Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series)

by Michelle Maness

“No, Kattie, you just really wanted to find love and I think you chose to overlook the warning signs in favor of that. But love allows you to be yourself.”

  “I know,” Katherine admitted. “I lost sight of that for a time but I know that.”

  A knock sounded at the door and Katherine stood to answer it. Adam stood on the other side looking perturbed.

  “Hey, Adam, you okay,” she tilted the phone from her ear.

  “I got mobbed,” he admitted.

  “Hey, Adam!” Amy called.

  Katherine smiled and relayed the message.

  “Hey, Amy,” Adam was smiling now.

  “I’m going to let you go; I’ll call later,” Amy told her. “Love ya.”

  “Love you too, Amy.” Katherine disconnected the call and led Adam into her apartment. They settled onto the couch before she spoke again.

  “So what’s this about you being mobbed?”

  “I stopped for groceries and there was a group of what appeared to be college girls in the produce section. One minute I’m trying to find ripe bananas and the next I’m cornered by six or seven giggling college girls.”

  “Oh, poor Adam, beautiful young women throwing themselves at you. What is the world coming to?” she teased.

  “Not funny,” he grumbled.

  “Sorry. Did you get your groceries?”

  “I did. The manager stepped in and told the girls they could either leave or leave me alone. They followed me through the store but didn’t approach me again. So what are you doing tonight?”

  “Staying in out of the rain.”

  “Have you eaten?”

  “No, and I haven’t been to the grocery store so my supplies are rather limited; I don’t even have tea. Have you eaten?”

  “No, what do you say we go to my place and order pizza, my treat; then no one has to cook.”

  “Not cooking sounds nice,” she admitted as she stood and grabbed her keys and cell phone.

  Once they reached his apartment, they agreed on size, toppings, and bread sticks before calling the order in. Adam flipped on the TV and found a movie on; they watched as they waited for their pizza. When it arrived, they ate straight from the box where they placed it on his coffee table. With her stomach full, Katherine found she was drowsy.

  “Have you ever noticed how nice it can be to just chill and do nothing?” Katherine asked him.

  “It can be awfully nice,” he agreed as he watched her yawn. She would be asleep inside a half an hour, he mused. Adam shifted slightly and smiled when she shifted too. She was now leaning against him, her legs curled to the side.

  Katherine realized that she had somehow come to be resting against Adam and wondered how that had happened. She should get off him, she mused before she shifted to rest her head against his chest. She inhaled deeply of his scent and smiled. She had missed this, though technically she no longer had the right to be snuggling up to him.

  Adam smiled as he watched Kaitlyn sleep. Holding her while she slept felt right. He had promised himself he wouldn’t risk hurting her again but the desire to love her and have her a part of his life was overwhelming. He wished he knew what his future held and that he felt certain enough of his success to let her know how he felt. Not smart. She deserved so much more than he had to offer.

  He felt her shudder and reached for the throw she had picked for his couch. He had scoffed at the idea but often found himself lying under it; it was very soft and cozy. Kaitlyn smiled in her sleep, whatever she was dreaming must have been pleasant.

  Adam reached for the remote and flipped through channels, searching for something to watch after the movie went off. He finally settled on a rerun of one of his favorite shows. When Kaitlyn’s cell rang he grabbed it before it could wake her.

  “Hello,” he answered.

  “Hey, Adam, where’s Kattie?” Julia asked.

  “We were watching a movie and she fell asleep here on the couch. You want me to wake her?”

  “I’m awake,” Katherine protested.

  Adam handed her phone to her as she sat up.

  “Hi, Mom,” she greeted.

  “Sorry to wake you,” her mother sounded amused.

  “I got full and still and it’s raining and I guess I was more tired than I realized. How are you, Mom?”

  “I’m good. I just wanted to check on you. I was worried that you might be sitting at home alone and down. I know you are relieved to have ended your engagement to Derrick but that doesn’t mean it will be altogether easy.”

  “No, it isn’t but I’m fine.”

  “I can tell. I’m glad you have a friend to stand by you.”

  “So am I,” Katherine smiled as she glanced at Adam.

  “When does he go to California?”

  “A couple of weeks,” she shared.

  “I hope that goes well for him.”

  “Me too,” she agreed. She talked to her mother for a few minutes longer before her mother let her go.

  “Sorry I fell asleep on you,” she offered to Adam.

  “I guess I can deal with it,” he grinned at her.

  Katherine smiled back before heat climbed into her face as she remembered the dream she had been having. Sleeping curled up against Adam had its advantages or draw backs, depending on your point of view.

  “You okay?” Adam asked her.

  “Fine, just odd dreams.”

  “Hey! I have something for you but I left it in the Durango; I’ll be right back.” Adam jumped up and snatched his keys.

  Hoping it would help her stay awake; Katherine stood and turned on more lights. She had just reseated herself when Adam’s phone rang.

  “Hello,” she answered it.

  “Who is this?” a softly accented voice demanded.

  “Kaitlyn. Who is this?” she demanded in return, though she had her suspicions.

  “Mia; where is Adam?”

  “He can’t come to the phone right now. Could I give him a message?” Katherine returned coolly.

  “You can tell him I want to know when he’s coming home.”

  “He is home,” Katherine countered.

  “You don’t really think he’s going to stay there?” Mia asked on a laugh.

  Katherine told herself that she really should hang up on the woman and should not have this fight. Fact was she didn’t know what Adam’s plans were.

  “He’s certainly giving a good impression of it.”

  “What are you doing there, anyway?”

  “I was sleeping but the phone keeps ringing.”

  Okay, now she was crossing a line and she knew it. She was insinuating things she had no business insinuating.

  “Where is Adam?” the woman’s voice was low.

  “I told you; he can’t come to the phone.”

  The door opened and Adam entered. Katherine felt her cheeks heat; if he knew the things she had said…

  “Who is it?” he asked.

  Katherine extended the phone to Adam.

  “Hello.”

  She watched him frown when Mia responded.

  “How did you get this number?”

  He looked angry at her response.

  “Don’t call here again…I am coming out there long enough to see Damien and to put the house on the market. Did you ever get your things out as I told you to?”

  Adam was pacing now; Katherine could see his irritation.

  “Get it out, Mia, or I will give it all to charity; I don’t want you anywhere near me or the house.”

  Adam disconnected the call and shoved a hand through his hair.

  “I’m sorry you had to deal with her, Kaitlyn; she’s a cold hearted witch. She wasn’t mean to you was she?”

  “Our conversation wasn’t overly friendly,” Katherine admitted.

  “She convinced Damien to give her my new number; I’m going to break the man’s neck.”

  “Shrug it off, Adam; she isn’t worth the energy.”

  “You’re right,” he nodded and handed her a bag. “I came
across this a few days and thought you would enjoy it.”

  Katherine opened the bag, pulled out a book on historic homes in Nashville and the surrounding area, and smiled. She hopped up to hug him.

  “Thank you.”

  “You’re welcome,” he squeezed her tight.

  She stayed a while longer before returning home to get ready for bed. She climbed beneath the covers and settled in. Given that she had been falling asleep earlier she had expected to fall right to sleep. Instead she found herself thinking of her evening with Adam. It had felt a lot like old times, minus a lot of kissing. She had enjoyed the evening with the exception of Mia’s call. She had no right or business getting territorial over a man she hadn’t dated in over three years. Katherine sighed at that thought. They had been happy together, though, however brief the time had been; it had been a happy time. She finally managed to drift off to sleep.

  Sometime later she woke to knocking on her door and frowned; it was two-forty in the morning. She plodded across her apartment and opened her door. Adam stood on the other side looking like the weight of the world rested on his shoulders.

  “Adam, are you okay?” she stepped aside for him to enter.

  “I’m sorry, Kaitlyn, I don’t mean to bother you but I can’t be alone right now,” he informed her.

  “Okay,” she said softly.

  “Mia’s call stirred up a hornet’s nest worth of bad memories and feelings. I was haunted for weeks, and at times still am, by thoughts of the child she had killed.” Adam was pacing the room. “I have done really well, Kaitlyn, I occasionally want a drink but I have done really well but when I found myself wishing for a bottle to escape into I knew I needed to talk to someone.”

  “Come here, Adam,” Katherine ordered.

  He came to where she was sitting.

  “Sit in the floor and take your shirt off.”

  He did as instructed and she started massaging his shoulders.

  “Relax, Adam. Let go of your anger at her or she’ll keep power over you. I know what she did was a terrible thing, Adam, but that child is with God now.”

  “You think so?” he asked her.

  “I do.”

  “I like that thought,” he admitted.

  She could feel his shoulders slowly loosening under her hands. He had nicely defined shoulders and she admired them as she rubbed. Seeing her initials on his shoulders made her smile. Their time together had been brief but very real, she mused.

  “Thank you, I’m feeling a lot better now,” he admitted.

  “You’re welcome,” she assured him.

  “Your hands are strong to be so small,” he informed her.

  “I’ve never given it much thought,” she admitted.

  “I’m sorry I woke you.”

  “I’m not, wake me any time you need someone to talk to, Adam. I want to see you succeed at this.”

  “I want to as well. You’re going to put me to sleep,” he informed her.

  “My floor is probably rather hard,” she noted.

  “I’m worried about going to California,” Adam admitted.

  “You’ll be fine and if you need me, call me, any time,” she offered.

  “Thank you, Kaitlyn; you’ve already been there for me through this whole thing. I feel like I keep taking and taking from you.”

  “I volunteered to be here for you and I’m volunteering again. Besides, you’ve been here for me through this whole Derrick mess. If not for you I may have found myself married to him before I realized I was vanishing from the planet.”

  “That would have been a loss for everyone who knows you and loves you, Kaitlyn.”

  “You’re sweet, Adam.”

  “Not really,” he argued.

  “Better?” Katherine asked him as she leaned over to peer at him.

  Adam smiled, “Better.”

  “Good. Have a seat,” she scooted into the corner of her couch.

  Adam pulled his shirt back over his head and sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her.

  “That thing’s getting pretty worn out, you want another shirt?” Adam teased.

  Katherine felt her cheeks heat. “I told you it became habit. When you first left I wore it because, yeah it made me feel closer to you; then it became habit, besides, it’s comfy.”

  “Okay,” he smiled.

  “You’re so aggravating,” she accused.

  “I’m sorry.”

  “No, you aren’t,” she countered with a smile of her own.

  “I should go and let you get some sleep,” he stood.

  “Will you be okay?” she asked in concern.

  “Don’t know,” he admitted.

  “Don’t misconstrue my offer but you’re welcome to stay,” she invited.

  “Thank you. Cleo and I can share the couch.”

  “Not if you want any sleep,” Katherine laughed. “When she first arrived I left my door open for her but that didn’t last long. She would stand on my chest or shoulder, knead while purring loud enough to wake the dead and yowl every few seconds if I ignored her. She’s defective but I love the crazy little thing,” Katherine shared.

  “I didn’t mean to buy you a defective kitten,” he grinned.

  “All cats are defective; just in different ways. I can put her in the utility room but she might wake the whole building.”

  “She does have quite the meow doesn’t she?”

  “It’s because she’s a Siamese.”

  “So either I can get no sleep or nobody in the building can get sleep?”

  “Or we can all get some sleep. I told you not to misconstrue my offer because I was inviting you to share my bed if you think you can behave,” she informed him.

  She watched his brow quirk.

  “Okay, I think I can do that,” he told her.

  “Okay,” she nodded.

  She felt odd leading him to her room and lying down beside him. She had slept in his arms once before and spent one night making love to him repeatedly; she shouldn’t be so nervous about sleeping beside him but she was. She flipped off the lamp and lay on her back to stare at the ceiling.

  “Can I hold you?” he asked her.

  “Yeah,” she agreed. She rolled onto her side and Adam slipped an arm around her. Katherine closed her eyes and drank in the smell and feel of him. She had loved this man desperately, she mused, might still.

  The ringing of the phone the next morning was an unwelcome intrusion into Katherine’s pleasant dreams. Her eyes opened and she realized being held wasn’t a dream. She smiled as she reached for the phone.

  “Hello,” she answered.

  “Are you still in bed?” Derrick demanded.

  “Yes, I was still asleep. What do you want?”

  “Katherine, we’ve both had some time to think. I feel we should talk again now that we’re both calm,” Derrick informed her.

  Katherine settled back against her pillow and sighed as her eyes closed. She found Adam watching her when she opened her eyes again. He reached over to play with a strand of her hair and rubbed it between his fingers. The same hair, Derrick had wanted lighter and straighter.

  “There’s nothing to discuss, Derrick,” she returned. “It’s over. Now we both need to move on.”

  “You’re going to walk away just like that?” Derrick demanded.

  “It wasn’t just like that,” Katherine argued. “I had a whole week to reconsider it after I made the decision.”

  “I feel I should get a chance to make my case.”

  “It’s over,” Katherine insisted.

  “Let’s start over again; let’s just go to dinner.”

  “No, Derrick, we cannot go to dinner. We can’t start again. No.”

  “Does he need me to spell it?” Adam asked her.

  Katherine glared at him. She was ready to slug him until she guiltily recalled her own behavior on the phone with Mia the night before.

  “Is Adam there?”

  “Goodbye, Derrick.”

 
“Is Adam there?”

  “That is no longer any of your concern. Goodbye.” Katherine disconnected the call and turned to Adam. “I may not love the man but I’m not trying to be cruel either. You know what he thinks,” she snapped.

  “I’m sorry, Kaitlyn. You want me to call and explain?”

  “Explain what? The fact is whether we had sex or not I invited you into my bed. There’s very little to explain there.”

  “Your reasons were noble,” he reminded her.

  “Only man could make a statement like that,” she laughed.

  “How can I make it up to you?”

  “Go sightseeing with me,” she requested.

  “I can do that,” he was quick to agree.

  “Get out of my bed and go get dressed,” she ordered.

  “Yes, ma’am,” he quickly agreed.

  Katherine watched him leave; she was shaking her head. She was crazy to have invited him to stay. No one would believe they had simply slept cuddled up together, not given their past. She tossed aside her blankets and hurried to shower and dress. She was drinking a glass of water when a knock sounded on her door.

  “Hi,” she let Adam in. “Let me grab my camera and pull my shoes on.”

  “You left this last night,” Adam laid the bag from the bookstore on the table.

  “Thanks,” she smiled.

  A few minutes later they were walking out into a beautiful autumn day.

  They stopped to eat breakfast and ran by the store for picnic supplies before Katherine started directing Adam where to go. She first took him to Rattle and Snap, one of her favorite antebellum homes, for the tour. Adam smiled at her as they followed the guide through the house listening to the stories of the family who had lived there during the Civil War. She next directed him to Milky Way Farms to see the outside of the structure and to tell him the story behind the home.

  “It was built by Mr. Mars,” she told him.

  “Of Mars candy?”

  “Yep, he built it during the height of the depression; employed about eight hundred people. He wanted a sure investment and figured land was that. He employed over a hundred people full time here. There were twelve stables here altogether.”

  “Wow,” Adam shook his head as he looked up at the home. “What kind of house is this?”

  “Tudor Revival.”

  “That explains why it puts me in mind of some of the homes I saw in England.”