This was the absolute last time
she kissed anyone under the mistletoe.
Kate Summers turned away from the
video camera’s prying eye and surreptitiously wiped her mouth on the back of
her hand. When she’d arrived at Waxman Motors that afternoon, all she’d wanted
was Orren Waxman’s signature on the catering contract for the Morrisburg Chamber
of Commerce Christmas party. She’d had no idea he’d be filming one of his goofy
TV commercials.
Faster than he could bellow, “Ho,
ho, ho,” the Santa suit-clad Orren had grabbed her, pulled her under the big
ball of mistletoe dangling from the showroom ceiling, and planted a big smooch right on her mouth
with the camera rolling. Afterward, he’d grinned and carried on with his spiel
as if her appearance were part of the script. The second the cameraman swiveled
to pan the array of cars sporting big red bows, Kate extricated herself from
Orren’s grasp. With luck, the video company would charge him double overtime to
re-shoot the spot because of his impromptu ad lib.
She shrugged her bag off her
shoulder. “I brought the contract for you to sign.”
Orren’s plump, glistening lips
slid into a smile beneath his feeble excuse for a moustache. “There’s plenty of
time for that. Hang around until we’re finished, and I’ll buy you a drink at
Charley’s.”
Her mouth tightened. “You never
give up, do you?”
His smile broadened, and he shook
his head. “Never. You know my motto—persistence wins the day. Where would I be
if I took my eyes off the prize?”
That was Orren—one big, walking
slogan. Too bad he’d had a thing for her since ninth grade. In the past couple
of years, his overtures had become more frequent and more boring. He’d been a
smarmy weasel at fifteen and hadn’t improved with age. The fact that he’d grown
his father’s sleepy little used car lot into the biggest dealership in the
county didn’t increase his appeal one iota.
She pulled the contract and a pen
from her bag. “I’m sorry, but I’m tied up this evening. I need you to sign this
now. Please.”
“All right, all right.” He took
the papers. When he finished, he flashed his brows a couple of times, as if he
thought that made him look sexy.
Kate practically snatched the contract
from his hands. Even a brief encounter with Orren made her skin crawl.
Unfortunately, as president of the Chamber, his signature was required on all
official documents, including her catering contract. At least she should be
able to keep her distance from him at the party. If he tried to make a grab for
her across a steaming tray of green bean casserole, she could always smack him
with a serving spoon.
She turned and had almost reached
the door when Orren called out, “Oh, Katie…I heard David Hardison’s back in
town…and unemployed. Too bad.”
She froze, and her heart thudded
in her chest at the mention of David’s name.
“Just thought you’d want to know.”
Of
course you did, you worm.
Orren’s laughter trailed after
her as she shoved her way through the
heavy glass doors and escaped to her car in the parking lot next to the
building. Her hand shaking, she struggled to fit the key into the ignition.
Finally, it slid home and the engine turned over, but Kate made no move to switch
the transmission to Reverse. She just
sat there, trying to catch her breath and make sense of Orren’s words.
David was back. Was it possible?
She hadn’t seen him in…what...ten years? Not since the summer after college
graduation, when family responsibilities—along with the certainty that she
wasn’t cut out to be a big city girl—had caused her to decline his invitation
to move to New York with him. After being inseparable for the last two years of
high school and struggling to make a long distance relationship work through
college, they’d parted with recriminations and tears and moved on with their
lives. At least he had. She’d come home to help run Katie’s Place, the
restaurant her grandma had named after her when she was born.
To say she hadn’t seen David wasn’t
strictly true. After high school, he’d parlayed excellent grades and stellar
basketball skills into a full-ride scholarship to an Ivy League college, while
she attended the state university in the next county to save money. As soon as
he graduated, an internship in New York had led to a newswriting job and
ultimately to a position as lead foreign correspondent. For the past several
years, she’d watched him on the television network news whenever a new hot spot
flared up overseas. She hadn’t seen him on a broadcast in a couple of months,
but that wasn’t unusual.
David might have made a name for
himself and won a shelf full of awards, but every time she watched him, dressed
in a khaki flak jacket and helmet, reporting from one war zone or another, Kate
told herself she was glad they’d split up. Although they were no longer a
couple, it was hard enough to tamp down her fears for his safety, even from the
sanctuary of her living room sofa. If they’d gotten married, she might have
lost her mind—all alone in New York City, watching and waiting anxiously for
him to come home.
But now he was back and, if Orren
was to be believed, jobless. She couldn’t imagine the network firing David. He
was one of their rising stars. Whatever was going on, she would probably find
out in the next few days, courtesy of the town grapevine. Unless she ran into
him first.
The thought stopped her cold. Was
she ready to see David again? Even though it had been ten years, the passage of
time did nothing to calm the nervous butterflies in her stomach. Morrisburg,
Illinois was a small town, and she and David knew the same people, hung out in
the same places. When they inevitably crossed paths, what would he say? More
importantly, how should she respond? She decided the only reasonable option was
to smile and greet him like any other old high school friend.
Feeling more confident now that
she had a plan, Kate put her car in gear and pulled out of the Waxman Motors
lot without a backward glance. Various scenarios played out in her mind as she
drove the couple of miles past darkened cornfields before the two lane highway
turned into the main street of town.
It was after six o’clock, and
most of the businesses in the quaint, Victorian downtown had closed.
Multi-colored lights twinkled cheerfully from the garlands that hung between
the old-fashioned lampposts that lined both sides of the street, illuminating
clusters of tourists on their way to the restaurants that remained open for
dinner. The holiday season always brought an influx of visitors to the historic
Mississippi River town, and although many were day-trippers from Rockford,
Cedar Rapids, or even Chicago, the town boasted a restored, nineteenth century
hotel and a number of bed-and-breakfasts.
Many of those visitors ended up
at Katie’s Place—some returning year after year. Kate’s grandma had opened the
restaurant thirty years earlier, offering hearty, homestyle breakfast and lunch
favorites. The past couple of years, Grandma had decided to spend winters in
Florida, so Kate and her mother had taken over most of the responsibility for
running Katie’s place. Not that Grandma had actually slowed down. Far from it.
Kate was currently managing the restaurant on her own because Grandma had
broken her hip last week skateboarding with the neighbor kids, and Mom had
flown to Florida to take care of her.
As she cruised down Main Street
toward home, a tall figure caught her attention. Even with his shoulders
hunched against the cold, the man’s head bobbed inches above the others on the
sidewalk as he passed the gift shop next to Katie’s Place. Kate slowed her car.
Something about his gait jogged a memory deep inside her. He reminded her of
David. Of course, after Orren’s comment, every tall man she saw was likely to
remind her of David.
The man stopped in front of the
restaurant, put his hands to the glass of the big front window, and leaned forward,
peering into the darkened interior. What could he be doing?
A sudden honk jerked Kate’s attention back to
the road. She glanced in the mirror at the impatient face of the driver riding
her rear bumper. Five or six cars had piled up behind him. She pressed the gas
pedal and surged forward, leaving the man behind. If only she’d been able to
catch a glimpse of his face…
13 comments:
Can't wait for tomorrow, Alison. I have a feeling Kate and David deserve to be happy. Together? See you then.
Looking forward to meeting David tomorrow, and how Katie will handle the reunion. And yup, Orren's creepy!
Great opening segment! You have me wondering why David is back and unemployed.
Well done, Alison. Like Rolynn, I'm looking forward to tomorrow's segment and the moment when she and David meet again.
Very nice, Alison. You have packed so much emotion and information into Part 1. Can't wait to read more.
Margo, you're so right. They do deserve to be happy.
Rolynn, would you believe I actually toned Orren down a little? I think my over-the-top description might have been somewhat colored by the political news while I was writing the story.
Thanks, Jannine. All will be revealed soon!
Thanks so much, Vonnie.
Diane, I had trouble keeping this one tight, even using four days. Maybe I'm getting windy in my old age.
LOL, Alison! I know exactly what you mean about the Orren character and his living counterpart. Gross lips...yuk! And as for windiness...I tried to make my short story include sabotage...heck, I started writing a novella!
So curious about why David's back! Nice work, Alison!
Late again!! But, I'm intrigued. I was SO hoping Orren wasn't the hero. ;) I bet it's David staring into the window, huh? It is, isn't it??? Hehehe. I'll just go ahead and read the next installment!
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