Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series) (20 page)

“No, not yet; it was only our first date. I feel good about this,” Katherine smiled and sank onto her bed. “I feel very good about this.”

“Are you going to see him again?” Amy asked.

“I am. He asked to drive up and see me.”

“From Nashville?” Amy’s brow rose in surprise.

“Yeah,” Katherine nodded.

“Wow. He’s definitely interested. Promise me you won’t rush into anything,” Amy requested.

“I won’t,” Katherine smiled as she tugged her leg up onto the bed and propped her chin on her knee.

Derrick continued to drive up and see her as the year wound down and proposed on her graduation day before she had ever cleared the aisle where she had been seated. Katherine accepted.

Katherine folded the last of her clothing into her suitcase and surveyed her nearly empty room. She had been packing for days in preparation for the day she would leave to start her grown up life. Today she felt almost hesitant. She had been in school of one sort or another since she was four years old and her mother had enrolled her in preschool; she wasn’t sure what to make of a world that didn’t include classes. She was also going to miss all the friends she had made; Amy more than the others.

A lot had happened to her in her four years of college. She had fallen in love, had her heart broken, finally mended, and had fallen in love again. What did the rest of life hold for her? She couldn’t help but think of Adam. Today should have been his graduation day as well. No, she supposed not, he’d never really been serious about school; she had been aware of why he as there and that was how she had known it was going to be an issue sooner or later. She hadn’t told Derrick about Adam. She knew she needed to but she couldn’t figure out how to bring it up. Their relationship had been fairly proper, like Derrick was, but his kiss was nice and she was sure that when they finally crossed that line the rest would be as well.

She had a feeling that now that they were engaged he might make a move in that direction; she had mixed feelings on the matter. She loved him, wanted to start a life with him but she knew things could change and didn’t want to rack up regrets. Katherine sighed. The trouble was she didn’t regret the night she had shared with Adam; never had and didn’t believe she ever would. It would always be a moment she held close somewhere inside her; that didn’t mean there wasn’t room for someone else. Katherine shook off the thought. She would cross that bridge when she came to it. Derrick, himself, was a conservative guy, maybe even more so than she was; she knew they could work it out.

“These were waiting for you downstairs,” Amy announced as she entered with a bouquet of what had to be at least two dozen pale pink roses.  “I thought you and Derrick weren’t going to rush into anything,” Amy mused.

“We aren’t rushing to the altar just yet,” Katherine assured her friend. “He’s already warned me that he is about to be very busy with work and in and out of town.”

“Good, so you aren’t in any kind of trouble?” her friend teased.

“No! Actually, we haven’t even been there yet,” she admitted.

“Oh,” Amy looked surprised.

“What?”

“Nothing I just figured…I mean you two seem so crazy over each other and he’s been driving up to see you.”

“If we had I would have told you,” Katherine assured her friend.

“Are you going to read the card?” Amy asked.

“I guess I could,” Katherine laughed. She plucked the card from the holder and stopped short.

“What’s wrong?” Amy asked.

“These are from Adam,” she shared.

“What did he say?”

“Kaitlyn, congratulations and good luck! Don’t forget to reach for your dreams and good luck with Ken.”

“Ken?” Amy frowned as Katherine laughed.

“He told me when he left that I would end up marrying some perfect Ken doll husband,” Katherine shared.

“Oh, that’s funny. How does it make you feel?” Amy was watching her closely.

“A little sad, but we’ve both moved on with our lives, Amy,” Katherine assured her friend.

“Can I see it?” Amy reached for the card; Katherine handed it over. “This is his handwriting isn’t it?”

“Yes, why?”

“He could wire the flowers but the note wouldn’t have been in his writing,” Amy informed her as she flipped the card over. “P.S. You looked great out there. Love you, Adam Ellington,” Amy read. “Katherine, he was here, of course, how else would he know about the proposal? His wishing you well with your Ken was a reference to the proposal.”

“I wish he had taken the time to see me,” Katherine frowned.

“Kattie, you were swarmed with people; I’m guessing that he couldn’t risk being recognized. And then right after Derrick took you and your parents to eat. When would he have seen you?”

“I guess you’re right,” Katherine sank onto her now bare bed. She suddenly wanted to turn back the clock and post pone Derrick’s proposal so she could see Adam one last time.

“I have to go,” Amy stood and moved to hug her.

Katherine wished her friend well and then carried her own luggage and boxes into the living room. She had just set the flowers on the counter when Sandy entered.

“Wow, Derrick really went all out with the flowers. What did lover boy say?” Sandy plucked the card from the holder. Katherine grabbed for it but wasn’t fast enough. “Is this some kind of joke?” Sandy’s eyes were the size of saucers.

“No,” Katherine finally managed to grab the card from the girl.

“He sent you roses; you must have been pretty good friends,” Sandy accused. “Wait a minute, Katherine Mayfield….your middle initial is G, right?”

Katherine sighed.

“Oh-my-God; oh-my-God!” Sandy’s voice was shrill. “You’re K.G.M. aren’t you? Oh-m’God, you dated him! You slept with him! And you never said a word?”

“I loved Adam deeply, Sandy, but we wanted different things from life. It was very painful and isn’t something I discuss a lot.”

“That’s why Amy asked me to take the posters down,” Sandy nodded in understanding. “I can’t believe this. I have to go. Good luck, Kattie.”

“Thanks, good luck to you too,” Katherine offered. She grabbed a load of her things and slowly emptied her room; she saved the flowers for last. She stared at the large bouquet and felt her chest squeeze painfully. After a moment of hesitation she grabbed one rose from the vase and the card and left the rest. The room was heavy with the smell of roses and memories from the four years she had spent on campus. With a shake of her head she turned for the door.

“Good bye, Adam,” she said before closing the door behind her.

Ten

Katherine settled into her new job at Carter and Associates and her Nashville apartment much more smoothly than she had anticipated. The first few weeks Katherine was in Nashville, she and Derrick spent a great deal of time together. For the last couple of months, however, he had been out of the state more than he had been in state. She had been living in Nashville for just under seven months now and if not for the friends she had made at work and at Derrick’s family church where generations of his family had attended, she would be spending most her time alone. Her new friend, Kristen, had asked her to help with a youth event and Katherine was now spending a fair amount of time helping with the youth; something she found she enjoyed greatly.

Tonight, however, she was on her own and feeling rather blue. She changed from her work clothes into a pair of plaid draw string pants and Adam’s old t-shirt and heated herself a low calorie microwave meal. She had first started sleeping in the t-shirt to feel closer to Adam; it had since become habit. She eyed the low calorie meal with distaste as she seated herself on the couch. Derrick had made a comment about her gaining a few pounds since college and she had decided she would lose them. He hadn’t been snide about it, but she figured if he was noting it, it was significant enough she should address it. Derrick followed a very careful diet and workout regimen to keep the nice physique Katherine was always admiring.

Katherine turned on the TV and flipped through the channels; she paused when she came to an entertainment show with Adam’s picture in the corner.

“Ace and his super model girlfriend, Mia, reported last month that they were to be parents. We were informed today that Mia has miscarried. Ace, who reportedly was excited about the coming child, is said to be taking the news hard.

“In other entertainment news, Hollywood’s newest and hottest face, Joel Bradford reportedly donated his entire salary from his last film to a children’s charity headed by singer Samantha Walker,” the reporter rattled off.

Katherine turned the channel but her thoughts continued to stay with the news report. Mia was the latest in a string of Hollywood beauties from the film and modeling industry Adam had dated. Adam almost a father, she felt a small tightening in her chest and shook it off. It seemed odd to think of him as a father. No, on second thought, it didn’t, she mused. She could still vividly remember a family dinner that Adam had tagged along for. One of her distant cousins, she would have to ask her mom the exact relation, had just had a baby. Katherine had claimed the infant and settled into an arm chair to admire the child. Adam had leaned over her and the child, his face filled with amazement.

“Look at her, she so tiny and so perfect!”
he had placed his finger in the infant’s hand, his face lighting when she closed her fist around it.

Katherine smiled and wiped a tear from her eye, no he would be taking it hard, she decided. Her phone rang and she discarded her unappealing dinner to answer it.

“Hello,” she answered.

“Hey, Kattie, I don’t suppose you’ve heard the latest about Adam?” Amy asked.

“Just now. How are you, Amy?”

“I’m great! I’m engaged!”

“Congratulations, Amy, I am so happy for you. When’s the wedding?”

“We’re looking at an April and a June date. I’ll let you know when we decide. I want you to be my maid or matron of honor depending on you and Derrick. Speaking of which why aren’t you out with him on a Friday night?”

“First of all I am honored that you want me to be your maid of honor and as for Derrick, he is out of town again,” Katherine replied.

“Again?”

“I’m afraid so. Things are busy at work for everyone right now.”

“How are you doing otherwise, Kattie?”

“I’m good; trying to lose weight which isn’t any fun, but otherwise, I am doing well.”

“Trying to lose weight? Kattie, you have a beautiful figure, why are you trying to lose weight?”

“I’ve gained a few pounds since graduation,” Katherine admitted.

“How many is a few? Graduation was only a few months ago.”

“About ten, give or take a pound or two, enough that Derrick noticed.”

“No! Kattie, please tell me you are joking!”

“He wasn’t mean about it or anything, we were kissing goodnight and afterward he asked me if I had gained a few pounds.”

“Right. Look, Kattie, I love you and I admit that I never got to know Derrick the way I knew Adam when you two were dating but Derrick strikes me as…what is the right word here…” Amy sighed, “controlling.”

“No! He so is not controlling, Amy!”

“Kattie who talked you out of that great little historic apartment closer into work that you loved?” Amy demanded.

“He has a good point. That neighborhood was transitional and the building had almost no security. This place may lack character but the building is secure and the neighborhood safe.”

“And who talked you out of buying a new car when you can afford it?”

“Again, he made a good point, I am just getting settled and don’t know how the new job will work out yet.”

“And who convinced you that you dressed like a child?”

“I did.”

“No! Kattie, you didn’t and that is my point!” Amy sounded frustrated.

“I appreciate your concern,” Katherine assured her and decided to change the subject. “Not to sound odd but I figured you would ask Stacy to be your maid of honor,” Katherine changed the subject.

“Kattie, if not for you reminding me why it was worth it to stick it out these past four years, I would never have made it to this point. I think it is rather appropriate that you be my maid of honor,” Amy assured her.

“I can’t tell you what that means to me,” Kattie admitted around tears.

“Kattie, are you sure you’re okay? Except on rare occasion and when Adam left I have not heard you sounding so dejected.”
              “Just lonely, I didn’t count on how much he travels,” Katherine admitted.

“I wish you lived closer, Kattie; I would love to see you.”

“I wish I lived closer too,” Katherine returned.

“I hate to but I should go.”

“It was good to hear from you, Amy,”

“It was nice to talk. Night, Kattie.”

“Night, Amy.” Katherine turned her phone off and threw away her mostly uneaten dinner; she found she had no appetite.