Until Next Time (The Shooting Stars Series) (28 page)

“Exhausted! I must have spent all day shopping. Speaking of shopping, you and I simply must do some shopping together! Isn’t that the second time I’ve seen that dress?”

“Mom, I’m afraid that Katherine does not share your fashion sense,” Derrick offered.

“Katherine is young, aren’t you, dear? With a little help she’ll do you very proud, son,” Mason offered a smile.

Katherine eyed Annelise’s dress. If Derrick wanted her to dress like that he could forget it! Even after losing what was now seventeen pounds she possessed hips and a bust. Annelise was naturally lithe or she’d had plenty of surgery. Katherine had never considered that before.

“I will be happy to help her shop for some appropriate clothing for her new position. It will be a wonderful opportunity for us to get to know one another better,” Annelise patted her hand.

Katherine felt like a chastised child and the evening she had been looking so forward to suddenly felt like something to be escaped.

Derrick did nothing to help her insecurities on the ride home.

“Katherine, dear, you are a sweet and wonderful woman but you aren’t much of a hostess are you?” he glanced at her and then continued without waiting for her to answer. “Don’t worry, Mom can give you pointers and I’m sure you’ll learn quickly enough. Entertaining will be important to our business so it’s definitely something you need to work on. Oh, Mom and Dad are expecting us after church tomorrow,” he shared.

“Derrick,” Katherine hesitated.

“Yes?”

“I want more than one child.” Katherine waited nervously for his response. He was quiet for a full minute.

“We discussed this, Katherine. You and I both benefited from being only children and with the work schedule we’ll keep it would be foolish to contemplate a large family.”

“Two children is a large family?” she asked desperately.

“You want two? Okay, we’ll have two, Katherine, but any more than that is more than we’ll want to try and manage with our business plans.”

Katherine still felt unsatisfied; she told herself she was being unreasonable and to save this conversation for a time when they weren’t both exhausted. Katherine was quiet as he escorted her up to her apartment. She accepted her good night kiss and sighed as she let herself in her apartment. She had been in a great mood earlier; now she wanted to climb in bed and simply sleep.

Katherine showered, her thoughts racing, wondering what was happening between her and Derrick and dreading lunch with his parents so bad she felt almost sick. She needed time to think and needed to decide whether she was being unreasonable or if they had a problem.

Knowing Derrick wouldn’t be home yet, she hurried to call his home phone and leave him a message that something had come up and she wouldn’t be there the next day. She would decide what was so pressing before tomorrow, she promised herself. She turned her ringer off and went to climb in bed. She was being a coward; she hated being a coward.

She had nightmares all night. She was hosting a dinner party and she was doing everything wrong. First she wore the dress she’d worn tonight, only it was old and tattered. For jewelry she’d worn an old bead necklace she’d played in as a child. She was barefoot, her knees scraped up, and her hair in pigtails. Derrick kept berating her, her every attempt at appeasing him failing. She woke up in a cold sweat.

Katherine lay staring at her ceiling as the first light of day filtered into her room. She should suck it up and get herself dressed to go to church with her fiancé and his family. Just the thought of doing so left her feeling nauseated. She needed some space and time to think. Lying there alone with space and time to think was making her crazy. She finally threw aside her covers, dressed, and made her way to her car. She needed to just face this; have it out with Derrick and work it out. Relationships were going to have issues; you had to work at them. She pulled to the edge of the lot for her complex, turned on her left blinker, and went right. It wasn’t until she was on the interstate north bound that she even realized where she was going.

Katherine winced as she sat outside the rehab center. What was she doing here when she should be in Belle Meade in the big fancy church she attended with Derrick? She stepped from the car, showed her ID, and entered the chapel that was required with treatment. She hesitated as she watched Adam talk and laugh with another of the patients. She watched him look up and then back away before his gaze flew back to her; a smile spread over his face. She stood in place as he approached; she shouldn’t be here.

“Hi, what are you doing here?” Adam asked her.

“I…” she frowned.

“Kaitlyn, are you okay?” he demanded and watched her. She didn’t know how to answer that. “It was the leopard print underwear, they were the deal breaker weren’t they?” he leaned close to ask.

Kaitlyn snorted as laughter overtook her; she felt the tension of the night and morning release.

“No, it wasn’t a deal breaker but I…I was going to meet him at church and then I was coming here. He made me angry last night and I guess I just need to cool off,” she offered in explanation.

“Whatever reason you’re here, I’m glad to see you. You’re a little overdressed; however, you look very nice.”

“You should see the church Derrick’s family attends,” she grimaced.

“Formal is it? Come on; I’ll introduce you to everybody,” he offered.

Katherine smiled as she was introduced to the others and found herself smiling and laughing. She filed into a seat beside Adam as the services started. She found the warm camaraderie and support much more to her liking than the stiff, formal services at Derrick’s church; she had yet to think of it as her own. After services, she joined Adam for lunch and then had to leave; visiting hours were over. It was with dread that she returned home to the mess she was sure she had made.

Katherine hit play on her answering machine and winced.

“Katherine, I don't know what's going on with you but we need to talk. Do you have any idea how humiliating that was? Just what was so important that you would break an engagement with my parents? I'll call you later.”

“If you’re there, Katherine, pick up. Okay, so you’re not there. Where are you? I'm starting to worry. I'm sorry I was so upset earlier. Call me.”

“Katherine, I hope you’re okay.”

“Hey Sweetie, I was just calling to let you know that your Dad and I made it back home okay. Love ya.”

“Katherine, it's me again. Look if I've done something to upset you I'm sorry, but this is ridiculous. Call me.”

Katherine lifted her phone, took a deep breath, and called her fiancé.

“Katherine, it’s about time,” Derrick answered.

“I’m sorry, Derrick, I didn’t mean to cause issues. I was just…” she sighed, “I was upset last night and I had to decide how much of it was me and being tired and how much was…other things. I’ll call your mom and apologize…”

“No. Don’t upset her again, Katherine, just let it go. What are you upset over? Let’s try being adult about it and talking instead of running and avoiding the issue, shall we?”

“Derrick, you are such an intelligent man and you are older than me and I admit wiser but sometimes…sometimes I feel like you are belittling me because I’m not where you are or good enough or something,” she said it in a rush and then held her breath.

“Katherine…I’m sorry. I certainly never intended to make you feel that way. If I make suggestions, I do so out of love and because, as you said, I am older and wiser than you, not because I find fault with you, sweetheart,” Derrick returned.

Katherine felt relief flood her; he was listening and not dismissing her.

“I’m sorry, I just…last night I felt out of my element and I know you didn’t mean to but I felt like you were chastising me. I’m sorry, Derrick. I should have just said something last night but I was afraid of making you angry.”

“I wish you had, Katherine. Communication is important to any relationship. We’re both learning as we go, right?” he asked.

“Right,” Katherine returned.

“I love you, Katherine.”

“I love you too, Derrick,” she assured him.

“I think now that we have set our date we will both feel better. We can start making plans and it feels more official, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“It does,” she agreed. “And I’m looking forward to planning the wedding.”

“I’ll let Mom know you are ready to. She knows your mom will want to be involved too but not having a daughter of her own, she is looking forward to being involved with yours.”

“I admit that I don’t know your mom very well.”

“You’ll get to know her. She’s expressed her willingness to help you learn some of the finer points of society that your upbringing didn’t allow you. She has it down to an art if you will let her help.”

“I’m sure she does,” Katherine told herself not to start looking for fault again. Of course he wanted his mom involved in their wedding and she was naturally more equipped for the society they kept than Katherine was.

“I need to go. I’m sorry you felt chastised, Katherine. I hope next time you will just pull me aside and say so.”

“I will. I love you.”

“I love you too. Bye.”

Katherine set aside her phone and told herself that they had resolved things; she didn’t understand the knot that still set firmly in the middle of her stomach.

***

Katherine wore a beautiful white ball gown, the skirt ridiculously wide, so much so that her father couldn’t take her arm. She stood in a grand cathedral with tall, arching stained glass windows that appeared dark, no light shone through. There were stones beneath her feet and a chandelier of candles overhead. The bridal waltz soared and swelled in the cavernous space as the guest, dressed in muted monochromatic blues watched, their faces indistinct blurs. The aisle seemed ridiculously long, a pristine white runner rolled out before her. No attendants stood at the ends of the aisle, only her groom, dressed in his tuxedo as he waited, his hands clasped in front of him.

Katherine took a step and the floor moved beneath her feet; she reached to steady herself and found only air around her. Her next step was no more firm and her father wasn’t walking with her; she was on her own. Katherine took another determined step; the man she loved stood at the end of that aisle and she would get to him one way or another. She made it half way down the aisle and stopped to look around her. In front of her Derrick smiled and all around her guests watched, their faces still indistinguishable. Something was wrong. What was wrong? She looked around frantically as crackling filled the air. She looked up; the chandelier was on fire, swinging faster and faster by the rope that held it.

Katherine turned to run away, her feet sinking into the floor and her skirts weighing her down. Her dad still stood by the double doors watching sadly as she struggled her way back down the aisle. She finally made it to the double doors, slamming into them as she stumbled over her skirts. The door was locked; she pounded on them until they swung open and she fell into the wet street. Behind her the music still swelled even as the chandelier crashed to the floor. Katherine stood as rain began to fall, weighing her already heavy skirts down and flattening her elaborately styled hair. She looked around fanatically. Where was she? Why didn’t the others get out of the now burning church? The windows exploded, propelling her forward as she tried to hurry down the street. Tears ran down her face and sobs wracked her body as she turned the corner and stopped short.

She was in Knoxville, on the street where Adam had lived. Her dress was now ruined, tattered and the weight steadily increasing. She looked up to see Adam put the last box in his car and slam the trunk. She called to him but he didn’t hear her. She watched him get into his car and the taillights come on as he started it.

“Adam, wait!” she called and struggled against her skirts. She tugged impatiently at her dress; she needed it off so she could move.

“Wait,” she sobbed again as his car reached the end of the street and turned. Katherine sank to her knees as sobs wracked her body; he was gone. She heard crackling and snapping, looked over her shoulder, and realized the city was on fire. She struggled to her feet and fought against her skirts to run. The fire began to overtake her, the back of her oversized skirts catching.

Katherine sat bolt upright in bed as the ringing of the phone pulled her from the nightmare and back into reality. She sat in her bed, her heart racing and breathing labored. Her sheets were soaked with sweat and her hand shaking when she reached to shove her hair out of her face.

“Hello,” she finally reached for the phone as she tried to shake the dream from her mind.

“Hey, Kaitlyn.”

“Adam, hi,” she still felt disoriented and shaken.

“Kaitlyn, are you okay?”

“Yes, I was…I had a nightmare and I still feel disoriented. Sorry, why were you calling?”

“First off, I wanted to know how the wedding went.”

“Better than the one I just had or didn’t have or…the wedding was fine,” she looked around her and tried to orient herself. It was only fifteen to seven.

“What?” he asked.

“My dream. You called at fifteen to seven to ask about the wedding?” she frowned in confusion.