Chapter Eight
Shortly after Leigha pulled out of the drive, Katie’s phone rang. She glanced at the screen and saw Mark’s name. For a split second she thought about ignoring it, unsure of how to act now that their relationship had changed in such a drastic way, but she chided herself for acting like a child and answered the call.
“Hey, doll,” he said. “How’s the headache?”
“Gone, thanks,” Katie replied. “What are you up to today?”
“Not much. Slept late. Washed the car. Thinking about driving up to Port City for some seafood. What do you think?”
“Sounds great, but I can’t tonight,” Katie lied. “We’re having dinner at my parents tomorrow, and I have cooking to do. Do you want to come? Evan’s in from school.”
“Sorry, babe,” he said. “I’m just not into the whole family dinner thing. Besides, you need time to bond with the group.”
“If we haven’t “bonded” by now I don’t know that we ever will,” Katie said with just a tinge of sarcasm. “That’s fine though. Just thought I’d ask.”
“OK. Well, thanks anyway,” Mark said. “I’m going to go. There’s a lobster at the Fish Market with my name on it and a new band playing next door. Call me if you change your mind within the next hour or so.”
Katie hung up and flopped onto the loveseat in the family room, completely and utterly frustrated. Why did she lie? She loved the Fish Market! And why did Mark always find an excuse not to come to family dinners? Why was everything about their relationship so confusing?
Katie got up from the couch and went into the kitchen to make the dessert for the next day’s dinner. It wouldn’t take that long. She could call Mark back and say she had changed her mind. Lucy was going to spend the afternoon with Evan and probably the evening, too. They might even go over to Wes and Leigha’s. It was likely that Matt and Kaylee would bring little Tess over to see her Uncle Evan, too, and Lucy rarely missed an opportunity to play with her beloved cousin’s little girl.
Katie picked up her phone. There was really no reason not to go. Except…what if Mark expected a replay of Thursday night. Would he expect sex all the time? And so what if he did. She was an adult. She had the right to some fun if that’s what she wanted. But is that really what you want, she asked herself? She laid the phone back on the counter and went back to her pies.
Twenty minutes later, Katie had popped the pecan pies in the oven, wiped down the kitchen counter and gone to the bathroom to clean up. After washing her hands, she looked critically at her reflection. Her smooth, dark hair curved forward slightly at her jaw line framing her small face. Leaning in closer, Katie examined the tiny wrinkles at the corners of her wide-set grey eyes. She had no illusions about her looks. While she was pretty in a small town sort of way, she was not beautiful. Her younger sister, Elsie, was the family beauty, petite like their mother with long, thick, honey-colored hair that fell in gentle waves that curled at the ends and large blue eyes framed by thick dark lashes.
Katie didn’t favor her tall, slender older sister either. Unlike Leigha, she was of medium height and medium build and the older she got, the harder it was to keep from picking up unwanted pounds. She really couldn’t understand why Mark chose to go out with her when younger, more beautiful women constantly made it obvious that they were at his disposal.
Maybe she was making a mistake by refusing his invitation. If he was going out after dinner, there would no doubt be other company available if she didn’t go, too. Katie looked down at her phone. “I think I’ll call Lucy and check her plans,” she thought, dialing the number.
“Hey, Mom,” Lucy answered. “What’s up?”
“Are you and Evan having a good time?” Katie asked.
“Yeaahhh,” Lucy said. “Is something wrong?”
“No,” Katie replied, “just checking in. What are you doing later?”
“Eating at Aunt Leigha’s. Matt’s bringing Tess and Elsie may come over, too. Want to come?”
“Mmmmm, no. Mark called and asked me out to dinner, and I thought I would go if you aren’t going to be home,” Katie said hesitantly.
Katie could hear Evan talking in the background. “Ev says hi,” Lucy giggled.
“What’s so funny about that? What else?” Katie asked, groaning.
“You won’t like it,” Lucy laughed.
“What?” Katie pressed.
“Ev wants to know if Dr. Douche is coming to dinner tomorrow,” Lucy said gasping for air between peals of laughter.
“Don’t call him that, Lucy. It’s just vulgar,” Katie said, stung by her daughter’s laughter.
“I’m sorry, Mom. I told you that you wouldn’t like it but it’s Ev, not me. You know what a clown he is,” Lucy said, trying to suppress the last of her giggles. “Have fun and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Katie disconnected and dialed Mark’s number. What did she care what her nephew had to say? He was just a kid, she thought, as the phone rang. Two more rings and Mark picked up the phone.
“Hey,” Mark said. “Change your mind?”
“Yeah,” Katie smiled, “as a matter of fact I did. Is your offer still good?”
“You bet,” Mark said. “How long until you are ready?”
Katie glanced at the clock. The pies still had about 30 minutes left to bake. That would give her time to change and freshen up her makeup if she hurried. “Is 45 minutes too much,” Katie asked hesitantly.
“I think I can kill that much time if it means I’ll have the pleasure of your company,” Mark said. “Pick you up then.”
Katie hung up and rushed nervously to her closet, her heart beating rapidly. What to wear? Most of her wardrobe ran to the conservative, appropriate for the classroom but too boring for a night of dancing. She experienced a moment of panic. What had she been thinking? She was not a spontaneous person by nature. She did much better with a plan. Now what?
She pawed through her closet looking for something to wear. Near the back she found a simple red dress that she had bought from a clearance rack the previous fall. Her plan had been to wear it to school under a jacket, but when she got home, she found it was shorter than it had appeared on the hanger. She had shoved it in the back of the closet, planning to donate it to the next school group that had a tag sale fundraiser, but now she pulled it out and held it in front of her. Did she dare?
Katie slipped the dress over her head. The silky fabric felt cool against her flushed skin. She had to admit that the color was flattering. She hesitated for a moment and then spun around to see the view from the back, the slightly full skirt flaring a little as she moved. Scooped deeply in the back, the dress revealed more of her lightly tanned skin than she was used to showing, but it was a youthful, appealing look. She rummaged in her jewelry box, found a pair of rhinestone hoops and a matching bangle, grabbed a pair of strappy sandals from the closet floor and rushed to the bathroom, fearful that a moment’s hesitation would rob her of her nerve.
Katie quickly freshened her makeup, adding a hint of eye shadow under her lower lashes to create a smoky effect, a touch more eyeliner and mascara than usual and a deeper shade of lipstick. It was too late to do anything different with her hair, but combined with the more dramatic makeup and her flirty, red dress, she looked like a different person. She felt sexy for the first time in years. My students would never believe this, Katie thought, and almost as quickly her panic renewed itself. What if she ran into one of her students dressed like this? What would they think?
She pushed the thought out of her mind as the timer in the kitchen indicated that tomorrow’s dessert was finished. Quickly she pulled the pies from the oven and sat them on a cooling rack on the counter. The doorbell rang as she closed the oven door. She tossed the oven mitt onto the counter, smoothed her dress and walked to the front door. This was it. The big reveal. She hesitated for just a moment and then opened the door to find Kade standing on the front porch. She exhaled, exasperated that she had worked up her nerve for nothing.
Kade eyed Katie appreciatively, letting out a low whistle. “Helloooo, Duchess,” he said. “You didn’t have to get all dressed up for little old me.”
Katie’s cheeks flushed at his compliment. “Funny,” she said. “But it’s not for you. I’m going out to dinner with Mark and he’s going to be here any minute.”
“Well don’t let me keep you,” Kade said. “I just came over to borrow Lucy for a bit. I need some help loading a couple of horses.”
“Lucy’s riding with Evan, but they are headed to Wes and Leigha’s for supper, so you might try there,” Katie said, trying not to watch the road.
“When did Evan come in?” Kade asked.
“Last night. His classes are cancelled for Monday so he came home. Dinner tomorrow if you wanna come,” she added as an afterthought.
“Sounds like a plan. I’ll clear out of your way,” Kade said, walking down the steps and climbing into his truck. “Behave yourself young lady.”
“Yes, dad,” Katie called smugly, and waved as he backed out of the driveway.
She closed the door and rushed back to her bedroom to take a final look at herself in the mirror. She ran a brush through her hair and grabbed a small bag for her keys, phone and lipstick. Thankfully, it was still warm for October so she could probably make it through the evening without a wrap. “Shopping,” she thought. “I definitely need to kidnap Elsie and go shopping.”
As Katie walked back into the living room, the doorbell rang again and this time it was Mark. His eyes registered surprise and then appreciation as he walked in, took her hand and spun her slowly, devouring every detail of her new look.
“Do I look all right,” Katie asked nervously.
“Better than all right,” he said warmly. “Let’s go have some fun.”
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