Chapter Twenty-Three

Kate

Two hours late. On the biggest night of my life, Gavin was two hours late. He promised me he'd be here at five and didn't show up until seven. The Gavin I know and love would never do that. He knows how important tonight is to me and how much I wanted him by my side. So where was he? What was he doing that was so important that he couldn't leave and be here on time?

"We need more apple pie," Leah says as she stops beside me. "I checked all the trays in back and couldn't find any."

"I have some extras in the cooler," I tell her. "I'll go get them."

"I'll do it." She hands me the coffee pot she was holding. "You stay out here and talk to your guests." She gives me a wink before taking off for the kitchen.

Leah and I used to work in catering together and now she works for me. She really wants me to succeed so she can keep working here and not have to go back to working for Carol. She hated Carol's no-cellphone rule and the fact that Carol didn't let us take home leftovers.

Speaking of Carol, she didn't show up tonight. She called earlier and said one of her events was running late and that she wouldn't be able to make it. I really wanted her to be here. When I was considering opening a restaurant, she was one of my biggest supporters so I was disappointed she couldn't make it tonight.

At least my parents are here, and Henry, and Megan and Decker. And a few friends from my old catering job showed up. The rest of the people here are guests of Mr. Walcott. He invited the investors along with some of his business friends. He said they're all well-connected in the community and will help spread the word about the restaurant, so I guess it's good they're here but it feels odd to have my opening attended by all these people I don't know.

"Need any help?" my mom whispers.

I turn and see her smiling at me. She's been smiling all night. I know it's because she's proud of me but I think it's also because she's sitting with my dad. He's been flirting with her all night; smiling as she talks or laughing at something she said. I even saw him put his hand over hers on the table.

He must've ended things with Celeste. I don't think they went out again after the opera. I asked him about their date but he didn't say much, and he hasn't talked to her all night. Celeste hasn't talked to him either. She's been mingling with all the rich men, including Mr. Walcott.

"We could use more coffee," I say to my mom, holding up the empty pot.

"I'll get some." She takes the pot from me.

"Mom, you shouldn't be getting coffee. You're a guest. But could you go in the kitchen and tell Leah to bring out a fresh pot?"

She eyes me. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Why?"

"Why are you avoiding the kitchen? Is Gavin in there?"

"I'm not avoiding the kitchen. I'm just spending time with my guests."

"You two were fighting, weren't you?"

"We weren't fighting. We were talking. And yes, he's in there waiting for me but I don't want to do this right now."

"Do what? Argue about why he wasn't here earlier?"

My mom knows me too well, probably because we're so alike. If she were me and it was my dad waiting in the kitchen, she'd do the same thing. She'd be out here pouring coffee, avoiding what's waiting in the kitchen. Neither one of us likes confrontation so we try to delay having to deal with it.

"I'll talk to him later," I say. "Now isn't the time."

"But you'll talk to him, right?"

I take her arm and move us both off to the side. "Mom, I don't want to get into this now."

"Honey, don't put this off. Believe me, it only gets harder the longer you wait, and eventually enough time goes by that you end up never having the conversation and then regretting it years later."

What is she talking about? Her comment is obviously about her and not me. But what is it she regrets? Something about my dad?

"I'll talk to him eventually," I say, "but not now. We'll just end up arguing. I don't want to hear his excuses. I really needed him tonight and he didn't show up."

"He did show up. He's just late. I'm sure he had a good reason for it. And he sent you those beautiful flowers."

Gavin sent me a massive bouquet arranged in a vase with a note attached that said how proud he is of me and how much he loves me. I appreciate the gesture but would've rather had him show up here on time than send flowers.

"Mom, I really need that coffee," I say, nodding toward the table behind her. "They're almost out."

She hands me the coffee pot. "Sorry, honey, but you'll have to get the coffee yourself." She leaves me standing there as she goes back to her table. I can't believe her. She's basically forcing me to go talk to Gavin, knowing I'm not ready to.

Just as I'm thinking that, he comes out of the kitchen and heads straight for me. I walk past him with the coffee pot.

"Kate, wait," he says in a hushed tone.

"I need to get coffee."

"Leah's bringing out a fresh pot." I look behind him and see her carrying two coffee pots. Behind her is Dan, carrying a tray of apple pie. Dammit. Why does my staff have to be so efficient? I trained them too well. Now I have nothing to do to distract me from Gavin.

"I have to talk to my guests." I search for someone to talk to but they're all talking to other people.

"I'm sorry, okay?" He steps closer so he can keep his voice low. "Can you please just forgive me? I promise you, I tried to be here on time. I was doing everything possible to make it here but then—"

"Your promises are meaningless," I whisper to him. "You've made so many promises the past few weeks but haven't followed through on a single one of them. I forgave you for that, but tonight? Tonight was different. It was the one night I really needed you to keep your promise."

"I know. And I'm so sorry. I should've been here for you."

I walk over to the end of the counter where no one is sitting. Gavin follows.

"Where were you?" I ask, setting the coffee pot down.

"At work."

"Why didn't you leave early like you said you were going to do?"

"I tried. But then Peter made me go to this meeting and it ran late. Then I missed the train and the next one was cancelled."

"What meeting would be so important that you couldn't miss it? And why did you have to be there? No offense, Gavin, but you're an entry level employee. You're just starting out. You hardly have any experience. Why would Peter insist you be at that meeting? Was having you there really that critical?"

"No. I mean, yes, I guess he thought it was important I was there, but I should've skipped it."

"I don't understand. Peter knew the opening was tonight. Why wouldn't he let you leave?"

"Kate, it wasn't Peter's fault. It was mine. I should've kept a closer eye on the time. I made a stupid mistake and I'm really sorry."

The jingly bell on the front door rings. This is a private event so the door is locked, but someone must've unlocked it. I turn around and see Mr. Walcott holding the door open as Jett Falkin walks in.

"Shit," I hear Gavin mumble.

I turn back to him. "Why is Senator Falkin here?"

"I don't know." He storms over to him, obviously angry Jett showed up. But why would that make Gavin angry? If anything, I should be the angry one. It's one more guest I didn't account for. Walcott obviously invited him. The two of them know each other and Walcott probably told him to stop by if he had time, not considering the fact that I needed to plan for extra people. There are at least ten people here who didn't RSVP and now I'm running out of food.

"You must be Kate," Jett says as I walk up to him.

"Yes. Nice to meet you Senator Falkin."

"Please, call me Jett." He hands me a beautiful bouquet of white calla lilies with springs of greenery. "Congratulations on the opening."

"Thank you." I glance at Gavin whose jaw is clenched as he glares at Jett. Why is Gavin so angry Jett showed up? I thought he liked the guy.

"It's good you could make it," Walcott says to Jett. "It's always nice to have a celebrity or two in attendance."

Jett chuckles. "I'm hardly a celebrity."

"Don't be so modest." Walcott pats him on the shoulder. "You're headed for the White House someday. I think that qualifies you as a celebrity." He looks at me. "Make sure to have the photographer get a photo of you and Jett. We'll send it to the papers. When the public sees it, you'll have a line out the door."

"I hardly think so," Jett says, feigning modesty. "But yes, we should get a photo," he says to me. "I at least owe you that after keeping Gavin at the office so late."

I turn to Gavin. "You were working for Senator Falkin today?"

"Today?" I hear Jett say. "He works for me every day. Didn't he tell you?"

"No," I say, my hand tightening around the bouquet of flowers. "I thought he only worked for you part-time."

Jett smiles at Gavin. "You'll have to forgive me for keeping him so late but it isn't every day you get to meet the vice president."

"The vice president?" I look at Gavin. "Of the United States?"

Jett chuckles. "Funny. Gavin said the same thing. And yes, the vice president of the United States. Gavin and I went to meet him this afternoon. He was here for a speech."

"Just you and Gavin went?" I ask.

"I'd originally planned to go alone but when I mentioned to Vice President Flint that I had Niles Bishop's son working for me, he wanted to meet him. So I brought him along."

"Why would he want to meet Gavin?" I realize that sounds bad and say, "I mean, was there a certain reason or—"

"He was friends with my dad," Gavin blurts out. "He just wanted to offer his condolences."

"And a future political career," Jett says, a broad smile crossing his face. "He wants Gavin to follow in his father's footsteps and he offered to help him to do so." He looks at Gavin. "You're a very lucky young man to be offered an opportunity like this at such a young age."

"I told him no," Gavin says to me, his urgent tone begging me to believe him. "I'm not going into politics."

Jett leans down to me. "Talk some sense into him, will you? Often it takes a woman to push a man to reach his full potential."

"I have to go," I say, forcing out a smile. "I'm sorry, but I need to check on something in the kitchen." I hurry through the dining room, taking deep breaths to try to calm my anger.

Gavin lied. He's been lying this whole time. He hasn't been working for Peter. He's been working for Jett. And he wasn't late today because of Peter. He was late because he was meeting the vice president. The vice president of the United States! How could he not tell me that?

"Kate." I hear Gavin behind me as I go in the kitchen.

I whip around. "Not now, Gavin. I'm so angry I'm about to explode."

"I know. And I'm so sorry. I had no idea—"

"I knew tonight would be stressful but I thought it would be because my roast didn't turn out or because I ran out of pies, not because I found out my boyfriend has been lying to me."

"I was going to tell you. I just wanted to wait until after the opening."

"How long have you worked for him?"

Gavin shrugs. "I don't know. A couple weeks? I lost track. It started as part time, just like I told you, but then Jett and Peter talked and decided I should work for Jett full-time. I wasn't given a choice. If I said no, Peter would've fired me and then I wouldn't have a job."

"You could get another job," I say, breathing hard. I'm so angry I'm out of breath.

"It's not that easy. Peter and Jett are so well connected they could destroy any chances of me getting a job elsewhere."

"So you let them win. You let them have all the control."

"That's not what happened. I tried to—"

"They were controlling you, Gavin. Bullying you because they know they can. Because you're young and think you have no other options. Is that really the type of people you want to work for?"

"No, but what was I supposed to do? I need a job."

"That's bullshit. You don't need a job. You have a trust fund. You could live off that for years if you wanted to. You took the job with Jett because you wanted it. You said you liked working on a campaign again. You said it was exciting. You said you liked it better than working for Peter."

"Because I wanted you to be okay with it. I knew if I told you I liked it, you wouldn't make such a big deal about it."

I huff. "So you're putting this back on me? Now I'm the reason you took the job?"

"No. That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that I didn't know what to do. Jett pushed me to work for him a couple days a week and Peter insisted I go along it. So I did, and yes, part of me liked the campaign work, but I didn't want to do it full-time. But then they forced me to and I didn't think I could tell them no. I thought it would ruin any chance of me getting another job and I knew I'd make connections working for Jett that I wouldn't make otherwise. That's why I did it, Kate. There's a chance I'll get my dream job someday if I get connected with the right people."

I roll my eyes. "Your dream job as a politician? Because according to Jett, that's where your future is headed."

"Don't listen to him. You know that's not what I want. And even if I did, I'd never pursue it because I know it's not what you want."

"So you'd give up your dream for me? Because if that's the case, then we shouldn't be together. We should support each other's dreams, not take them away. If you really want to run for office someday then—"

"Kate, that's not what I want. We've talked about this. You know I don't want to be a politician."

"Are you sure about that? Have you really thought about it?"

"Of course I've thought about it. I don't want that life. It's not for me."

"And yet when you used to talk about your dad's campaign and all the things he would do if he got into office, your eyes would light up. You were happy just talking about it."

"Because it was HIS dream, and I was helping him achieve it. That's what made me happy. That's what excited me."

"You're telling me if I weren't in your life you wouldn't consider a career as a politician?"

"That's not a fair question. You're part of my life, Kate. You always will be. I love you. We're getting married someday. Things change when you commit to someone. It's not all about me anymore. It's about you, and us. Like owning this restaurant. It's not something I would've ever wanted but it's important to you. It's your dream so I'm supporting that dream, even if it means we're stuck here for years."

"Stuck here? So now you're saying you didn't want to stay in Connecticut? You said that's what you wanted. Were you just saying that for my sake?"

"No. I mean, part of me wanted to move somewhere else, but the other part of me was okay staying here. If it's where we need to be for you to have your dream, then I'm fine with that."

"Fine isn't good enough. You shouldn't be settling because of me. Because of what I want. We should both be happy, and right now, I don't think you're happy."

"Of course I'm happy. Why would you even say that?"

"You can't be happy if you feel you have to hide things from me. We should be able to tell each other everything and talk things through when we disagree. But instead, you've been keeping secrets, something we said we'd never do."

"You're right, which is why we need to talk about this. When we get home tonight we'll—"

"I'm not going home."

"What do you mean?"

I look down, trying not to cry. "I need some time, and so do you. In fact, I think you need it more than I do."

"What are you talking about? Time to what?"

"To think about what you want out of life. What you want to do. What makes you happy."

He puts his hands on my shoulders. "YOU make me happy. Being with you, and us building a life together. That's all I care about."

"If that were true, then you wouldn't have hid this from me. You wouldn't have lied to my face, making up stories about being in a meeting with Peter when the truth is, you don't even work for Peter anymore."

"Kate, please. Don't make a bigger deal out of this than it is. I didn't want to lie to you. And I shouldn't have. I made a mistake. A huge mistake." He sighs. "I'm sorry. I really am."

I gulp past the lump in my throat. "I know you're sorry, Gavin, but this is about more than just what happened tonight. It's about the fact that you don't trust me enough to tell me the truth. And I need you to figure out why that is, because maybe you're not being honest with yourself. Maybe you really do want to follow in your father's footsteps, and if that's true, then I can't be holding you back. You'll never be happy if you're not doing what you really want to do."

"Kate, you're not listening to me. I won't be happy without you. It doesn't matter what I'm doing. Can we just talk about this when we get home? Or we'll talk about it tomorrow. I'll take the day off. I'll come here and help you with the restaurant and we'll talk when you have a break. Then we'll talk again when we get home."

"I can't go home, Gavin. I need time to think. We both do." I take a breath. "I think you should leave."

"What? Why?"

"Having you here is distracting me from what I need to be doing. This is my big night and right now I should be out there meeting people and promoting my business, not in here arguing with you."

"I'm not leaving. If you want me to stop talking to you, then fine, I will, but I'm not leaving. I'm here to support you in any way I can."

I walk past him and out to the dining room. I'm on the verge of tears but I fight them back and put on a smile. I go up to one of the tables and ask the guests how their meal was, then do the same at the next table. I do my best to pretend everything's great. That this is the best night of my life.

But it's not even close to that because I think I just broke up with Gavin. I don't know if we'll get back together or if this is the end for us.