart found its way into Katie’s chest. You would have never known if Bea hadn’t given her the bakery. What if Katie hadn’t accepted? Is there a little fate happening here? I don’t know. All I know is you’ve got one special woman who loves you enough to tell you. She didn’t have to be honest.”
“You wouldn’t have said anything?”
Doc nodded. “I couldn’t. It’s doctor/patient privilege. But even if I could, I wouldn’t. Katie had to tell you on her own. And she did.”
“Two days later.” A hint of agitation rose in his voice.
Doc picked up the now closed bottle of whiskey and tapped Bowie on the head hard enough so he would feel it, but not hard enough to cause damage.
“She had a head injury, you dolt. Let me hit you a little harder and see how clearly you think. That woman has faced death head-on and won. She’s happy and healthy and in love. How hard do you think it was for her to risk it all by telling you the truth? That’s integrity—another special gift.”
Doc looked at Cannon, then nodded to Bowie. “He’s paying tonight. I dished out enough wisdom to make it worth a shot and a beer.” He picked up his mug and emptied it, the foam sticking to his mustache. “You’re a smart man, Bowie; don’t be stupid tonight.” Doc walked out the door.
“Holy shit.” Cannon let out a long whistle. “What the hell are you going to do?”
Bowie held up his shot glass. “I’m getting drunk.”
“After that?”
“I’m going to tell Katie I’m sorry.”
Chapter Twenty-One
Wrapped in Sage’s arms, Katie cried herself out of tears. “He looked so broken. I feel so bad.” She moved her head to find a dry spot on Sage’s floral button-down shirt.
“He’ll be back. That boy loves you.”
Uncomfortable with a button in her ear, Katie pulled back and looked at her friend. “He loved her, too. If he comes back, how will I know if he’s back because of me or her?”
“Oh, honey. You’ll know in your heart.” She pressed a finger forward against the center of Katie’s chest.
“That’s irony for you. Her heart, my heart, where does one end and the other begin?”
“The heart in you is yours.” Sage picked up the bottle and poured Katie more wine. “Doc said you could have a glass. I don’t think another half will hurt.”
On any other day Katie would have declined, but she needed to reach the calm that a glass and a half of wine could bring. “I bet you’re wondering why I didn’t tell anyone.”
Sage hopped off the couch and walked toward the kitchen. “If we’re going to get deep, I’ll need sugar. Where’s your stash?”
Katie followed her and opened the cupboard. She reached to the top shelf for the tub of candy she stashed away for PMS and bad days. If any day qualified as bad, this one did. It was a bad week, and she hadn’t opened the tub once. She peeked under the lid, then handed the bucket to Sage.
Sage dug right in. “Ooh, you have peanut butter cups and Skittles. My favorites.” She hugged the container to her chest and went back to her seat on the couch. “I’ll be good for hours now. Start at birth if you need to go back that far.”
For the first time that night, Katie laughed. “You’re easy.”
“And cheap, but don’t tell Cannon.”
“He’d love you anyway.” Those words came out of Katie’s mouth without thought. They were a reminder of the wish for Bowie to love her anyway. She’d hoped and prayed so much, her brain hurt worse than her heart. There was nothing left to do but wait and see if he could come to terms with what she’d shared.
“Bowie loves you. He’ll come around. Who knows? We could be sisters someday.”
“Wouldn’t that be awesome? Do you see Cannon proposing soon?” Talking about Sage’s forever made the loss of hers less painful. To focus on joy made it hard to lament her loss. “Do you have a ring in mind? Marquis? Princess cut? Oval?” Katie spent years looking at rings, wedding dresses, wedding venues—things she never thought possible until a donor heart became available.
She’d walked down the aisle a thousand times in her mind. Always dressed in white, she had a long train and a massive diamond that weighed down her hand. She’d trade those dreams for one more ride on the back of Bowie’s Harley. One more kiss of his lips. The sound of his voice saying he loved her. Katie shook the thoughts from her head.
�
��A ring? That man can’t afford new jeans. He’d never be able to afford a ring, I don’t care about the ring, but if I could choose, it would be a simple gold band.” Sage looked at her empty ring finger. “Big diamonds and nursing don’t mesh well. The prong things that hold the diamond tear the gloves.”
“You really are cheap and easy.” Katie reached into the bucket for a chocolate kiss. It was the closest Katie would get to any kind of kiss, anytime soon. “I saw a beautiful headboard at the dry goods store. It has to be Cannon’s work. If it sells, that would buy him plenty pairs of new jeans and leave enough left over for something special. Maybe a ring?”
“We aren’t there yet, but it’s a nice thought for the future.”
Katie didn’t have the luxury of thinking about the future. It would be hard getting through the night. “You know, I considered purchasing it myself. It’s so pretty.”
“No. Don’t buy it.” There was nothing playful in Sage’s voice. Not a hint of suggestion. It was a demand.
“Why not?” The headboard was beautiful and obviously Cannon’s work. Why wouldn’t she want it sold?
Sage reached into the candy bucket and pulled out two pieces. She ate them both before she said another word.
“That headboard was Cannon’s wedding gift to Brandy and Bowie.”
Katie gasped. She was grateful she hadn’t bought it. She’d been seconds away from a purchase, but the store only took cash and she was short by several hundred dollars. “People have to talk in this town,” she complained. “I really thought it would look nice in my room. Holy hell, could you imagine if I had bought it?”
“No, but speaking of talking, why didn’t you tell anyone?”
“It’s not a conversation opener.” She took a drink of wine and liked the fruity tang that danced across her tongue. It tasted far sweeter than sorrow. “You don’t shake someone’s hand and say, ‘Hi, I’m Katie and I have a donor heart.’”
“You’re right. Honestly, it’s no one’s business.”
Katie took the candy bucket and rummaged through it until she found a Snickers bar. “The problem is, once people know you’re a transplant recipient, they treat you differently.”
Sage got a sly smile on her face. “Should you be eating that with your condition?” She exaggerated the worry in her voice.
“Exactly. I was twenty-eight and had to run away from home to get freedom. Do you think I’d let strangers steal it from me? No way. I love being treated like a normal person.”
“You are a normal person.” Sage shrugged. She dug into the bucket for another fun-sized bag of Skittles. “Then again, ‘normal’ is a broad term.”
“Thanks for making me feel better.”
Sage tilted her head and gave a broad smile. “That’s what I do, I’m a walking ray of light.”
Katie touched a curl shooting from the top of Sage’s head. “You’re a ball of fire.”
“Hair jokes? Just wait until I can Google bad transplant jokes.” She popped a green Skittle into her mouth.
The laughter bubbled inside of Katie until she couldn’t hold it back. “I’ve got one for you. Here goes.” She sat ruler straight. “A doctor tells a man needing a heart transplant that the only heart available is that of a sheep. The man agrees, and the doctor performs the transplant of the sheep heart.” Katie stopped for dramatic effect. She’d heard it was important when delivering the punch line, and she wanted to make Sage laugh. “A few days after the operation, the man comes in for a checkup and the doctor asks him, ‘How are you feeling?’ The man answers, ‘Not BAAAAD!’”
Sage tugged the candy back into her lap. “That was awful. Just for that, you get no sweets.” She pressed the top onto the plastic container. “Who told you that baaaad joke?”
“My transplant doctor,” Katie said between bouts of laughter.
“We need better material. You needed a different doctor.”
“There’s the one about the doctor telling the patient she had her choice of two hearts. A twenty-year-old athlete or an eighty-year-old lawyer.”
Sage leaned in like Katie held a secret. “Which one did she take?”
Katie rolled her eyes. “The eighty-year-old lawyer, of course. She wanted the heart that hadn’t been used.”
Sage tried to suppress her laughter, but a giggle burst forth. “That’s so much better. Same doctor tell you that?”
“No. That came from one of my nurses.”
“Naturally. Nurses have it all, brains, beauty, and humor.”
“I’d love to hear the jokes your sister tells.”
“My sister has no sense of humor, especially lately.”
“What’s going on with her?”
Sage sank into the sofa. “She’s entering the last lap of her residency. There’s lots of stress. She expected the hospital to pick up her contract, but maybe it wasn’t a good idea to sleep with the boss.”
“Does she love him?”
“She thinks she does.”
Katie caught sight of her phone’s screen glowing. She picked it up and saw the message from Bowie.
Can I come over?
She read it twice. “He wants to come over.”
“See, I told you he would figure it out.”
The calm the wine provided disappeared. “You did, but I’m not sure how I feel about it.”
Sage gave her a confused puppy look. “I don’t understand. Don’t you want to be with Bowie?”
Katie brought the screen to her nose and inhaled as if she could smell him. It was crazy. She knew she should type “yes, yes, yes” but she couldn’t because a question loomed in her mind. When Bowie looked at her from this point forward, would he see her, or would he see Brandy in her?
“I do, but I need to make sure he wants to be with me. The real me.” She pointed to her chest. “This little ticker has muddled it all up.”
“What are you going to tell him?”
She skimmed her fingers over the screen. “I’ll tell him the truth. I need time, too. He’s not the only one processing new information.” She typed a return message.
Bowie, I love you, but I need time to process all that’s gone on. Give me a day or two.
His reply took several minutes.
I’m so sorry. I’ll give you anything you need.
“You want me to stay?” Sage asked.
Every possible answer floated through Katie’s head. Yes, no, maybe, but Katie knew no matter how wise her friend could be, given her name was Sage, she needed to search her heart for the answers.
“No. I need time to think.” Katie rose without giving Sage a chance to change her mind. At the door, she hugged her tight. “Thank you for being here for me. I’ve never had a friend as wonderful as you.”
Sage held on to her for a long minute. “You and I have a bond. Bea chose us. She had a hundred reasons to bring us here.”
“Two hundred if you combine them.” She gripped Sage’s shoulders and turned her body to face the door. “Go find your man. Tell him I promise not to buy the bed if he promises to whittle more ornaments.”
“I’ll give him the message.”
The minute Katie locked the door, her stomach took a turn. It coiled and twisted and tightened. Had she made the right choice? It would have been easier to say yes and fall into Bowie’s arms, but easy wasn’t always best.
The acid of the wine rose to her throat. She barely made it to the bathroom before she lost everything.
It had been two days since the truth came out—two lonely, awful days where Bowie was so close and yet so far. She heard him next door in the bait and tackle shop, moving things around. She caught him peeking in the window several times a day. Each time she got a glimpse of him, it made her heartsick. She’d never get over loving him and hoped she wouldn’t have to because he was everything and everywhere. He was the air she breathed. Above the cinnamon and sugar of the snickerdoodles, he was there in the scent of amber, pine, and sunshine.
Sitting under the Wishing Wall, Katie
filled out a pink sticky note for herself. She’d been up most of the last two nights, missing Bowie. Her decision for space was wise, but knowing didn’t make it feel better. She printed her wish on the tiny paper and tacked it to the board.
The bell rang above the door. She lifted her head, expecting to see Ben, but it was Bowie in front of her, and he looked worse than she felt.
Chapter Twenty-Two
“I know you want space, but I wanted to see you and make sure you were okay.”
“I’m okay.” She walked past him and behind the counter. “Let me get you coffee and a muffin.”
She hadn’t kicked him out. That was a plus. The thin line of his lips softened into a smile. “Coffee and a muffin sound great.” He leaned against the counter and watched her move gracefully like a leaf on the wind.
She popped a K-cup into the machine and plated up a muffin. “As life would have it, it’s chocolate-chip-orange muffin day.”
He inhaled the essence of orange. He’d never be able to smell that again scent and not think of Katie. “Unbelievable.” He lifted his brow when she handed him the plate.
“Coincidence or fate?” she lifted her shoulders.
“Irony,” he replied. Bowie cleared his throat. “You might not know this, but I like orange essence in my muffins.”
“I heard that.”
“You also might know I love special girls.”
Katie leaned across the counter. “What makes these girls special?”
Bowie nodded to the coffee machine, and Katie handed him his cup. He looked to the table under the Wishing Wall. “Will you join me?”
He took a seat at the table, where a pile of wishes sat waiting to be granted. The only wish that hung from the corkboard was hers. He knew because he’d watched her pen it and post it.
“You didn’t answer the question.” She grabbed a bottle of water from the refrigerator and followed him. Another good sign.
“Because the answer isn’t short or easy.” He pulled the top of the muffin from the base and took a bite. “So good.”
He looked at her like she was the muffin. He’d missed her. That first night when he’d asked if he could come over and she said no, he was sure she was punishing him for acting impulsively, but now he knew better. Time to think was important for both of them.
One Hundred Heartbeats Page 15
