Crossroad To Love (Fab Five Series) (27 page)

“How are things, Jon?” she asked, curiously.

“Things couldn’t be better, hon. Jennifer has moved out of
state after being threatened with harassment charges, and Marianne and I are
back on track. The weekend in San Antonio was just what we needed. It gave us
time to talk everything out. We’re happy as two honeymooners.”

“I am so glad to hear that. I was worried about the two of
you, you know.”

“Katy, you always worry about all of us. But how about you?
Any progress with Ryan?”

“It’s over. I’m working on a job, that’s all.”

Casting a sidelong glance in her direction, Jon replied,
“Sorry, Katy, but I don’t buy that for a second.”

“I don’t have a choice, Jon. I’ll admit I have realized
these last few months that I genuinely have feelings for him, but his phone
call proved to me that he doesn’t share those feelings. He’s written us off as
a couple. As far as he’s concerned, we are nothing more than friendly business
associates. I have to accept that.”

“Typical Katy, always strong. No, you don’t have to accept
that. You can tell him how you feel. You can tell him you want to try again.
Don’t give up, Katy.”

Katy was surprised by Jon’s outburst. “Why do you think I
shouldn’t give up? Have you seen Ryan?”

“No, not Ryan exactly, but we did finally get together with
Chloe and Shane for dinner the other night and from what I could gather, Ryan
has not been a very happy camper since this whole thing went down between the
two of you. If he didn’t care about you, would it bother him so much? Food for
thought.”

They had arrived at the house and were greeted by Marianne,
still in her nurse’s scrubs.

Katy hugged her friend, while Jon carried her bags to an
upstairs guest room.

“How was your flight? Did you get some rest on the plane?
You sounded tired when you called yesterday. Been working a lot?”

“The flight was fine, and yes, I took a nap. I’ve been
working a lot of long hours. But it sure is good to see you.”

“Likewise. Chloe is so excited to get with you on the décor.
We had dinner with them finally.”

“That’s what Jon told me. So what was said about Ryan?”

Marianne hesitated before she said, “Chloe says he’s been
very moody since you left. He won’t talk about you or what happened. She said
he’ll only mention you if it pertains to the work, so she was shocked when he
volunteered to call you. She was hoping that was a good sign. But apparently,
he’s being very close-mouthed, even with Shane.”

“Did you mention to her how cold he was to me on the phone?”

“She wasn’t surprised. I gather that has been his general
attitude with everyone lately. Not just you.”

“You girls up for dinner out? Where would you like to go? My
treat.” Jon bounded down the stairs.

“What about Jordan?”

“He actually has a date tonight. I know this because he hit
me up for money.”

“Let me get a quick shower and get changed. Katy, if you
want to freshen up, I put you in the guest room that has a connecting bath, so
feel free. There are towels in the linen closet.”

“I’ll do just that. And, oh, by the way, Jon, I know where I
want to have dinner.”

Both of the Jacobis looked at her in surprise as she said
simply, “I want to go to ‘Chloe’s Place.’”

Katy turned and ran up the stairs to her bedroom. Her heart
was racing. Why had she thought it was a good idea to go to Ryan’s restaurant?
He would just think she was looking for him. No, she had every right to go
there. She was working with the owners. It was perfectly acceptable. She could
get a firsthand look at his attitude. She allowed herself to stand under a hot
shower before choosing a pair of creamy slacks topped with a rose and cream
striped, cashmere, cowl-necked sweater. The air was cool in Texas, but not cold
as it was back in Chicago. The sweater would be fine for the evening. When she
entered the sitting room, Jon and Marianne were waiting.

“Let’s go, hon. I called ahead and told Chloe we’d be there,
but I asked her not to tell Ryan. I hope that’s ok.” Marianne smiled
conspiratorially.

What had she and Chloe done? Katy was afraid to ask, so she
just said, “Perfect. Let’s go. I believe I heard Dr. Jacobi say he was
treating.”

“That I did. Ladies, right this way.”

On the way to dinner, Katy and Marianne discussed Lizzie’s
last visit to Dallas. Apparently, all was going well with the Harts now that
Lizzie was working at the agency. She had been jet-setting back and forth
between Columbus and Dallas several times. They had finally met their
daughter’s fiancé. He was likeable enough but they were still in shock about
the whole ordeal. Katy would be anxious to talk with Lizzie and find out more.
She had been so busy the past few months, and she knew Lizzie had too, that
they had not touched base since the trip in the early fall. Soon they had
arrived at the restaurant.
Well, it’s now or never, Katy, steel yourself. It’s
likely to be a bumpy ride.
They walked into the lobby of the restaurant.
Katy let her eyes adjust to the dim light before glancing around the room. No
sign of Ryan. Had Chloe told him she was coming, after all?

Shane was behind the desk and greeted them with a smile. “I
see some of my favorite people have arrived. Katy, good to see you again.” He
walked around the desk and hugged her.

“Hello, Shane. I’m happy to be here. I’m excited to start
working with Chloe.”

“Chloe is bouncing-off-the-walls-excited. Jon, Mari, good to
see y’all again.”

“And you as well, Shane.”

“Let me show y’all to your table. I believe Chloe picked out
a private table in the back corner so we can all visit as we get a break.”

“That would be great. I wasn’t sure if you two would get a
chance to visit with us or not.”

“We’ll make time. After all, you are three of our favorite
people. Chloe will be out in a few minutes. She was finishing up some things in
the kitchen.”

No mention of Ryan. And still no sign of him.

“Katy, darlin’, it’s so good to see you.” Chloe walked to
the table and hugged Katy. She turned to Mari and Jon and smiled. “I was so
happy when Marianne called and said y’all were coming over for dinner. Shane
and I really enjoyed our night out with you. It gave us a chance to catch up.”

“We enjoyed it too, Chloe. We had a lot of fun that night,” Jon
said.

Chloe sat down. “Katy, I can’t wait to see what you’ve come
up with. Let’s get together about ten in the morning. Work for you?”

“That would be wonderful. Marianne has offered me the use of
her car. Or, better yet, Mari, maybe you’d like to bring me? You can go
shopping or run errands while we’re working and then pick me up later.”

“That would work for me. I have some things I could do and
when you’re finished, we’ll go do something fun, take in a movie or something.”

Katy occasionally glanced around the room, still seeing no
sign of Ryan. Where was he?

This did not go unnoticed by Chloe. “He’s not here, honey.”

Katy looked at her friend, “Did he know I would be here
tonight?”

“Oh, no, nothing like that. He went to Austin yesterday to
meet with a supplier and isn’t back yet. He actually should be rolling in
anytime. He said he would come here before he went home, so I expect him at any
time. Won’t he be surprised? He knew you were flying in today, but bet he
wasn’t expecting to see you until tomorrow. I think that’s why he came back
from Austin tonight instead of waiting until tomorrow.”

“I doubt that, Chloe. I think it’s pretty much strictly
business for Ryan and me from here on out.”

“I know it may seem like that. But don’t count him out yet,
sweetie. I know Ryan. He is hurting like crazy. And he wouldn’t hurt if he
didn’t care about you. As far as I know, he hasn’t had a date since he met
you.”

“You all keep trying to get me to hold on. I know you mean
well and that you wish things were different, but I just don’t think it will
work out. I need to start getting past my feelings for him.”

The three people sitting at the table with her all looked at
each other helplessly.

The waiter came and took their orders, giving Katy a chance
to regain her composure. The meal progressed, with Chloe and Shane stopping by
to chat every chance they got. It was not until they had ordered dessert that
the elder O’Grady brother made an appearance.

Katy sensed he was there the minute he entered the room. She
looked up and saw him talking with Shane. His younger brother must have told
him she was there, because he glanced back at their table. He strode through
the dining room, as devilishly handsome as ever. Heads turned as he made his
way to her table. And then he was there, standing right in front of her. Her
hands became clammy as she tucked them in her lap. Her heart was racing, her
stomach in knots. She looked up into the eyes of the man she so desperately
loved and could not have. She could not speak.

“Katy, you’re here. I trust you had a good flight?” He
nodded to the Jacobis. “Hello, Jon, Mari.”

“Uh, yes, it was fine.”

“Ready for work in the morning?”

“Chloe and I are meeting here at ten. Will you be here too?”

“Not sure. Depends on what Chloe wants. She has her hands in
so many projects right now, I don’t know if she’s handling the décor on her own
or if she wants help.”

“I’ve been working on it quite a bit, so hopefully she won’t
have to do much.”

“Well, I need to be getting home. Have a good night, and I
may see you tomorrow.” And then he was gone.

“He was pleasant enough, Katy.” Mari was the first to speak.

“But it was all business,” Katy sadly reminded her.

They finished the meal in silence and the girls said goodbye
to Chloe while Jon paid the check. The ride home was quiet as Katy sat in the
back seat, lost in her thoughts. When they arrived back at Marianne’s house,
Katy said goodnight and went straight to her room. She dozed fitfully until
around dawn, when she was finally able to catch a few hours’ sleep before
having to face Ryan again.

Marianne dropped Katy off at the restaurant with a promise
to stop by later. Katy carried her briefcase full of designs, swatches, and
color palettes into the lobby. Chloe was waiting and waved for her to join her
in the private dining room.

“We can work undisturbed here.” She offered Katy coffee and
they set to work immediately. Chloe was so impressed with Katy’s ideas, she
finally sat back and said, “Babe, you have taken a load off my shoulders. I am
putting you in charge of all the decorating. You make all the decisions, do it
all. Can you take it on?”

“Well… I am still finishing up with Angie. When I get back
home, I need to meet with her and start ordering all her supplies. If I can
work it all out, I’d be honored to take over the decorating for you.”

“It’ll mean spending most of your time in Dallas. Can you
handle it?”

“I’ll have to, now, won’t I?”

“Good girl. Oh, look, here’s Ryan coming in to check up on
us.”

“I was just checking to see if you needed me for anything.”

Only everything
, Katy thought.
I need you for
everything, Ryan
.

“No, we’re doing just fine. In fact, Katy is so talented, I
have just put her in charge of all the decorating for the O’Grady chain.
That’ll free me up to work on recipes and kitchen stuff.”

“Katy, you can give up your other clients to work
exclusively for the O’Grady chain? You do realize this will be a full time
job?”

“I do realize that, Mr. O’Grady. At present, I have only one
other client and that’s Angie. I’ve already told Chloe that I need to see that
project through and then I am free to devote my time to O’Grady Enterprises.
She has agreed to that stipulation. So you see, we really have it all worked
out.”

“And you will be moving to Dallas, then?”

Katy had not thought of that. “That would be a major, life-changing
decision. I have my home and my son to consider. I think it would be a bit much
to move to Dallas for a temporary job, when I have no other reason to be here,
don’t you?”

Ryan winced at her last words. “And what makes you think
this job is temporary? If O’Grady Enterprises gets off the ground and we build
all over the country, the job could last for years. You ought to seriously
consider giving up your new business and joining our payroll.”

“We’ll see. I am not making any rash decisions yet. There
really is no need to, now is there?” She looked directly at Ryan. Chloe had
sneaked out of the room unnoticed, leaving the two to talk. “And if I did that,
joined the O’Grady payroll, who would I answer to in that position?”

He looked at her with guarded eyes. “You would answer to
me.”

“And you think that would work?”

“Why wouldn’t it? There is no reason I can think of that the
two of us can’t work together, can you think of any, Katy?”

“No, of course not. I’ll give it some serious thought. As
for now, I need to check and see if Marianne has returned to pick me up. Good
day, Ryan.”

Shaking, she walked into the main dining room to see
Marianne and Chloe chatting. She walked over and said abruptly, “I’m ready to
go. Chloe, I’ll call you tomorrow. We need to talk about the offer you made me
in more detail. Ryan brought up some things I hadn’t thought of.”

“Sure, sweetie. Call anytime and I’ll make time for you.
We’ll get out of here and have some girl time while we’re at it. Everything
ok?”

“It will be. He may think he can tell me what’s what, but I
can make my own decisions.”

Chloe and Marianne were at a loss as to what that meant.
They said their goodbyes and after Katy and Mari had gone, Chloe went in search
of her brother-in-law.

“What did you say to her? You didn’t blow it, did you? I was
serious about her taking this job. It would be a great load off me. Just
because you’re a stubborn fool, don’t ruin things for the rest of us. I have
had it with you, Ryan O’Grady. Up to here.” She held her hand up under her chin
to demonstrate her frustration.