Chapter 55
Kate
Kate was stuck in traffic. She should have woken up earlier since she had to make this detour to give yet more money to Alan. He was doing a writing workshop near the Davenport estate, but it wasn’t as close as she’d thought. The roads were winding and bumpy with potholes. To make matters worse, there was a tree down that had cars backed up while it was being cleared. She didn’t even exit her vehicle when she arrived at the writing workshop. She just threw the envelope out of the car at Alan’s feet and turned back onto the main road. During the drive, she felt sick. At least she had been losing weight thanks to not eating due to the stress.
She screeched into the lot of the Davenports’ estate. If she ran, she could make the last of the rehearsal.
“Where were you?” Brandy demanded when she almost crashed into her running up the path. “The rehearsal’s already over.”
“Walter and I returned yesterday. I had stuff to finish up,” Kate lied.
“It’s fine,” Ginny said, giving Kate a hug. “You’ve been in weddings before. You know how it goes. This rehearsal was really just for the boys. You should have seen them wandering around like puppies. They had no idea what was going on!”
Kate smiled, and Ginny grabbed her arm and led her to the outdoor area set up with tables and chairs in a clearing amongst some old-growth trees. Grant and Walter, along with several other people who weren’t in the wedding, were already seated. Basically everyone who wanted to come was invited to the rehearsal dinner.
“My dad said that if they were going to bother to make the trip, he might as well feed them,” Ginny told her, squeezing her around the waist then skipping off to talk to another guest.
Kate was assigned to a table close to the one with the bride’s and groom’s families. Grant and his cousins were seated there along with Walter, and she tried to force herself to seem happy and carefree.
“Kate!” Carter hollered, “The prettiest Kate! Kate of Kate Hall!”
He patted the seat next to him. He and Mark had Grant sandwiched between them.
“Close your eyes, Mark,” Carter said to his brother. “We’re about to fraternize with a member of the opposite sex.”
“How are you two doing?” Kate hugged the two marines before she sat down. “Aren’t you almost out?” she asked Carter.
“I have one year, seven months, eight days, and six hours left,” Carter replied. “But who’s counting?”
“Are you staying in?” Grant asked Mark.
“I don’t know. I have another year before I have to decide, but I guess I should start thinking about it.”
“There’s a bright, sunshiny new day waiting for you outside of the military,” Grant said.
“I know, but…” Mark took a gulp of his wine and lowered his voice. “I’ve never seen combat.”
“So?” Carter said. “That’s probably a good thing. One of us has to stay sane.”
“I just…” Mark took another drink of wine. “I should have… I don’t know…”
“Aren’t you in IT?” Grant asked.
Mark nodded.
“Then they aren’t going to risk you. Combat is for idiots like me.”
Kate wasn’t sure if she should put herself in the middle of that conversation. She didn’t know what it was like to be in the military, especially not during a war. She didn’t understand why Mark wanted to see combat so much.
“There’s always a place in Holbrook Enterprises for you,” she said to him. “Grant’s been crushing it in sales, and I’m sure he could use some backup. He was telling me he had new ideas for products that you could help develop. I know your parents miss you as well.”
Mark looked pained. “I’ll think about it.”
Kate poured him some more wine. “Have another drink.”
He smiled softly at her. “I missed you, Kate.”
She thought she saw a murderous look flash across Grant’s face, but maybe it was just her imagination.
As she drank more wine and ate some of the delicious food, Kate felt herself relax. Alan was off her case for a few more days. So what if her bank account was drastically lower? She was still employed. Maybe she would even be awarded a bonus for all her hard work over the summer. She was determined to enjoy the wedding and hope that it would all work out in the end.
“I’m off,” she said after the last of the toasts were made and she had drunk an after-dinner sherry. “We have to be up at four in the morning to start doing makeup.”
“Me too.” Walter stood up. “You three don’t stay up drinking,” he added as one of the waiters plunked down a bottle of expensive whiskey.
“Off to bed?” Brandy said as Kate left the clearing. “I’ll have to entertain the boys on my own!”