Melanie was the last one in to work at nine o’clock. Good thing Fred had an office key or the workers would’ve been locked out for an hour.
Mel stomped in the office and yelled, “I did it. I got the highest score ever on Family Circus. It took me till three in the morning, but I did it. I’m on my second wind, but by eleven I’ll be out like a light.” She banged Katie’s cubby wall with her fist. “You’ll never beat my score, Kat, never. Anyone got a Coke on them? I forgot to stop by OK to get one and my fridge is empty.”
“How could you’ve stayed late at the arcade? It closes at ten on weekdays.”
“Remember, I told you my brother-in-law owns it. He had some paperwork to do so he let me stay and keep him company.”
“Hey, Melanie,” Brenda yelled. “You still owe us an office party there soon. You promised us eight months ago.”
Shawna and Heidi nodded in agreement.
“I’ll get to it. Katie, can you run to the Mini Mart for me? In fact, go get some donuts and whatever else anyone wants to drink. I need a Coke, bad.” She got her purse and pulled out a credit card. “Here’s the office’s card. Use it and get back here ASAP. I’m getting a headache.” Melanie rubbed the side of her head and leaned on her office door.
“Sure. Anyone want something else?”
“Pepsi One,” Heidi said.
Katie nodded.
“Before you leave, I’ve got a question to ask you,” Melanie yelled from behind her desk.
“What?”
“So…how did it go last night? I’m sure it was Mitch who took you home.” She gave her a seductive look.
“Yes, it was Mitch, but he didn’t stay.”
“What keeps getting in the way of you two hitting the sack? I bet he’s too involved with work or has a lover somewhere. If he can’t get her, he goes after you on rebound.” Melanie sounded like a conspiracy theorist.
“Remember, dear friend, I got a divorce and lost a child. I don’t want to hop into bed with the first person I meet. I’m not ready.”
“I can see it in your eyes, Katie. You want him as badly as he wants you.”
“You’re right. Do you want to know the real reason I’m holding back?”
“You know you can trust me, Kat.”
“I’m tired of the games guys play. Kevin put me through emotional hell. I know he lied to me. What more did he keep from me after we were married? I’m not a sex toy. I need trust in a relationship. It’ll take a long time to happen because I’m tired of being hurt.” Katie shrugged her shoulders in resignation. “You should know, he’s your cousin.” With that, she left.
***
Katie decided to hit the boxes against her wall after work. The first few were full of pictures and papers from school. She put the pictures in an empty box for keeping and the box of papers to the side to go through again to keep or trash. Katie’s cell rang as she opened the fourth box.
“Kate, would you like to have dinner at my place tonight? My sister is out with her fiancé, David, so I’m in charge of putting food on the table for my parents.”
“Well, being it’s Thursday night and I’m bored, sure. I’d love to meet them. Do you want me to bring anything?”
“Nope, unless you’re a picky eater. I’m making Italian tonight. Sound good?”
“I love Italian food.”
“Great. I’ll pick you up at six.”
***
“Come over here, Katie. Let me touch your face.” Mitch’s mom, Ann, placed both hands on Katie’s cheeks. “A beautiful and sweet, spirited lady. Mitchell, you’ve found a keeper.” Ann removed her hands, got hold of Mitch’s left hand, and squeezed it.
A buzz sounded in the kitchen. “Dinner is done. Have a seat, Kate, and I’ll be right back.” Mitch went into the kitchen.
“Let me help bring the food in.”
He shook his head no and pointed at a chair across from his dad, Bill.
“You’d better do as he says or he’ll arrest you for not following the rules,” Bill said. “He believes he has control over his parents too. But I have to keep reminding him who’s in charge and that this is his parents’ house, not his yet.”
Mitch carried in a big casserole dish full of beef, noodles, and cheesy topping, and put it between the Italian bread and salad.
“The food smells magnificent. I taught you well.” Ann smiled at him.
Bill served the casserole for Ann. “Salad on the left, pasta on the right, and bread is on top.”
“Thank you.” Ann picked up her fork. “I can tell you have a question, Katie, and I’ll answer it. As my age has grown, my sight has lessened. My eyes are blurry and I can only clearly see a couple of inches in front of me. I go by my other senses, and my motherly sixth sense tells me there’s something special about you.” She pointed at Mitch and smiled. “You’d better keep a tight grip on her before someone else comes along and grabs her.”
Katie’s face reddened and she didn’t want to be on the spot.
“I’m trying, Mom, but she’s stubborn and things keep getting in the way.”
Katie gave him a questioning look.
“I saw that. Now eat your dinner before it gets cold.”
“See what I mean about control?” Bill shrugged.
“And the way we can keep him home and not at work is to kick Wendy out so she doesn’t have to do all the cooking. Things will change when she gets married, not sure when, but not soon enough,” Ann said.
Mitch stuffed a fork full of noodles in his mouth. No comeback from him. They had a great meal and the conversation was nice. Katie liked Mitch’s parents and was looking forward to meeting his sister too.
***
The drive back to Katie’s place didn’t last long and she didn’t want it to end. They laughed about things Mitch got away with in high school, never to be suspended. He parked, walked Katie to her door, and took the keys out of her hands to unlock the door.
Katie put her hand on his chest to stop him. “Got a question for you.”
“Is my cell phone off?”
“It can stay on, but what are we, or what do you want?” She looked to the floor.
He knew the question would come up sooner or later. “Look at me.” She did. “I like you, but I can tell you’re holding back. I’m not in it for pleasure, if it’s what you think. We can be friends for as long as you want.” With a smile, he took her hand and went inside.
There was a cool draft. Katie knew she hadn’t left a window open, but the answer was on her living room floor. “There’s glass on my floor and a rock.” She pointed.
“Hands off. There could be fingerprints on it.”
“It’s an accident, I’m sure. The ball field is across the street and kids are always throwing things.”
“A little too far for a rock this size. Do you have a plastic bag?”
She went to a drawer in her kitchen and grabbed a sandwich bag. “Big enough?”
“It will do. Remember, don’t touch anything. I need to call and get some men here to clean and look around.”
“Can’t you?”
“Not when I’m off duty. As of now, your place is quarantined for the night. You can stay at your parents’ or come and stay in my sister’s room.” He grinned.
“I’ll run to my parents’ place. I haven’t seen them for a while anyway.”
“I’ll stay here until the police come. Do you have a spare key so I can lock your door when they’re done?”
She opened the top drawer of her desk. “Here’s one,” she said, and tossed it to him.
He took out his set of keys and added it to them. She gave him a questioning look and received a smile. I now need two spare keys for Melanie and me.
“Can I grab some clothes?”
“Better not touch anything. I’ll walk you to your car.”
A police car pulled in as they got to Katie’s car.
“Hey, Mitch,” said Andy, who was with his partner, Sam.
“Stay here.” He left Katie, went to the window, and talked in a low tone to Andy and Sam. Mitch came back to Katie and opened the car door for her. “Get going.”
“Yes, sir.” The short drive to her parents’ house was a waste. They were gone. Katie didn’t want to sleep at her brother’s place, and wasn’t sure she wanted to sleep in Mitch’s sister’s bed, so she drove to OK Gas and got two hot chocolates.
Katie returned to her parking spot and saw Officer Andy leaving her place. She met him at the bottom of the stairs and followed him to the front of the building. He looked around with his flashlight.
“Find anything?” Katie looked at her window.
“Nothing out of the ordinary. Looks like some kids were playing Hot Rocks, broke your window by accident, and ran off.”
“What I figured.” She went to her door, which was still open.
Mitch saw her. “Didn’t I tell you to leave?”
“My parents aren’t home. Couldn’t I just board up the window and sleep here?” She handed him a cup. “I’m not a coffee drinker and I didn’t think you’d want coffee this late anyway.”
“Thanks.” He kissed her nose. Katie wrinkled it and rolled her eyes to the other cops.
He whispered, “I’m off duty so I’m a normal male tonight. They’re almost done and I believe you can stay here tonight. I can sleep on the couch if you want.” A sheepish look crossed his face.
“I’ll be fine and call you if needed.” She touched his lips with her finger and he tasted it with a small lick.
“Mmm.” He raised his eyebrows
She turned and headed into the kitchen with Mitch on her heels.
Sam signed some papers. “We’re done and Katie can stay.” He looked at her as he put the papers on the table. “You need to sign a couple pages and we’ll be gone. Nothing else needs to be done.”
Katie signed where needed. “Thank you for looking, and sorry it wasn’t anything exciting.” She locked the door after they left.
Mitch sat on the couch, grabbed the remote, and turned on the TV to a soft music station. “I like to end my evenings with some relaxing and soft rock. It tends to clear my mind of all the busy, crazy stuff I do during the day. Come have a sit with me so we can talk.” He patted the cushion on his left side.
Katie was nervous because of the conversation they had earlier. She didn’t want to jump into anything yet. A kiss here and there would be fine, but did he want more?
Hot chocolate in hand, she sat with a few inches between them. I would like to get to know him, so maybe I’ll ask him some questions before I lose it and tell him my whole backstory. I don’t want to scare or push him away.
“I hope this doesn’t make you too nervous, I can sense you’re frightened. I want to talk so we can get to know each other better.”
“I guess the time is right. We’ve seen each other a couple times—well, we haven’t seen each other at all besides you rescuing me from the bad guys.” Katie stirred the whip cream around in her drink.
“I’ll go first. I’m twenty-nine and my birthday is May twenty-eighth. I moved here from Nevada with my family eight years ago.” Mitch turned sideways, rested his head on his arm on the back of the couch, and continued, “I decided to finish my education in the police academy back in Nevada where I knew people. I moved back here when I finished and now you know what I am and what I do.” He placed his hand on her knee.
Katie turned and faced Mitch. “I know what you do, but don’t know you as a person. What do you do in your spare time? Do you like or play sports? I can tell you work out, but what else interests you?”
“I take care of my mom when needed, work out at the gym, catch a few sport games on TV, keep Wendy out of trouble,” he grinned, “and in my spare time, I’m visualizing you in my arms, making passionate love with you. But I am willing to wait until you’re ready.” He ran his hand over her arm.
She gazed at the TV, not sure what to do. His touch sent shivers through her. Her body wanted to relax, have him wrap his arms around her and hold tight. Katie wanted those lips on hers.
“I’ll be twenty-five the thirteenth of this month, went to college in Eastern Idaho and have a degree in health finances. I do claims processing and insurance coverage at Green Health. I married a best friend who turned out to be a devil.” She looked at Mitch and knew he knew she had been married. “We moved to Montana, where Kevin got a computer science job and I worked at an insurance company. Soon after we moved, I got pregnant.”
Mitch looked stunned at the news. “Go on.” He kept his hand on her thigh and wondered if there was a custody battle going on. He hadn’t seen any signs of a child at her place.
“When our daughter was two and a half, Kevin went to get her from daycare. He took the day off and told me he wanted to spend time with her.” Tears formed in her eyes. “On the way home, Kevin said the tie rod in the car gave out, they skidded several yards, and ran into a utility pole. The pole happened to hit the back door on the passenger’s side where Autumn was in her car seat.”
Mitch wiped tears from her cheeks.
“Our marriage was already on the rocks, and a week after the accident, we both decided to get a divorce. I hurt so badly I couldn’t even think of trying to work our marriage out. Kevin declined counseling so I knew he was done with me. We signed the divorce papers at the lawyer’s office, and I haven’t seen him since. I tried to stay there and work and continue on with my life, but it was hard living in the same apartment we shared.” Katie lowered her head into her hand.
“Oh, sweetie, I had no idea. “I heard you were married but had no idea about your daughter. Let me hold you.” He opened his arms and Katie leaned against his chest. He held her tight and rested his lips on the side of her head.
“I’m scared, Mitch. My marriage was happy, but Kevin played little mental games with me. We were best friends since the age of fourteen and could tell each other anything. But at times he would back off and say I was being too forceful or pushy. I let it go because I knew he would come back around, and hoped it would change after we were married, but it didn’t. Sometimes we would go for weeks without talking. Other times, we would talk and have a great time together. But I wasn’t as happy as I wanted to be.” Katie admitted in a whisper, “I’m scared to fall in love again.”
Katie felt dumb for exposing herself. She liked Mitch but hoped it wasn’t too soon to tell him her life story.
“Kate,” he put his mouth by hers, “sorry won’t cover the pain you’re going through.”
“It hurts to even think of Autumn. I fight off the urge to run into my bedroom and pick her up out of her bed. I can’t, she’s not there.” Katie cried harder.
Mitch rocked her back and forth. He didn’t know what to say. “Is she buried here or in Montana?”
“Kevin got control and she was cremated. He took her ashes and dumped them in the garbage.” She paused to catch her breath. “He destroyed her. I have nothing.”
He continued to comfort Katie for several minutes until she calmed down. He gave her a napkin from the end table so she could wipe her eyes and blow her nose.
“Guys don’t like getting serious with divorcées. What if I still had Autumn?”
“I’d take the package. I like you beyond a casual friendship. If it will make you comfortable to take things slow, it’s fine with me. I don’t want to lose something I know I’d be sad if I did. And please, don’t be scared. I’d never hurt you.”
She sat up and looked him in the eye. She’d heard that line before and needed to see if he meant it. A man’s eyes were pretty easy to read, and usually gave away if they were messing around. Katie knew through personal experience.
“I know it’s a common line us guys use, but it’s true and I mean it.” He ran his finger over Katie’s lips. She stared at his hand.
“Look at me with your pretty green eyes, Kate. Are you going to be all right tonight with your smashed window? I can stay and sleep on the couch.”
“I have an extra pillow and blanket.” She kissed Mitch’s cheek and believed what he told her.