Chapter Five

Kate

"We should've skipped the cake," Megan says as she sinks down on the couch. "I'm stuffed."

"Me too, but that cake was totally worth it." I sit at the other end of the couch, tucking my legs under me.

"You should make something like that for your restaurant."

"I will when we're more established and have money to hire bakers. For now, it'll be pies for dessert. They're faster and easier to make."

"Nothing wrong with that," she says, resting her feet on the coffee table. "Everyone loves pie."

My restaurant is kind of a modern diner so pies make sense with the theme but I'd like to eventually expand my dessert menu. But that'll have to wait until I have time to sit down and think about it. As of now, I haven't even decided what types of pies I'll be serving.

I have so much to do. Taking the time to have lunch with Megan today probably wasn't the smartest idea, but she was here in town and I haven't seen her in weeks so I agreed to it. Now I'm glad I did. I don't want work taking me away from my friends, just like I don't want it interfering with my relationship with Gavin.

I feel like that's already starting to happen and it's concerning me. When he gets home from his job, I'm either working or too tired to do anything with him so he just ends up alone on the couch watching TV. That's why I made us dinner last night. But then we got into an argument and now we're not talking. It's not like we're purposely giving each other the silent treatment. It's more like we don't know what to say. He knows I'm not happy he's working for a politician but I know he wants the job, and although we always said we'd talk out our problems, talking about that particular topic only seems to make us argue more. So for now, we're keeping quiet.

"What are you and Decker doing this weekend?" I ask Megan.

"His parents are having some kind of end-of-summer party at their house. I swear these rich people are constantly finding reasons to have parties. They'd have a full moon party if they could. Or a leaves-are-changing-color party. Or a first-frost party."

I laugh. "Okay, I get it."

"Wait, I'm not done." She smiles. "How about a—"

"You're done. Now come on. Tell me about this weekend. Are you going to the party?"

"Of course not. You know my rule."

"Megan, you can't keep avoiding meeting his parents. You've dated Decker for almost a year."

"And our relationship is just fine without me meeting his parents."

"He met yours."

"Only because they showed up without telling me they were coming."

"And it turned out great. Your parents loved Decker."

"They love anyone I date."

"That's not true. Rudy, for instance?"

Rudy was her first college boyfriend. He was a biker guy with tattoos covering almost every inch of his body. Her mom hates tattoos and her dad doesn't trust guys who ride motorcycles so Rudy was pretty much their worst nightmare, which I think is why Megan dated him. It was sign of rebellion to make it clear to her parents that she was an adult who could make her own decisions. Even so, I know a small part of her still seeks her parents' approval, especially when it comes to guys. Never in a million years would she admit that, but I know it's true.

"Rudy." She laughs. "Remember when my mom first met him? Her jaw literally dropped when she saw his tattoos. And then my dad saw his motorcycle and almost had a heart attack."

"Good thing you didn't date him long. I don't think your parents could've handled you dating him longer than you did."

"Rudy was an ass. I tried the bad boy thing but never again. I like my bow-tie wearing boyfriend with his—"

"Boyfriend!" I yell, pointing at her. "You called him your boyfriend."

"Did not!" She covers her mouth with her hand and quietly says, "Did I?"

"You did." I smile. "You called him your boyfriend. It took almost a year but you finally broke down and called him that."

"I did, didn't I?" She's grinning from ear to ear, unable to even fake being mad about it.

"You should text him and tell him."

"What? No way. Why would I tell him that?"

"Because it would make him happy. You know how much he's wanted you to call him that." I pick her phone off the table and hand it to her. "Go ahead. Text him."

She hesitates.

"If you don't, I will."

"Fine." She grabs her phone. "But he's going to think I'm crazy for texting him this."

"He already thinks you're crazy and yet he still loves you."

As she texts him I check my phone. No texts from Gavin. No missed calls. No emails. Nothing.

"So how about you and Gavin?" she asks as she sets her phone down. "Did you set a wedding date yet?"

"He hasn't even proposed, so no."

"I don't know what he's waiting for. You already live together. You're planning a future together. So why wait to get married?"

I don't answer. I want to tell her what's going on with Gavin and me but I'm afraid if I do, I'll start crying, which is ridiculous because this isn't worth crying about. Gavin and I are fine. This is just a rough patch.

"Kate, what's wrong?" I hear Megan's serious tone and already feel a lump forming in my throat. "Did you and Gavin have a fight?"

I swallow. "Yeah. Last night."

She shrugs. "Big deal. Couples fight all the time. Gavin will get home tonight, you'll kiss and make up and everything will be fine."

"I don't know if it will," I mutter under my breath.

"What do you mean? Of course it will. You're Kate and Gavin. The perfect couple. One little fight isn't going to break you apart."

Her phone dings with a text. She reaches for it but then stops and sits back. "Anyway, as I was saying..."

Her phone dings again.

"Just get it," I say to her. "I know you're dying to read Decker's text."

She grabs the phone and reads it.

"What did he say?"

"That he loves me even more. Then he sent another one that says, 'as if that's even possible. But with you, my love has no boundaries. No end.'" She can't stop smiling.

"That's very poetic."

"It's corny." She sets her phone down. "But it's so Decker. He thinks he's a poet."

"Only with you. You said he only writes poems for you."

"I know. It's sweet, isn't it?"

"Very sweet. And very romantic."

"What am I going to do with that boy?"

"Marry him," I say simply, then wait for her response.

She rolls her eyes. "I'm not the marrying type. But you are, so going back to you and Gavin, what's the problem? What was your fight about?"

"He took a job working for Senator Falkin's re-election campaign."

"That young guy from New York? What's his name? It's something weird. Has to do with a plane or a train or something."

"Jett. Jett Falkin. He's the youngest member of the Senate. He's supposed to be some up-and-comer. Some people think he could be president someday."

"Is that why Gavin wants to work for him?"

"I don't know. He didn't really say. We didn't get that far in our conversation last night. After he told me he took the job, we started arguing and then we didn't want to argue so we got quiet and haven't said much to each other since."

"So you're mad because he took the job and he's mad because you're mad. He wants you to be happy for him."

"Something like that. And the thing is, I want to be happy for him. I really do. But I don't like the idea of him being around those people again. Politicians are criminals. They break laws and get away with it. They hide their sins and bribe people to keep quiet."

"You sound like me now." She smiles.

"Megan, you know I've never liked politicians. When I first started dating Gavin, my biggest concern was that his dad was a politician. Now his dad is gone and I thought we were done with all that, but here we are again. Back in that world. A world Gavin promised me he wouldn't be part of."

"Then why is he doing this? Why did he agree to it?"

"His boss basically made him do it. He'd already told Jett Gavin would be working for him before Gavin even agreed to it."

"Then you can't really be mad at him, can you? It sounds like he didn't have a choice."

"Yes, but even so, he wants this, Megan. I could tell when he talked about it. And he even admitted it. He said he's bored with his job and misses the excitement of working on a campaign."

"Then let him do it. Stop worrying so much. Gavin's never going to become a politician and I can't imagine him ever acting like one. He's completely different than his dad. He's not obsessed with power and money. He barely gets paid anything, and he picked out this apartment, which is kind of crappy if you ask me."

"Hey! It's not crappy."

She looks around. "It's old and needs major renovations." She points to the ceiling. "Look at that crack. It's huge. Your ceiling's going to cave in any day now."

"Gavin likes historic buildings. And the ceiling is fine."

"The point I'm making is that if Gavin were like his dad, he'd never live in a place like this. He'd want some super fancy place that's brand new and has a gate around it and a doorman."

"I know all that, but it doesn't change the fact that working in politics means he'll be around people who crave money and power and will do anything to get it. It's a corrupt industry."

"So's the media. I'm surrounded by corruption. People who will do anything to get a story. But working in the media hasn't changed me. I'm not out breaking laws to get to the truth. I'm not bribing people. If you know who you are and what you stand for, you won't let your environment affect you. You won't become something you're not. Gavin isn't going to change just because he's around those people."

She's right. Taking this job won't change Gavin, but it's not him I'm worried about. It's Jett, and the people he's connected with, that worries me.

I can't tell Megan the stories my dad's told me about politicians and the wealthy donors who support them. And I can't tell her about Niles. So I'll never be able to explain to her why I'm so upset about Gavin working for a politician. It's just something I have to keep to myself and get past. Gavin is already part of Falkin's team. He started today and there's nothing I can do about it.

"So when Gavin gets home tonight," Megan says, "kiss and make up and go back to being Kate and Gavin, my favorite couple. I can't take the idea of you two being apart."

I smile. "You sound like a romantic. I thought all that lovey-dovey stuff made you ill."

"It did, but now I have no choice but to accept it, given that I have a sappy boyfriend who sends me corny texts."

"You love his corniness and you know it."

"Maybe for the humor factor."

"That's not why. It's because you like a guy being sweet to you and saying how much he loves you."

"Okay, enough with the sappy stuff." She gets up from the couch. "You have any soda?"

"There's some in the fridge." I follow her to the kitchen.

"Actually, I should probably get going," she says, closing the fridge door. "I have to turn an article in by seven tonight and I'm not done yet."

"Okay. Well, maybe we could get together in a couple weeks. I could come to your place next time."

She takes her purse from the kitchen counter and notices the brochure that's next to it.

She picks it up. "What's this?"

"It's for the Moorhurst business program."

"I see that, but why do you have a brochure for the Moorhurst business program?"

"I'm thinking of taking a class there. I don't have to be officially enrolled. I can just audit the class."

She sets the brochure down. "Why would you go to Moorhurst? It's over an hour away. You could take a class here, at the community college."

"The classes at Moorhurst are better."

"And more expensive. Do you know how much it costs to take a class there?"

"Mr. Walcott offered to pay for it."

I found this out just this morning. Walcott's assistant sent me an email saying any and all tuition and fees for the class would be covered.

"And you don't find that strange?" Megan asks in her conspiracy tone. I shouldn't have told her. Now she's going to come up with one of her theories.

"He doesn't have some hidden agenda. He's just trying to protect his investment. He wants me to get some business training in order to help ensure the restaurant does well. That's all he's doing."

"Was Moorhurst his idea or yours?"

"His. But it's only because he thinks it's a good school."

"Did he go there?"

"No, but his son did, and his daughter will be going there this fall."

"So another super rich guy sends his kids to Moorhurst instead of the Ivy League, which he could easily afford."

"Maybe they couldn't get into the Ivy League."

"Money and the right name can get you in. And Walcott has both those things."

"Where he sends his kids to school has nothing to do with me. And I'm happy he suggested Moorhurst. It's a good school and I'm sure I'll learn a lot. I know it's a long drive but I only plan to take one class at a time."

"You're really not worried that some guy you just met is not only funding your restaurant but also your education?"

"What are you implying, Megan?"

She shrugs. "I don't know. I just find it odd. Maybe he's trying to sleep with you."

I laugh. "He's not trying to sleep with me. He's married."

"Rich married guys are always cheating on their wives with younger women. And you're perfect because you have no money so after he uses you for sex, he can give you hush money so you don't tell his wife."

"I'm not having sex with him. I can't believe you'd even think that."

"I didn't say you'd actually do it. I'm saying this is what rich guys think in their twisted, arrogant minds. They think all girls want to sleep with them because of their money."

"That's not what's happening here. Mr. Walcott is just trying to help me be a more educated business owner. I'm sure he's done this before for the other entrepreneurs he's mentored."

"You should ask him, just to see. Then you'd know for sure if he was sincere in his offer to help you." She pauses. "Or maybe..." She looks off to the side.

"Maybe what?"

Her eyes return to mine. "Maybe he wants you to see what's really going on at Moorhurst. Maybe this is your invitation into the inner circle."

"Inner circle of what?"

"Of whatever secret club he belongs to."

I laugh. "He doesn't belong to a secret club. And even if he did, why would he want me in it?"

"I don't know. I'll give it some thought." She walks to the door. "I have to go. Text Gavin and tell him you're thinking about him."

"He's busy at work." 

"Not too busy to get a text from you. Trust me. Guys love that stuff. Be the first to make a move to end this fight and I guarantee Gavin will appreciate it. He'll probably show you how much he appreciates it in the bedroom later. Not that I want to think about that, but knowing you two, I'm sure that's what'll happen."

I stand by the door. "Okay, Love Guru, that's enough advice for today. Why don't you text your own man? Tell him you miss him and can't wait to see him later. And go to his parents' party this weekend."

"No way. I am NOT ready to meet the parents. It's too soon."

"You and Decker are practically married. It's not too soon."

"I really have to go." She gives me a hug. "Call me later."

"I will. Bye!"

She leaves and I close the door, then go to the kitchen and pick up the Moorhurst brochure. Looking over the list of classes again, I keep going back to the entrepreneur class. I want to take it but it says you have to be a junior, meaning you need to take other, more basic classes first. But I'm not enrolling as a student so maybe they'd be willing to bend the rules.

My phone rings, and when I pick it up I see my mom's number. I haven't talked to her for over a week.

"Hey, Mom, what's up?"

"Allen walked out on me," she says, half-talking, half-crying.

"He what?" I sit on the barstool next to the counter. "He moved out?"

She tries to explain but she's crying so hard I can't hear what she's saying.

"Mom, I can't understand you. You need to take a breath."

She does, then blows her nose as I wait for her to continue. "I came home last night and he..." she sniffles, "he told me he'd found someone else. The yoga instructor at our health club."

"Are you serious?" I ask, because I can't imagine Allen doing that. He doesn't seem like someone who would cheat.

"Did he move out?" I ask.

"Yes, but he didn't take all his stuff. I'm tossing out whatever's left. Or maybe I'll burn it." She sniffles again.

"What do you need me to do? I'd come down there but I really can't with the restaurant this close to opening."

"I wouldn't ask you to do that. But I did wonder if it'd be okay if I came up there and stayed for a few weeks. I'd get my own place. I already checked and my friend, Susan, offered to sublet me her apartment. Her father had a stroke so she's in Pennsylvania taking care of him. The apartment is a tiny studio but it's all I need. It's in New Haven so it's an hour from you but it's as close as I could find."

New Haven. That's where my dad lives. After his house burned down, he moved to New Haven to be closer to his wealthy clients. Since relocating, his business is booming. He's so busy he had to hire a couple guys to help him out.

"You do know Dad lives there," I remind her.

"That's not a problem," she says. "It's a big city. I doubt we'll run into each other. He has an apartment now, is that right?"

"Yeah, it's a one-bedroom, right above his office. It's one of those buildings that has office space on the main level and apartments on the upper levels. He really likes it."

"That's good. I'm glad he's doing well. So anyway, what do you think about me coming there?"

"I think it sounds great! I can't wait to see you!"

"I'll book a flight and let you know when I'll be arriving. It probably won't be until the end of the week. I need to take care of some things here before I go."

"Mom, I'm really sorry about what happened."

"I am, too, honey, but sometimes these things just aren't meant to be. I never felt that Allen was the one, but we did have some good times." Her voice is shaky. "I'll call you later this week."

"Okay. Bye, Mom."

I can't believe Allen cheated on her. He seemed to really love her. He was always holding her hand and sneaking kisses and buying her gifts, but I guess things can change.

I hope that doesn't happen with Gavin and me. I don't think he'd ever cheat but it's possible things could change between us. We could grow apart. Have different goals. Become different people.

That's one of my biggest concerns with Gavin working for Falkin. That he'll change and become someone else. And that the two of us won't be a couple anymore.