Remember Love (10 page)

A smirk twisted Rachel's
mouth. "So you can get married and live happily ever after?"Five
years ago her fiancé cheated on her and she’d never gotten over it.

Katrina stood and
grabbed her purse. She found a ten in her wallet and set it next to Rachel’s
money. "I know you don’t like him but try to be objective. Leaving him at
the altar was probably the biggest mistake of my life."

"Not the
biggest," Rachel said, voice soft.

Katrina cringed
at the reference to Joey.

"Now’s the
time for honesty. Learn from your past."

"I’m trying."
Even as she said it though, she knew she wasn’t being completely truthful.

"Ditching
him was a good thing. Seventeen is too young to marry." Rachel led Katrina
out of the restaurant. "Besides, how were you supposed to know he would go
out and become some rich guy who travels all over?"

"Exactly."
Katrina caught up to Rachel. "Part of the problem was the fear of being
stuck here forever, a married old fart. And yet here I am."

"That wasn’t
your only fear." Rachel stopped and faced her, brow arched. "I just
think you should be careful. He has a strong taste for revenge. Mr. Carmichael
is a case in point." Rachel lifted her hair from her neck and fanned
herself. "I’ve gotta get back to the office before I melt. Are you coming
to the Fall Festival tomorrow?"

"No."
She wasn’t
that
ready to move on.

"Think about
it."

They hugged and
Katrina walked back to Kat’s Korner. The Fall Festival would be fine without
her. Even thinking about attending made her stomach clench. She pushed the idea
out of her mind and walked through the propped-open door of the store. Paint
fumes stung her nose and she hurried to the office.

Alec didn’t hear
her come in. Or if he did, he didn’t show it. He lurked at the computer
studying a screen full of numbers. Grabbing the extra chair, she pulled it
beside him and sat down.

"How’s it
coming?"

"You’re
worse off than I thought." He swiveled towards her, expression sober. "How
do you pay your bills? Your profits are barely above your expenses."

Katrina’s spirits
plummeted. It was a truth she’d been trying to ignore for months. "Mother
left a trust and the house is paid off."

Alec squinted. "She
had money?"

"Yeah."
Katrina rubbed her temples. "Mother liked poverty until Joey came along. I
never saw someone change overnight like she did. She loved him in a way she
never loved me." Katrina had grown up with perfectly ironed clothes and a
mother who never smiled.

"I’m sorry."

"Don’t be.
Joey deserved every bit of it." She glanced at the computer. "Do you
still want to buy part of Kat’s Korner?"

"Here’s the
check." He gestured to the desk. "But I don’t see how you can survive
much longer. There’s just not enough demand in a town this small for your
product."

"I know.
Keep your money."

"No way,
Katrina. It’s all part of investing."

"You
shouldn’t have to pay for this mess. All I have to do is sell off the inventory
and try to break even, right? Then can I pay you for your services?"

"The deal
was I own part of it."

"But if it
has to be sold, then what does it matter to you?"

"We can sell
it and make a profit, even in this economy."

Her gaze lingered
on the computer, identical to the one in the front of the store. "I guess
I shouldn’t have bought these new computers."

"Are they on
credit?"

"Cash."
She wished her hands weren’t so sweaty. Now that she’d spoken of selling Kat’s
Korner out loud her heart was beating overtime. Nerves or excitement, she
couldn’t tell.

The doorbell
chimed, followed by an angry shout. "Katrina Ross, I know you’re here."

She shot out of
her seat, leaving Alec in the office. Who would be rude enough to yell like
that in her store?

She slid behind
the safety of her counter and eyed the burly man with wariness. "Steve."
Obviously not in jail. "What are you doing here?" A new beard grazed his
chin and his eyes were bloodshot. Either he wasn’t getting any sleep or he was
drinking too much.

Or both.

He loomed towards
her and smacked large, hairy hands on her countertop. "Where is she? I
want my wife and I want my kids."

"Then you
shouldn’t have tried to kill Sharon." Chest tightening, she moved back
against the wall and hoped his arms were not long enough to reach her.

"Look here,
Miss high and mighty. The whole town knows you took her to your house. Patsy
Millberger saw y’all. You better tell me what you’ve done with them or I’ll—"
His gaze shifted past her to the office door.

"You’ll
what?" Alec’s cold voice colored Steve’s face scarlet.

The two men faced
each other. Glancing down, Katrina saw Alec’s hands curled into fists. She’d
better do something.

"We’ll call
the police," she said, voice bordering on a squeak. So much for trying to
scare him off.

"Right." 
Steve sneered. "I’ll find them. Sharon’s gonna be sorry she left. And I
don’t know who you are, but you better watch your back." He directed his
last words to Alec before turning and barging out the door.

"Sharon’s
husband?"

Katrina nodded,
folding her arms tightly against herself to stop the trembling.

"Nice guy."
Alec’s hand moved to her shoulder for a brief squeeze before dropping to his
side. 

"We need to
call the police. They have a warrant for his arrest," she said, letting
Alec guide her to the office. He gently pushed her into a chair and then sat
down across from her.

"Steve won’t
find her." His dark eyes probed hers and she looked away.

Adrenaline made
her knees knock together. She took a deep breath. "I know."

"I’m calling
Grant "

She nodded. The
policeman, also Alec’s high school friend, would know what to do. Throughout
the years she’d worried Grant would tell Alec about Joey if he ever saw her son.
At the same time, she’d hoped he would, just to save her the confrontation.

But in all the
years they’d lived in the same town, she’d only run into Grant a few times.

She watched the
way Alec’s fingers punched the numbers on her phone. Strong hands, confident.
The hands of a man who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted. Maybe he had
come back for her, but after finding out about Joey, would he ever be able to
forgive her?  

Would he ever see
her as someone other than the selfish woman who’d kept his child a secret?

CHAPTER
TEN

Saturday morning Katrina
watched the sun slant in through her bedroom window blinds, unbearably vivid
arches of light that weaved across her carpet. She burrowed further into the
down comforter. Too bad she couldn’t block out the happy sounds of nature
beyond her window. Or better yet, go to work and hibernate in mounds of books.

But Kat’s Korner
closed every year during the Festival. It was the town’s last hurrah before the
snow birds started arriving in droves. The elderly swooped in for winter,
bringing fresh business to various shops across town, preparing them for spring
when the snow birds would be replaced by tourists and vacationers.

And so the town
celebrated autumn by holding a festival for the locals.

She closed her
eyes, willing sleep to return and take her away. But no sleep arrived to rescue
her. Alert, her ears picked up the sound of a lawn mower, the whoosh of passing
cars. Her cell phone chirped, and she groaned. Rachel knew better than to bug
her about the festival. Popping out of her nest of blankets, she swiped the
phone off the nightstand and glanced at the name on the screen.

Alec.

Grimacing, she
reached for the phone and flipped it open. "Yes?"

"I need you
at the store." His voice sounded terse.

She straightened,
brushing unruly morning hair from her eyes. "Is everything okay?"

"Just get
here."

He disconnected.
She scowled. If it wasn’t Kat’s Korner she’d ignore him and dive back beneath the
covers. But if something was wrong at her store, she should be there.

Needed to be
there.

She hopped out of
bed, ran a brush through her hair and dragged on jeans and a t-shirt. A glance
in the mirror convinced her to pull her hair into a ponytail. No need to look
like she'd been hit by a hurricane.

It took longer
than usual to arrive at Kat’s Korner. A parade clogged Main street, forcing her
to maneuver through back roads, but eventually she pulled into the small plaza
parking lot that housed both Kat’s Korner’s and the Pizza Place’s building.
Alec paced outside her store, his hands jammed into the pockets of baggy jeans.
From looking at him, no one would guess he bought businesses for a living.
Maybe he liked it that way. A rebel on the outside, a single-minded professional
on the inside.

She parked the
car, turned the key in the ignition and sat, unsure. Alec looked more than
tense. His steps were quick and stiff. He must have heard her car because as
soon as she parked he strode over, his shoulders squared beneath a pale blue
polo shirt.

Katrina looked
past him. No light in the store windows, as though he hadn’t even gone in. When
Alec reached the car, he opened her door and leaned against the frame, peering
in. The wind riffled through his hair, then snuck into her car as a humid puff.
A strange look flickered across his face, part grimace, part smile, it seemed.

"Hi,"
he said.

"Hi."
In the distance Katrina heard kids laughing, the beep of a fire engine. She
wiggled in her seat, pulled her shirt away from her skin in an effort to combat
the heat. "What's wrong?"

His gaze didn’t
leave her face. "The store is fine."

An uneasy fear
gripped her. "Then what’s the problem?"

He rubbed at his
chin. "I heard you haven’t been to the Festival in years."

"So?" 

A sigh escaped
him, a heavy rush imbued with unspoken sorrow. "Don’t you think it’s time
for you to move on?"

Her spine snapped
straight. "Are you saying you tricked me into coming here?" She
challenged him with her gaze, daring him to truthfulness.

"More like
lured?" He squatted before her, lowering himself in an obvious move to
ease her defensiveness. To make her feel bigger. She didn’t want the tactic to
work, but it did. From this angle she could see the pleading in his dark eyes. "Ms.
Lincoln told me you haven’t attended since Joey died."

Her jaw tightened
and she didn’t respond.

"Just come
with me. I haven’t been in town for ten years. It would be great to hang out
for awhile, maybe eat some cotton candy." Though his tone was light, a
serious note crept through.

Katrina chewed
her cheeks, debating. Of course she should go. Not to hang out, as he put it,
but to face the past and overcome it. But every nerve in her body screamed
no
.
She chanced a look at Alec and caught him mid-frown. A flash of understanding
cut her to the bone. He didn’t want to go with her. His face had given it away.
"Hanging out" must be some savvy ploy to get his way.

Her chin lifted. "Why
are you doing this? What does it matter to you?"

The skin over his
cheekbones tightened, drawing his face into lines of pain. "I don’t know."

"Some
inkling, maybe?" Sarcasm vibrated her voice like a bow to string. She
couldn’t face the crowds, see the children and be reminded. It wasn’t fair of
him to ask it of her, no matter what she’d done to him.

"I only know
I can’t stand to see you this way." His hands reached for hers, unclasping
them from the steering wheel and drawing them to his chest. "Broken.
Grieving."

She exhaled at
the hard heat of him. He’d robbed her of speech. His fingers curled warm around
hers, tender despite the anguish engraved on his features.

"Okay,"
she whispered.

They left their
cars in the parking lot and crept down Main, toward the heart of the festival.
The fire engine blared, signaling the steady approach of the parade. They
walked the sidewalk, inches apart. Katrina’s heart drummed painful beats
against her chest. They passed side streets where vendors hawked their wares.
Homemade crafts, paintings and pottery. Cotton candy and boiled peanuts filled
the air with delicious scents, salty and sweet. Like the memories that besieged
her senses. Inciting. Craving. Stinging. 

They reached the
crowded acre between Save-A-Lot and McDonald’s. A wide expanse of grass, the
acreage hosted the hub of activities every year for the festival. Katrina
stopped at the edge and Alec walked ahead of her until he realized she wasn’t
beside him.

"You okay?"
He turned to face her, squinting against the sunlight. His voice came out
thick, as though he too struggled with a different set of memories.

She took a shaky
breath and squared her shoulders. "I’m fine." Forcing her feet to move,
she caught up to him. She lifted her face to the sun, hoping for a forgotten grace
to get through this.

A boy darted in
front of them, his shaggy brown hair reminiscent of Joey. She waited for the
gut searing pain in her abdomen, the nausea, but instead a dull ache settled in
her heart. Not what she’d expected. Was she healing? 

She already went
to Little League games every season. The first game started next week. Going to
the festival shouldn’t be different. New, but not different. There were
children here just like anywhere else. Purposefully she inhaled the deep, rich
scents of the festival. She could do this, should have done it sooner. The
strength of discovery bolstered her steps. If Alec hadn’t prodded her she’d
still be wallowing in bed.

She forced a
smile. "Hey, there’s the ring toss. I haven’t played that in ages."
Three years, but it didn’t need to be said.

They walked to
the game, weaving around running children and harried adults. The tent hovered
to the side of the main path, next to a larger tent housing nature photography.
Katrina made a mental note to go there next. They stepped up to the card table
where the game sat.

"How much?"
Katrina scanned the table, looking for a price.

"A dollar."
A middle aged woman crossed over from the tent next door. She smiled, exposing
perfectly straight teeth. "And it’s for Lady Anne’s ballet school. They
host a scholarship for children unable to pay the monthly fee."

That sounded
good. Katrina reached for her purse, and then groaned.

"You forgot
your purse?" Alec turned to her, his dark brows drawing together.

"Yeah. Let
me just—"

"I’ve got
it." Alec snagged his wallet from the back pocket of his jeans, opened it
and handed the lady a five dollar bill. "Five games, please."

"No problem.
You folks locals?" She handed Alec the rings.

"We grew up
here." Katrina ventured closer to the tent beside them. Craning her neck,
she glimpsed a still life photo of a turtle reclining on a log. Behind him
crept the plump fingers of a child itching for a pet. She chuckled. How cute
was that?

The lady, her
name tag read Gladys, sidled up to Katrina. "Feel free to step over there
when you’re done here."

"Those are
your pictures?"

"Yep. I’m
thinking of starting my own business but wanted to see how they sell here,
first."

Thoughtful,
Katrina took the business card Gladys handed her and slipped it into her
pocket. "Well, good luck. I may be back later to have a look."

They turned to the
ring-toss table and waited for Alec to come back. He stood just outside the
small enclosure, talking to Grant. His friend wore his uniform, no doubt on the
lookout for young pranksters and thieves. Beside her, Gladys moved away,
tinkering with the prize bears hanging from the ceiling.

Katrina studied
Alec. Grant walked away and Alec ran his fingers through his hair. Before he could
come back into the tent, Widow Carmichael hobbled past him. His hand fluttered
up to wave then dropped to his side when she passed him with a scowl on her
lips and her nose in the air. Katrina frowned.

Glancing at
Alec’s face, she noted his suddenly withdrawn expression. This excursion must
be difficult for him. To face townspeople he hadn’t seen in years, people like
the widow who’d always seen him as a troublemaker. To walk beside the woman
who’d kept his child from him. She blinked, not knowing if the sting beneath
her eyelids came from the sun or her own volatile emotions.

 For a moment she
considered reaching for his hand, reaching for truce, then shelved the impulse.
He’d agreed to help her with the business.

It wasn’t right
to ask for more.

And yet she
longed to see him laugh the way he had when they were younger. Not that he’d
ever been carefree, but there had been a time she’d seen him happy.

Like an old
movie, slow and often replayed, she watched him in her memory as he grinned
while she tickled his nose with cotton candy. Then he laughed when she yanked
it away.

She bit her lip.
She wasn’t the only one who’d lost out. He didn’t even have memories of his
son. Suddenly, the pain of attending the festival seemed trivial compared to
Alec’s loss.

Wetting her lips,
she deliberately loosened her shoulders. Fun might be out of the question, but
she’d give him an interesting time. Win some teddy bears, show him Joey’s
favorite games and foods. Perhaps it would ease his closed expression into one
of relaxation.

Perhaps it would
ease the ever-growing burden of guilt that gnawed like a rabid dog at her
conscience.

*****

"Go Manatees!"
Katrina’s braid bounced against her back as she jumped up to cheer. The Minor
Manatees had just hit a second base run, bringing Cody Smith home and giving
the team a four run lead. She sat down and wiped her brow with an old hankie
she’d brought. At six in the evening the day still dripped heat and the scent
of salty popcorn and hot dogs lingered in the air.

"I think
we’re going to win this time," she said.

"Probably.
It’ll be a boost for these guys." Joe grinned, a decidedly un-pastorlike
twinkle in his eyes. "They should change their name. Eight-year old boys don’t
want to be called minor."

Katrina shrugged
and tossed some popcorn into her mouth. Chewed. Swallowed. "Joey always
wanted to be a big boy from the moment he could talk."

The next hitter struck
out. The teams switched up, with the Manatees heading to the outfield.

"Have you
seen Alec lately?" 

She felt Joe’s
probing gaze and she stifled the urge to blow him off. She sensed he was asking
more than he was saying. "I see him almost every day. He’s helping me do
inventory and stuff."

"Did you ask
why after ten years of no contact, he suddenly wants to be involved with you
again?"

"Yes, I did."
In her kitchen, Alec had said he’d come back for her, but she sure wouldn’t
tell Joe that. Especially since she was having trouble believing it herself,
despite the time they’d spent together last Saturday at the festival. He hadn’t
exactly laughed, but after a while the stiffness seemed to ease from his frame.
At the end of the day they’d parted companionably, comfortable in the time
they’d spent walking and remembering.

Joe’s interest
felt intrusive. Very unlike him. She lowered her gaze to level with his. "Have
you been talking to Rachel?"

Joe flushed. His
face was already pink from the heat, but she knew him well enough to recognize
guilt when she saw it.

"You
shouldn’t let her cynicism infect you. Since he’s been here I haven’t seen
anything suspicious that would make me think he has ulterior motives." She
set the popcorn bag on the bleachers, grimacing when a little guy in right
field dropped a pop-up. "Alec and I’ve drawn up a legal contract. He’s now
a partner in my business, and if I sell, will share in the profits."

"How long
has he been here?"

"About three
weeks?"

"Is he a
Christian?"

"Yes, he’s a
Christian." Exasperation made her tone sharper than she’d intended.

"Katrina."
Joe’s voice lowered. "I know I’m prying, but do you realize he hasn’t gone
to church at all but that one Sunday?"

Her fingers
tightened on the popcorn bag beside her. "Yours is not the only church in
town."

"He hasn’t
been to St. Mary’s or Bible Baptist, either. I asked."