"See you soon," he said, waving as he trailed after his kids.
The following day, Katie pushed open the door to the store only half an hour after opening.
"You're here early," Alex said, surprised.
"I was up early and just thought I'd get my shopping out of the way."
"Did it ever slow down last night?"
"Finally. But a couple of people have been out this week. One went to her sister's wedding, and another called in sick. It's been crazy."
"I could tell. But the food was great, even if the service was a little slow."
When she fixed him with an irate expression, he laughed. "Just getting you back for teasing me last night." He shook his head. "Calling me old. I'll have you know my hair went gray before I was thirty."
"You're very sensitive about that," she noted with a teasing tone. "But trust me. It looks good on you. It lends a certain air of respectability."
"Is that good or bad?"
She smiled without giving an answer before reaching for a basket. As she did, she heard him clear his throat. "Are you working as much this coming week?"
"Not as much."
"How about next weekend?"
She thought about it. "I'm off Saturday. Why?"
He shifted his weight from one foot to the other before meeting her eyes. "Because I was wondering if I might be able to take you to dinner. Just the two of us this time. No kids."
She knew they were at a crossroads, one that would change the tenor of things between them. At the same time, it was the reason she'd come to the store as early as she had. She wanted to figure out whether she'd been mistaken about what she'd seen in his expression the previous evening, because it was the first time she knew for certain that she wanted him to ask.
In the silence, though, he seemed to misread what she was thinking. "Never mind. It's not that big of a deal."
"Yes," she said, holding his gaze. "I'd love dinner. But on one condition."
"What's that?"
"You've already done so much for me that I'd rather do something for you this time. How about I make you dinner instead? At my house."
He smiled, relieved. "That sounds perfect."
15
On Saturday, Katie woke later than usual. She'd spent the past few days frantically shopping and decorating her house-a new sheer lace curtain for the living room window, some inexpensive prints for the walls, a few small area rugs, and real place mats and glasses for their dinner. Friday night she'd worked until after midnight, plumping up her new throw pillows and giving the house a final cleaning. Despite the sun that slanted through her windows and striped her bed, she woke only when she heard the sounds of someone hammering. Checking the clock, she saw it was already after nine.
Stumbling out of bed, Katie yawned and then walked toward the kitchen to hit the switch on the coffeepot before stepping out onto the porch, squinting in the brightness of the morning sun. Jo was on her front porch, the hammer poised for another whack, when she spotted Katie.
Jo put the hammer down. "I didn't wake you, did I?"
"Yeah, but that's okay. I had to get up anyway. What are you doing?"
"I'm trying to keep the shutter from falling off. When I got home last night, it was hanging cockeyed, and I was sure it was going to give way in the middle of the night. Of course, thinking that the crash might wake me up any minute kept me from falling asleep for hours."
"Do you need some help?"
"No, I've just about got it."
"How about coffee?"
"Sounds great. I'll be over in a few minutes."
Katie went to her bedroom, slipped out of her pajamas, and threw on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. She brushed her teeth and hair, just enough to get the tangles out. Through the window, she saw Jo walking toward the house. She opened the front door.
Katie poured two cups of coffee and handed one to Jo as soon as she entered the kitchen.
"Your house is really coming together! I love the rugs and the pictures."
Katie gave a modest shrug. "Yeah, well … Southport is starting to feel like home, I guess. I figured I should start making this house into something more permanent."
"It's really amazing. It's like you're finally beginning to nest."
"How's your place coming?"
"It's getting better. I'll bring you by when it's ready."
"Where've you been? I haven't seen you around lately."
Jo gave a dismissive wave. "I was out of town for a few days on business, and then I went to visit someone last weekend, and then I was working. You know the drill."
"I've been working a lot, too. I've had a ton of shifts lately."
"You working tonight?"
Katie took a sip of her coffee. "No. I'm having someone over for dinner."
Jo's eyes lit up. "Do you want me to guess who it could be?"
"You already know who it is." Katie tried to stop the slow flush that was creeping up her neck.
"I knew it!" she said. "Good for you. Have you decided what you're going to wear?"
"Not yet."
"Well, no matter what you decide, you'll look beautiful, I'm sure. And you're going to cook?"
"Believe it or not, I'm actually a fairly good cook."
"What are you going to make?"
When Katie told her, Jo raised her eyebrows.
"Sounds yummy," Jo said. "That's great. I'm happy for you. Both of you, actually. Are you excited?"
"It's only dinner … "
"I'll take that as a yes." She winked. "It's too bad I can't stick around to spy on the two of you. I'd love to watch how it all unfolds, but unfortunately, I'm heading out of town."
"Yes," Katie said. "That's really too bad you're not going to be here."
Jo laughed. "Sarcasm doesn't become you, by the way. But just so you know, I'm not going to let you off the hook. As soon as I get back, I'm going to need the full play-by-play."
"It's just dinner," Katie said again.
"Which means that you won't have any trouble telling me all about it."
"I think you need another hobby."
"Probably," Jo agreed. "But right now, I'm having plenty of fun living vicariously through you since my love life is pretty much nonexistent. A girl needs to be able to dream, you know?"
Katie's first stop was the hair salon. There, a young woman named Brittany trimmed and styled her hair, chatting nonstop the entire time. Across the street was the only women's boutique in Southport, and Katie stopped there next. Though she'd ridden past the store, she'd never been inside before. It had been one of the stores she'd never imagined herself either wanting or needing to go into, but as she began to browse, she was pleasantly surprised not only by the selections, but by some of the prices. Well, on the sale items, anyway, which was where Katie focused her attention.
It was an odd experience to shop alone in a clothing store like this. She hadn't done such a thing in a long time, and as she changed in the dressing room, she felt more carefree than she had in years.
She bought a couple of sale items, including a tan formfitting blouse with beading and stitching that scooped a bit in the front, not dramatically but enough to accent her figure. She also found a gorgeous patterned summer skirt that complemented the blouse perfectly. The skirt was a little too long, but she knew she could fix that. After paying for her purchases, she wandered two doors down, to what she knew was the only shoe store in town, where she picked up a pair of sandals. Again, they were on sale and although ordinarily she would have felt almost frantic about shopping, the tips had been good over the last few days and she'd decided to splurge. Within reason, of course.
From there, she went first to the drugstore to buy a few things and then finally rode across town to the grocery store. She took her time, content to browse the aisles, feeling the old, troubling memories trying and failing to reassert themselves.
When she was finished, she rode her bicycle home and started the preparations for dinner. She was making shrimp stuffed with crabmeat, cooked in a scampi sauce. She had to recall the recipe from memory, but she'd made it a dozen times over the years and was confident she hadn't forgotten anything. As side dishes, she'd decided on stuffed peppers and corn bread, and as an appetizer, she wanted to make a bacon-wrapped Brie, topped with a raspberry sauce.
It had been a long time since she'd prepared such an elaborate meal, but she'd always loved to cut recipes from magazines, even from a young age. Cooking was the one enthusiasm she'd been able to share occasionally with her mom.
She spent the rest of the afternoon hurrying. She mixed the bread and put it in the oven, then readied the ingredients for the stuffed peppers. Those went into the refrigerator along with the bacon-wrapped Brie. When the corn bread was done, she placed it on the counter to cool and started the raspberry sauce. Not much to it-sugar, raspberries, and water-but by the time it was ready, the kitchen smelled heavenly. That went into the fridge as well. Everything else could wait until later.